Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Drive Thru History® Adventures is one of our family's favorite video series, so we're always excited when we get to review something from them. This time, we've gotten early access to a brand new series called Bible Unearthed.
Dave Stotts, the host of the award-winning Drive Thru History®, believes that "education should be culturally engaging, fact-filled, and super fun." He spends his time traveling the world to teach on location to give viewers a glimpse of historic sites and bring history to life. He calls it Adventure Learning, and not only is it educational, it's highly entertaining. Dave is able to take documentary-style dialogue and add in humor and silliness in a way that grabs the attention of even the littlest ones of the family.
In Bible Unearthed, Dave teams up with a couple men to explore the importance and impact of archaeology: Randall, Drive Thru History® lead writer and longtime travel companion and Titus Kennedy, PhD, archaeology expert and friend. The three of them explain how discoveries help us better understand the ancient world through this 12-part series.
Archaeology, or "study of the ancient," is a "rediscovery of the past through systematic investigation and excavation." Though the topic is woven throughout the Drive Thru History® segments secondhandedly, they wanted to highlight it through episodes of its own.
- What Is Archaeology?
- The Impact of Archaeology
- Locating Archaeological Sites
- The Life of an Archaeologist
- What's Being Discovered Today?
- Archaeological Mysteries
- Top Discoveries in Bible Archaeology
- Getting Involved in Archaeology
- Trends in Archaeology
- Weird Archaeology
- Accidental Discoveries in Archaeology
- What's Left to Be Discovered?
The men sit in their "secret lair of archaeology" and discuss the topics for each segment. They incorporate replicas of artifacts, maps, tools, the Bible, timelines, pictures, and more and use a chalkboard to teach. There are also clips on location of real archaeology sites.
Each episode is around the 15 minute mark, packed with enough information to whet your appetite without feeling overwhelming. Of course, in typical Drive Thru History® fashion, there is some subtle humor mixed in, such as Dave playing with replicas or dropping them, getting reprimanded, and other silliness.
Bible Unearthed is more than just videos though. It is a full 12-week course with written exposition, worksheets and answer guides, Dig Deeper articles, and activities. There is also a sample weekly schedule for those who want to stay on track.
The written expositions expound on the topics in greater detail and are filled with fascinating pictures. The worksheets have 5 discussion questions for each episode such as What suggests that the David and Goliath story was a historical event? and What kind of architectural evidence relating to the book of Esther did archaeologists find in Susa?. The Dig Deeper articles were written by Dr. Titus and cover topics like the importance of chronology, the Mesha Stele, the Gallio Inscription, and Solomonic Gates. The activities, like copying a portion of an ancient Biblical text, drawing and analyzing pottery, excavating coins hidden in the yard with a metal detector and mapping the location, and learning about weight price by pretend bartering with a friend, add a deeper, hands-on approach to learning about archaeology.
Our family is thoroughly enjoying this study of Biblical archaeology. My kids range in age from 5-14 years of age. Here is what they said:
"I like everything!"
"I like that it's about archaeology. I like learning history."
"I like how they talk about different things they've found at dig sites and about different tools they use. I find it cool how they found things proving that the Bible is true."
"I like that they actually go to the places instead of just showing pictures of them. And I learned that they use sandbox toys, haha."
"Dave is hilarious! Because of that it's easy to pay attention and want to learn more."
Bible Unearthed is engaging and full of content. It is different from the other Drive Thru History® Adventures, but it is equally appreciated in our home. Not only has it taught us much about the past and how it relates to the Bible, it has sparked an interest in archaeology in my kids. Who knows, maybe one of my little ones will find his own rare discovery one day!
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You can read more reviews of this series on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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