Homeschool Review: Drive Thru History Adventures #hsreviews #drivethruhistory #drivethruhistoryadventures #adventurelearning

History has long been our favorite subject at Long Leaf Academy and we've watched many of  Dave Stotts' Drive Thru History episodes throughout the years.  You can imagine how excited I was when we were introduced to the new Drive Thru History Adventures video curriculum.  Currently, there are three curriculum sets available.  These include Bible History, American History, and Ancient History  Each set is comprised of 12-18 weeks of video lessons (25-30 minutes long), extra suggested readings that help students dig a little deeper into what they've watched, discusion Worksheets (with Answer Key provided), artwork, illustrations, and JESUS.  You probably know me well enought to know that that's my very favorite part. I love that Dave reminds us on every step in our journey that it all points back to JESUS.

For purposes of review, we've been focusing on the American History Adventures and I've got to tell you that even this momma learns something new within every video lesson.  Dave makes studying and learning history so much fun.  The videos are high energy and packed full of information that takes what we've studied in our textbooks and breathes new life into it.  We enjoy being "along for the ride" in Dave's red Jeep as we hit the road on adventure across America.  He is funny and informative and leaves you wanting more. 

Although the description for the American History Adventures states that it covers the time period from Columbus to the Constitution, the truth of the matter is that it begins long before the birth of Columbus.  Dave makes sure to explain the "history" of  history by laying the groundwork for what is to come.  

"History is more than just about remembering dates.  It's also about the confluence of events.  One of the things we like to do in Drive Thru History is to connect the dots -- those seemingly unrelated events that add up to some amazing moments or turning points in history."

It is that eplanation of the "confluence of events" that makes these Adventures so fabulous.  For example, did you know that Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, Mohammed, and JESUS all play a part in the discovery of America?  Of course, we knew that Christopher Columbus gets tons of credit for America, but we'd never connected the dots with the rest of that lineup before watching Episode 1 of American History Adventures.

And there are other things we'd not thought of before as well.  Episode 2 let us in on the secret that the Pilgrims didn't just wear those black and white Puritan outfits with the strange hats and big buckles.  Nope -- they wore colorful clothing with plumes and ruffles and poufy shoulders.  

Have you ever heard of a Newman Window?  Neither had we.  It seems that after waving two lanterns of warning for his friends Paul Revere and William Dawes, Robert Newman escaped from Christ Church in Boston's North End by jumping through a window.  It's now called Newman Window.  Cool, huh?  We also had no idea that the "waving of the lanterns" from the church tower actually lasted less than one minute.  Can you even imagine?  What if the wind had been blowing the trees or the moon had been casting strange shadows?  In less than a minute, they might not even have seen the signal.  Episode 3 explains all of that and reminds us "but GOD."  

You can see even more from the Episode 3 corresponding curriculum in the picture below.  After watching the video, my daughter was able to dig in even more by examining Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre (pictured on the screen) before answering the discussion questions and reading the suggested Longfellow poem.  Paul Revere's Ride has long been one of my favorites so I enjoyed sharing it with her.  

Listen my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

Now mind you, all of the suggested source documents are provided as PDFs and can be read on-screen, but I can't get past the need to print things out here.  I like that my girl can three-hole punch all of the information and worksheets and place them in a binder for future reference.  I'ms still a bit old school, I guess, but it works for us.

Every single episode teaches us something new or gives us a different way to look at the history we have always studied.  It becomes real to us as we see the places we've read about.  In Episode 4, we visited an old graveyard on Copp's Hill and saw the gashes in the tombstones where British soldiers took target practice.  Talk about tacky.  Each lesson fills in the gaps of what we know and what we think we know.  Dave shares some of the most intriguing facts as he expands our knowledge base.

I'm telling you, there is so much good information packed into each of the video lessons that your entire family will benefit from watching them.  The full curriculum is written for students who are 12 and older, but there really is something here for everyone.  Dave Stotts makes sure that every episode is family friendly and even recommends that you sit down together to watch the videos and engage the material together so that you can all process it and learn and study and pray.  He is serious about earning your trust and keeping it.

This online subscription gives your entire family access to all three of the history curriculum sets and is available as a monthly or annual subscription.  You can access Adventures TV from your computer or from your phone (there's an app for that!) so it's super convenient to learn wherever you are. The neat thing about Adventures TV is that not only does it allow for access to the Adventures video series, but it also keeps history up-to-date through Dave's Adventures, Side Roads, Behind the Scenes, and Dig Deeper videos.

Dave's Adventures offer a weekly update on what's happening in the world and highlights specific episodes from each of the three history adventures.  Side Roads videos are short segments that offer a fun look at a variety of topics.  Want to learn a little bit about the history of Groundhog's Day?  It's all there.  Need to know more about Valentine's Day?  He's got you covered.

The Behind the Scenes videos are just that -- little behind-the-scenes clips of Dave on his many adventures.  I have been wanting to visit the Museum of the Bible ever since I heard about it at a conference last year and Dave's behind the scenes visit during its soft opening makes me want to see it even more.   The Dig Deeper videos offer a deeper Biblical lesson that helps students grasp apologetics as they look at history through the lens of GOD's Word.

As an extra bonus right now, if you choose to join with an annual subscription, Drive Thru History Adventures will send you a free set of the The Gospels DVD.  We had the opportunity to review it last year and I highly recommend it to for your family.  I have used it at home and at church this year to supplement our class discussions and the middle schoolers always ask for more.







For more information about  Drive Thru History Adventures and Cold Water Media, please make sure to check out the following Social Media pages:

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This is definitely a resource worth looking into for your homeschool.

I was given the opportunity to review Drive Thru History Adventures as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of this history resource (or just click on the banner below.)  You can also check out the winter edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine where you'll find a 20% off coupon for the annual subscription on page 19.

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