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Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
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3ringcircus
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Posted: Nov 02 2012 at 4:11pm | IP Logged Quote 3ringcircus

Is this series as good as the reviews say? Amazon is offering a pretty good deal right now (maybe just today). My kids can't get enough science as it is.

link

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Claire F
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Posted: Nov 02 2012 at 4:27pm | IP Logged Quote Claire F

Wow, that is a good price. I haven't seen the show, but my kids enjoy the books.

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Becky Parker
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Posted: Nov 02 2012 at 5:08pm | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

We love Magic School Bus for the younger kids. It's entertaining enough for the littles and the middle aged kids learn quite a bit. I think it would be great to have them watch the movie and then read the books that go along.

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guitarnan
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Posted: Nov 02 2012 at 7:01pm | IP Logged Quote guitarnan

The science is rock-solid. Both of my children learned tons of science from MSB and remember what they learned to this day.

The series is entertaining, but the focus really is on the science!

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SeaStar
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Posted: Nov 03 2012 at 6:28am | IP Logged Quote SeaStar

My kids love MSB still. They are 8 and almost 10.
They will go through spurts of wanting to watch nothing but MSB - which is fine with me, since it's all about science. Lots of fun-

I am thinking St. Nick might have to bring this to our house, so we can stop checking them out from the library all the time. All 50 episodes... my kids will be in heaven. Thanks for posting this!



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lapazfarm
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Posted: Nov 03 2012 at 2:56pm | IP Logged Quote lapazfarm

Adding to cart! That is a GREAT deal!Thanks!

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Claire F
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Posted: Nov 03 2012 at 3:29pm | IP Logged Quote Claire F

I went ahead and sprung for it. Great joint present for my boys! Thanks again for sharing!

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mamaslearning
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Posted: Nov 03 2012 at 4:21pm | IP Logged Quote mamaslearning

Thanks for this link! I'm considering this for our science program!

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CatholicMommy
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Posted: Nov 03 2012 at 5:11pm | IP Logged Quote CatholicMommy

If you really want videos, I think these would be great - but definitely find books on similar topics. Not all of the videos have a specifically corresponding book - but that is nice because it helps you branch out.

Then, check out the MSB science kits if you can find a good deal on them ($10 or less a kit - usually have to buy a bunch at once to get that price, but at the price they are very worth it). Again, the topics don't correlate with SPECIFIC books, but again it is a bonus because it helps pull together a few topics - then you go read more about it and it branches out again - showing how everything is connected ;)

We watched a few of the videos free online in various places - can't remember if we found some on Netflix or not. My son enjoyed them - then made comparisons with the books they were supposed to match.

For the BOOKS: I prefer the original books that the shows were based on; I do not prefer the books that were based on the shows. I feel like a lot was left out and because it was entirely the same author, the style is very different.

Just a thought :)

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JennGM
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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 2:22pm | IP Logged Quote JennGM

I am so happy you posted this! Dh agreed, perfect joint gift for Christmas. Thank you!

I am a reluctant user of MSB. I was turned off by the cartoon-y aspects. But the books were appearing in the library bag, we checked out one video and the avalanche began. Like Nancy said, it's solid science. Both my boys are eating it up.

They have checked out every MSB book our libary has, and have applied all this science to everyday life. I'm constantly hearing science being batted around and when I ask where they learned it, most of the time it's "Magic School Bus".

My husband took notice and we actually bought the science kits for the year from Homeschool Buyers Co-Op. http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ I'm weak in science and they LOVE it, it's fun and convenient to have these little science experiments.

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SeaStar
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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 4:35pm | IP Logged Quote SeaStar

I got mine today- sheesh, that was fast. They come as a boxed set with a really cool 3-D picture on the front of the box. My dc are going to be two happy campers....

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margarita
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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 7:31pm | IP Logged Quote margarita

I'm just going to dissent here....

We do love the books, most of them. The picture books are great; the chapter books I don't like as much but I have no real problem w/ them, and my kids have enjoyed reading them on their own.

As far as the videos go, they seem to be very modern in that they go fast and they play loud, and it's all rather chaotic and discordant to me. Kind of like a lot of the shows on PBS Kids now. (I am comparing what I see today to the more serene-paced shows that my older kids watched in the late 90's.) And PBS is a few steps below other "kid TV," which we just don't watch at all.

About a year ago I watched a couple of episodes of Magic School Bus and I just couldn't take it, there is background music playing the whole time. That sort of thing. A lot going on, a lot of "attention grabbing" kinds of gymnastics.

So nothing really "wrong" with them, just that they are too busy and hectic, not peaceful at all, for my taste.

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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 8:27pm | IP Logged Quote JennGM

It's funny to me, Margarita. I have found MSB a relief to Bill Nye. It's not ideal, but better for my head.

My personal favorite is Mr. Wizard. I want shows that go about Mister Rogers Neighborhood speed and calm and quiet.

So, I would agree the QUALITY isn't fabulous, but have my boys enjoyed it and learned a lot, yes indeedy!



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lapazfarm
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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 9:06pm | IP Logged Quote lapazfarm

Ha! I'm laughing because I actually find the books busy and unattractive but I love the show!
Different strokes!

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Posted: Nov 05 2012 at 9:57pm | IP Logged Quote guitarnan

That's for sure! My kids loved Bill Nye AND MSB books and videos. I think they just love science, really, and always will. MSB books and videos helped them to understand that science can help explain the things around them that they naturally want to understand.

I am happy about this; God's world and His universe are so totally fascinating. When children discover that science can show them how the world and the universe work, it's a pretty amazing thing.

I think Dancing Daughter and I both secretly want to watch all the MSB episodes with my nieces...



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Posted: Nov 06 2012 at 4:00pm | IP Logged Quote 3ringcircus

My LOs watch documentaries and Nat. G specials pretty often, and I love that they are slower paced. More isn't always more when it comes to these shows (and books) that try to cram so many little factoids into the mix. That being said, I had the chance to try a MSB episode last night though, and G loved it. He watched it 3 times. We just finished studying microbes in Noeo Science, and it fit perfectly.

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Posted: Nov 10 2012 at 7:42am | IP Logged Quote JennGM

BTW, I was at Costco yesterday and saw this same complete set at $27.99.

$8.00 difference for those who are trying to watch their pennies.

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Posted: Nov 10 2012 at 10:51am | IP Logged Quote SeaStar

I wish I could find a similar deal for all the Schoolhouse Rock dvds...

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Posted: Nov 10 2012 at 11:40am | IP Logged Quote jawgee

SeaStar wrote:
I wish I could find a similar deal for all the Schoolhouse Rock dvds...


Here!! Only $13!

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Posted: Nov 19 2012 at 9:59am | IP Logged Quote jawgee

Bumping this thread because the set is now $29.99 on Amazon!

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