Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame has created a new series that is loads of fun with a heavy dose of theology -- all for kids. What's in the Bible? uses live animation and puppets to combine good, solid Bible teaching and storytelling in a quirky, silly, fun way that appeals to adults and kids alike. These DVDs are designed to survey the entire Bible from beginning to end. Volumes 1-7, In the Beginning (Genesis) through Exile and Return (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther), have been released so far.
The cast of characters include: Chuckwagon, the singing cowboy, The Sunday School Lady who is NOT as old as the OLD testament, Michael, the kid in the car watching the DVD ("I’ve got a question! Why are they called 'testa-mints?' Do they give you fresh breath? Because I licked one and it didn’t work." -Michael, age 8), Brother Louie, Buck Denver, 2 old ladies who remind you of the old guys on the Muppet Show, and many more. Every character, from my understanding, is performed by Phil Vischer himself.
Two of my favorite special segments include: the Pirates Guide to Church History -- you know about Jesus and Billy Graham; well, the pirate fills in the stories in the middle, and the Popsicle Stick Theater -- where God is a cloud because a heart makes God look like a Valentine and fire is too scary.
According to the very first segment on Volume 1, the Bible tells the story of God and what He's done for us, making the Bible the world's most important book. From that point on, Phil takes two things very seriously: teaching children Bible truths and having loads of laughs.
Just so you can have a taste of what these videos are like, Volume 1: In the Beginning, answers the following questions:
*Why do Orthodox and Catholic Bibles have more books than the Protestant Bible?
*What does inspired mean?
*How can we trust the books of the Bible if we don't know who wrote them? (Because God inspired the process AND the writing)
*How old is the Earth? Who is right? ("We don't know, and sometimes that's ok. The Book of Genesis wasn't written to tell us the HOW of creation but the WHO of creation. 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'" -- Phil Vischer)
*What is sin?
*Why didn't God just change the rules so Adam and Eve could be with Him again?
These are just a few of the questions that get answered in 25 minutes, but the real kicker is that you will hear the answers to these tough questions while giggling and cracking up at the puppet's antics. I can't think of a better way to learn what's in the Bible, can you?
To learn more, visit whatsinthebible.com.
The Drive Thru History series with Dave Stotts, produced by ColdWater Media, is, as the cover suggests, history - fast and fun! Each DVD has three epidsodes that last about 30 minutes each, with the exception of the Foundations of Character series. These quirky, often silly, videos take you on location to several important historical sites and introduce you to many historical figures, famous and not-as-famous. Christian history is not left out and neither is the humor. Drive Thru History is definitely educational and equally entertaining.
This series, however, is not a history curriculum on its own. It should be used as a supplement to the history curriculum of your choice or just for fun! My boys and I laughed and giggled at the fake teeth, the car rolling down the hill, and the Pilgrim fashion show.
I recommend this series for ages 8 and up simply because some of the younger children may not get the humor. My sons are nine and twelve, and they love these dvds. Furthermore, if you like your children's education to be serious, don't bother buying this series!
For more information, see www.drivethruhistory.com.
Drive Thru History (Ancient History)
Greece and the Word
East Meets West (Asia Minor)
Turkish Delight
Rome If You Want To
Drive Thru History: American History
Columbus, The Pilgrims, and Early Boston
Soldiers, Jamestown, and Heroes of Virginia
New York, New Jersey, and Washington's Warriors
Patriots, Penn, and the Freedom Trail
Drive Thru History America: Foundations of Character (90 minutes)
Drive Thru History: Holy Land Series (Brand New)
Drive Thru History is from Focus on the Family and Tyndale Entertainment.
When I was in high school, every history teacher I had wrote copious notes on the board which we were required to write in our notebooks, word for word, for a test grade. History was boring.
When I began homeschooling, I decided there must be more to this subject of history. I'd heard others say they love history. My husband loves history. Surely, I must be missing something.
Early on, I decided to teach history in chronological order because that made sense to me. Teaching about the Pilgrims followed by the Mayans followed by the Greeks seems ... well, out of order and confusing. Initially, I chose to use The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. My oldest son and I enjoyed the book and the activity book. We checked out several recommended extra library books, made a Nubian costume, colored maps, and made all sorts of crafts. We got through the first 10 chapters out of 42 in our first year.
During this time, people were beginning to talk of a new book called The Mystery of History and how wonderful it was, but I was content with The Story of the World. After finishing volume 1, we began The Story of the World, Volume 2: The Middle Ages, but there was something missing. I purchased a copy of The Mystery of History: The Early Church and the Middle Ages and immediately switched.
The Mystery of History by Linda Hobar, like The Story of the World, is written in chronological order, is conversational, and has an activity guide. However, The Story of the World is meant to be a secular text, and The Mystery of History is unabashedly Christian. Once we came to the middle ages and the Reformation, understanding church history became necessary to understand any history of Europe at all. In Bauer's attempt to be secular, the history of the church and thus all of Europe at the time, was anemic. Also, I felt that Bauer's writing in her first book was markedly better than that of her second book (and I hear that her third and fourth are worse) and that the historical events were not in a strict chronological order, which drove me crazy. Finally, I believe The Mystery of History is more easily adapted for older students.
In the "Letter to the Teacher," Hobar writes, "I think one of the easier ways to 'know God better and to make Him known' is to first know the stories of Him found in history and the Bible from the beginning to the end! That to me is history. I believe history is the story of God revealing Himself to mankind and that He did it most perfectly through the person of Jesus Christ. For that reason, I call this course The Mystery of History, believing that the 'mystery' is the gospel of Jesus Christ." I agree, wholeheartedly, which is why I love this series; it is strongly Christian and yet strongly academic.
Some have complained that Hobar shares too many opinions and is too conversational, but my sons and I thoroughly enjoy her writing style. They look forward to reading history every day.
The book can be adapted for a variety of ages and has suggestions for doing so. The activity book has an excellent list of literature or other books to accompany this curriculum, broken up into categories for older, middle, and younger kids. There are tests, quizzes, activities, maps, and other fun ideas in the activity book as well. Timeline figures are available from Homeschooling in the Woods to make a timeline, or you can make your own pictures. We used the pre-made timeline figures for Volume 3, and I had my oldest make notecards with important points listed for each chapter. My youngest listened to the chapter with his brother and to any additional books, fact or fiction, that we chose to read to go along with the chapter.
Currently, The Mystery of History Volume IV is not written, so we have taken a break from world history and begun studying United States history. However, we anxiously await Hobar's next and last volume.
Finally, I believe, God used The Mystery of History: Volume III The Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations to reveal Himself more fully to my youngest son. In August 2011, we studied Lesson 71 about Blaise Pascal (1654). Pascal was a brilliant man who invented the first calculator, came up with Pascal's Law and Pascal's Theorem, and refined the Theory of Probabilities. However, unlike most history books, Hobar shares Pascal's testimony of how he trusted Christ as his Savior after losing control of his carriage and almost losing his life. His life was radically transformed, and he dedicated the rest of his life to Christian causes. It was during this lesson that Titus decided to trust Christ. As Hobar says, "history is the story of God revealing Himself to mankind and that He did it most perfectly through the person of Jesus Christ." Amen!
Oh, and by the way, I love history now. It's one of my favorites, as long as I'm not copying notes off a blackboard.
