Drive Thru History Adventures Review

History! History! History!  If it were up to my oldest son that is all we would cover in a school day.  He loves history!  Can you imagine how happy I was when I saw that Drive Thru History Adventures was up for review by the Homeschool Review Crew?!?  I was stoked, not for me, but for my son because I knew this would be like opening Christmas gifts all over again for him.  Seriously, he likes history that much.  When we hear the word history we often think of boring reading of events, tons of dates to remember, death,  and old black and white photos.  Right? Well, Drive Thru History is the complete opposite.  It's not your ordinary online history curriculum you get to ride shotgun (in the front seat) with Dave and go on many amazing adventures all while still learning all things history.  Don't worry moms there is still reading, art, worksheets, and discussion questions, but the adventure is definitely still there.  So, if you are looking for a Homeschool Video Curriculum for American History, Bible History, or Ancient History you should definitely check out Drive Thru History Adventures.

So what is Drive Thru History Adventures?

Drive Thru History is an online History Curriculum.  It's not just any online history curriculum though.  Dave Stotts drives around to different historical events taking us along for the fun.  He explains the events in a way that captures not just the kids but the parent as well (at least that's how it happened for us) With your subscription you will have access to the three history courses below.

• Bible History 18-week course you will be traveling through Israel learning about the life of Jesus.
• American History 12- week course on early American history from Columbus to the constitution. 
• Ancient History 12- week course through ancient Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor.

Each lesson has a video (this is the adventure I was telling you about), some art,  suggested reading, discussion questions (not too many), worksheets, and the answer guide.  There's also some essay writing that the older kids can do and dig deeper topics.

How did our family use Drive Thru History?

We did not in no way use this the way I originally intended.  I wanted to use this a few times a week as a supplement to the history curriculum we were already using.  It was supposed to be more for my oldest son who is the history lover.  However, after I watched the first video with him the other kids asked if they could join in, of course, I said yes.  The next thing I know we had put our original history on hold and started using this as our main history curriculum.   

• Monday we watched the video and I would have the kids narrate verbally back to me what happened.
• Tuesday I would ask the discussion questions or print out the worksheets and have them complete them.
• Wednesday we discussed the art provided by Dave and I would even let the kids draw a picture of their favorite part from the episode.
• Thursday we read the suggested reading and discussed it.
• Friday was free fun day and the kids were free to watch the extra videos that Dave provides on the resource tab.  They love his weekly updates.

That is how we started out and it ran so smoothly.  One day we were in the car and the kids asked if we could watch some Drive Thru History.  I remembered that I had downloaded the app Drive Thru History Adventures TV so I was like why not.  My husband listened in as he drove and now he is hooked!   He asked if we could wait for him to come home in the evenings so that he could watch too.  The kids and I really enjoy having daddy participate in school with us.  Our whole family is hooked!

So, what is Drive Thru History Adventures TV?

Adventures TV is included with your purchase of DriveThru History Adventures.  It is an app that is free in the App Store or Google Play.  Although it is free you will not have access to the videos unless you have purchased the curriculum.  This was beneficial for our family because it allowed us to take our history lesson on the go.  If you have a doctor's appointment, going on a trip, or just want to school outside of the house this app will allow you to have access to the videos, but not the extra documents and worksheets. 

What did my kids think about Drive Thru History Adventures?

I asked each of my kids what they thought about the curriculum and if they would recommend it to other kids.  Here is what they had to say.

• My nine-year-old son said, "I like it, the videos are long so it's hard for me to remember what happened at the beginning of it when you ask me to tell you about it at the end.  I would recommend it for kids but kids my age should only watch the videos and not answer the questions."
• My eleven-year-old daughter said, "I  really liked it.  I liked riding in the front seat and how it taught me about history.  It didn't just go way back in the day it showed Dave there, which made it seem more real.  I would recommend for older kids because there were naked pictures of statues."
• My twelve-year-old son said, "I love it, it is so fun!  Dave explains what he is showing us and where we are going and he gives extra facts.  I like that he has a sense of humor he is funny.  I loved being able to not only see pictures of places but also being able to see inside of them as if I was there.  My favorite thing about this history program is that it was from a Christian perspective.  I would recommend it to other kids because it is a fun way to learn about history without just reading books and making timelines."
• My fourteen-year-old daughter said, "It was an amazing curriculum.  The ancient history was great!  I love art so the pictures that he included were very inspiring.  They challenged me to step outside my comfort zone with art.  The discussion questions made me pay more attention to detail because I knew my mama was going to ask me questions about the video. "

Her version of present-day Corinth

What are mom's thoughts?

Our family tried out the Ancient History course and dibbled and dabbled in the American History and Bible History a little bit.  We have really enjoyed it thus far!  The curriculum is recommended for ages 12 and up.  It's said that it can be used for younger kids as well, however, some of the graphics may not be appropriate depending on you and your child. Hence why my 11-year-old was bothered by some of the nude art.   There is also mention of suicide all these things were apart of the history, but again it depends on you and your kid if you deem it appropriate or not. My kids know what it is so it wasn't a shock when they heard the word, but they were sad about it.  So I think their suggested age recommendation of 12 and up is right on point.   I would love it if the app and the site would sync and pick up where we left off on episodes, for example, if I got through five minutes of an episode and jumped in the car turned on the app it would start from the beginning.  It wasn't a big deal because we could easily fast forward it to the part, but it would be great if we didn't have to. 

I really liked the way Dave taught about history but still made mention of current activities in that area.  So the kids did not just learn about what happened back in history but they also learned about the present day area and lifestyles.   I enjoyed the trip to Turkey.  I bet you didn't know that they shop as much as us here in America.  I know I didn't either.
 As I looked into the American History the kids learned some back round history on Christopher Columbus and his life and got to see where he was born. We are looking forward to diving into it deeper later on.

picture from American History course

If you join with an annual subscription you will receive a free set of The Gospels DVD you can sign up here.  If you are still unsure if this will be the perfect fit for your family try out the 7-day free trial just click the banner to the right.

Overall, I think Drive Thru History Adventures is an awesome online history curriculum!  You can read what other homeschool families have to say about it by clicking the banner down below.

Drive Thru History Adventures is offering 20% off an annual subscription for readers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  You can sign up for the magazine subscription here.  

Thank you so much for stopping by you are truly appreciated.

Remember, be who the Lord has called you to be, not who the world wants you to be!