Bible-based science shows for kids

[oscar]

Has anyone else seen this show? You'll have to click the links, because I can't figure out the bbcode to embed. [ETA]

http://www.graspr.com/videos/Beyond-the-Science-Lab-2

http://www.graspr.com/videos/Beyond-the-Science-Lab-Squeaky-Clean-Heart-1

http://www.graspr.com/videos/Beyond-the-Science-Lab-The-Holy-Spirit-1

It is ostensibly a Bible-based science show for children. I can't find the clip I saw on tv - the host said something like, "I get a lot of questions about global warming. Is it real? Well, no. God wouldn't give us a planet that humans could mess up so easily. But that doesn't mean you should throw styrofoam everywhere!!!" While I was looking for the clip I wanted to show you, I got sucked into this site:

http://www.tctkids.tv/tctkidswn.php

Their show, "Super Simple Science Stuff" is just terrible. You can try clicking the black button on the lower right to watch it, as I can't seem to link to it directly. Nor can I figure out what age group it's supposed to appeal to. The content - both the science and the scripture tie-ins - are so superficial as to be misleading, and the text on the screen is riddled with typos. It's sloppy and careless, and it is being promoted as a great science education resource for homeschooling parents. If kids are under the misapprehension that this crap is "science," then they're likely to be less inclined to engage with actual science education, because they've already been led to think it's shallow and insubstantial. And then they are less likely to develop the kind of critical thinking skills that science education fosters, and that's really sad.

[BravaAmica]

Shit like this is why homeschooling has such a bad reputation. Ugh.

[FemaleScientist]

The sound just died on my laptop (no joke =(), so I can't watch any videos with sound.

Like the sound on my laptop, I'm dying a bit inside just reading your summary. =( -- I'll have to remember this post when I get a new laptop (yay, holidays!) and watch these.

It doesn't matter whether you are learning science in light of Christian education or not, I think all kids should learn about the scientific method and how to properly use it. I think they should learn about science not in light of the ebil scientists, but about the wonders of life, and how the world works. If these videos are all the same, with the claim about global warming... these sound horrendous.

Then again, I'm of the opinion that science and religion can be compatible, even when it comes to things like evolution.

[oscar]

The host of this show is a climate change denialist and a creationist. He appears to regularly visit public schools to provide classroom science demonstrations and enrichment activities. Information about his personal beliefs is not immediately apparent when visiting his website.

The fact that he is a creationist is not mentioned on the index page, school programs, children's birthday parties, "educator buzz" or "about me" portions of his web page.

http://www.hookedonscience.org/

Only on the page, "Beyond the Science Lab" do we learn,

"Science Guy" Jason Lindsey is a firm believer in Jesus Christ and believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Out of respect to public school policies, Lindsey does not teach creation in any Hooked on Science school program. In addition, Lindsey does not teach evolution in any Hooked on Science program. Beyond the Science Lab uses hands-on science to teach God's word and encourages youth to connect with their creator through the wonders of science.

http://www.hookedonscience.org/beyondthesciencelab.html

Bonus points for the Erlenmeyer flask holding a cross.

The fact that he is a climate change denialist is not apparent in any of his promotional materials, although he shares his meteorology and climatology credentials:

Jason studied science and journalism at Western Kentucky University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. At WKU, Jason focused on general science with an emphasis in meteorology and climatology [...] Jason previously worked as a chief meteorologist, backpack journalist, science reporter, and webmaster at WKAG-TV, WBKO-TV, KGWN-TV, and KFVS-TV.

http://www.hookedonscience.org/whoisjasonlindsey.html

I only knew he was a climate change denialist from catching one of his segments on TV.

His production values seem to have improved from the early clips to the later ones, but I'm still underwhelmed by the content and unhappy with the message. It's neither particularly good science education, nor good theology.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Good grief these are awful.

Completely aside from the science "content," they certainly take FOREVER and a day to get to the actual point of what they're doing. All the crazy patter and characters and whatever else.

There's a radio station near me that actually runs the "Jonathan Park Radio Show." It's a Vision Forum thing, basically a "Indiana Jones" esque explorer show that's all about creationism.

[oscar]

Good grief these are awful.

Completely aside from the science "content," they certainly take FOREVER and a day to get to the actual point of what they're doing. All the crazy patter and characters and whatever else.

There's a radio station near me that actually runs the "Jonathan Park Radio Show." It's a Vision Forum thing, basically a "Indiana Jones" esque explorer show that's all about creationism.

gardenvarietycitizen, I am totally buying one of those CDs next time they turn up at Goodwill - I've seen them before, but had no idea what they were. I have a friend who routinely drives across the country for paleo fieldwork, and whenever he gets sleepy at the wheel, he can play Jonathan Park and the ensuing rage will keep him alert. Better than coffee and ephedrine!

[oscar]

Shit like this is why homeschooling has such a bad reputation. Ugh.

LauraElle, I couldn't agree with you more.

Here is a link to a brief segment by "Science Guy" Jason Lindsey on a conference for homeschoolers.

http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/linds ... esponse=no

In it, a mom of 6 girls says one of the best things about homeschooling is getting to learn along with the children.

On one hand, I think this can be wonderfully true. Kids often develop all sorts of interests that their parents don't necessarily share. A parent who invests time and energy in educating themselves about their child's enthusiasms is not only supporting their child's academic growth, but also modeling intellectual curiosity, demonstrating how to find and evaluate information, and showing their kids that they, as people, are interesting and valuable.

But in another segment with Jason Lindsey, which was basically a commercial for his materials, a different mother says she loves his shows because she learns about science by watching alongside her children. It was not clear if this woman was "homeschooling" her kids by parking them in front of the TV for their "science lessons," but it seemed depressingly possible. I could not find this clip online.

I don't want to give the misimpression that I am faulting the mom in the latter segment for not already knowing something she wanted to learn more about. (When I start learning about a new subject from scratch, I usually try to find materials aimed at gifted children because these resources tend to be fast-paced, accessible and content-rich.) But it seemed like it was reinforcing and legitimizing the negative stereotype of lazy parents using inadequate materials to "teach" their kids, intersecting with the "If your crap is Christian, I'll eat it" phenomenon we've frequently criticized here.

Just because something is ostensibly "Christian," there's no reason for Christians to suspend their discernment and accept it uncritically.