We were given the opportunity to review Rainforest Journey from EdTechLens. EdTechLens is an online curriculum developer of science curriculum for grades K-5. Rainforest Journey is their first, and at this time only, e-learning science program. In the future there will be additional science programs and different subject areas available.

In order to access Rainforest Journey, the user is required to have internet access. A printer is also required to print out the review pages. Additional pages, such as the lessons, quizzes and hands-on activities are available in PDF format for optional printing. The program can be used on a desktop computer as well as a laptop, tablet, and other mobile devices. It can also be used on digital white boards.

Rainforest Journey is composed of 5 units, which are broken into chapters. These chapters are further broken down into lessons. In the guided navigation, as a child accesses and works through the lessons, the subsequent lessons will be unlocked. The parent or teacher can also choose open navigation which will allow the student to go in whatever order they wish. Each unit also contains vocabulary, illustrations, activities, and assessments.

Let's take a closer look at what the student will be learning about.

• Unit 1- The Big Picture of the Rainforest (an overview of the layers of the rainforest and how water and light affects the different parts)
• Unit 2- Adapt or Die! (focuses on the different adaptations taking place)
• Unit 3- Animals (the fauna of the rainforest)
• Unit 4- Plants and Fungi (the flora of the rainforest)
• Unit 5- Ecosystems

The lessons are composed of photographs, videos, images, and informative text which is also supplied as audio for those who are not able to read, or who may be auditory learners. At the end of each lesson there is a printable lesson review. These reviews consist of different activities to help reinforce what was learned in the lesson. For example, in each of the reviews for chapter 1, the child is given instructions on how to draw one layer of the rainforest. When this chapter is complete, the child will have a picture of all the layers of the rainforest on one sheet of 12x18 paper. In addition to this drawing, the student is asked to describe the layer which was focused on for that day's lesson.

In addition to these units, there are Interviews with the Experts, Trip Journal entries, and Videos. These are found at the bottom of the course outline page, beneath all the units, and I almost missed them. I love that the trip journal entries take us into the rainforest with mother and son team Steven and Ellen Senisi, and we can see what they saw as they took a trip into the rainforest.

My daughter was able to use this program almost completely independently. Once I logged her in, she could easily navigate to her current lesson. If she had chosen to do more than one lesson a day, she could have clicked on the “next module” button on the bottom of the screen. However, she usually opted for one lesson a day, a few times a week. She would look at any pictures, listening to the audio information. Sometimes there were videos to watch. I did find that even though she could do this part independently, I still needed to find time to read through the information on my own so I could make sure she was getting her review page done correctly. She also tended to miss the extra tidbits of knowledge in the lesson. I don't think this was laziness on her part, though at first I thought it was. I realized that if she had read the passage, she probably would have noticed the blue highlighted areas that she was to click on. However, she was listening to the lessons, so it was a matter of it being overlooked.

As a parent I have access to the review sheets in my account, in addition to the answer keys for the quizzes. I can keep track of where my daughter is in the lesson, and how much more she has to go.

My daughter and I have been able to learn quite a bit about the rainforest through these vivid photographs, videos, lessons, and activities. Rainforest Journey from EdTechLens is a great way to add life science to your school day, though it is only a supplemental program.

A 1-year license for 1 grade level is $50 for 1 student. If you have more than one student in the same grade level you would only have to add another $25 for up to 4 more students.

- Product Review by Karen Waide, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2015