Brinkman Adventures- TOS Crew Review

Ian Bultman and his family have a heart for missionaries.  Lucky for us, they also have a heart for sharing missionary stories.  The result - The Brinkman Adventures.

We recently had the opportunity to review The Brinkman Adventures- Season 2, Episodes 13-24.  Season 2?  Yes!  You see, we had been exposed to The Brinkman Adventures a while back when we bought Season 1.  Loved them then, love them now!

Season 2, consisting of 4 CDs and over 5 hours of audio drama missionary stories, is just as wonderful as the first and my family was thrilled to add this set to our listening collection. The Brinkman Adventures are appropriate for family listening, but do be aware that some of the scenes are pretty intense and serious topics like slave trade are addressed.  If that concerns you, you may want to preview them first.  Our whole family enjoys listening to The Brinkman Adventures together normally, but for this review we have listened to them separately, mostly because my oldest son, age 12, hijacked the set as soon as it arrived and listened to them all in about a day.  Then listened to them again.  And possibly again.  Since then, my youngest and I have been listening to them together during quiet time.  Luckily for my daughters and husband, we have a road trip coming up so they can have their chance.

All of  the stories told, 10 total with two in two parts, are based on true missionary stories.  Some names have been changed to protect those involved, but other than that they are true to life.  Ian's children even play their own parts!  One of my favorite parts of this company is their website!  Under the REAL STORIES tab are video clips and additional information about each story.  These have been just as much fun for us as the CDs!  In addition, under the tab FUN STUFF you will find behind-the-scenes video clips as well as printables that correspond with season one.  We hope season two printables are coming soon! Under the LISTEN tab you can listen to episode 9 The Provider.  Go ahead, have fun!

What do we think?

Love this!  Really, we do!  Books are important in our house, but sometimes we just enjoy sitting back and listening to a story told to us.   When those stories are about God and His people, well, that makes it all the better!  I love that my kids are being exposed to countries and cultures other than their own and being inspired by real people to make a difference in God's world.  It is not only a great way to build listening skills for younger children but also a time of bonding and quiet time for our family.

Our favorite story... that is hard!  I think my favorite by far was the Blue Hat & Shirt Bible.  I loved the story about how the Christians problem-solved to get a Bible into the hands of a Christian in China, but it was even more endearing to me once we watched the video clip of the real missionary telling part of the story in his own words.  The excitement and joy just radiated from him and it warmed my heart to see him talk.  My 12 year old's favorite story was Sapphire Slaves, which is one of the two part stories. When I asked him why it was his favorite he said, "I like Sapphire Slaves because it is one of the most exciting episodes.  It tells of a some kids who have been taken slaves and how they are rescued.  It is intense!"             

You can follow the Brinkman Adventures on their Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brinkman-Adventures/152895116079

Brinkman Adventures- Season 2, episodes 13-24 can be purchased for a suggested donation price of $25.00 (free shipping) for the CD set or $17.00 for the MP3 version.

Fun Fridays- CD Edition

No giveaway on this one friends, but I do have another audio series I want to share with you...Jonathan Park!



Remember how I said the boys learn history from Odyssey?  Well, this is our science!  OK, not really our science, but close.  My oldest son is a walking encyclopedia these days and any time I ask where he knows something from he replies...it was on Jonathan Park.  Or better yet, when I try to teach him some new, cool thing he responds, I already know that!  Yes, you guessed it,  from Jonathan Park!



Here's why we love this series...it is based on Creation Science!  That to me is worth its weight in gold.  It is challenging to find science related materials that do not spout evolution out as a fact.   No worries here.  The episodes discuss what the Bible says in reference to all facts discussed, and when arguing against evolution are very straightforward in their explanations.  Pair that with drama and adventure and you have a happy family!

And a bonus- when you visit the Jonathan Park website you can download homeschool study games, get ideas for activities tied to the different episodes, listen to the week's adventure and get a peek behind the scenes.
There are several series now, each containing 4 Cd's.  You can buy them from Vision Forum, as well as other Jonathan Park merchandise. 
While the boys in your family may be particularly enthralled by Jonathan and his escapades, these are worthy of whole family listening and been known to keep us busy on long road trips! Give them a try and let me know what you think.


This post is our personal opinion only and was not written for Vision Forum or any Jonathan Park affiliate.

CREW Review- Vocabulary Spelling City

 

Do you have great spellers in your house?  Us- not so much.  So I was excited to get the opportunity to review  Vocabulary Spelling City.  If they think they can help us, then I am willing to give it a try!

What it is:  An online program that encompasses spelling, vocabulary and even handwriting for ages K-12.

What it does:  Teaches, reviews, quizzes, grades and keeps track of it all for you.

How it works:  You, as the teacher, can create master word lists to be taught, or you can choose from the many lists they provide, to include dolche lists, homophones and contractions and even subject specific lists.  This means you can use any spelling program you have and add those words with just a few clicks.  Studying -ed words this week?  Just add your words and you are ready.  If you are just staring out homeschooling, no need for a formal spelling curriculum, just use the lists they have provided and you are covered!

  Your child can then take a pretest, make flashcards, or my son's favorite part, play a game!

 

Games include unscrambling letters to make the words, crossword puzzles and more.  A premier membership opens up even more choices. 

You can also test definitions for the words of your choice.  The neat thing about this is that the computer will generate definitions for you for the words you input, or you may write your own definitions to better fit your family!

How much does it cost:  Premium membership, for up to 5 students, $29.99 per year!   You can order Vocabulary Spelling City by clicking here!  Here's what that includes-

       

What we thought:  It took me a while to explore this site, there's a lot there, but once we got the hang of it, we really enjoyed it.  Here's where the multiple training videos will help. Looking at them before you get started will clear up a lot of initial confusion you may have.  Often I would enter my son's spelling words in the morning and then he would get on and take the test.  I would then type in a new list using the words he missed and label them Missed Words 8/15, for example.  He would then study those words using the games. (why study words that you already know how to spell?)

The next day I would simply add a few new words to the list and we would begin the process again.  Because we use a spelling program that tests new words each day this method worked great for us, but if you use a traditional spelling program that teaches 20 new words a week, no problem.  This is a great way to practice for you as well.  I would just encourage your child to play several different games each day or they will tend to stick to their favorites.  (trust me, lesson learned!)

BONUS!:  My son is an auditory learner.  Say it out loud and he knows it for life.  I think that one of the reasons this program worked so well for us is because of the multiple auditory aspects of the site.  I would be willing to bet the same would be true of highly visual learners.  For those who are not as savvy on the keyboard, many of the games are also printable.  Just look for the printer icon next to the game you choose.

Bottom line:  This is a great resource that we will continue to use!  For a family of multiple children, my time is sometimes limited and having the computer call spelling words alone is worth its weight in gold in my opinion.  Add to that a more visual and auditory way of learning and all of the options offered on Vocabulary Spelling City and I think it is well worth every penny!  Give it a try and see if you agree!

  To see what fellow CREW members had to say about Vocabulary Spelling City, click on the banner below.       Disclaimer- I received a free online premium subscription to Vocabulary Spelling City in exchange for my review of this product.  All opinions are my own and were not influenced by the company in any way.