Heirloom Audio Productions ~ Review

We love reviewing audio adventures, so when it was time for the new adventure from Heirloom Audio to be reviewed, my kids said “yes!”. We were so excited to receive our copy of St. Bartholomew’s Eve. Unfortunately, it was shipped right before Hurricane Florence and we had to wait an extra two weeks to receive it in the mail since mail delivery was on hold. But once it was delivered, we made sure to open it up and listen right away. It came at just the right time for us to have a distraction from all of the hurricane mess.

Heirloom Audio takes G.A> Henty books and turns them into an audio adventure your family will remember.  Their main goal is to bring the story to life to make the listener feel like they are actually in the story. It is like watching a great movie, but without the screen.

St. Bartholomew’s Eve takes place during the Huguenot War. It take place after the Reformation when the Huguenots are battling the Catholics for the right to worship God. Philip, who was raised in England, but has French ties from his mother,  goes with his cousin to France to help the Huguenots. Philip finds himself in many dangerous situations. When it came to what he thought was going to be the end, a voice from the crowd begins singing…A Mighty Fortress is Our God… Many of the Protestants did die during the St. Bartholomew’s Massacre, but there were also many that lived and had much more faith than when the war started.

As always, we enjoy listening to the audio adventures as a family. There is so much to learn from the stories, You are able to incorporate the story into your history lesson for the day. You can also listen and have a discussion with your children about the time period and how it is the same or different from today. There are many ways to use the audio drama in your homeschool.

My children would much rather listen to the well produced audio dram than have to sit and read the book. I do have one child that loves to read, but she also loves to listen to the drama stories. The actors do a wonderful job with the work and the production itself is well put together. We love how the sound effects make it feel like we are actually a part of the story. I also love that some well know actors help to make the productions. Brian Blessed (Star Wars), Elizabeth Counsell (Chronicles of Narnia), Andy Harrison (The Secret Garden), and Hugo Docking (Oliver Twist) are a few of the well known actors.

We never just listen to the drama once. We always have to listen again and see if there was anything we missed the first time. It never gets old or boring and it is like listening the first tie every time. 5 stars for Heirloom Audio Productions!

Make sure to read what other crew members that about St. Bartholomew’s Eve by clicking below.

Wulf the Saxon ~ Review

Do you love history? Are you learning about ancient European history in your studies? Have you read books by G.A. Henty and want to hear them in an audio drama? Do you need something to listen to while on long car rides? Heirloom Audio Productions has, over the last several years, been recording audio dramas based on G.A. Henty’s works. They have already done several and their latest is Wulf the Saxon. They have had some famous actors and actresses for many of the voices in their productions including Brian Blessed as G.A. Henty.  Others include John Rhys-Davies, Cathy Sara, Tom Baker, Kirk Cameron, Joanne Froggatt, and Sean Astin just to name a few.

My kids and I like to listen to audio dramas really just for the fun of it. By listening to Henty’s works, this is a great way for my kids to learn more about him and his works. It also helps them with learning more about the area in which the story takes place. The audio dramas are also great for families with different age groups. Although some of these stories may not be appropriate for children under six, my kids ranging in age from almost 7 to 16 have enjoyed listening to these audio dramas together.

Wulf the Saxon takes place around the year 1066. It takes place in the countries of England and France. The first part of the drama begins with Mr. George talking with two boys and explaining to them kings, earls, and dukes. He tells them the difference between the three of them. Wulf is a young Saxon man when King Edward (the confessor) was on the throne. After the introduction, the adventure begins. Wulf becomes a thane to Harold who is an Earl who eventually becomes King. While working under Harold, Wulf does different things for Harold, like running errands and fighting in some battles to protect him.

I love listening to these dramas because it becomes so real. For instance, while they are sailing in a ship, a storm is happening. The sound effects are so real that you can almost feel the waves yourself and see the ship rolling over the waves. And you become relieved yourself when they finally see land.

As time goes on, the Duke of Normandy finds a way to trick Harold into taking an oath and Harold is to be the Duke’s servant.  But Wulf makes sure Harold gets safely back on the ship to England. More time passes and Harold eventually becomes King.  Eventually, Harold and Wulf find themselves shipwrecked on the shores of Normandy. And without giving too much of the story away, unless you know your history, Harold and Wulf find themselves fighting in the Battle of Hastings.  Without going into all of the details, I will just say that listening to this battle makes you feel like you are there with Wulf and the others.

We love listening to these audio dramas and learning more about G.A.Henty and more about the years that his books have covered. We have in the past used the study guide, but this time we listened to the story in two sittings and did not have any further discussions.

Wulf the Saxon is another 5-star product! It is professionally recorded and it is able to draw you in right from the start.



These stories are great to listen to on their own, but if you wanted to expand your studies with questions, vocabulary, and more, you can do that by joining the Live the Adventure Club.

F is for Favorites

It’s time for the annual Blue Ribbon awards from the Homeschool Review Crew. You can find the post here of all of he favorites from the crew. Last year, I mentioned our top five favorites. This year we have so many favorites, I am going to post our favorites in the different categories.

ART ~
We have a couple favorites that we used this year in the art category. The first one is the Thin Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc. We were actually lucky enough to review this product twice this year. This product is one of my girl's favorite art supplies.

Another art product we enjoyed this year was the  ACTÍVA rigid wrap that we used to create a butterfly. We plan to make some Christmas items with the product that we have left.

HISTORY ~
This year, we have reviewed many history curriculum and supplements it was difficult to choose our favorites because there are so many great ones. We narrowed it down to the following products.
Drive Thru History ~ This was a favorite of my high school boys. We all learned so much from the videos and look forward to watching more.

Another favorite history curriculum is from Home School in the Woods. We reviewed Make A State and The Middle Ages. Even though there is a lot that needs to be printed, this curriculum is packed full of information and hands-on activities.

Our favorite history supplements are from Heirloom Audio Productions. We reviewed two of them this year, In the Reign of Terror and Captain Bayley’s Heir.

BOOKS ~
We reviewed so many great books this year and we are looking forward to the next books in both of these series, Imagine…The Great Flood and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls.

Here is a link to all of the products we reviewed this year and past years. You can read through to see how we used and how it fit or did not fit for us to learn more about these different companies.

Be sure to stop by the Homeschool Review Crew blog to see the rest of the crew’s favorites from this year.

I am linking up with:
Hopkins Homeschool

Heirloom Audio Productions: Captain Bayley’s Heir Review

We love being picked to review audio dramas. We have learned so much from the Heirloom Audio Productions adventures of the G.A. Henty books. Their latest audio drama is Captain Bayley’s Heir. And of course, like all of their other productions, this one is just as great. We received the CD’s which has over two hours of adventure. We also received access to the Live the Adventure Club which has access to the study guide and other bonuses.

A little (or a lot) about the story: Captain Bayley’s Heir starts out with Mr. George (the narrator) meeting a young fellow named Frank in America. Mr. George tells Frank that he is going to write a book on America about the California Gold Rush. Frank tells him he would love to hear the story. Mr. George begins the story back in England.

In England, we meet the Hall family, and Frank, Fred, and Alice. Harry Hall is a cripple who has trouble walking and must use a makeshift wheelchair. Frank and Alice live with Captain Harold Bayley. Frank and Fred are cousins and also Captain Bayley’s nephews. They become friends with Harry when Frank rescues his dog from the ice pond.

Alice discovers Harold had a daughter named Ella. Ella had run away when she fell in love with a man that Harold did not approve of. She left an address, but when Harold wrote to her years later, it was too late. Her and her husband had just vanished and no one knew what happened to them.

Frank gets into trouble (fighting and blamed for stealing money) decides to run away to America. When he gets to America, he helps out a man with his boat. This man helps him on getting to California. Frank runs into some trouble (Indians) on the way to California, but he is with a wagon train and they defeat the Indians. Frank gets to California and hits it big during the gold rush. He stays in California and spends some years there. His friend has decided to leave and Frank is on his own. He is out one day when he hears gunshots. He rides up the hill to discover a wagon is being robbed. He rides down the hill and starts shooting the robbers. He is seriously injured and is brought to a hospital.

Meanwhile, back in England, Captain Bayley had hired a detective to find out anything about his daughter. Mrs. Hall has also discovered a clue about Harold’s daughter Ella.

What happened to Frank? What has been found out about Captain Bayley’s daughter? You will have to listen to find out the rest of the story.

About the Live the Adventure Club and Study Guide: Here you will find bonus content such as the e-book of the story, a study guide, some downloadable pdf posters, and an mp3 download of the soundtrack. You are also able to listen online and read along with the script. If you listen online (or even if you don’t), you are able to take a chapter quiz to see how much you remember and how well you were listening.

The study guide has three parts to each chapter. Listening well are questions that are somewhat easy to answer and don’t take up much time. The thinking further questions are questions that require a longer answer and make you think about the story more. The third part is the defining words section. This section has you look up the definition to different words from the story. The study guide also has a few Bible studies.

What we thought: As usual, we loved listening to Captain Bayley’s Heir every day. We used the listen online part of the Live the Adventure Club and read along while listening to each chapter. We also did the online chapter quiz after listening to each chapter. There are twenty chapters and each chapter is under twenty minutes. You could listen to a chapter each day or listen to the whole thing at one sitting if you want with the CD’s. These productions of G.A. Henty's books are the best and we look forward to listening to them when we receive them.

In the Reign of Terror ~ Heirloom Audio Productions Review

You all know from my past reviews that my children and I love audio dramas. It all began several years ago when my husband introduced my children to some Christian audio dramas on the radio on a Saturday morning. Now, years later, my children still love to listen to audio dramas. So, I love when audio dramas come up for review and pray that we get picked to review them. We especially love audio dramas produced by Heirloom Audio Productions. Their newest drama is In the Reign of Terror.

About Heirloom Audio Productions:
Heirloom Audio Productions main goal is to bring history to life. The team actually travels to the area where the story took place to really get a feel for the story. They want the listener to feel like they are in the story as they listen.

About G.A. Henty:
Born in 1832, Henty became an exceptional English author and war correspondent. His stories are historical and adventurous. They became popular in the late nineteenth century and are still widely read today.

About In the Reign of Terror:
This story is about a sixteen year old English boy named Harry Sandwith. He is sent to live with the Marquis de St. Caux in France during the French Revolution. Harry’s father once served with the marquis. The marquis was wanting his son’s to have an English influence. At first, Harry is disliked by the family, but that changes when Harry kills a rabid dog who attacked two of the marquis’ daughters. The marquis must remain loyal to the King during the French Revolution and decides to move his family to Paris when violence is abundant in Paris.  The marquis and his wife are arrested and he tells his children to escape. Two of the marquis’ sons make their way to England. Harry is free to return to England but decides to stay with the daughters in case he is needed. Harry tries unsuccessfully to free the marquis and his wife and they are killed in the September Massacres. Harry learns that the boys were also killed while making their way to England. One night, Harry rescues a man who turns out to be Maximilien de Robespierre. Harry becomes his secretary and eventually makes it back to England. 

Not only do you get to listen to a great story, but you are able to expand on the story with the included digital study guide. Your children learn historical facts from listening to the story and also from answering the questions provided in the study guide. They are also able to learn the meaning of different words throughout the story. Some of the extras we also received are an e-book of In the Reign of Terror, a printable cast poster, and a Bible verse poster.



The study guide is more than just questions. There are three sections to each chapter/track. The sections are as follows: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. In the listening well section, there are several “easy” questions that can be answered fairly quickly. The thinking further section makes you think about some things and have more difficult questions. The defing words section has several words that you look up in the dictionary. There are also several facts posted throughout the study guide. There is even a recipe included in the study guide! The end of the study guide includes a Bible study that could be used during your family Bible time or during your homeschool Bible time. 



What we thought of In the Reign of Terror:
We loved it! This series is so well produced and it really does bring history to life. This is the fifth Heirloom drama we have listened to and we look forward to hearing more audio dramas produced by Heirloom Audio Productions. We try to spread out our listening time, but we always seem to get hooked and just have to listen to more. We did not use the study guide this time, but if we listen again, I will probably go through some of the guide with my older children.

Something New:
Their newest project is the Live the Adventure Club. Here you are able to read along with the script, listen online chapter by chapter, answer the questions, earn badges, and much more. There is also a parent section that offers encouragement, devotions, and a community forum to interact with others. There is so much more, so be sure to check it out.

Check out my other Heirloom Audio Productions reviews:
Under Drake's Flag
The Dragon and The Raven
The Cat of Bubastes
Beric the Briton