DNAunion

DNAunion: I am looking for good educational DVDs for my kids on subjects such as physics (what are Newton's laws of motion, what is gravity, etc.), chemistry (what is an atom, what is a molecule, etc.), biology (what is a cell, what does your heart do, etc.), geology (what causes earthquakes and volcanoes, etc.) and so on, and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions.


PS: I have some constraints.

1) I no longer want to buy anything that is VHS. That format is well on the way out, you won't be able to buy VCRs much longer, and the tapes wear out pretty quickly. I want DVDs.

2) I don't want computer CDs, unless they are very good. I bought several of the science packages on the market and they were all worthless. Unless you personally own it, and you know that it is well worth the money, then please don't suggest it.

3) I don't want stuff that is too advanced. I have video lecture series on physics, biology, chemistry, etc. (from The Teaching Company and from Standard Deviants), but they are for either college students or at least, say, ninth graders. I am looking for stuff for kids in first through, say, eighth grade.

Strawberry

"Veggie Tales!" (Just kidding...no, stop throwing those talking tomatoes at me, honestly, it was a joke... )

How about the "Schoolhouse Rock" series? I don't know what they have in the way of science programs, but I bet everything has been transferred to DVD format by now.

Also, DVDs of Bill Nye the Science Guy should be pretty good.

Wyz_sub10

I love the IMAX series on DVD. Many of the films are suitable for younger goods (not too technical), depending on the age, of course.

I own 'Cosmic Voyage' and I think it's a terrific 'pop-science' piece of education.

DNAunion

DNAunion: I found the right kind of material. Here's an example.

http://www.libraryvideo.com/ssl/ssl_...EQP8&sku=N6731

They have a whole slew of good videos for grades 1-4 and another slew for grades 5 -8: exactly what I was looking for. EXCEPT, virtually everything is on VHS.

So, does anyone know of a SIMPLE, RELIABLE, and relatively INEXPENSIVE method of transferring analog VHS content to DVD?

Nataraja

Keeping the quote marks intact, just google "vhs to dvd"

Here are a few services that you might be interested in:
http://vhstodvd.homestead.com/
http://www.yourvhstodvd.co.uk/
http://www.movies-2-dvd.com/
http://www.solutionzone.com/vhs.htm
http://members.aol.com/catalinas/vhstodvd.htm
http://www.vhs-to-dvd.com/prices.html
http://lp2cd.freeyellow.com/vhs.htm

And here are a few instructionals, in case you want to be a nickel-nurser:
http://www.expert-guides.com/library/dv_copy.asp
http://www.post-gazette.com/interact...29lindich5.asp
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...991826-4151311

Writer@Large

DNAUnion, the problem you'll face is that the kinds of materials you're looking for will be some of the *last* to make it to DVD. The companies that produce educational videos don't really have the budgets to make the switch, and they likely have pre-produced stocks of VHS warehoused (it's cheaper to produce something in bulk and then rely on that supply for 5 years or more than it is to produce smaller, more limited runs). And they don't need to switch, because the main market for those kinds of videos are schools, and especially with our economy the way it is, schools don't have the money to upgrade to DVD, anyway, and they spent a lot of their audo/video budget on VCRs ten years ago. So they keep the market for VHS educational materials alive, and kill any need for DVDs.

Your best bet for DVDs is to look to more popular educational fare. The BBC, for example, has put their WALKING WITH ... series on DVD; the Discovery Channel has put some of their more popular shows on DVD, and yes, even SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK has been released as a DVD. Then there are series like the Standard Deviants who have made it to DVD, and promote themselves as quality instructional material, but as I've never viewed them myself I can't recommend them.

--W@L

DNAunion

DNAunion: Yeah, but not many. And it looks like they are following the logic you laid out:

DNAunion: Looks like I still have to find a CHEAP way to convert VHS to DVD (adding $15 per video so some company will do it is too expensive: if I buy 20 videos, as I had planned, that would add another $300 to the total, and I’d have to ship the videos off to another state so it could takes weeks before I got them back – and there might be problems with copyright laws).

DNAunion: Yeah, but I am looking for science, lots of it. I think all they have on science is a single 5 minute song on electricity.

DNAunion: They are okay, but most are way too advanced for my kids. The two on astronomy and one on biology are pretty easy, but the ones on physics and chemistry are meant for at least 9th grade and suffice for undergraduate college. As a side note, I have found a lot of errors in the Standard Deviants tapes (but that does not mean they aren't worth the money).

Hey, anyone know if Beakman's World is available? They would fit my need. I've looked on the web and have been able to find only a couple.