To some, past events are boring or irrelevant or some might even feel that we have too much history to even bother diving deep into some of the past. One of the resources I like to turn to in order to change up my homeschool routine is through the stories by George Alfred Henty also better known to many as G.A. Henty. He was an English novelist and war correspondent and is known for his historical stories. Historical fiction novels are some of my favorites and although they are fictional, it still induces an interest in history. We were thrilled to be offered a chance to review For the Temple from Heirloom Audio. The two CD set and instant MP3 download audio theatre presentation is unique as it allowed us to use our imagination and provided many points that really captivated my daughter as we listened to it on a road trip. We really enjoy Biblical based stories and having the chance to listen to the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem.
We had started listening to the first audio at home but when they knew we were going on a road trip, they requested we take it on the road with us. My middle daughter spent some time getting familiar with the audio set and reading the material contained in the set before we left. The CDs contain two and a half hours of great story time with actors such as Brian Blessed from Star Wars, Tarzan and King Lear as well as Chris Larkin from Master and Commander and others that really round out this ancient drama. The stage is set with the main character, John, who lives on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. From the forces of Romes to other factions, John will have to decide who and what he will fight for.
Heirloom Audio also provides a study guide to accompany the audio presentation. It is designed for parents with younger children to help them explain and guide them through the story and lessons. It's also great for older children as it provides written assignments. The way it works, is the study guide has sets of questions that covers approximately four to eight minutes of the audio. Each set has three basic components:
- Listening Well is great to ensure the child understands what he or she heard as well as tests the retention aspect of what they just heard.
- Thinking Further challenges them to think a bit deeper and has them utilizing their thoughts and imagination more. Some of the challenge questions might include the task of researching for answers.
- Defining Words is great for introducing new words not only from a spelling asset but also to build their vocabularies. My dad was a stickler about learning words and he would have loved this.
I'm going to utilize the set that matches A Mighty Armada from the study guide to provide a more in-depth look into how the study guide works with the audio presentation. The top section contains the three sets of questions of Listening Well, Thinking Further and Defining Words. I like how thorough the sets of questions are such as "How does Josephus reply?" or "What plan does John suggest?" It not only ensures the child listened to the audio but also understood what they just heard. This was a favorite of my daughters as she likes to compete against her old sister and beat her to the answers. The assignment outside of our road trip included looking up the Defining Words and writing them out. The final section on this page of the study guide included more about Gideon's Army and contained a beautiful illustration along with more questions to encourage further thought.
In between listening to the story, I utilized the study guide to reinforce what they heard. I also had an image of the vocabulary words I had my daughter look up and write down but my photo was left behind as I'm finishing this review on my road trip. Although the trip lasted a little over five hours, the complete audio set allowed them educational entertainment.
"It's really neat that they use sound effects to go along with the story instead of just people talking," Jamie (my middle child)
They were fascinated with the story line and the use of different actors to present the fullest opportunity to let their imagination take over. My youngest was just asking me questions about Jewish history so this was perfect timing. As John continue to endure the events of the time during the Roman occupation and all the unrest, he meets Josephus and joins his Jewish forces in Galilee. The adventures of battle are realistic and I feel better than a movie since the listener can decide the appearances of each character. John survives and returns home to continue fighting the Romans. His tenacity and loyalty continue in making him a formidable character among the Jewish people. It's a truly captivating story and a great opportunity to introduce or reinforce children to people from the Bible if they are not already familiar with them. Overall, we loved Heirloom Audio's For the Temple.
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