Friends & Heroes Review and {giveaway}

A few months back I was given the opportunity to review a new Bible curriculum. As a Christian mother and a minister’s wife, I am always leery of new Bible material. It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of the play games and hope they hear Jesus movement. I believe in teaching our children and those we minister to from the Bible – on a level relative to their age. That being said, I was a little nervous about accepting this opportunity. But, I am so thankful I did.

I sent my husband the link for the site, when this opportunity arose. He reviewed it and was immediately impressed, as was I. Several days later I received the Homeschool Unit Study 1 and Friends & Heroes DVD in the mail. They came just in time for our trip to Oklahoma for a family funeral. I was excited, because I knew if they were cornered in the van they would have to watch the DVD. They are not always fans of new videos, especially on long trips. But, I was able to sneak this one in and they loved it!! All of them. I watched it with them and was pleasantly surprised at the biblical accuracy paired with fun for the kids.

I don’t like “watered down” Bible stories or stories changed so they aren’t too scary for kids. The lives in the Bible were real and lived by real people. They should be treated with respect and honor – not changed or modified to fit some cookie-cutter church growth tactic. (stepping off soap box) That being said, I do appreciate when companies take the heart of the Bible story and make it modern to visually appeal to children. And I think Friends and Heroes does just that.

The video kept my children’s attention and they enjoyed it. In fact, they later asked if they could watch it again – which is a WIN in my book! The video is only 25 minutes long, so it’s approximately the same length as the Disney and Nick Jr. shows that captivate my children’s attention. While my oldest (8 years old) says he got bored, he was completely enthralled with the video the entire time. The DVD itself can also be used in a computer with a DVD-ROM. If you use it in your computer, there are 4 viewable and printable lessons in PDF format, which is a bonus to the other included Homeschool Unit study lessons. So, it’s like getting 5 lessons in one!! Score!

The accompanying Homeschool Unit Study CD is full of resources and printables that give added depth to the video. They cover History/Geography, Creative Writing, Bible Study, Science, Crafts and Discipleship. While this can be used as a stand alone unit study, it can easily be combined with any other Bible Study or history/geography unit you may be working on.

I was both surprised and pleased at the thoroughness (yes, I just made that word up) of the printables. The lessons are so well outlined for both the student and the parent/teacher that there was very little prep work involved for me. And that’s a plus in my book!!! The questions given at the end of each section do a wonderful job of highlighting what’s important and notable in this study. I love the interactive-ness (another made up word) of the lessons. They aren’t all question and answer papers, but activities mixed with creative writing, drawing and more to keep it interesting and allow the unit to be tailored to each students’ level and needs.

The Bible Study section of the homeschool lesson is wonderful. I love how it has them review the video and read the story aloud to help it sink in better. Questions on these types of things always make me nervous and rarely get to the heart of the story. But the questions were not only thought provoking, but really makes them think about what God did and why. They made them recount details of the story, but also think about why people did certain actions and how it applies to our lives today.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Science. Well, not teaching or even knowing much about it anyway. I do find it fascinating, but my brain can never remember it all, so I get frustrated and give up. So when I see Science on an inclusive curriculum, I get a little scared. But once again, I was so pleased with this portion of the lesson. Not only is it all laid out for me, it was simple and easy to understand. I love the experiment it offered and found it very useful in cleaning up some old silver items I had around the house! It really is fun to find new ways of incorporating our school day into our “real” life.

The art lesson, while relative to the story, might be a little more involved than some children can handle. But, it’s worth a shot and if nothing else can teach them patience, visualization and how to use a new medium.

While the One-on-One Time is a good wrap-up from the lesson, I felt it could be a little more in depth. So, we talked a little more about the story in the Bible and what we learned from it. We talked about what and how that means for our lives today and ways we can apply the principles in our own lives. It really opened up the line of communication between my oldest and I and gave us some very good one-on-one time, which he craves.

There are three chapters in this unit study that center around story in the video, each with the above sections developed in much the same way. The activities are varied, but always complimentary to the lesson at hand.

Also included on the Homeschool DVD is:

• Student Workbook Cover that is colorable
• Macky’s Journal cover (colorable) and journal entry page
• Student Manual with all the lessons I mentioned above
• Teacher’s Guide Cover
• Teacher’s Guide with overview of each lesson including supplies and resources you might need
• Teacher’s Overview with extra information on the lesson, DVD and more

Overall, I believe this Bible curriculum is wonderful. I would absolutely buy this curriculum for our homeschooling use. My husband has also seen it and believes it would be a good addition to any church or Christian school setting. They also have VBS packs available!!

Of course, like any homeschool mom, there are probably areas that I might tweak to fit our needs. But that doesn’t mean this  curriculum isn’t worth the investment. I think it is. It’s a great way to show our children how the Bible contains more than just stories. It makes them come to life for them and relevant in their world. And I think that is important, especially when done well.

To read more about this product and purchase one for yourself, visit the Friends and Heroes site!!

I received this product at no cost in exchange for my honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion. All opinions are my own and/or those of my family. I received no other compensation for this review. I am disclosing this in accordance to FCC regulations and guidelines.