Back in March, we reviewed The Dragon and the Raven for you guys.  When we were asked to review another great product from Heirloom Audio Productions called Beric the Briton, we jumped at the chance.  When I say jumped, I mean really jumped.  My son jumped up and down over and over in excitement.  I’m definitely checking into other titles in the G.A. Henty adventures for his christmas gift.

My kids love listening to audio productions and this one did not disappoint.  We took a few days and listened to Beric the Briton in the evenings before bed.  Every night the kids groaned when I paused the CD so we could continue the next night.  They were so intrigued that I believe they would have sat right there on the couch the entire duration if given the chance.

About the Product:

Beric the Briton is a 2 CD set with over 2 hours of audio drama.  This time, in G.A. Henty’s adventures, we can join Beric and Bodouc as they are trained as gladiators and placed into the service of Nero during the Roman invasion!  Through the audio adventures, you will hear as Beric and Bodouc are forced to face their Pagan past and overcome many obstacles.  The Heirloom Audio Production mission includes bringing Christian history to life.

With the CD set, you’ll also gain exclusive access to lots of bonus products!

The bonus products include:

• Beric the Briton MP3 Downloads – MP3 of the Beric the Briton Adventure
• Beric the Briton eBook – Henty’s original with new colorful graphics
• Original MP3 Soundtrack – original score by Emmy-winning composer
• Printable Cast Poster – Promotion poster featuring the star-studded cast
• Study Guide and Discussion – Discussion Points, History Guide, and Bible study
• Inspirational Verse Poster – Beautiful, printable copy of the inspirational verse
• Live the Adventure Letter – Unlimited access to The Live Adventure webs
• Behind the Scenes Video – Video documentary with the cast and crew in studio

The study guide includes ways to help your child remember what they have heard, think about the lessons learned, and even grow their vocabulary.

The questions and activities are broken up in sections and clearly labeled with the areas to stop and discuss from the CDs, as you can see from above.  All help point the children into understanding some wonderful lifelong concepts of courage and bravery.

My Thoughts:

As with The Dragon and the Raven, we just loved listening to the adventures in Beric the Briton.  The sound effects are so wonderful that you feel like you’re actually there in the story as well with the gladiators and soldiers!  It was very well done.

As a mom, I appreciate knowing that I do not have to worry that the kids will hear something inappropriate.  This audio drama is geared toward children.

There is so much that I want to tell you about the story, but I don’t want to ruin it for you.  All I can say is that it keeps you on the edge of your seat and thirsty for more.  No complaints from me!

For More Information:

For more information or to find more adventures of G.A. Henty, visit the Heirloom Audio Productions website.  You can also find Beric the Briton on Facebook, the G.A. Henry series on facebook, Heirloom Audio Productions on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.

If you’re interested in hearing a little of the story, click here to listen to a few excerpts.

You can also find more reviews for this product by The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew by clicking the banner below.

 

During this summer, we’ve been slowing our school down a bit and are learning more about the Bible.  Our friends at Veritas Press provided us with a One Year Family Subscription to VeritasBible.com to check out their exciting Bible program.

About VeritasBible.com:

VeritasBible.com is a new online Bible program that helps kids to learn more about the Bible without really even realizing that they are learning.

Currently, there are three different courses included in VeritasBible.com.  Those courses are:

• Genesis to Joshua
• Judges to Kings
• The Gospels

2 more courses are being added soon, although the website doesn’t mention when that will be yet.  Those are:

• Chronicles to Malachi and Job
• Acts to Revelation

Each course covers 32 main events in that section of the Bible and features music to help memorize the chronology of events.  Memory tools for names, dates, and places are also utilized during the course.  Through the VeritasBible.com program, your children will explore the Bible through activities in art, music, and geography.  Each course also includes projects, worksheets, and tests.

Our Thoughts:

I have been using VeritasBible with my older 3 kids, ages 12, 9, and soon to be 7.  So far, my kids are loving VeritasBible.com.  They to play their “Bible game” daily!

I have started each of my three older children on a different course since they often like to watch over a sibling’s shoulder during computer times.  My almost 7 year old has started on Genesis to Joshua, my 9 year old on Judges to Kings, and my oldest on The Gospels.

We found that my almost 7 year old enjoys using VeritasBible.com but that it is a little advanced for her, personally.  She is a little behind on reading and some of the big words on the quizzes and such were more than she could do right now.  She did very well with it if I sat with her and helped with the bigger words.  She really enjoys the program though and I can tell that she is still learning, even if she does need a little assistance.

My son has learned more in the past few weeks from the Judges to Kings program than I even knew about that section of the Bible!  He has been memorizing the judges of Israel in order and much more!  I think I may even need to go through this program!

My oldest thinks that the songs are somewhat catchy, but she did get a little tired of hearing them in each lesson.   My son likes watching the map change as the characters venture through the Bible stories and playing the games.

Some of the quizzes were a little hard for them, though.  There were a lot of little details that it would ask the kids to recollect, and oftentimes we would have to redo a lesson and work together to come up with the answers.  It appears that the program greatly focusses on memorization, which it wonderful when learning about Biblical material.

I think we will continue using VeritasBible.com throughout this year and maybe more in the future since I have seen how much they have grown in their understanding and knowledge of the Bible.  I look forward to my kids completing their current programs and moving on to see the new ones yet to be released.

More Information:

For more information, you can visit the Veritas Press website or check them out on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also read more reviews on VeritasBible.com by clicking the banner below.

 

I was super eager to read and review YWAM Publishing‘s CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.  While on a church women’s retreat in February, I was talking with a friend about Corrie Ten Boom.  She shared about the impact that Corrie Ten Boom had on her life and the amazing story of courage behind her.  When this opportunity came about to review this book, I jumped at the chance to find out more.

The past few weeks, the big kids (age 9 and 12) and I have been reading through the CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den book and working through the digital unit study so we can learn more about this Christian Hero.

CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den is 208 pages long and is geared toward children ages 10 and up.  If you’re not familiar with her story, Corrie ten Boom and her family lived in Holland.  They risked their lives to save many jewish people during the holocaust.  Reading about the persecution helped us to understand more of what it must have been like during that horrible time.

So far, we’ve made it about halfway through the book and it has my kids begging to read more every night.  It’s taking us a little longer to read the book since we are doing the unit study as well and trying to do all the activities.  I’m also trying to read it to them when the littles are in bed.  As a parent/teacher, I really appreciate unit studies to help us get a little more in depth while we are reading history books.  I’ve been amazed at the things that I’ve been learning right along with the kids.

 

 

I printed the digital unit study, which is 75 pages long, three hole punched it and put it into a folder for easy use.  The digital unit study is helpful to reinforce learning through history, geography, essay writing, creative writing, reading comprehension, public speaking, drama, and art.  There are six questions in the unit study for each of the chapters of Corrie ten Boom and other ways to make the material come to life.  I found that the questions really provoked wonderful conversations between the children and I as we discussed what we would do if we were in a conflict where our faith was being tested.  I sure hope I have the courage of Corrie ten Boom in that situation!

YWAM Publishing has many other great Christian Heroes books available such as Amy Carmichael, C.S. Lewis, Lottie Moon, William Carey, and more.  Be sure to check out their website for the complete list.

CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW Corrie ten Boom currently sells for $7.50 and also is available in Spanish and is also available as an audiobook, Kindle or Nook download.  I know we will definitely be checking out more of these books once we finish this study.  I think we will do C.S. Lewis next!

You can find out more on their Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, or on the YWAM Publishing blog.

Click the banner below to read more reviews on books by YWAM Publishing by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.