Brinkman Adventures~ Old-Time Radio dramas with current story lines

My youngest is a history buff (I think I've mentioned that a time or two), and is very interested in World War II particularly, so when we were given the opportunity to review Season 6: Underground Rising from Brinkman Adventures I jumped at the chance.

The Homeschool Review Crew has reviewed earlier Seasons in the series, but this is my first experience with them, so I'll give you a little basic information. In the past each season included 5+ hours of stories told in old time radio drama style, but they are moving to a 2+ hour, six-episode season at this point. Each episode is close to 1/2 hour, so great for short car rides, or for a regular faith-building family-listening time (This would work well for lunch-time listen, or evening family time, if schedules allow).

The Brinkmans are a fictional family, but the stories that take place are based on real, present-day missionary experiences around the world.  This season is a little different because they do take a step back into the Dutch Resistance/Underground of World War II in the first two episodes (which was a great introduction to the series for my aforementioned history-loving boy). The other 4 episodes in Season 6 take place in the US, India, and Thailand/Mynmar/Burma. I'm not going to give you a rundown of each episode, as you can listen to samples on the website. However, here is a quick synopsis of the themes for each episode:

In addition to offering interesting stories, these radio dramas offer the opportunity to discuss key faith/character-related concepts, including themes of salvation, helping when it's risky, trusting God's plan, resisting evil, and more.

One of my favorite features is a "Real Story" page for each series (it is suggested that you visit the pages AFTER listening to the dramas). These pages offer background information about the real people upon which each episode is based, with photos, interviews, podcasts, videos and more. They give insight into specific story inspirations, as well as why certain scenes were included, and how the recordings were made. For instance, I thought the Dutch accents of the actors were quite good (my husband's aunt is Dutch, so I'm familiar with the sound), and the Real Story page for Season 6 introduces us to the people behind the voices... who aren't using a learned accent~ Beachglass Ministries traveled to the Netherlands to record!

I can see how some of the information included could spark a full-blown unit study for each episode, moving this more into a weekly drama-listening idea. In addition to the history related information, I saw science-related videos and graphics, recipes, supplementary reading suggestions, geography, social studies, etc... Great idea for summer learning that is just fun! Oh... what a neat idea for a summer camp, with a geography/missions-oriented focus! Hmmmm... I might have to think about this some more!

Map where Brinkman Adventures take place (looks like Seasons 1-5 included, 6 may not be up there yet)

I know that these are recommended as family listening. Personally, for our family, aged 10 or 11 is about right for handling the intensity of some of the scenes. I also realize that my family may not be the norm (We tend to err on the side of listening later rather than earlier), so I do hope you follow the link at the end of my review to hear what others had to say. I suspect there may be some variation in the age suggestions.

Youngest really enjoyed listening to these stories. His favorite episodes were the last two, Free Burma Rangers Parts 1 and 2. He found the military background coupled with the mission to tell others about Jesus very exciting to listen to. He has expressed a desire to hear more of them, which brings me to the graphic you see below. Brinkman Adventures is offering my readers a 10% discount through the end of the month. This is a great option to pick up for Christmas or Birthday presents.

10% Coupon Code expires 31, Oct, 2018

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Brinkman Adventures
• Product: Season 6: Underground Rising, Digital version
• Ages: Family
• Price: 
• $19.99 Digital Download
• $23.99 Physical CD

You can interact with the folks from Brinkman Adventures on Facebook

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

#hsreviews #AudioDrama #MissionaryStories #AudioMissionaryDrama #BrinkmanAdventures

Ring The Bell Movie Giveaway (Ended)

Life has been a little crazy around here with all the baseball and dance schedules~ so I wasn't able to properly promote my giveaway for the "Ring The Bell" DVD.

This is a most excellent family friendly film (enjoyed by everyone in my family from the youngest to the oldest), and I recommend it to all!

The "official" synopsis:

About Ring the Bell:
Ring The Bell shares the story of a slick, big city sports agent Rob Decker who seems to have it all. But on his latest mission to sign a high school baseball superstar, Rob becomes stranded in a small town where the simplicity of life—and the faith of the people—stand in stark contrast to his own fast-paced, win-at-all-costs mindset. Torn between these two worlds, will Rob have the courage to let faith transform his life? This heartwarming story of redemption is sure to entertain and inspire the whole family.
Ring The Bell features a host of well-known Christian music artists, such as Mark Hall along with his band Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Matthew West, all who play a role in this inspirational drama. Several former and current Major League Baseball all-stars are also featured in the film: ESPN analysts John Kruk and Rick Sutcliffe (a former Cy Young Award winner), along with Ben Zobrist.
This family-friendly movie was produced by Mark Miller, Beach Street Records' founder and Casting Crowns’ producer. Miller, who is also the lead singer and founder of country music group Sawyer Brown, co-wrote the script with Thomas Weber and Weber directed the production. 

A trailer for you to check out~


If the Rafflecopter form hasn't finished loading, you might want to read my review here, and then come back to enter! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings~