Amazon.com

It's a good bet that any American kid growing up in the '70s or '80s learned some elementary lesson from the seminal musical series Schoolhouse Rock!. Airing from 1973 to 1984 (and often revived), the ABC Saturday morning shorts effortlessly introduced kids to grammar, science, multiplication, money, and American history--three minutes at a time. In one smart, comprehensive 2-disc set, all 46 songs and plenty of extras are collected. The four creators developed the series slowly, a welcome diversion from their advertising agency jobs, and ended up taking home four Emmys over the years. The background material includes 10 audio commentaries and a making-of feature for the new song, "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College." The DVD subtitle option is a great bonus for those who need to know every word from such favorites as "Three Is a Magic Number," "Interjections," "I'm Just a Bill," and "Conjunction Junction." (Ages 3 and older) --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (108)

This Is So Cool--Facts can be Fun!!
And it's even educational! I was so pumped (now that I have a DVD player) to hear that they were releasing a big-time anniversary edition of Schoolhouse Rock in its entirety. I've had four of the videos for years, but this set is so much better. Disc One has all of the original songs--you can play them in order, randomly, just the top ten--and an all-new song about the Electoral College (inspired, no doubt, by the 2000 presidential election). The way you can navigate your way through any and/or all of the songs is very easy and great for when you don't just want to hear about grammar (or history, math, etc. . .).

What really puts this over the top, though, is Disc Two, with a bucket load of extras: the lost "Weather Show," a new computer three-song set, a making-of feaure, top 20 countdowns, an interactive trivia game, music videos by contemporary artists, audio commentaries, Emmy Award footage, etc. . . . I can't wait to explore even more than I got to last night! This will be such a great tool for my 21-month-old daughter (who will know how a bill becomes a law and how to use a conjunction in a sentence!) and a ton of fun for me in the process.

The video quality isn't MONSTERS, INC., but it doesn't have to be. The old animation holds up just fine, as does the audio, which audiophiles could probably complain about if they want to poop the party for the rest of us. What really stands up to the test of time, aside from the basic content, is the music. These guys (primarily) did some really good arranging, little of it in the rock 'n roll genre, ironically. Jack Sheldon delivers some spectacular jazz vocals on several of the more famous tunes. Complicated yet catchy melodies are the strength--that's why we all remember "I'm Just a Bill" and "Conjunction Junction"--with great backing vocals and instrumentation to boot. The contemporary artists' renditions didn't hold up to the originals, but they were pretty interesting to hear. The interactive stuff will be great for kids hearing these songs for the first time. The interviews and commentaries are really interesting, especially in hindsight. Great new additions, discoveries, and formats all add to the charm of the original forty-six songs. How they managed to get all of that factual information into essentially a music video, while keeping the kids (and me) entertained, is still a mystery to me.

Bottom Line: You'll be hard-pressed to find a better combination of education and entertainment. If there are any factual inaccuracies, they are minor enough to overlook and could actually spark interesting conversations. The basic content is right on-the-money. The fact that they'll actually be talking about and be interested in the grammar, history, science, and economics is important enough to overlook any minor flaws.
The fact that my daughter, who two years (and a couple of months) old, actually knows that "Wow!" is an interjection, a fact that most of my juniors (I'm a teacher) wouldn't know off the top of their heads, speaks volumes. . . !

Schoolhouse Rock totally rocks!
I'd been waiting to see if I'd get this for my birthday, but I couldn't wait anymore. I bought it today and had to pop it in. These great animated shorts helped kids learn multiplication, science, grammar, american history and money. You want an explanation of our national debt? - watch Tyrannosaurus Debt :-).

The first DVD has all the original shorts categorized by groups, you can play them by group, or play them all in order or play them all or shuffle. If you choose a particular group, you can pick the ones you want to play in the playlist or select the Play All button. I was having a blast seeing remembering how many of these I could still sing.

The 2nd DVD is the Extra Credit portion of the set. You can watch with Captions or Audio Commentary. I really had fun with the "Earn Your Diploma" Trivia and the Arrange A Schoolhouse Rock song. The Earn Your Diploma gives you a set of questions to answer to each group (Science, Money, etc). When you get them all right, you get a clue which when you solve all the groups you can then solve the Master Jumble to become a Schoolhouse Rock Graduate. The Arrange A Schoolhouse Rock Song has 3 of the Schoolhouse rock songs mixed up and its up to you to get the lyrics in order. When you get them right, the song clip will play. The music videos section was funny - the first 3 had the original animated shorts but the music/voices were redone by Better Than Ezra ("Conjunction Junction"), Lemonheads("My Hero Zero") and Deluxe Folk Implosion("I'm Just A Bill"). I didn't care for the last one by Goodness ("Electricity, Electricity"). That was just a music video but that one doesn't take away from the rest of the DVD.

I saw one review here getting a little too deep in reviewing the american group. I say, don't worry about it - these were meant to help kids learn and I can say they definitely did me good. This collection was well done and it's worth the price :-)

School House Rock
I learned more from this as a kid than in school. To expensive on Amazon, I got it cheaper at my local Vons grocery store.

Wow! Hurray! Hey! Hallelujah!
Yes, I'm using all the Interjections from SchoolHouse Rock to sing it's praises. I grew up with Schoolhouse Rock, but to be honest I thought about it only when my husband and I laughed nostalgicly about memorable songs like Conjunction Junction. Then, he bought the 30th anniversary edition for our daughter (he was trying to qualify for free shipping when he was buying the Tripletts of BelleVille!). So, it can be said that neither of us anticipated how fantastic this DVD would be -- STILL! My 3 year old LOVES it, and I can't say enough great things about the creative lyrics that teach grammar, numbers and how the body works (maybe I should reach into my bag of adjectives, which my daughter charmlingly calls "magictives"). It is the one DVD we own that I don't feel any apprehension about evil or scary characters, dark plots or questionable character influences (which are startling present in many videos for preschoolers).

If you're wondering about getting this video, wonder no more. It is a timeless winner that won't disappoint (unless you're looking for dark plots and questionable character influences!)

Re: Jason James Taylorville, KY
Mr. James I hope you have learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Read the product information before you buy it. You can look at the picture and see that it's animated/a cartoon. Come on don't trash the video because you didn't bother to read the product information before you bought it. I'm sure that you saw the cover on the DVD after you took it out of the package. I can't believe you opened it and actually watched it. Well, to each his own. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great physic reference
This is an excelent tool for student that are taking Physics and also for people that just want to refresh many concept of the science.

Good Learning Aid
You can learn more in 2 hours than you could in 2 weeks. It's a great way to start learning the subject.

Not your father's old Physics class
Excellent and entertaining way to learn and understand Physics. These two DVDs are every well put together, explaining from basics to more challenging different laws and formulas of Physics. You can view different subjects, or view the whole program and later take exams on your DVD to see how much you learned from the program. It's a great way to review for CLEP testing, or to be entertained and learn about Physics. ... Read more

Description

Whether you need help with high school biology, need to review for a college biology class, or you're studying for the AP Biology Exam, the Standard Deviants can help! Put away your microscope and dissecting kit - this clean and easy biology tutorial covers everything you'll need to know: cell structures, DNA, photsynthesis, endocytosis, mitosis and meiosis, and much more! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Informative
This is a great intro to cells and cell structure. However, if you are using this for CLEP, be mindful that this tape covers only a relatively small portion of what is covered on the CLEP biology test.

Order It At Once!
This is a MUST for anyone who is struggling to pass a Bio test. I can tell you it was a deciding factor allowing me to pass my Bio Clep test last month. It is supremely entertaining and covers key areas. I found that its focus on DNA and RNA were particularly key for questions I later encountered on the test. I would also recommend Jack Rudman's Biology review, REA's Problem Solvers book in Biology, and the Online Biology Book at

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
Voila! That is my formula - along with prayers - for passing the Bio test. Study hard.

A good, light-hearted look at biology
This video is very funny, yet covers the major subjects in biology very well. It is a must for anyone having a hard time with the subject. The cast and crew make an attempt to repeat the important concepts over and over again and in many different ways...including some cheesy songs and weird skits, but it all works together to help the student remember what is being taught. ... Read more

Description

Understanding properties of matter, compounds, and bonding can sometimes be difficult. This DVD will give you everything you'll need to understand basic chemistry, including the Periodic Table, the Law of Conservation of Mass, empirical formulas and more. Using computer graphics and memory-enhancing skits, this DVD will help you relax while you tackle important chemistry concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Attend Class Every Day, Read Your Chem Book Ahead of Time...
... and then, and only then, should you give Standard Deviant's Chemistry a look. First, the topics and the way they are covered is pretty basic. Second, not much is said in regards to the most common mistakes that chem students make (not reffering to Kelvin temp. in terms of degrees and Sig. Figs. are mentioned.) Third, the Deviants are somewhat distracting but hilarious nonetheless. But overall, these are excellent review and supplemental aids for they help impress upon you what is critical, but only slightly effective on their own and by themselves. Good luck with Chemistry!

FUNNY! Explains the subject matter very well.
Makes chemistry very entertaining. Remember, sigma does not equal beer!

Wonderful chemistry learning tools.
This series of tapes is great. They have a sense of humor without clouding the details of the science they are teaching. They present the topics in rapid fire action that prevents any thought of boredom. Great learning tool that makes learning chemistry easy and fun. Good for elementary through college levels. ... Read more

Description

Is your astronomy grade plummeting to earth? Well, rocket it back up with a little help from the Standard Deviants. Review the contributions of astronomers such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, and Kepler. Now, when you gaze upon the skies, you'll be able to explain what's up there and how it works. Includes such topics as: the history of astronomy, light and the spectrum, Kepler's Laws, telescopes, Galileo, the Earth, Newton, the moon, universal law of gravitation, the planets, layers of the sun, asteroids, fusion, comets, hydrostatic equilibrium, meteoroids, and sunspots. ... Read more

Description

For those who have already mastered the properties of matter and balancing chemical equations, this DVD is for you. We’ll begin by explaining thermochemistry and cover chemical bonding, Hess' Law, Lewis Structures and more. Mastering chemistry can be fun and easy when you learn Standard Deviants-style! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Explodes in your face!!!!
This is a great video for any teacher to use in their chemistry class. Its smart, funny, fast paced, and interesting. Its great to use as an intro to a section, or as a closer right before a chapter test. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

poorly researched
I borrowed this video from the library recently. I got to the part where they talked about Tycho Brahe & claimed his cause of death was his bladder exploding because he drank too much wine & wouldn't leave the room to relieve himself so as not to go against the custom of never leaving the room before the king. This sounded too weird to be true. After a quick online search I found sites saying mercury is the more likely cause of death. This has made me a little skeptical of how well the video was researched. I'm very disapointed that an educational video would state an urband legend as fact.

The video is very informative but I had trouble getting past this and plan on asking some more experienced astronomers for other video suggestions.

Superb
I love the Standard Deviants. You have got to check this out! It is a very fun approach but you actually learn a lot also. The interactive features are very good.

Fantasitic basic astonomy review!
Standard Deviants always put out great videos. This one in particular is funny, sometimes a bit cheesy, but always easy to understand. Tape one of the astronomy review looks at the basics of astronomy including Newton's laws, Kepler's law, Wien's law, and a look at the earth and the moon. They also include funny stories about the history and people of astronomy. One particularly fun thing about the tape is that it is aimed at college students, and the humor is more adult then other "funny" educational tapes out there. ... Read more

Description

Ready to tackle Kinetic Molecular Theory, Graham's Law and Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures?These advanced concepts await the intrepid chemistry student – but have no fear!With the Standard Deviants by your side, these complex chemistry concepts will become crystal clear. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Extremely dissapointing!
I expected demonstrations, experiments, animations. And what did I get? People sitting and talking! What's the point in making a video, if you don't use the capabilities of this medium? If I want equations and problems, I take a textbook. This video is nothing more than a (very superficial) textbook which is read aloud. And that goes for both parts.

For Dummies Style Genius
This is a great tool for those who would like an introduction to a tough subject. The pace is faster than I might have liked, but hey thats why I bought the DVD player. I learned at my pace and look forward to buying more. This program is perfect for the beginner or as a review for a college class. ... Read more

Description

Is your astronomy grade plummeting to earth? Well, rocket it back up with a little help from the Standard Deviants. Review the contributions of astronomers such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, and Kepler. Now, when you gaze upon the skies, you'll be able to explain what's up there and how it works. Includes such topics as: the planets, layers of the sun, asteroids, fusion, comets, hydrostatic equilibrium, meteoroids, and sunspots. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is a great, entertaining look at our solar system.
This video is great for anyone who is just baffled by astronomy. The Standard Deviants really have provided the viewers with great mnemonics and visual devices. These just make learning so much fun! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Those who need to learn the fundamentals of physical science would dowell to check out The Standard Deviants: Physics, Part 2.Using their trademark blend of academic and dramatic talent, the Deviants guide students through intermediate physics topics like motion, thermodynamics, and waves while staying fresh and interesting. Skits, animation, and easy-to-follow charts aid the viewer in keeping up with the sometimes fast-paced program (if there's any confusion, the scene can quickly be replayed). Those using computers to play the disc will find the interactive tests and practice exams helpful both to gauge progress and determine areas to cover in greater depth. The DVD comes with footage not found on the VHS version, and the picture and sound quality are topnotch. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (1)

long day long night
a man who is a artor now is fifty years old .he is landing in toyko for an ad.the woman who with her husband in same city same hotel as the man and getting a soul searching with each other. ... Read more