Friends and Heroes is a delightful animated DVD series starring Macky, a first century Christian boy who has adventures and relates stories about Old Testament and New Testament events and heroes. The first episode, which I reviewed, is "The Long Journey." This episode takes place in Alexandria, Egypt where Macky's father, a silversmith, and his family, protect two little refugee girls from the Roman soldiers. In the course of the story, the story of Daniel in the lion's den is told, as well as Jesus and the big fish catch where Jesus told Peter and the others that he would make them fishers of men. The art and animation in this series is exceptional and the story is captivating. Both my 12 year old and 5 year old granddaughters loved it. They are already asking for more.

Along with the video came the new homeschool curriculum that correlates with the DVD series. A disc and CD-ROM containing printable PDF files of the material were provided to me to review. It is a unit study which incorporates lessons in geography, history, science, creative writing, discipleship and Bible study. It can be used for any elementary aged student. There are some wonderful craft and creative writing ideas included.

Chapter 1 of the unit study starts by explaining the setting in Alexandria and about the Roman soldiers. There are nine comprehension questions and a map to put together. Following this, the student is asked to draw a picture of the Roman soldiers in the marketplace. A link is given to the company's website to get information about Roman armor to assist in the picture. The next activity is to be Macky's scribe and write a journal as if you were Macky. Following this is the Bible study portion which tells us more about Daniel in the lions den and discussion questions are included. Because Macky's father is a silversmith, the science portion of the unit study is about the properties of silver. There is even a science experiment! Next is a craft, in this case it is sculpting with clay. The lesson ends with a little piece about trusting others.

My girls were thrilled with having the opportunity to use this curriculum and are eager for more. I enjoyed the clear instructions given in the Teacher's Guide and appreciated the amount of thought and study that went into preparing this resource. The website is chock full of more goodies that you can download. There are coloring sheets and puzzles, and quizzes on the site. There is a lot for the kids to explore on this website. This curriculum would be great for Sunday School, any church children's class, schools and homeschools. There is much to enjoy here.

Product review by Christine Hindle, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, February 2011