I’d like to introduce you to Sound, and Fluid Dynamics from CrossWired Science. A brand new, digital science program that gives the student a unique learning experience. Designed to be used for ages 4 to 18, CrossWired Science is an integrated program, using a combination of visual, audio and hands-on activities that help you study science while giving glory to God the Creator. It can be a supplement to your current science program or can be used as a stand-alone curriculum for a portion of your school year.
Once you register, it’s easy to log in and get started. You’ll find a selection of sample videos and a preview to one of the units. To access the lessons, just click on the Curriculum tab in the top menu bar. I recommend using the “First Timer” option to get familiar with how the program works.
I have been able to look through the Sound unit and the Fluid Dynamics unit (there are more units on the way!) For the video portions of the lessons, I connected my laptop to the television so we could view them all together, and work through discuss the review questions as a group. Students can easily view videos and answer quizzes on their own, depending on how you structure your homeschool and science class.
All you have to do is click on the first icon and follow the prompts. It might be a video to watch. There is a general ‘quiz’ to see how much of the information your child processed. The website records the score and lets you go back to see what you missed. I like this immediate feedback and reinforcement.
There is also opportunity for experiments. There are many to choose from, placed strategically between the videos. Depending on your child’s age and grade level as well as your resources, the parent/teacher can decide which experiments are the best fit for their situation. Built right into the module you are working through, there is a place for entering data, reports and observations. Again, you can choose to have CrossWired Science track and record this online for you, or you can do this with your own form of record keeping.
There are also options for research projects and the “you choose” option where you and your student(s) can decide what direction you want your course of study to take. I really do like the customizing aspect of this program. Each child, family and school situation is unique and with CrossWired Science, you have the ability to dig as deep or move as quickly as suits your needs.
You’ll find reading lists, links for deeper study and devotions to use as well. My ‘style’ of homeschooling has always leaned heavily toward unit study, and I believe this program suits that approach very well.
In our family, checklists are an effective tool. One of my favorite features is the built-in checklist. Once we’ve completed an activity or section for research and such, we see a little green check mark on the corner of that image. There is also a checklist down the side the shows me exactly what we’ve completed and what comes next. We can see just how things are progressing.
After you’ve been through the ‘first time around’ you can revisit using the “Second Timers” tab. This will give you the same videos but take the students deeper in their understanding and research.
Because my middle school daughter and high school boys are already quite busy working to finish up their science curriculum for this year, we chose to use CrossWired Science as a supplement. We had fun watching the videos and demonstrations. We’ve been working through unit on Sound but I know my boys are looking forward to the Fluid Dynamics unit. Their father and older brothers courses in Fluid Dynamics in college and they want to be able to impress them with the knowledge they’ll gain!
CrossWired Science provides online science learning in a fun and engaging way with Sound, and Fluid Dynamics. The company is currently building it’s library of videos, experiments and worksheets. It’s exciting to be a part of something from the beginning, watching it grow and bloom. This program is still being refined.I look forward to visiting the site with my kids as we round out our science explorations and discoveries.
The Homeschool Crew has had the pleasure of playing the role of ‘Beta Testers’ with this science program – see what others are saying about CrossWired Science – just click on the image below to see their reviews:
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