I am super excited to bring you this week's review because it's one of our favorite products we have reviewed so far. I love anything to do with history, and Dave Stotts brings it to life with his amazing videos from Drive Thru History Adventures.
I was not a history fan growing up, and especially in high school, it was my least favorite subject. It was normally reading from a textbook, or listening to a teacher read from one, and then proceeding to work on a fill in the blank worksheet. You know what I'm talking about. Blah blah blah...write write write. There was no life brought to what was being taught. Maybe a picture or two, but it never actually put me right back to that time period.
I have since found a love for history for all time periods, and I am always looking for ways to make it fun and interesting for my children. I don't want them to have the same ill feelings towards learning history as I did when I was in school. I want them to develop a love for learning about the past, so that they can appreciate it's importance and what it has taught us.
With this review we have been introduced to Dave Stotts, and literally his adventures through history. He is passionate about history and has traveled the world for 15 years to bring us Christ centered, fact filled, fun information to help our children fall in love with learning history!
How does Drive Thru History Adventures work?
The main idea of this curriculum is video learning, but there is so much more to it. This works perfectly for my kids, because it keeps them engaged and interested in the subject they are learning.
Starting off, the website is extremely easy to navigate and use. It is also packed full of additional information other than that of the main curriculum!
As you can see in the screenshot, the curriculum is easy to find in the drop down menu.
With this program you are offered three separate curriculum choices.
- Bible History
- American History
- Ancient History
You can for sure just watch the videos and gain so much valuable information from them, but Mr. Stotts has gone above and beyond to bring you a well rounded curriculum with this. Within the episode is the video which is approximately 30 minutes long in each adventure. Like I said, this is the meat and potatoes so to speak of the curriculum, but if you are wanting to really dig in, then he has given you the resources to be able to do that.
I want to talk to you a little bit about the videos and what they include. Dave really does travel around the world to bring you to places that maybe you can't just hop on a plane and visit. He is informative about each place that he brings you to, but also makes you feel like you are right along side him. Whether he is at the birthplace of Christopher Columbus or walking the Boston Freedom Trail he brings you factual information while even adding in a little comedy to keep you on your toes. Yes, he's pretty funny, and my kids love him! I love that we have already been able to see amazing places such as Plymouth Rock and the Old North Church.
If you are wanting to take this video and turn it into a complete lesson, he includes the resources that help you do that.
Within each episode, he gives you extras such as quotes, pictures of the people you are discussing, and also suggested readings such as Paul Revere's ride by Henry Wadsworth. He offers up discussion questions for you to go over after the video, and also printable worksheets with answer guides. He also has a Dig Deeper section that brings you even more resources to add into the lesson.
How did we use this program in our school?
I actually stopped all other curriculum while using this, because I was quite impressed with it from the start. We have been watching one to two videos a week, and also using all of the resources that I spoke of earlier. We will normally start off with the summary that he provides and then watch the video. We do the discussion questions together, and then we will do some of the extra resources and reading each day. It's easy to do one episode a week, and have plenty to discuss.
What else does Drive Thru History Adventures offer?
As I mentioned earlier in addition to American History, also offered is Bible History and Ancient History. I can't wait to start the Bible History next! Dave travels to 50 different sites in Israel to teach us all about the life of Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
We will finally be learning about Ancient History which covers "Christianity and the Birth of Western Civilization".
Also offered is the Adventures TV which is a multitude of videos that can be watched on many different devices such as your TV, tablets or phones. All of the history videos can be seen from here, but in addition, you can also watch videos Dave has made such as Weekly Updates and behind the scenes!
What did we think?
We have loved this history curriculum from Drive Thru History Adventures from the start, and I believe that it's perfect for all ages! It has been an invaluable source for me because it has been one more key to making history fun for my kids! I could honestly go on and on about this remarkable product but I would highly suggest you check it out for yourself!
Drive Thru History Adventures is offering some pretty great specials right now! Those who sign up for the annual membership will receive a set of The Gospels DVDs. Click HERE to get the code!
Also, they are offering 20% off to the readers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! Here is a link to the latest digital issue.
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