The Dragon and the Raven {Heirloom Audio Review}

Heirloom Audio Review

Over the past few years we have been blessed with the opportunity to review various audio dramas from Heirloom Audio Productions. Recently we had the opportunity to add The Dragon and the Raven to our resources, which is a 2 CD Audio Drama with over 2 hours of non-stop action!

The Dragon and the Raven offers yet another great story that helps tell true history while offering an example for our children of Christian heroes. It is presented as an audio drama with amazing acting that is exciting and enjoyable for kids (and adults) that keeps us on the edge of our seats! We have found for lesson purposes it’s best to break it down into one or two tracks at a time, but you can’t help but listen to a lot of it at once, which is the routine we have gotten into with the Heirloom Audio Productions Audio Dramas – we listen to the whole story first and then break it down into sections when we begin lessons. In fact, we love listening to it in the car!
The Dragon and the Raven audio drama is adapted from the book The Dragon and the Raven by G.A. Henty. The story follows Edmund and King Alfred of Wessex as they stand against the Danes (Vikings). It’s a story of adventure and great faith.

The Dragon and the Raven Single Package that we received includes the 2 audio CD’s as well as an e-Study Guide, and printable copy of Proverbs 21:31 and the audio download of The Dragon and the Raven.
I really appreciated the audio download because this allowed me to leave the CD’s in the truck while I still had full access to the audio drama on my electronic devices. This made it easy to have it available no matter where we were!
I also downloaded the e-Study Guide to my phone and iPad. When we first began our journey with Heirloom Audio Productions, our children (ages 5, 8 and 9) were still having challenges with the depth of the questions. Because of their special needs, open-ended questions in general can be challenging. I have found a way to adapt this by asking the questions in more of a multiple choice way rather than open-ended, but now that they are getting older, I am challenging them more.
The e-Study Guide includes information about the Cast and Crew, and Introduction, brief history, lessons that correspond with each Track and Bible Studies.

To use the e-Study Guide, I first began by reading the introduction and then we proceeded to break down the audio drama into 1-2 tracks at a time. To make it easier I really try to stick to just one. We have a short discussion after we listen to it, and I let that lead us into the questions. Some we naturally have answered through our discussion, so I ask the other questions and dive into the Thinking Further. This is where I still have to modify a bit or even skip a few because they just aren’t at that level of comprehension.
The e-Study Guide also includes Defining Words, which are a great way to learn the definitions of the words we’ve been hearing in the story and better understand them. I generally write them on the white board for the kids to copy so they can become more familiar with the words.
I think that’s what I love most about Heirloom Audio Productions – the audio dramas are ideal for a variety of ages. There is no right or wrong for how you use the resources, and you can use them in a way that fits your family best. Our kids always enjoy listening to them, and they do so intently. They have learned quite a bit, and I’m always surprised when it’s our youngest who answers the questions so thoroughly. It’s a style they really enjoy, and I enjoy that they are learning this piece of history as well as Christian values.
For more be sure to connect with Heirloom Audio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+. Learn more on The Dragon and the Raven Facebook Page.
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