St. Bartholomew's Eve

Heirloom Audio produces some of the best audio dramas we have ever heard and reviewed. Our schooling is literature-based, so we're often reading quality writings together that teach life lessons and new vocabulary. We are drawn to living books that bring the stories to life and teach valuable lessons. Instead of sitting and writing facts in a workbook, we choose to learn history through these stories. For those times though when I can't sit and read to the kiddos, we like to utilize audio books and incorporate them into our schooling and daily life.

This time, we traveled to France in St. Bartholomew's Eve.  

Heirloom Audio has converted multiple historical adventure novels by G.A. Henty into theater-quality audio dramas. Our main curriculum lists many Henty books in the reading list, because they are known for their deep history, rich literature, and exciting plots. So far, my kiddos aren't drawn to the novels themselves, but they are truly captivated by these adaptations. If you close your eyes, you feel as if you're there in the story. The powerful music, the talented actors, the realistic sound effects--they all make the story come to life. You hear pistols firing, horse hooves clomping, swords clanking, money jingling, crickets chirping, and arrows whizzing through the air and you feel as if you are there as one of the characters of the story. The narrator, Brian Blessed, has a rich, powerful voice that makes the drama exciting to listen to. We were immediately pulled into the plot.

As is typical with the other Heirloom Audio dramas, this one also begins with Mr. George introducing the story to a couple of boys. It begins in 1567 as the Huguenots were being persecuted. It follows the life of a young Philip as he left the safety of England for the danger of France to help "break the bonds of Tyranny, to achieve our God-given right to worship Him according to our beliefs." Through many battles, he helped the Huguenots attack and capture their enemies. He made sure to pray to God before his battles and prayed specifically that he and the others would don each piece of the armor of God. He protected the prince in the heat of battle, captured leaders and officials in Toulouse, nearly died, and was dubbed a knight. He used his wisdom from God to set up a signal system that gave them an extra two hours to prepare for impending danger, to create an unconventional plan that involved cows to drive an enemy army away, and to remove Xs from doors to protect fellow Believers. It was not all victory, though. They felt that all hope was lost while trapped in a castle and sang a moving hymn and later were in Paris when a massacre was in progress. He and those close to him experience death, loss, and suffered from "wound no one could see." Through it all, he continued with his duty to protect others and "fought for not only his own rights, but the rights of those for generations to come." Along with the non-stop action and exciting adventures, there are plenty of morals and Biblical truths taught along the way. 

While you can learn much simply by listening to the story, you can take your study deeper by joining the Live the Adventure Club. As a member, you'll have access to bonus content about St. Bartholomew's Eve along with many more features. There is a community forum, daily motivational quotes and stories, hundreds of articles about parenting and historical learning, a collection of rare textbooks from the 1700-1800s, and hundreds of fun activities. By signing up now, you can even get this audio drama for free (just pay shipping and handling)! The Live the Adventure Club makes history exciting.

St. Bartholomew's Eve provides 2 1/2 hours worth of historical learning. The production is ideal for ages 6+, but even my little ones enjoy listening. There are some elements that are more difficult for the young ones to understand, but this is an ideal way to introduce them to new topics. It's never to early to enjoy quality literature. We are thankful to add this story to our collection and await the next exciting adventure from Heirloom Audio. 

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You can read more reviews of this audio drama on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

In the Riegn of Terror

Our family appreciates the privilege of reviewing products as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew. Over the years, we've been introduced to some amazing vendors and have fallen in love with their products. Heirloom Audio Productions is one of our favorites. They have produced some of the best audio dramas we have ever heard and always make our family happy to learn history.

Our schooling is very literature-based. Our family loves read-alouds and will often sit together to read various novels for hours on end. I love reading my kids quality literature and sharing that time with them. Not only does it teach them life lessons, it also introduces them to new vocabulary. Along with that time spent together, we love to incorporate audio books and dramas into our days. Whether we're folding clothes, driving in the van, or just needing some downtime, audio books are perfect. In the Reign of Terror is no exception.

Heirloom Audio Productions has converted multiple historical adventure novels by G.A. Henty into theater-quality audio dramas. Our main curriculum lists many Henty books in the reading list, because they are known for their deep history, rich literature, and exciting plots. So far, my kiddos aren't drawn to the novels themselves, but they are truly captivated by these adaptations. If you close your eyes, you feel as if you're there in the story. Think of it as watching a movie, but with no picture. In fact, each time we turned on the CD, my two-year-old would point to the television, "Turn on, Mama? I watch movie?" The music, the actors, the sound effects--they all make the story come to life. You hear a horse walking on cobblestone streets, the birds chirping, an angry mob shouting, swords clinking, crickets humming, and the glass from a window shattering, and you feel as if you are there in France as one of the characters of the story. It is that realistic. The narrator, Brian Blessed, has a rich, powerful voice that makes the drama exciting to listen to. We were immediately pulled into the story.

The story takes place in the late 1700s during one of the darkest times in history--The French Revolution. It follows the life of Harry Sandwith, a 16-year-old English boy who leaves his homeland to tutor the sons of the Marquis de St. Caux in France. Harry is befriended by the family and becomes like one of their own. Throughout the story, he protected the marquis' daughters from a rabid dog, stabbed a "demon" wolf to death, and escaped an angry mob. He experienced firsthand the terrors and injustices of the times as he watched the people he grew to love imprisoned and put to death, simply because of their heritage. He risked his own life as he tried to reason with the commoners and show them their unlawfulness. In all of this, he trusted in God to guide him. Along with the non-stop action and exciting adventures, there are plenty of morals and Biblical truths taught along the way.

There is a downloadable Study Guide & Discussion Starter that accompanies the story. This complete guide is used to enhance your learning and complement your study. Each section, which correlates to the tracks on the CDs, is  filled with review questions (Listening Well), ideas to get you thinking deeper (Thinking Further), and vocabulary words (Defining Words). There is more information about G.A. Henty, Maximilien Robespierre, and Marie Antoinette; multiple Bible studies that coordinate with the story, many pictures from the times, and much more historical information. There are Expand Your Learning boxes throughout the study that are filled with snippets of information that relate to the period.

There are many more extras that are included as part of the Live the Adventure Club, too. There is the original In the Reign of Terror ebook, the official soundtrack composed by John Campbell, a printable cast poster, an inspirational verse poster, and a downloadable desktop wallpaper. A new thing that I don't remember seeing with other dramas is the inclusion of the official script download. This was extremely helpful during portions of the story that were hard to understand and helped give appropriate information. Also as part of the Live the Adventure Club, you gain access to many more features, such as the community forum, daily motivational quotes and stories, hundred of articles about parenting, collection of rare textbooks from the 1700-1800s, and hundreds of fun activities.  

The 2+ hour audio production is ideal for ages 6-adult, but our entire family enjoyed listening to it. We had a harder time understanding this story than we have with the others. It was a combination of the heavy French accents and the softness of the voices, I think. Normally we can enjoy these while driving, but we realized it took more concentration to follow along because the road noise was a distraction. Even my oldest commented that all the voices sounded similar, so he had a difficult time deciphering which character was speaking.They did, however, enjoy the French words sprinkled throughout the story and laughed at the Frenchman who made funny mistakes when trying to speak English.

We used the study guide questions to review the story and tackle difficult topics. The kids and I especially enjoyed the sections teaching about architecture in Paris in the 18th century, fashions of the day, medical practices, and the guillotine. Of course, the little ones didn't quite understand everything, but it's never too early to introduce quality literature. 

This will be a story that we reference throughout the years. In the Reign of Terror is a wonderful resource to have.

You can connect with Heirloom Audio Productions on the following social media sites:
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You can read more reviews of this productions on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.