When Fluff Isn’t Enough

Have you ever taken a really fluffy dog or cat and either bathed them or given them a haircut?  It’s amazing.  They look so big with their fur, but you realize that they are really very small, for all their fluff.
We recently viewed a series of history videos from a popular company.  I was so excited.  This was going to be good, and it was a complete series of much of our country’s history.  But like the illustration above I was surprised at the amount of actual history content compared to the “fluff”.  Fancy camera angles and computer animation do not make a history curriculum, or even a supplemental history video great.  Give it to me in an entertaining way, yes, but more facts and less fluff please.
I wanted something different for my kids.  That is why I absolutely LOVE the Drive Thru History series!  Dave Stotts is hilarious as the host of this series of history videos.  But beyond entertainment there is a solid foundation of research done in order to present the WHOLE story.  Faith was important to the founders of our country, and that has not been sanitized out of this curriculum.  All videos in the series of both US and ancient history are a DVD-rom with a printable discussion guide (ancient history) or curriculum (US history) on the DVD-rom.  The videos are very entertaining.  There are fancy camera angles, and computer animation.  But with this series, there is so much more.  And when Dave talks about something he is on location, and full of energy, and a vibrant history.  The curriculum is for Middle School and higher.  But our elementary school aged kids, and our whole family actually, loves these videos. Click here to view samples of what Drive Thru History has to offer.
There is also something on my wish list, although I haven’t been able to order it yet.  For at least the past couple years, Homeschool Buyers Co-op has been able to offer a deal on Electronic Fieldtrips by Colonial Williamsburg.  According to the HBC website purchase of the fieldtrips includes not only the scheduled live fieldtrips, but also live Q&A sessions with historians, among many other things.  Click here to go to Colonial Williamsburg's website and scroll down to “View a sample episode” to watch a pre-recorded clip of what to expect if you order the fieldtrips. 
Happy Monday, and God Bless ;)