Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online Review

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online.

My family has always had a love for science. We love doing science experiments at home and love learning about the world around us out in the field. The more interactive and hands on it is the more my kids love doing it. Ever since my children were very, very little they have been extremely inquisitive. My kids love to explore everything and find the answers.

I believe that teaching science is very important. It helps us unlock the mysteries of practically everything. Visual Learning Systems is an online based educational science publisher that has top of the line visual curriculum from kindergarten though twelfth grade. We have been given the chance to use both their Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) and Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12) if we wanted to.  We also have access to ALL the levels with Admin, Teacher, and Student accounts for a full year. For this review I have already used it for 3 days per week for 6 weeks with my children. This curriculum is great for teachers in public school as well as homeschooling parents.

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online full screened video.

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online is an annual K-12 digital subscription online to a vast variety of visual tools for science education. This wonderful media includes: videos, animations, images, and activities. The videos are a wonderful visual aid. The live action footage from all over the world on these videos is colorful and engaging. Chapter video clips are indexed within the lesson. You can either play them individually or play all. If you choose to play all they will be about 10-20 minutes long per unit study or lesson. You can make the video full screen too. They have vocabulary words that show up on the screen to go along with the lessons. A video review quiz follows each video and there are "you decide" questions throughout the program. This can be paired with the worksheets in the teacher's guide section or just done aloud with your student. The animations are easily accessed within the videos or all on their own by clicking the tab. In the images tab their are images that are annotated to give you more information. These also are in the video as well. The resources for the student/teacher include: printable worksheets, lab activities, vocabulary exercises, reading activities, assessments, quizzes, and tests.

Vocabulary words to go along with the program show up from time to time.

Teela answering the question asked in the trees video for Life Science.

Navigation is pretty simple. Once you are logged in you can see that the lessons are categorized into subjects and grade level along the bottom left hand side for easy access. Once you click a grade level then you may also pick a subject. Under each subject there are lesson titles which show up in the mid-bottom part of your screen. Above those there is a search bar to search for keywords in their database. Up at the top will be the lesson title you have picked and the clickable links to the videos, animations, images, and teacher's guides off to the right. Under those you will see chapter video clips within the lesson that you can either play individually or click to play all. If you click on the teacher's guides it will give you how to introduce the video to the student, student activities, learning objective list, and the video script. This whole program makes for a wonderful well rounded science curriculum.

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition is geared to grades kindergarten through 5th. These lessons are split into two grade groups: Primary (K-2) and Elementary (3-5). My daughter Teela is six, going on seven in April and fits comfortably within the primary grades (K-2) under this edition. I don't have any children that fall into the grade group for elementary grades (3-5) right now.

Teela working on a tree worksheet for Life Science.

Teela worked through the Life Science units of study in the primary Elementary Edition section. We didn't want to skip around too much, but this subject interested my daughter the most and because it is Spring time I thought it was fitting to start there. The other science education subjects that are in this are Physical Science, Earth Science, and Health. We will be working through these at a later time, but I still wanted to mention them. The elementary grade level of this edition has Physical Science, Earth Science, and Life Science, but no Health.

Teela had lots of fun learning the lessons in Life Science. She learned about life cycles, food chains, classification and grouping, plants, trees, and specific groups of animals, etc. She loved the videos which were so informative and doing the worksheets too. We had her do a lesson per day, 3 days per week, for 6 weeks. This had her completely done with Life Science by the allotted time that I had to do this review. She said that her favorites were learning about the parts of the plant, about the rings on a tree, and the life cycle of a butterfly.

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition

Visual Learning Systems Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition is geared to grades 6th through 12th (middle/high school). My oldest son Delbin is 14 and his younger brother Jaedan is 12, going on 13 in May and they both fit comfortably within this edition. Besides Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science, and  Health the secondary studies have Integrated Science and Biology. We have not started this with my boys yet, a lot of this for them is refresher. I do know they will also love it though and plan to have them do it in upcoming months.

I love that this is so accessible to so many. This is available for subscribers 24/7 as well as seven days a week for the student, teacher, and/or parent. It is also accessible to so many different platforms. You can use it on digital whiteboards, LCD projectors, iPads, handheld devices, and all computers. This integrates with all networks and no servers or software is needed. You can also have closed-captioned on for the visually impaired.

This whole program works really well for us and so far we absolutely love it. I can't wait to dive into more of the lessons with more of my kids.

Pricing:

$.90 per student (minimum $300/year). They have multi-campus discounts as well. Also, homeschool pricing is available for $99 per edition (elementary or secondary), up to 8 students.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - http://facebook.com/visuallearningsystems
Twitter - https://twitter.com/visualearning


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A Child's Introduction Books Review and Educents Deal

We received products free from Educents and Workman Publishing Company to facilitate this review.

Right now Educents is having a deal for A Child's Introduction to... Books! Get A Child's Introduction to The Environment, A Child's Introduction to The World, and A Child's Introduction to The Night Sky for only $39.90! That's a discount of 33%!

This bestselling, award-winning series for kids explores the sky, environments, and cultures of our world. Readers ages 9-12 will enjoy this information-packed introduction to astronomy, geography, and more. Inside the front flap is a bonus envelop that has extra goodies that come with each book.

A Child's Introduction to The Environment is a book about the air, earth, and sea around us. Explore oceans, deserts, icecaps, cities, farms, forests, animals, plants, wildlife, climates, and weather. It has experiments, projects, and activities to get involved to help protect the planet. Includes a reusable lunch sack, stickers with save-the-Earth messages, and a poster from NRDC's Green Squad. Great for the budding environmentalist.

A Child's Introduction to The World is a book about geography, cultures, and people - from the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China. Includes a pop-up paper globe and stickers. Fun facts about far-off places, interesting people, continents, countries, climates, animals, sports, foods, inventions, and holidays from all over the world. Wonderful for the little explorer or geographer.

A Child's Introduction to The Night Sky is a book about stars, planets, and constellations and how you can find them in the night sky. Includes a star wheel guide to the constellations and glow-in-the-dark stickers of the solar system for your ceiling in your room. This book can help your little astronomer gaze at the sky with confidence.

We love these books! They have so much great information and we love the extra inserts too! We love the interaction the books give and great illustrations. These are very educational. These are great for homeschool or after school instruction.

Go get this deal at Educents now and save up to 33%! Click on the Educents button below and find the A Child's Introduction to... Book deal! Hurry! It is only here for a limited time!



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and promo. Affiliate links may be present in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.

NBC’s Share and Tell Blog App

I am getting a gift for posting this information. All information was provided by NBC and PartnersHub.

What is NBC’s Share and Tell?

Did you know that for every pound of new goods produced, 71 pounds of waste are generated during manufacturing? This Earth Week, NBC Universal is partnering with the sharing site yerdle to help you minimize your impact on the planet by sharing your stuff. One person’s stuff is another person’s story!

Here’s how it works.

1. Join or host a Share & Tell Party (click the “Join the Party” button in the app below). 
2. Post your stuff to share with friends. Discover other items that are up for grabs. 
3. Tell the story of your sharing experiences on your favorite social media site. #ShareandTell.

What is yerdle?

Yerdle is the new mission-driven California Benefit corporation that’s out to help people share with their friends rather than buying things new. On yerdle, friends post items they're willing to give away or loan, search for items they're looking to get, and nab the things they want. Simple.

Why Host a Share and Tell?

Protect the planet, save money, give gifts to your friends and find things you want. Hosting a Share and Tell means inviting your Facebook friends to share things you want. Parties can either be hosted in-person or online, it’s up to you!

 

Blog App:

• How Are You Green? (Eco Quiz) It’s not easy being green…(or is it?) We all want to take better care of our environment and go green, but the question is... How are YOU Green? Take the Eco quiz to find out! 
• 7 Easy Ways to Start Sharing Now Now, more than ever, sharing makes sense. Getting started sharing is simpler than you think! Read these 7 easy ways to start sharing now and create healthier, happier families and communities. 
• Real Life Share and Tell Stories Read real life stories of how sharing on yerdle has helped people just like you get the stuff they need - without buying a thing! 
• Get Social Tweet with the #ShareandTell hashtag about NBC’s Share and Tell!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the NBC’s Share and Tell blog app I am getting a Green is Universal Prize Pack free. Thanks to PartnersHub and NBC. for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog app and giveaway.

Green is Universal Prize Pack includes:
One Green is Universal canvas tote bag (made from recycled cotton)

 ... along with two of the items below (chosen at random)
- Planet Ocean DVD
 - Green is Universal T-shirt (made by Alternative Apparel)
 - Green is Universal colored pencil kits (made from recycled newspaper)
- Green is Universal Vapur water bottles (BPA-free)
 - Green is Universal hardboard cover spiral bound notebook (not pictured)
 - Green is Universal burlap FEED bag (not pictured)

The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD Review and Giveaway

To celebrate Earth Day I received The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD for free to facilitate this review and the opportunity to also give one away.

I homeschool my kids and so I seek out educational programing on TV, Netflix, etc. for my children to watch and learn from. I grew up watching The Magic School Bus, a long-running Emmy® Award-winning animated science adventure series, on TV when I was younger and so I remember enjoying learning along with the show. When I got older and had children of my own I incorporated The Magic School Bus in my kids' education at home because they are so much fun. We have collected many of The Magic School Bus series of books that the series is based off of too over the years. All my kids love both the series and the books and so do I.

From Ms. Frizzle's outrageous wardrobe to her anthropomorphic school bus that takes her students on field trips to impossible locations, The Magic School Bus series takes you on great adventures all in the name of science. The classroom pet Liz, a lizard, that accompanies them on most of the excursions. These present scientific fact with situations where fantastic things happen with humor thrown in to make learning fun.

In The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD you get 3 all new, never before released episodes: The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed, The Magic School Bus Blows its Top, The Magic School Bus Goes on Air AND a bonus episode, The Magic School Bus All Dried Up. This DVD also has both Spanish and English language options. These are fabulous for getting inside the Earth like never before. Celebrate Earth Day with pizazz.

In The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed we get a bugs eye view of plants, flowers and bugs. In this episode we learn about plant nectar, pollen, and seeds. The class' garden is going to be featured on the cover of Plant It! Magazine, but Phoebe's garden plot is extremely empty...can they fill it in time for the magazine photo? We loved this episode and my daughters loved learning the parts of the flowers and about the bug's proboscis.

In The Magic School Bus Blows its Top we rock out with Ms. Frizzle and her class as we help them discover a new island. In this episode we learn a little about the formation of islands, Earth's crust, underwater volcanoes, magma, and lava. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about heat buildup in volcanoes and what they form when they erupt.

In The Magic School Bus Goes on Air we see Ms. Frizzle and her class under a lot of pressure to get a class project done for the Walkerville Space Capsule. In this episode we learn about air pressure. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about what air pressure can do.

In The Magic School Bus All Dried Up we try to beat the heat with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they go to the desert. In this episode we learn about how animals adapt for survival in such a hot seemingly arid place. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about the desert and some of its flora and fauna.

We will definitely treasure this DVD and I know my kids will love watching these episodes again and again. I love the educational content. This is a great DVD for Earth Day or any day!

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/New-Kideo/169330949777241

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Purchase The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD from New Kideo for $12.95

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Prize: 1 winner will win a copy of The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD free from Scholastic and New Kideo.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review and the opportunity to give another away to my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Celebrate Earth Day with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood!

Do you remember as a child watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood? I sure do and it was one of my favorite TV shows as a child and now for my children. Now The Fred Rogers Company has created a very cute TV series called Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood that is based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. An all new, extra special episode premieres on April 22 (check local listings) for Earth Day – just in time to help young viewers learn the importance of cleaning up, picking up and recycling.

The new show features two adorable stories. In Neighborhood Clean Up, a wind storm blows through town making a mess of the Neighborhood playground and no one can play. King Friday proclaims that it is “Clean Up Day” and everyone helps restore the playground by throwing out and recycling the trash. The Neighborhood children – along with young viewers at home – learn that, by working together, the playground can be ready for play again in no time! And in Clean Up Time, Daniel and his best friend O the Owl are playing “farm” at Daniel’s house. They are having a lot of fun, but are also making quite a mess! After losing his watch in a messy room, Daniel realizes that cleaning up and putting his toys away will help him find it. And the great clean-up begins!

Inspired by Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and the upcoming special Earth Day-themed episode, here are some simple and fun ideas for celebrating the special day (and Mother Earth) together with your toddler/preschooler:

• Proclaim your own “Clean Up Day”! Tidy up your yard, and clean out the winter clutter. While you’re at it, find out what kind of trees, plants and wildlife are “at home” in your backyard and neighborhood, too! 
• Plant a garden! Pick out the kinds of vegetables you’d like to grow or design a flower bed together – kids love to get their hands dirty! If you live in an apartment, you can create a beautiful flower or herb garden right on your terrace or windowsill. 
• Help beautify a park or playground! Get a group of parents and preschoolers together and visit a local park to help make sure that it’s trash free and ready for playtime! 
• Recycle together! Invite your children to get in on the act of recycling! Have them assist you in tying up those newspapers and magazines, collecting the cans and bottles, crunching the cardboard boxes – and making sure that everything goes in its proper bin. 

Here is a short clip of one of the episodes:

Earth Day from GC on Vimeo.

And don’t forget to tune-in to the brand-new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Earth Day episode together. It’s another perfect way for families to make Earth Day a special day in their neighborhood! If you miss these episodes make sure to check your local listings and you can catch the show at another time.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: PBS Kids and Grand Communications provided this information to me to share with you. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for posting this information.

Earth Day Freebies, Activites, and Events 2013

If you look around you can find all sorts of fun FREE Earth Day activities and events that are going on around where you live. Here are some I have found that most of my readers can participate in. 

© Day2Day Printing
1. You can get a FREE set of 4 Earth Day Cards at Day2Day Printing. These cards have seeds embedded into them and are biodegradable and earth friendly. If you plant them the seeds will grow.

2. Pottery Barn Kids has a free in store event on Saturday April 20 - Monday April 22. Go to your local store to get a FREE packet of seeds to plant (while supplies last). Plus the proceeds from of select lunch products will go to Trees for the Future. Find a nearby store to you to participate. There are other in store events there also throughout the year.

3. Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Stores has a free in store event on Sunday April 21 from 2-3pm at participating stores. You can make a FREE Make It-Take It Earth Day Planter.

© Target
4. At Target you can get a FREE reusable shopping bag (while supplies last) at participating stores the day before Earth Day on April 21st.

5. At the Disney Store you can get a FREE Brave or Cars 2 Reusable Bag when you come in and recycle 5 plastic shopping bags (while supplies last) on April 22.

6. At participating Michaels Stores on April 20 celebrate Earth Day and learn how you can upcycle your old T-shirts into trendy and fashionable accessories for FREE when you register at your local store.

7. At the Home Depot you can register online for their FREE in store event on April 20 from 10am-11:30am to Learn how to build and maintain a "Flower Tower".

© IKEA
8. IKEA Portland is having some fun Earth Day Events. If you don't live local to Portland, Oregon try your local store. On April 2 - June 23 you can donate $1 to plant a tree with American Forests while you are in the checkout line. On April 22 from 5am - 7pm IKEA Portland will be having a FREE Shred Day. Bring up to two boxes or bags of paper to be safely and securely shredded in their parking lot then recycled at no cost to you.

9. April 22 - April 26 is National Park Week and National Parks are FREE to experience during this time. You do not have to pay an entrance fee. So get outdoors!

10. Portland, Oregon is having some fun FREE local events for Earth Day for those of you that live nearby. Some are free on these lists... Red Tricycle, PDX Pipeline, Radio Disney Portland's Team Green, Around the Sun, NW Kids, PDX Kids Calendar

11. Cowlitz County in Washington is having a FREE event at the Cowlitz County Expo Center on April 20 from 10:00 am - 3:30 pm. Activities include steel drums, trout pond, whirly bird, gyroscope, rock wall, petting farm, reptile roadshow, wildlife rehab trailer, planetarium, OMSI, and historical society recycled crafts, to name a few.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in knowing this information and taking part of these fun activities. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

I Love God's Green Earth by Michael and Caroline Carroll Review

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

I Love God's Green Earth by Michael & Caroline Carroll teaches kids about how the care of creation can draw them closer to God. I love this book because it has practical projects to help care for the Earth for kids to do on every page. I love teaching my kids how to help with the environment and make it a better place for all of us to live.

I Love God's Green Earth has 90 days of devotions. Each devotion includes a Scripture verse, “Facts” section that goes into the science behind the topic of the day, a “Connection” section to help kids link both the biblical truth and scientific facts to the scripture, and a “What Can I Do?” section with a takeaway action (react, read, readopt, reconnect, reconsider, record, recycle, reduce, reflect, refresh, refuse, regift, rejoice, relay, renew, replant, request, research, respect, restore, rethink, retrace, reuse, review). Jokes, riddles, and fun facts are also included at the end of each devotion to make this book more fun, informative, and interesting. You should read each devotion in order because each builds upon the previous one. I love that these devotions/devotionals are educational and spiritual as well as eco-friendly and they teach kids to be more responsible and take care of their surroundings.

Since we already recycle and compost I was looking for something from the book that we need to do better. One of the things that we have been focusing on as a family is Day 26, Bug Spray Gone Bad, which focuses on using safer methods than harmful toxic pesticides to get rid of pests for gardening and other things. These methods are so much better for the environment and I have been learning about going totally organic with my gardening technicians. One of the things we want to do is introduce more beneficial bugs to our garden, like: ladybugs/lady beetles, praying mantises, spined soldier bugs, lacewings, earthworms, nematodes, honey bees, mason bees, etc. These bugs eat bad bugs, enrich & improve the soil, and pollinate the flowers to make the garden lovelier and more prolific. This book briefly goes into how to help by: teaching us that marigolds attract beneficial ladybugs that eat harmful aphids and including a recipe for a all natural weed killer that can be used as a safe alternative.

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1, KJV  

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse... Romans 1:20, KJV

We see His creation all around us. It is a testament to God's existence. His creation is precious and sacred. We need to take better care of the Earth and all that dwell here, including ourselves both for our physical and spiritual well being.

This book is a wonderful Christian alternative to all the secular books teaching about going green that are out there. I love the scriptures and biblical message that this has to offer. As a Christian mother I embrace books like this. I recommend this to Christian parents or caretakers everywhere.

To read the first chapter of this book, click here.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:  Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers because I am a part of the Tyndale Blog Network for letting me know about this product and for sending me a free advance viewer copy of I Love God's Green Earth: Devotions for Kids Who Want to Take Care of God's Creation by Michael & Caroline Carroll to read and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.