George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work

     I remember reading little bits and pieces about George Washington Carver when I was in elementary school, but we never studied his life and achievements.

     In our own homeschooling, we are currently studying the Renaissance and the arts, science, and literature that go along with that era, so we haven't yet delved into U.S. history studies.

     That's one reason I was very interested in reviewing this DVD on the life of George Washington Carver.  I'd heard that he invented almost countless products, medicines, and chemicals from soybeans, peanuts, cotton, and many other plants.

     This 30-minute DVD produced by Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc., is a biographical look at George W. Carver's life.  Starting with Mr. Carver's early life and how he received the name, "George Washington Carver" (you'll be surprised!), I found it interesting to learn that he was born only two years after the Civil War.

     George Washington Carver:  His Life and His Work describes how he received his elementary through high school education, which is far different than most anyone in the United States these days. 

     And his entrance into college was a bit tricky, as most schools weren't admitting people of African-American descent.

     After finishing his college education, he continued learning until the day he died.  His life admirably was lived in total service to our nation and especially to the local African-American community and at large. 

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     I appreciate these quotes from Mr. Carver at the beginning of the video:

     "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune Him in."

     "There's no shortcut to achievement.  Life requires thorough preparation."

     Did you know that Mr. Carver lived on almost no income throughout his life, by his own choice, instead choosing to use his paychecks to help needy students and other admirable causes? 

     He insisted that he had no need for copyrights, paychecks, notoriety, prestige, or honor.

     If you watch this documentary DVD, you'll be surprised at how carefully he lived so he could donate his life's knowledge to others, with no thought of himself. 

     I should note that the audio and video/film quality of this DVD wasn't as high as I would have expected for a new DVD.  My husband and I both commented that it was reminiscent of the older style of reel-to-reel movies we watched in elementary school.  I suspect that this DVD has been legally produced or copied from an older reel-to-reel or video film that has now been converted to DVD.

     If that doesn't bother you, then you will enjoy this biography of George W. Carver's life.  Our family would have enjoyed this DVD more if it had been higher quality film, and if it had been acted out instead of just showing photos or stock film of plants and animals while Mr. Carver's life story was narrated.  However, there were a couple of video clips of Mr. Carver speaking or being presented with an award, so I know that those definitely were older clips - necessary there - since he passed away in 1953.

     Student questions are provided on the Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc., website for teachers and parents to use after viewing the DVD.

     George Washington Carver:  His Life and His Work is available at a web sale price of $19.95.  In addition, you can get a 15% discount by using the code TOSC1 at checkout.

     Want to read more reviews of this DVD?  The TOS Crew links are HERE.

Disclaimer:  I received one copy of this DVD from Marshall Publishing and Promotions, Inc. in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was provided.

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