The Awesome Science DVDs are remarkably good. The six DVDs in the series each cover a single science topic, presenting and explaining from a young-earth creationist point of view. The six topics are the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest, Yosemite and Zion National Parks, Mount St. Helens, and John Day Fossil Beds. The publisher says that the series is "for teens by teens." However, I think children as young as seven or eight will certainly enjoy them, and adults are also likely to find the science interesting.
Young host, Noah Justice, enthusiastically explains the science, all the while defending a catastrophic explanation for the formation of many features of the earth over shorter periods of time than are commonly thought.
Students learn basic information about science while also being exposed to a young earth, Christian point of view.
Each DVD can be viewed in topical segments. For example, the Mount St. Helens presentation has eight primary segments and a conclusion. The segments focus on sub-topics: general background on Mount St. Helens, Ape Cave, Rapid Strata Formation, Rapid Erosion, Lava Cast Forests, Log and Log Deposits, Peat and Coal Formation, and Biological Recovery. As you can see from these topics, geology is a primary area of study, although paleontology is also given attention in this and some of the other DVDs. the total run time of the entire DVD is only about 30 minutes. While it can easily be watched in a single sitting, I would recommend that you watch it in segments with students and use the companion Study Guide and Workbook that comes with each DVD.
The Study Guide begins with a lengthy vocabulary list that will help students learn the scientific vocabulary. The Guide also lists key concepts addressed such as “biological recovery,” “catastrophism,” and “uniformitarianism.” For each of the segments there are a variety of questions. Most segments have fill-in-the-blank sentences with word lists to make it a little easier. There might be true/false questions or sequencing activities (labeling statements to show their proper sequence). Most segments include one or more discussion questions. Discussion questions often mirror topics already discussed on the DVD, functioning as comprehension questions. However, they often provide an opportunity for students to express creationist arguments or positions in their own words from what they have learned. Occasional “bonus activities” suggest topics for additional research or extended activities. Extra Study Guides are available for $3.99 each or as free downloads; you will need one for each student as well as the parent or teacher. There are no answer keys for the Study Guides, so parents or teachers will need to watch and figure out answers themselves.
The DVDs are professionally produced using film footage and illustrations, so they are interesting to watch. Some “creation science” videos are useful primarily for worldview purposes, but this series really does double duty with excellent science content as well as a theological perspective. They are an effective way to challenge evolutionary assumptions with scientific evidence while providing a very visual science education.
