Once again I hang my head to admit I knew absolutely nothing regarding this time period, we are talking the 1060's here. Now the flood gate is open wide, we are waist deep in all things Normans, Saxon and sword making. And I love it, this is one happy Mama over here. We normally listen on car rides and camping trips, but we have been dealing with sickness since the first of the year. So we decided to listen at home over warm bowls of oatmeal, handi work and during quiet time before bed.
If you are like me and knew nothing substantial about this time period or if you paid attention in school and actually know who Edward the Confessor is this will be an adventure for you and your children. This specific one has moved up to Kaden's favorite audio drama from Heirloom Audio Productions. This says a lot because we have just about all of them and every single camping trip or car ride you will find at least one of them with us.
Briefly I will tell you that I think this is one of his favorites because the story is so streamlined and is very easy to follow. Sometimes with audio books and dramas you can get lost in the background noise sometimes or forget the characters because their voice is hard to recognize and differentiate. Not in this one at all, Kaden was very connected and engaged the whole entire time. Speaking of time, the whole 2 CD set lasts for about 2.5 hours. The first time we listened straight through. But after that we started pausing and Kaden had fun asking Alexa questions about Normandy, Norseman attire, how many steps it would take to walk across England and so much more. From the start of the adventure you are immersed in the time period. You are taken on a journey with the main character Wulf the Saxon throughout England and Normandy. This 16 year old Saxon landowner gets into a little trouble in the beginning, but proves himself loyal, honest and courageous as the servant of King Edward's brother, named Harold....who will later be King. Wulf and Harold find themselves shipwrecked right outside the Battle of Hastings on the coast of Normandy. This part had us reaching into the popcorn bowl double time, it was so intense. What else can I say there are dungeons, castles, Vikings and true love involved in this story, truly one of our favorites. Kaden and I are looking forward to learning more about this time period and listening to future productions from Heirloom Audio Productions.
I just have to add that one of the things that has brought History alive to me and my family is being apart of the Live The Adventure Club. There are many things there to keep you busy like study guides and discussion starters, some even have the scripts.....this is always fun for the kids. Kaden was so thrilled to be able to use the actual script while listening to some of the stories.....you can even highlight the words in several colors so you can easily keep up while they listen. They also offer activities to try with the kids, word searches, coloring pages and an opportunity to earn cool badges for taking quizzes that correspond with the audio dramas that you have purchased. They have amazing Parent Resources that include everything from Movie Reviews to Podcasts. But, two of my Favorite sections of this new community is the Inspiration area and the Old Time Radio Vault. I need to do a whole separate Review on this little chunk of the Web, because it is all kinds of wonderful.....You definitely should check into it today.
Don't forget to reach out to Heirloom Audio Productions with Social Media sometime this week!
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