Review: General Science 101

Today I’m reviewing the General Science 101 DVD series for Christian homeschoolers.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary DVD set for review from Timberdoodle and Westfield Studios. All views expressed are my own.

General Science 101

“General Science 101 is an engaging tour through God’s scientific world of natural science, earth science, life science, social science, formal science, and applied science.”

It is recommended for high school students ages 15 and up, but is completely appropriate for the whole family.

Continuing Education

A couple of years ago, Rebecca came to me and asked if it would be possible for her to take “college” courses at home. She has officially graduated from high school but wants to continue her education. She recognizes that she has cognitive limitations but is interested in expanding her knowledge, particularly in science. We have worked out a course of study that fits her abilities and interests. Most of the materials we are working with are usually used by middle or high school students.

This fall Rebecca is working through the General Science 101 course. It works out perfectly because it is meant to be an independent study course so she can do it on her own. Initially, she was simply watching the videos. After a few sessions, she wondered if there was a workbook or something that went with it.

Written Material

I remembered that there are two PDFs included on the fourth disk. One is the Guidebook and Quizzes, and the other is a Course Accreditation Program. Neither is a workbook, but they do provide the supplemental material she was looking for. We printed out both documents and put them in a binder.

The Guidebook provides notes that go along with the videos. Rebecca highlights important points as she watches each session and then takes the quiz.

The Accreditation Program provides a schedule for the student to track the time spent working through the course. It also includes expansion activities such as labs and notebooking that would serve to make this course robust enough to count for full high school credit.

What’s Covered

Rebecca is most interested in life sciences to tie in with animal husbandry and gardening here on our little “homestead.” However, this general science course has been a great refresher and/or introduction to scientific topics in general. It is divided into six main areas of study:

• Natural Science
• Earth Science
• Life Science
• Social Science
• Formal Science
• Applied Science

The videos are engaging and creative, which helps keep Rebecca interested. I appreciate that this course is presented from a Christian worldview.

Rebecca is diligent in working through a session each day and is looking forward to following up with Biology 101.