I recently had the opportunity to review two different online video based products from Northwest Treasures. I reviewed a short, 20-minute overview of geology called Taking the Mystery Out of Geology, and a more in-depth, six-part online course called Geology and Apologetics.
Taking the Mystery Out of Geology
The first product I watched was the short video. Taking the Mystery Out of Geology was interesting to watch.
This video is meant to provide a quick big picture look at the field of geology. It offers a biblical based approach, explaining creation and the global flood of Noah’s day as how our earth has taken shape over the past several thousand years (instead of millions or billions.)
This overview is meant for students in grades 5+, to encourage them to approach geology from a biblical framework. It covers 13 key geological terms in detail. This video builds a solid foundation on which to build further study.
Geology and Apologetics
The other product I reviewed was a more in-depth online course that dove deeper into geology from a Biblical framework. It’s aimed at a higher age level, high-schoolers and adults.
The videos range from about 11-20 minutes each. This meant they didn’t take a ton of time to watch.
They reminded me more of a presentation format than a video, which I actually preferred. There were some video based introduction sections, but mainly it was image and text based.
There were plenty of definitions and explanations written out on the screen. This helped people with a variety of learning styles understand the content.
Following each lesson are a few review questions. These help the viewer ensure comprehension. Some are straight-forward questions from the material covered, and others require more critical thinking.
The six lessons build on each other to help viewers gain more knowledge about apologetics. It also covers the lack of contradiction between evidence and what the Bible teaches.
In fact, the first lesson provides a scriptural basis to help believers look at geology through a biblical lens.
The third lesson was really interesting to me. It covered the genealogies and chronologies of the book of Genesis. These really can be used to get an accurate picture of early history.
Other lessons helped explain:
- The fossil record
- Key problems with the theory of evolution
- That science is the study of things that can be tried and tested
- Key geological terms
- The secular geological age
How I Used These Videos
I watched the videos on my own. This allowed me to preview them before watching them with my high-schooler. However, I will be rewatching them with her.
I know geology is a topic we’ve just glazed over in previous science courses.
What I Thought of These Videos
I was impressed with these videos. They were thorough, and presented a ton of information in digestible sized chunks.
The videos streamed well even on my less than stellar limited internet. This is because there weren’t a bunch of animations or anything.
Finally, I enjoyed watching these videos. I’m looking forward to watching them with my high-schooler. I also think it’d be awesome to work through Northwest Treasure’s Geology for Little Eyes program with my younger kids.
To see what other reviewers thought of this product, or another six-part video course, please click on the banner below.
