CrossWired Science Review

My family has been using a brand new online science learning program about Sound, and Fluid Dynamics from CrossWired Science. I received a yearly digital subscription for both of my kids. Currently there are two Global Topics with more being added in the near future.

CrossWired Science is a one of a kind in-depth science curriculum. It can be used as a complete science curriculum or as a supplement science program. The intended age is list as 4 thru 18. CrossWired Science comes from a Biblical Worldview.

I have used a lot of different curriculum over the years and not one of them has totally surprised me and made me stop and go “WOW” with the content and approach.  They have taken different science fields and integrated them into core videos and shows how they relate to one another. I know it sounds like in theory it wouldn't work. How do planes, whiskers, and alulas have in common? What about elephants and lantern fish with sound and sonar? It does and that’s the WOW as it really does work and is very comprehensive when you are learning about the topics.

The creator’s vision for CrossWired Science is to show the Glory of God in His creation. They do a good job pointing out God’s glory throughout.

There are two choices to choose from: First Timers and Second Timers. Once you purchase a subscription you have access to both areas. First Timers is for younger kids or those who may be going through this material for the first time. The Second Timers has harder questions and the Dig It and Gold Digger sections get a bit more advanced in-depth path to learn. I’ll explain more about this in detail in a bit.

Core Video

This is the heart of each lesson. There are 8 core videos for each section. Each lesson starts out with a core video. The core video’s vary in length but overall aren’t long. After each video you have a short quiz from the video. You get immediate feedback on your answers. Everything is tracked as far as the progress and grades. You aren’t able to retake the quiz as far as I can tell. I looked to see if this was available, as my daughter as a tendency to click before she has read all of her questions. She knew the answers she just fidgets with the mouse.

There are worksheets you can print off. It looks like there are worksheets for each core.

My son's notes on one of the lessons.

You can also take notes if you want your student to do so. It keeps the notes for you to look back on if needed.

Reading one of the recommended devotional books

There is a reading recommendation that you can download a reading schedule. You can choose your own book from the list or pick up another book that is not listed. Currently they have one reading plan but are working to get more up soon.

You can also choose a devotional to add into your studies. I love that this was thought of while creating this science curriculum.

There is so much to choose from to fit your homeschool. You have recommended fieldtrip ideas to add to your studies. I feel like each time I log on I’m finding and learning more about this online science program.

 

The kids created a tornado for an experiment

A few of the experiment sheets you can print out.

There is a plethora of experiments. Some of them are items you can do with a few simple things while others require a bit more planning. I would love to see a master list of supplies needed for the experiments in each core. Each individual experiment sheet has a list of supplies but, I would love it to be  in one place for me to glance at while planning which experiment to do.

Quick look at some of the experiments to choose from

I like that you can print off the experiment sheets. It tells you a time frame the experiment, list of supplies, questions, recommended video off site or on the site. 

There are also several learning sections to add to or a reminder of something you learned on each page. This is a great way to keep a record of what you did with each experiment.

You can record your research paper here too. It keeps everything together for you

For older kids you have a section for further studies doing some research. You don’t have to come up with your own topics and there are several options to choose from. There are several web site links to explore. One section is called U-Choose and it’s exactly that you get to choose what is of interest of the student. 

Sound and Fluid Dynamics has a section called “Gold Dig” and the “Dig Deeper.” This is where I noticed the variations in the First and Second Timers sections. The quizzes are a bit more complex as are the written research work. 

The beauty of it all is that you can customize this to your homeschool you can choose to do some things and not others. I don’t foresee us doing fieldtrips at this point due to our schedule currently but, I can add them in later if I want to. There are several experiments to choose from and you could do just one, several, or none. It’s very flexible.

Teacher Section

This section lets me look at each kid’s scores on quizzes and their notes, thoughts on sections for like research.

I also have the answer keys to each worksheet in the teacher section.

There is a nifty calendar for elementary, middle, and high school. The calendars are downloadable and they even have blank calendars so I can do my own schedule. 

How did I use CrossWired Science in my homeschool? 

After the kids signed in with their email. They could see their progress while doing their assignments.
I started with the Fluid Dynamics section with my kids. I tried to talk them into one doing the Sound and the other the Fluid Dynamics. They both wanted to start in the Fluid Dynamics but, they both ended up jumping around in both Global Topics! Each kid was able to work at their own pace through the program. My 13 year old son was completely independent while my 16 year old special needs daughter I worked with her with each step. 

Both kids did come together for a few things like an experiment.They weren't on the same lesson with the experiments but my kids don't mind when it comes to an experiment.

My son used the spaced provided to type in notes and thoughts. After he watched the core video and took his quiz he liked to watch all the variety of videos and he spent more time as he would take many rabbit trails. If I look at his progress it doesn’t look like he did as near as much as his sister did. He loved to watch the experiment videos. Just so you know all the internet links are not clickable so you have to paste them into your internet browser bar. You don’t have to worry about kids clicking.

I loved that this was a good fit for my special needs daughter. She picks up so much information like a sponge through videos. For her I had her only do the core videos and she wanted to do the quizzes. I watched the core videos and then we took turns reading the questions for the quizzes.

She was a bit overwhelmed with trying to navigate around the site which, isn’t unusual for her to get overwhelmed on a site. She also did watch a few of the extra videos but, not as many as my son di.

My daughter did one of the devotionals that were recommended. She was able to do the reading herself with some assistance.

This site is still growing with it being a brand new company. Like I mentioned they have two Global Topics currently and are working on adding 28 more in the future. This is impressive and I’m excited to see everything being added to it. My kids both are really enjoying everything about CrossWired Science. I grin really big with the kids because they both notice new things being added and get excited.

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