Homeschool Review Crew - Heirloom Audio Productions Wulf the Saxon

I was thrilled to get a chance to review Wulf the Saxon audio drama CD from Heirloom Audio Productions.

What is Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions?

I received a physical CD set of 2 audio CDs with 2 1/2 hours of listening. Since I am currently a member, I also had access to the Live The Adventure Club which is an online resource packed with additional activities that correspond to the audio CDs as well as additional resources and even old time radio presentations. The Live The Adventure Club also has the full audio presentations of other G. A. Henty works. Currently, Wulf the Saxon is Coming Soon to the online format, but we were able to download and print a Word Search associated with the Wulf the Saxon story to work while listening.

These audio products are not only a great way to expose your children to literature but also a fantastic conversation starter about history.

George Alfred Henty, better known as G. A. Henty lived in the 1800s and very early 1900s, dying in 1902. He wrote a series of popular fictitious works that are fitting for the entire family but were originally intended to read by youth. His books often use a fictitional character who interacts with well-known people from the era. G. A. Henty has a gift for turning old, dry and boring history into an exciting adventurous tale, and the amazing, award-winning voice actors make it come alive on the Heirloom Audio Productions CD. 

Contrary to what my youngest thought, Wulf the Saxon is NOT a story about an animal named wolf! Hah!

Wulf the Saxon IS a story of loyalty, courage, sacrifice and true love.

Wulf the Saxon is an adventure set in medevil times. The story takes place in the time of the Norman invasion of England where one nobleman serves the last Anglo-Saxon monarch of England and ends at the Battle of Hastings. Wulf captures a castle, fights Norsemen and risks his life in a rescue after a shipwreck which lands them on the shores of Normandy in the year 1065. Wulf the Saxon joins the new king of England in a heroic struggle and battle against the invading Normans at the Battle of Hastings. Wulf was a page to the king. He goes through many heroic adventures. One of these adventures involves a shipwreck of Harold when William gets Harold to swear that he will be the next king of England. More adventures include an attempted assassination, the Welsh wars and the Norman invasion by William the Conquerer. Ultimately, Wulf stands loyally by King Harold. 

This is a story about a young man who finds himself living among people who had at one time been enemies. As the story progresses, he discovers that an ally may turn into a foe, and once an enemy does not mean you will remain an enemy forever. Wulf must learn to balance his temper with his knowledge and let wisdom, love, and loyalty prevail. 

Throughout the story, there is a deeper tale of love unfolding with a woman named Edith who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of England, a fight of brother against brother, and a growing love between Wulf and Agnes. Will there be a marriage in the name of love after all? Who and what will prevail?

How Did We Use It?

These Audio CDs are so easy to use and are very popular among homeschoolers because you can put them into a CD player in your car or at home or on your laptop if it has a disk drive. I have learned that my children are much more hands on or visual learners and when I present them with a sound-only curriculum, they groan and scatter. So, I prefer to put in audio presentations in a more subtle way and let it play while they are in the room or car not realizing it is a formal learning opportunity. Surprisingly, they pick up on it better when I'm not forcing them to listen. With this CD, I did focus on having my 11-year-old work the Word Search I found on Live The Adventure Club online while I put in the CD. Once she was finished with the word search, I found other work to keep her hands busy while the CD played. My high school sophomore was also in the room to casually listen.

What Did We Think?

Henty does a remarkable job weaving real historic facts into a story with a fictitious character, Wulf. Being of Welsh background, myself... My maiden name was Wells, I found the references and information about Wales along with the action with the Welsh soldiers particularly of interest. The book that the audio presentation is based upon, was written for youth. But, as with other great works of literature, it's a far cry well above what is considered youth literature of modern day.

These audio productions are by far the best I have encountered. Even my non-audio-loving learning clan appreciates the talent, voice acting, music, and state-of-the-art sound that goes into these productions. If you are an audio-loving family, you will absolutely love and devour these CDs in your homeschool and while out and about while you car school on the run or play them while on long trips. They are truly a work of art that only prove to enrich the listener.

FIND Heirloom Audio Productions ON SOCIAL MEDIA @:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories Tag: @HeirloomStories 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/heirloomaudio/ Tag: @heirloomaudio 
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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

Homeschool Review Crew - Captain Bayley's Heir From Heirloom Audio Productions

I was thrilled to get a chance to review Captain Bayley's Heir from Heirloom Audio Productions which included access to the Live the Adventure Club website, where I was able to download the study guide and other extras. I received two physical CDs as well as access to the online website.

What is Heirloom Audio Productions and Captain Bayley's Heir?

The story is one of author G. A. Henty's works brought to life through audio drama. Heirloom Audio Productions has a passion for bringing Christian literature to "life" by making it interesting to listen to. That's why they enlist the help of the best voice actors. Take a look at the crew and cast on Captain Bayley's Heir:

The story is told in 2 hours of audio drama on two CDs and 20 tracks (10 tracks each CD), 20 chapters. It is created with children ages 6 to 16 in mind, but I found it engaging and perfectly suitable for the entire family. You will come to know characters whom you will want to meet in real life, at least that's what happened for me. I found myself wrapped in wanting to discover the secrets along the way and rooting for forgiveness and grace in the end. God has a plan for our lives! The story is exhilarating! It takes place in London and America during the days of the Wild Wild West Gold Rush. The audio drama is told with voices that are great to listen to and backed with sound effects and amazing music by Emmy Award Winning composer, John Campbell.
It starts with a young boy and a bit of a heroic act followed by the revealing of history and secrets and the introduction of a character named Captain Harold Bayley who adds a mysterious feel. The story weaves through many adventures before ending with a tale of mercy and grace. It ultimately tells the story of Frank who is 18 years old. He has a strong moral code but also likes a good fist fight. He has been accused of a crime, so he leaves England for America in an effort to clear his name and get a fresh start. He eventually travels west to search for gold in California and encounters adventures like a storm on the Mississippi River, the guns of the wild west, and cowboys. Through it all, he discovers how powerful God's grace is.

I received a physical CD set along with access to the digital online Live the Adventure Club that included a Study Guide that is 38 pages on a PDF and includes, on the first portion of the guide, Listening Well questions, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. Each section includes the time and the CD number and track. The study guide begins with a brief description of G. A. Henty, the author. It then explains what Heirloom Audio Productions is all about. The final pages include tips on expanding your learning, followed by more information on the Victorian England and American West and then three pages of Bible Studies. The final pages are descriptions of other stories the company offers. The pdf looks like this onscreen, and you are free to print off the entire study guide or use it online to ask the questions and answer verbally.

How Did We Use It and What Did We Think?

I sat down to check it out with my 10-year-old within listening range on the couch next to me. I, then pulled up the study guide to see what it was all about and was delighted with the quality and content. I was happy with the quality of the audio drama. This is done professionally with professional voices and actors. I also found the study guide to be on par with the same level of quality. I literally found myself on the edge of my seat wanting to know the story of a baby and who that baby became as well as whether or not the story would end tragically with Frank's, the hero's, death or would he recover?

FIND HEIRLOOM AUDIO PRODUCTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA @:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio Tag: @HeirloomAudio 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories Tag: @HeirloomStories 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HeirloomAudioOfficial Tag: @HeirloomAudioOfficial 
Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647 

Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

Homeschool Review Crew - Heirloom Audio Productions

I was so happy to get a chance to review In the Reign of Terror from Heirloom Audio Productions, a company that loves to retell moments of Christian history. I was also given access to the Live The Adventure Club online. As you probably know, I didn't, "The Reign of Terror" refers to a period during the French Revolution and Heirloom Audio Productions took G.A. Henty's story about this time in history and presents it as an audio drama. The audio drama was written by Bob Liparulo. Don't be alarmed and scared off because of the title. While the story tells of a time in history that was terrifying for Christians, the end result is that "What man intended for evil, God intended for GOOD!"

     

I also received a Study Guide downloadable pdf which is designed to be used alongside the audio drama as a tool to help your students delve deeper into the topic. It contains 43 pages and is broken down by chapter into 3 main segments:

• The Listening Well
• The Thinking Further
• The Defining Words

Some pages even have an Expand Your Learning sections with additional activities. Each study guide page also contains the disc, track number, and time markings where you will find the information on the audio.

There are also a couple of brief biography pages on Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre and an overview of the story and information about G.A. Henty.

The end of the Study Guide contains a reading list to learn more about the French Revolution as well as 3 pages of Bible Study notes and questions, which was my favorite section.

What is the PRODUCT?

Heirloom Audio Productions produces audio dramas to tell the stories of history and make it come to life for those who listen. This particular story is intended for those ages 6-16, but can be enjoyed by those older or even younger if you are listening as a family.

The story takes place in the time frame that occurred after America's Revolution and before Napolean during the French Revolution. The story begins with a 16-year-old named Harry who strikes up a conversation with an older gentleman at Arlington Ceremony. This elderly man shines light on a time in history he refers to as "A Reign of terror". He tells the story of another teen boy named Harry who lived through this era.

The CDs contain the amazing voice acting of Brian Blessed, John Rhys-Davies, Jack Farthing, Cathy Sara, Christina Greatrex, and Jill Freud.



The story tells of a British boy, Harry, who travels to an aristocratic family to experience a cultural clash. The underlining message is about sovereignty. Throughout the story, you will see how the sovereignty of God is replaced by the sovereignty of man. It is a battle, fighting for righteousness and the freedom to worship God. It is also a story about family and friendships.

I received a 2-CD pack of the entire audio dramatic reading of G.A. Henty's In The Reign of Terror, which is derived from a 22-chapter book and takes a total of about 2.5 hours of audio drama to complete with each chapter lasting an average of 5 minutes or less. I also received access to online resources.

How Did We Use It?

I first told my 16-year-old son what the product was and began playing the audio for him but later my 10-year-old also was exposed to it. I was delighted to also discover that along with our 2 CDs we were given access to the online resources, which are amazing! This is where I found online chapter tests, vocabulary words, a script to read along, suggestions for further study, as well as a pdf download of the original G.A. Henty's original 278-page book, which was a delight to me! This Live The Adventure online spot was a gold mine of information and the perfect supplement.

 As you can see, our tendency to be more hands-on or visual learners than audio is reflected in the online chapter quiz, but I really appreciated that you immediately know the right answer when you get one wrong. These quizzes are also a nice way to provide your student with a grade if you want.

What Did We Think?

First, I have to admit that I was not only unfamiliar with G.A. Henty's works but also new to audio drama. So, this was a completely new experience for us. Because of that, it was enlightening and extremely educational. The actors' voices are amazing and spot on for each character. Second, I will also say that for some strange reason, we are odd homeschoolers in that my kids will typically scatter or roll their eyes when I present them with the idea of anything audio. Typically, my children tend to be avoid anything audio kids (The struggle is real! This is one point where I tend to compare my homeschoolers with others and wish they had a natural love for audio learning. If they did, we could put in CDs to play while we are in the van and on the road or while we wait or just to enjoy a nice quiet audio at home). I have tried reading aloud to them, and their eyes glaze over not having a clue what I just said. However, even my son admitted that the quality put into it was "best". Any lack of love for audio on my family's part is purely our own individual issues and have nothing to do with the excellence in quality that heirloom audio productions has put into their product. And, in fact, for me to sing the praises of the quality of an audio product screams levels above that of a family who naturally enjoys audio learning. On a side note, I also found it interesting that just before this product came up for review, I had read a passage in the Bible from Ezekiel that used the exact words, "In the Reign of Terror" and, while it was not referring to the French Revolution, I came into this with curiosity piqued and ready to learn what the story was all about.

While the quality put into the audio CDs is amazingly good, I really found the online resources to be a fantastic addition to correspond with the drama. Overall, I was extremely impressed!

FIND HEIRLOOM AUDIO PRODUCTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA @:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories
Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647
Instagram: @HeirloomAudioOfficial

Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below: