Heirloom Audio Productions has made us a happy family! Their new two disk audio drama Under Drake's Flag barely hit our front porch before my 7th grade son whisked it off to listen to. For days all we heard about was how great it was. Did we know this and did we know that. Then, we headed off on a family vacation and the whole family got to listen to it together. What a great way to pass the time! Since we have gotten home, ironically, the disk set is most often found in my 2nd grader's room, where he is still listening to it over and over! And over!
Under Drake's Flag is a Christian Audio Drama presentation about the life of Sir Francis Drake, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Originally a book written by bestselling author, G.A. Henty, Under Drake's Flag is an adventure that I know will put you and your children on the edge of their seat. Shipwrecks, check! Pirates, check! Heroes, check! And then amidst it all, the power and sovereignty of God. A perfect combination!
Under Drake's Flag is geared for children 6 and older. This, I am sure, is because there are a few intense dramatic scenes, but other than that, nothing we found questionable or offensive in any way. This 2 hour set comes with a short study guide and outline for three Bible studies, but you can also download a longer version of each from the site in PDF form, which is what our family chose to do. The study guide gives a quick biography of GA Henty as well as Sir Francis Drake, followed by the study guide.
The study guide follows each "chapter" of the story with three sections to use, Listening Well, Thinking Further and Defining Words. The Listening Well section includes comprehension questions about each chapter. Here you will answer basic questions about the who, what, where and when of the story. The Thinking Further section stretches your child further to think about their connection to the story. Such questions include things like "what would you have done?" "who are you more like?" and "Would you rather...?" and a lot more "why?" questions. Defining Words is just that. Words listed are more challenging words that were used in the story and may need to be looked up in a dictionary for your child to really understand what they mean.
The three Bible Studies included focus on Godly Character, True Manhood, and Confessing Christ. While they are not lengthy, they do talk about characteristics of all, and have scripture references listed to look up for further study.
Because we listened to this Historical Audio Drama together as a family, we used this study guide as a conversation starter only. In hindsight, when the next set comes out I will do it differently, to incorporate the activities into our school. Since the guide is broken down into chapters that follow the chapters of the CD, I will have my son write down the answers for all three sections in a notebook during our literature time. I figure there is no better way to make sure my kids have strong listening skills and comprehension than to "quiz" them on what they have heard. Yes, I think it is great that they are listening and having fun, but it is a bonus for us as homeschoolers if they actually glean information about not only history but themselves while doing so. A win-win situation, in my book!
And speaking of a new drama- yes, there is one on the way! Keep your eyes open at the beginning of November for the release of In Freedom's Cause, the story behind William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. You can even pre order it!
You can find Under Drake's Flag on facebook- http://www.facebook.com/UnderDrakesFlag
Welcome! Follow our family of 6 on our military moving, God loving, homeschool adventure! We are honored you have joined us and look forward to hearing from you.
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