After reviewing Under Drake’s Flag last year, I was excited for the opportunity to review the newest audio adventure from Heirloom Audio Productions that brings the real story of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce alive! For our review we received the In Freedom’s Cause Single Package which includes the In Freedom’s Cause 2 CD set, In Freedom’s Cause Study Guide (Digital Download), In Freedom’s Cause Soundtrack (MP3 download), and a Printable copy of The Prayer Of William Wallace (Digital Download).
We have been listening to In Freedom’s Cause together as a family during our homeschool day. They are basic audio CDs and can be played in any device equipped to play audio CDs. We mostly use our DVD player and play the sound through our TV. The CDs are divided into tracks, and the Study Guide has questions and discussions to go along with the tracks. It is usually my intention to only listen to one or two tracks at a time so our children have an easier time taking in all the information to better participate in the discussion and answer the questions. Unfortunately, though, it’s easy to get caught up in the story and the next thing I know we’ve listened to five or six tracks!
Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because that also means the kids have been very involved in the story as well! They’re known for not sitting quietly when they are bored, and listening to In Freedom’s Cause definitely keeps them excited and involved in the story! Once again, I am amazed by the acting and sound. It is so easy to just get lost in the story and feel like you’re right there with them! I have had to remind the kids a couple times not to get too carried away with pretend sword fights, but a little pretending, I think, is a great way to stay involved!
In Freedom’s Cause is recommended for ages 6 and older, but I have found even our 4 year old really enjoys listening. He usually isn’t interested in the questions portion, though I wouldn’t expect him to be! Surprisingly, though, he has plenty of things to say when we are simply discussing what we’ve heard. I use the Study Guide as a guideline, though I have found it to be a little too difficult for our children. Our oldest two children are ages 7 and 8, but they both have special needs and open-ended questions can be a challenge in general. Instead, I use the questions given but ask them in a different way so it’s more of a multiple choice question. I have to admit, though, even though I have been listening as well, there were some questions even I couldn’t answer!
In addition to questions to correspond with each track there is a “Thinking Further” portion. I find this area is definitely too advanced for our children as it involves more social/emotional type questions, which is definitely more challenging for our oldest who is on the Autism spectrum. I think they are amazing for discussion, though, and think they would be very beneficial for older children.
Following the “Thinking Further” portion is “Defining Words,” which provides a list of words that were included in the scenes, which I think is perfect for any age!
Something I appreciate about In Freedom’s Cause is that it tells the true story, and they make it a point to put God back in history. There is even a Bible Study in the Study Guide, which I love! This is a resource we haven’t yet explored but plan to in the future.
I am once again impressed by the quality of this audio drama. I appreciate that they share the true story and strong moral values rooted in faith and really brings history to life!
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Many members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the chance to review In Freedom’s Cause with their families. See how they used it and what they thought by clicking on the banner below!
Hands-on History with Home School in the Woods
Our kids are mostly hands-on learners. They can listen to a lesson or watch a lesson, but when I ask them a question about it I often receive blank stares. When lessons include hands-on learning, though, they are more likely to be engaged in the lesson and if asked the same questions are better able to answer them.
Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
Home School in the Woods offers hands-on history materials for for younger students with the goal of igniting a passion for learning history. History should never be a boring subject, and they intend to make sure it’s not! As a mom with children that retain more when they are learning hands-on I can definitely appreciate what Home School in the Woods offers and the passion they have to make history come alive!
For my review I received a variety of materials including the Knights Lap-Pak, Benjamin Franklin Lap-Pak, HISTORY Through the Ages “Record of Time” and HISTORY Through the Ages Timeline Figures.
Unfortunately, due to our big move, we are off to a bit of a slow start this year, so we have only been working on the Knights Lap-Pak, though I was thinking Benjamin Franklin would have been perfect given we were learning more about Presidents this month, but because of our children’s special needs, it’s better to stick with the a key project because chances are high that if we come back to it, we’ll have to review a lot of it or almost start over. So, we continued with the Knights Lap-Pak, which they have been enjoying!
The Knights Lap-Pak is available in both a CD and download format for PC or MAC. We received the download format for individual family use. We received the download format, and everything comes nicely in a zip file that is easy to download. Instructions are included in the download, and they make everything easy by walking through everything step-by-step for printing, materials needed, how to put everything together, etc. It’s really thorough. I didn’t feel like I had a lot of material and then had to navigate my own way around it – I was able to organize everything and know exactly what we needed to do!
The Knights Lap-Pak is recommended for grades K-2, and we have been using it with our older two children who are ages 7 and 8 and are both doing 2nd Grade level work. As I mentioned, they are both hands-on learners. History has been a particularly challenging subject because they both have special needs. They have a hard time focusing, and unless they really feel involved in the lesson, they don’t get much out of it. With the Knights Lap-Pak, I can see that they really feel involved in the lesson. They are learning as they complete activities and are having fun at the same time! They even want to show off their work!
They do both have fine-motor challenges as well, so some of the work is challenging, but it also offers an opportunity to practice their fine-motor skills. Because they are really enjoying what they are learning and want their Lap-Pak to look nice, they have been working really hard to not only be engaged in the lessons but work hard on the cutting, pasting, and preparing as well!
I think the Knights Lap-Pak was a great introduction for our kids. They have loved learning more about knights, and I know they’ll continue to work hard and enjoy themselves while doing it, which is what I love to see! I can’t wait to check out the Ben Franklin Lap-Pak next! We’ll also be sharing more about the timelines as well once we get a little more settled into our homeschooling routine! One thing is for sure, this is exactly the type of history materials that are perfect for getting our kids excited about learning history!
For More Information:
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Golden Prarie Press Review
We had a chance to review Digital Heroes & Heroines of the Past: American History Curriculum from Golden Prairie Press. It is a history curriculum designed for Grades 1-6. We have been using it with our two oldest children (ages 6 and 8 and both at a 2nd Grade level) 3-4 days each week.
Because Heroes & Heroines of the Past covers such a broad range of grades most lessons separated in two sections. For those in 1st and 2nd grade like our children, it is a shorter lesson versus a more in-depth lesson for grades 3-6. I was really impressed that this extra step was made to fit the needs of the younger children. Younger children definitely have a harder time sitting through long lessons, and this can be more true for those with special needs like ours. I think it would be great even for older children that may have special needs as well.
I read through some of the lessons for the older grades as well to check them out myself, and I admit it’s because I was so into the way the lessons are presented that I actually wanted to learn more! I have never experienced a history curriculum that presents lessons in a way that aligns with our faith. I feel like I’m learning history, too, in a new light.
There are generally questions to answer at the end of the lesson, which we did verbally. Some of the questions would just be basic questions highlighting what was learned. Despite the shorter lessons, this was still a challenge for our children as they often have a hard time retaining information. There were different styles of questions, though, as well such as pointing out key people in a portrait. I loved that this added art to our lesson as well!
I like that not only are we learning history through through the lessons, but there is also a hands-on component as well. With each lesson there is also an activity to complement the lesson. Although they are available, it notes that if an activity can’t be completed, it could be skipped. Most of the activities, though, only used basic things, so we had everything we needed to complete them. We made canoes out of construction paper, ships out of clay and small hammocks to name a few.
In addition to the activities there are games, songs, other activities and experiments, and cooking. I love that there is such a variety to really make it come alive.
I feel that even when they were having a hard time retaining the information from the oral part of the lesson, actually doing the activities and using this extra time to talk more about it really helps to make it more memorable and understand what they are learning.
Each week we also learn a new memory verse. On the first day it is introduced the week we write it on a 3×5 card as suggested. I continue to read it each day with them until the fifth lesson of the current section where I ask them to recite it. We always try to do this each week anyway, so I love that it is now part of our history lesson.
It also includes recommended resources at the end of each unit, so if we want to expand on what we have learned we have related resources we can refer to.
Over the weekend, I look into the supplies and materials needed for the lessons for that week, so I will be sure we’re prepared. It’s already a habit I’ve developed for other curricula, so it was easy to add to my routine.
Overall, I think Heroes & Heroines of the Past is a great, thorough history curriculum. Although our children have a hard time retaining the information from the part of the lesson I need, the additional activities really help to make it real and interesting in a way that even our kids can understand.
Digital Heroes & Heroines of the Past: American History Curriculum can be purchased for $98.99.
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Many members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been reviewing Heroes & Heroines of the Past with children of various ages. See what they thought in their reviews by clicking on the button below.