Two years ago, our family was introduced to Drive Thru History® and immediately fell in love with both the style and the content. We were thrilled when we recently received Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" DVD set and study guide to review. These videos are a fantastic way to learn history and the Bible and are a favorite in our house. Besides, what kid doesn't want to "watch TV" for school, ha.
Dave Stotts, the host of the award-winning television series Drive Thru History®, has been involved in professional video and media production for two decades. In 2004, he began driving "thru history" to bring the past to life in a fun and unique way. Using storytelling as the driving force behind his work, he creates engaging videos that are full of content. Our family is learning while being entertained.
The company is not simply about entertainment though. We have learned so much about the lives of the first Christians and the events that took place as the disciples and missionaries helped spread the gospel across the land through the midst of persecution.
Dave Stotts, the host of the award-winning television series Drive Thru History®, has been involved in professional video and media production for two decades. In 2004, he began driving "thru history" to bring the past to life in a fun and unique way. Using storytelling as the driving force behind his work, he creates engaging videos that are full of content. Our family is learning while being entertained.
The videos are divided into 18 episodes on 3 discs and cover over 8 hours of material.
- Episode 1: The Gospel Shared at Pentecost
- Episode 2: The Church Grows in Jerusalem
- Episode 3: The Gospel Spreads to the Gentiles
- Episode 4: Saul of Tarsus & the Road to Damascus
- Episode 5: Paul's First Missionary Journey--The Island of Cyprus
- Episode 6: The Journey Continues--Pamphylia, Galatia, & Asia Minor
- Episode 7: The Jerusalem Council & Paul's Second Missionary Journey
- Episode 8: The Second Journey Continues--Philippi & Thessalonica
- Episode 9: A Road Trip to Athens
- Episode 10: Ancient Corinth
- Episode 11: Paul's Third Missionary Journey--Ephesus
- Episode 12: Paul's Final Trip to Jerusalem & Caesarea
- Episode 13: Adventures at Sea--The Island of Malta
- Episode 14: A Final Journey to Rome
- Episode 15: The Martyrdom of Paul & Peter
- Episode 16: John & the Island of Patmos
- Episode 17: The Seven Churches of Revelation
- Episode 18: The Book Closes on the New Testament Period
Each episode showcases multiple ancient sites that are still preserved today. Temples, cities, the remains of a market, amphitheater, stadium, catacomb, and possibly one of the first and oldest churches. We learned about the oldest functioning harbor in the world and one of the oldest inhabited cities. Dave travels all over the region and visits cities including Cyprus, Tarsus, Jerusalem, Lystra, Philippi, Gaza, Antioch, Ephesus, Colossae, and many more. He drinks coffee 1,165 feet above sea level, devours a full Turkish meal (of course, my kids still laugh at Dave's obsession with cheese from prior episodes, ha), purchases handmade soap, and examines an ancient latrine. There is also a captivating demonstration of throat singing, which prompted our family into a further study of the art.
Because the series weaves in stories and facts from the time period that are not recorded in the Bible, other historical figures are mentioned, like Pompeii the Great, Marc Antony, Octavian, Cleopatra, Sergius Paulus, Josephus, and others. I loved when my 9-year-old blurted out, "Marc Antony and Octavian? I read a Shakespeare book about them!" It's always exciting when the pieces fall into place.
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| I love this view of an ancient road of Gaza flowing into a current road. It's a perfect application of this series applying the past to the present. |
Dave recites Scripture (though not the version we personally use) and references ancient quotes throughout each episode. He explains the culture during this time and shows how the rule of the Romans influenced the people. Dozens of paintings and illustrations that depict the stories are shown throughout each episode. Dave makes it easy to visualize Saul's encounter with God on the road to Damascus or Paul and his companions as they were persecuted by the people or John as he wrote the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos. The stories come alive.
"The Bible is not just made up stories.
It is a documentation of real people in real places
who live very real lives." -- Dave Stotts
Included with the 3-DVD set is an accompany study guide. It is broken down by disc and episode. The format is consistent for each episode: a Bible quote, summary of the episode, a list of discussion questions, corresponding Bible passages, and an additional tidbit of information or "side road." The pages are covered with additional art and photographs. There is an answer at the very back of the booklet. My kids are enjoying looking at the various pictures and reviewing the topics of discussion. The study guide itself is attached to the middle of the DVD case. While I appreciate the fact that my little ones cannot misplace the booklet, it does make it somewhat difficult to use. I would rather have the guide printed as a separate book that could be placed in a sleeve in the case.
It is always fascinating to me to see how the Bible and other historical events line up. Though I know that the Bible is fact and the events truly happened, it can be difficult at times to see how everything comes together. Drive Thru History® has done a phenomenal job of portraying the chronological telling of biblical stories mixed in with information from other resources. There is so much information that we could watch this multiple times and still not remember it all.
While some documentaries can be dry and boring, Drive Thru History® is fun, exciting, and entertaining. It is appropriate for the whole family and is an excellent educational resource.
To see how other homeschool families used these resources, please read the reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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