Review: Supercharged Science

This spring I was given free access to Supercharged Science to try out and review their e-Science curriculum.  I was very excited when I learned the kids and I were selected to review this site!  Supercharged Science is yet another awesome program I had never heard of, and that I am now thrilled to have discovered.  It can be used as a standalone science program or as a compliment to many popular programs, there is a great chart provided by the vendor that helps you map out how to use their program to compliment your existing programs!

What exactly IS Supercharged Science?  Supercharged Science is a webpage full of hundreds and hundreds of science experiments and lectures, the vast majority of them having videos that go along with them.  It is a complete K-12 science curriculum and a syllabus for each study area is provided to go along with the experiments.  It was created by Aurora Lipper, a mechanical engineer by training and a passionate scientist by choice!  After teaching in colleges Aurora wanted to find a way to help children become more excited about science - so she decided to create her own set of experiments and curriculum!  More than 1000 videos later I'd say she's succeeded.

The first thing you notice, upon checking out Supercharged Science, is the love of science oozing out of Aurora.  She is having fun and you can tell.  My kids (and I!) are captivated by her videos because her enthusiasm is contagious and you can tell she's excited about what she's telling us and wants us to develop her same passion for science.  Even Lincoln would want to drag a chair up and watch the science videos with us.  I love this!  One of the best things about homeschooling is the ability to customize a curriculum for the kids that brings them the best I can find in each area.  I think that Supercharged Science is one of these great curriculums.  Can you find other websites with experiments online?  Of course!  What sets Supercharged Science apart is the personality "branded" WITH the curriculum.

Aurora hosts weekly calls to answer any questions you have about the experiments you're doing.  Leave a comment on an experiment and you'll get a reply from her.  Send an email with any type of question and you'll get an answer!  This is great customer service.  In addition to the great ways you can reach out to THEM, I like the emails that are sent to ME by Supercharged Science.  They remind me (nicely!) to get up and DO science!  Simply subscribing to a science site isn't enough.   Actual use is required.  It's friendly encouragement and just what I need.

So what did WE do?  We mostly focused on the unit about matter, but we also bounced around to motion, mechanics, and light.  We learned how to set up a scientific journal and looked at videos about the hovercraft we might create when the kids are a BIT older!  We created plasma in the microwave and we shot rockets off outside.  We learned more about density and solids and created gorgeous 7 layer liquid "art pieces".  We experimented with race cars (learning about acceleration)!  I like that Aurora recommends jumping in with experiments, and using them to create the "hook" - spark the interest first and then you have a child eager to learn why the experiment worked.  There is an area of the site just for awesome science experiments in addition to the 19 units of study available.  Life sciences, astronomy, alternative energy, electricity, electronics... this site is comprehensive.  Definitely something is bound to jump out at your kids and probably at you too.

I always have good intentions of doing science - but it doesn't actually happen on a regular basis.  It seems to be the subject that is easily tossed to the side by me when life gets busy, and unfortunately life is quite almost always busy!  I really like the idea that Supercharged Science is "plug and play" for kids.  Because of the age of my children they did need more hands on supervision than older kids but the site still provides us with easy to implement science fun.  I can use the material lists to see what we'll need ahead of time - and, luckily, most of what we need is either already at home or easily available.  Then I just need to find the time to watch the videos, DO the experiments, and let curiosity lead us from there.

I like that there are quizzes and tests provided you can use to test for comprehension.  We didn't use these because the kiddos are still so young, but it is nice to know they are there!  In the same vein I like  knowing that the instruction provided by this site meets and exceeds state standards for science education.  That's an extra bonus!

I also enjoy the webpage.  It is constantly updated with new and interesting science articles.  Things I can discuss with the kids, and items newsworthy and noteworthy, curated for me.  I like that on the side of the webpage you always see a "streaming" view that lists all the new comments being made all over the site.  This provides a real sense of community and led me down many rabbit trails, clicking through to different experiments that I wanted to learn more about after seeing comments left by others who had tried them and reported back on their success/failure/and variations.  What fun!

If you want a science program that is engaging, hands on for kids, and as interactive/intensive as you want it to be - I would definitely recommend trying out Supercharged Science.  It's a monthly subscription and you can cancel at any time.  Access to the K-8 content is $37/month, and goes up to $57/month for access to the high school content.  When you first subscribe you are given access to seven units and then more open up each month.  I suspect this is because the full content of the site may overwhelm you and then you'll find yourself mired down in deciding what to do first!  If you're interested in doing the units in a different order than they are unfolding for you - you can email Aurora and ask for access to the units you're interested in.

Want to try it out but not completely sure?  Supercharged Science has a 30 day money back guaruntee so you can fully explore the site and see if it's something you love.  Give it a try!  If you'd like to check out a sampling of activities from the site without even registering you can go here.

My only "dissatisfaction" after using this program?  A sense of irritation that Aurora lives in California and I live in Alaska.  I would love to send my kids to her e-science summer camps.  Luckily for me there is also a virtual version of e-camp on the website, but I'm sure the in person experience would be quite fabulous to experience.

Want to learn more about Supercharged Science?  You can check out some awesome reviews from many other members of the This Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, here.