Digital Frog – TOS Review

COMPANY:  Digital Frog International

Product:  Digital Field trip Series

Price:  $60 for individual DVD, $125 for all three

Website:  www.digitalfrog.com

Our family loves field trips.  I feel like my children learn best by learning hands on and field trips help you remember all about a subject.  For instance, we have been learning about apples.  We learned all about Johnny Appleseed, how apples grow, the different types of apples, and how it grows from a seed to what we eat in it’s final stage.  While reading about apples is a good way to learn about them, it is much better to see the real thing.  So, we visited an apple orchard.  It is so exciting to see the kids eyes light up when they see how apples go from the tree to being made into apple cider.  That is what is great about homeschooling. 

Because we love field trips, I was really excited to receive the Digital frog field trip series.  Digital Frog is the company that is known for it’s frog dissection software has brought places that we most likely will never be able visit right into our living room.   The company believes that you can’t care about a world you don’t understand.  They focus on ecology and biology and they would like to change the way people think about the natural world.  Their website states “our products present accurate, detailed information in an interesting and engaging way.”  They have made learning about biology a lot more fun since 1995. 

There are three different field trips you can experience from the comfort of your own home: The Digital Field Trip to the Rainforest, The Digital Field Trip to the Wetlands, and The Digital Field Trip to the Desert .

Each video can be purchased on their own for $60 or you can get all three for $125.  This is a savings of 20%.

The Rainforest takes you to Belize.  You will be able to learn more about botany and rainforest animals and plants.  There are amazing photographs, full screen videos and lots of information about all different types of rainforests.  Did you know there is a rainforest in Alaska?  You can learn all about it on this video and see the grizzlies and bald eagles that live there. 

The next video, The digital Field Trip to the Wetlands,  takes you to a wetland in Canada.  You will learn all about bogs, wetland types, photosynthesis, food chains and nutrient cycles.   It was really neat to zoom in on the panoramic views of the wetlands.  The kids enjoyed playing the different games and watching the clips of information. 

Each DVD also has a full student and teacher workbook where you can learn even more about each field trip destination. 

The Desert Field Trip DVD takes you to five different American dessert locations.  I think this one was our families favorite.  We enjoyed learning about Desert Types, Desert Study, Desert Mechanisms, and Human Impact.  All of the DVD’s are great for all ages.  Little kids will love the pictures and can even “read” on their own with the text feature.  Each word is defined in a pop up box if they need help with understanding the words. 

The price of $125 seems kind of high to me.  But, then I thought about how much it would cost to actually go on field trips to these three places.  Thinking like that, it really is a bargain.  Seriously, though, the DVD’s are a great way to learn about different eco-systems.   You can read what the other crew members have to say about this DVD video series.

Our family gives Digital Frog. . . . .

Smiley guide:

1 Smiley - Product not really for our family. Probably wouldn’t buy. This really should probably be a frown face but we hate to be negative.

2 Smileys - Would maybe buy this product if on sale. Not a great fit for our family.

3 Smileys - We really liked this product and would probably recommend this to friends and fellow homeschoolers.

4 – Smileys – Definitely would buy this if the budget would allow. We suggest you check this out to see if it is a fit for your family.

5 Smileys – Would sell the family pets to get this one (just kidding). A must have for our family and we think you should get it too.

 

Please note that I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.  No other compensation was provided.   Thank you to TOS Magazine and Digital Frog for this opportunity.