Drive Thru History® – Take a Look at the World of the First Christians – A Review of "Acts to Revelation"

Reviewing the latest DVD collection from Drive Thru History® was a wonderful opportunity for our family. Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" looks at what happened after the Gospel accounts of Jesus Christ. Our host, Dave Stotts, takes viewers on an adventure through the modern Mediterranean world so we can travel back in time to see what the lives of Peter, James, Paul, Barnabas, and others were like during the early history of the Christian Church. Everyone in our family was eager to get started with Dave again as he drove "Steve McQueen" through Israel and then continued his adventures in Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Rome in other vehicles.

The special edition is a beautiful 3-DVD set with a Study Guide attached to the DVD case that provides beautiful photographs, summaries, discussion questions, suggested readings, and additional historical information. The case is well made and looks very nice sitting on our shelf as we watch each new episode. My only complaint would be that I would prefer if the Study Guide was removable but I can also see the potential for it getting lost if one could remove it.

Drive Thru History® offers "fast-paced, content-rich history" through over 50 episodes and this latest series is no different than the others in the series that we got to watch when reviewing Drive Thru History® Adventures last year.

Watch the Trailer!

How Our Family is Enjoying Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation"

Almost every night after dinner, our family has been joining together in the living room to watch Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" much like we did when we reviewed Drive Thru History® Adventures. By watching Dave Stotts present the lives of the individuals in the New Testament as he traveled through the Mediterranean Sea area, we are able to pause and discuss what he was talking about in each episode. There are many opportunities to make connections to modern day events, such as those in and around Syria.

When our two younger children are older, we will use Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" as part of our homeschool curriculum as we read and discuss the questions and the recommended readings from the Bible. For now, they are enjoying watching the programs with us as a family.

The Study Guide 

The Study Guide of Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" provides viewers with an introduction to the 18-episode series. In the last series of Drive Thru History®, viewers joined Dave Stotts in modern Israel as he documented the birth, ministry, life, and resurrection of Jesus according to the Gospels. With this new series, each episode is covered in the Study Guide with an introductory quote, summary of the episode, discussion questions, reading, and a side road.

Example of Study Guide for Episode 13

"When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." Luke, Acts 27:20

The summary shares a map of Malta as well as a brief explanation of the "perilous journey at sea." The Side Road provides some background information about Publius, the chief official of Malta. Discussion questions include:

• Name at least two other people that were on the ship to Rome with Paul. 
• After the shipwreck on Malta, why did the locals think that Paul was a god? 

At the end of each episode there are suggested readings for the viewers.

What We Like About Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation"

A short list of the aspects of "Acts to Revelation" that our family enjoys:

• Humor of Dave Stotts
• Use of maps
• Examination of historical sites 
• Cool cars 
• Perfect length of episodes (approximately 27 minutes) 
• Use of paintings to illustrate Biblical events 

We love the use of technology in the episodes.

Throughout the series a number of paintings are used to help bring the stories to life.

Our three-year-old has enjoyed looking through the photographs and images in the Study Guide with me as we watch the episodes while I like being able to use the discussion questions to check for comprehension and retention. Having the answers in the back of the Study Guide is also helpful in case you need your child to watch the episode and answer the questions before you are able to sit down and enjoy Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" yourself.

One of our five-year-old's favorite parts are the maps. Both my husband and I agree that it is very useful to actually see on a map where the early leaders of the Church traveled. In addition to the maps, our five-year-old son also loves the theme song. At the end of each episode, he gets up and dances through the credits.

Two specific scenes that really stuck with our two younger children were that of Dave in the sheep's clothing and the image of Dave getting dressed into the armor that the Spartans would have worn at the Battle of Thermopylae.

The history major in me LOVES how Dave incorporates different historical facts to provide evidence of the historical accuracy of the Bible. I also like the fact that the variety of religions is not shied away from but included. I feel discussing the different temples in such places as Corinth really helps viewers understand the challenges that Paul and other early leaders faced as they traveled the early Mediterranean World.

Another feature of Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" that I like is the overlaying of the ancient buildings and cities on top of the modern day cities. I love being able to see the comparison and change that has taken place over time.

My husband enjoys seeing the maps which enable the viewer to follow the travels of the early Christians as we move through the books of the New Testament after the Gospels. They provide a good correlation to the book of Acts and the corresponding letters of the Bible.

Our family would recommend Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" for families, couples, or individuals interested in learning more about the time after the resurrection of Jesus. Each episode is short but packed full of amazing information as Dave tours various historical sites as well as modern day cities. Personally, I think this is one DVD collection we will watch over and over.

The enthusiasm of Dave and his obvious love of history are great parts of this series.

If you would like to learn more information, please visit the following sites: 

Website – Facebook – YouTube – Instagram 

If you would like to see how other families have used Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" in their households, please visit the reviews of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Review Crew.

Reviewing Drive Thru History Adventures - A Fantastic Homeschool History Curriculum

  

We love history in our household. So, we were very excited to review Drive thru History Adventures, which offers curriculum for three courses – Ancient History, American History, and The Gospels. We focused upon Bible History Adventures, an 18-part series on the Gospels introducing children and families to the life of Jesus.

Each set of curriculum contains a half-hour program that transports viewers to locations around the world as they learn about the topic of that episode. The episode is accompanied by readings, sometimes another brief video, and a discussion worksheet with questions and answers to further the conversation.

Using the Adventures TV app on my phone, I was able to stream some episodes of The Gospels for us to watch together as a family in the living room. This was great because it meant that not only was my 15-year-old teen viewing the episode but so were my 2- and  and 4-year-olds. We were able to discuss the episodes together as a family. Additionally, closed-captioning is now available for The Gospels series after viewers requested it. This is great for hearing-impaired viewers. It also makes it easier to view with small children (who like to provide their own commentary!).

As a new member to Drive Thru History Adventures, Dave Stotts welcomes you in several emails and videos to help you on your journey.  There are eight videos to help you get started that introduce you to the curriculum, Dashboard, community, and the Adventures TV app.  Receiving each email a day or so apart was great for me because I didn’t feel overwhelmed that all the information was given to me at once.  It was all available for you to dive right in from the minute to become a member but if you need to take things one step at a time, these reminders were great to introduce you to the key features available as part of the membership.

We were all blown away by the very first episode of the Bible History Adventures. The introduction of The Gospels (The Historical Landscape) is very impressive.  Dave Stotts walking by famous individuals of history is a memorable image.

After watching each episode in the Bible History Adventures, students are presented with discussion questions along with images, paintings, maps, scripture readings, and additional readings and videos from scholars and others. In the Dig Deeper section accompanying the second episode – The Announcements, for example, there is a brief video about Roman coins which uses the American penny with Abraham Lincoln depicted on it to introduce the idea of learning from coins. Episode 6, Jesus Returns to Galilee, is accompanied by scripture readings from all four Gospels, and several articles and a video discussing the geography of the area in the Dig Deeper section. Articles are posted on a regular basis, adding new content to the Adventures you are studying.

One of my family’s favorite parts of our membership is the community that is fostered through the private Facebook group for members, regular email updates from Dave Stotts, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, and other social media avenues. We love the weekly updates and the holiday-themed videos. We have watched the brief holiday videos – like that on Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day – at the start of dinner. These videos then give something for the whole family to discuss together – from the 2-year-old to my husband and me. The welcoming community atmosphere of Drive Thru History Adventures makes you feel like you personally know Stotts and his family as he provides updates through emails and the Facebook group.

I asked my 15-year-old stepson what helped bring home the message of The Gospels. He said, “I think (Dave) actually being where the Bible took place helped, like at Herod’s palace. Being there gave you a sense of how grand it was.”

I also asked him what he thought of the host, Dave Stotts. He said, “Dave Stotts is quite the character. He is charismatic and awkward at times but in a good way.” I would agree with this sentiment. Stotts is down to earth while sharing his passion for history. In each episode, it is evident that Stotts is “passionate about history” as he said in a recent update video.

What we loved about Drive Thru History Adventures:

• Ease use of the Adventures TV app – for both my teenage son and myself: it remembers your viewing progress in each episode
• Images used to illustrate the events in each of The Gospels episodes – they were one of the first things my teenage son mentioned after he started following the Bible History Curriculum
• Videos that are uploaded to their YouTube channel are available within their Drive Thru History Adventures website so we don’t have to go to YouTube directly – and thus avoid the distractions of other non-related videos
• Inclusion of discussion questions and an answer key for parents
• Article and video supplements
• Updating via new articles and resources
• The community atmosphere
• The presentation of the scripture readings side-by-side on the website made it very easy-to-read. As an example, reading about John the Baptist this way in each of the four Gospels was interesting. Your children can still use your preferred translation by simply changing it at the top of the embedded Biblia.com application.
• In the concluding episode of The Gospels, “Who Is Jesus,” each prophecy that Jesus fulfilled is stated, along with the scriptural reference appearing on the screen. Accompanying archeological evidence is also provided.

My stepson summarizes the series for us:

“The host, Dave Stotts, takes you through the history of the Gospels using Bible verses as he explores such places as Nazareth and Galilee.”

Included with the subscription to Drive Thru HistoryAdventures are two other curriculums that we will be checking out when we complete the Bible History Curriculum – American History and Ancient History Curriculums.

In the American History Curriculum, your child will watch a series of 12 episodes and explore the history of America from Columbus to the Constitution. Through viewing the episodes and reading primary source documents like the Mayflower Compact and George Washington’s First Inaugural Address (which are available to both read online and to download and print), your child will learn about the Christian worldview, courage, and character. 

Through the 12 adventures in the Ancient History Curriculum, your child will learn about the empires of Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor, read excerpts from Herodotus’ Histories, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Bible, and other works. By the end of the 12-week adventure, your child will have learned about the role of the ancient empires in the rise of Christianity and Western Civilization.

Subscribers to Drive Thru History Adventures also have new programs to look forward to in the summer of 2018. That is when the new Acts to Revelations Series is planned for release. The series will have eighteen 30-minute episodes and curriculum materials to accompany it. Stotts also said they have many other ideas in pre-production. So, we have more to look forward to in the coming months and years!

My family wholeheartedly recommends a Drive Thru History Adventures subscription because you gain access to so many valuable resources including the videos, curriculum, and a growing community.