Review of “The Brinkman Adventures” Season 2!
Last summer I was first introduced to The Brinkman Adventures at our local homeschool convention, and today I happily share a review of Season 2: Episodes 13-24!
What is it?
The Brinkman Adventures are family audio dramas made by a Christian family. The Brinkmans have mom and dad and 9 children. The kids all play themselves, but the mom and dad are played by actors. The stories all weave in the family interacting with missionaries. We travel to different countries and different time periods. Sometimes when a missionary is telling a story, the drama goes back in time and acts out that story.
Although they aren’t the highest quality by professional actors, they are very well done! We enjoyed the scripts, the acting, the sound effects, and the music. The stories are compelling, exciting, and educational.
The Episodes of Season 2:
The Mystery Ring — Fun story of a lost ring bringing the Brinkmans in touch with former missionaries to China.
Blue Hat and T-Shirt Bible — Amazing true story of God working out the details.
How Big is Your God — This episode made me cry.
Mexico by Bus — Funny with chickens.
Treehouse Academy — Teaching school in a treehouse?
Pirates of Mayan Island — Reminded me of Treasure Island.
Sapphire Slave — So sad, slavery is so prevalent today–even children.
Hadi’s Choice — Incredible story of a Musilim converting to Christianity.
Castle of Secrets — How fun, exploring a castle.
On the Run — The story of a missionary family’s quick escape from a dangerous foreign country.
Age Range:
These are stories for families for all ages. Occasionally an episode will specify (on the recording) that it would be best for ages 10 and up due to intense situations.
How we liked it:
My kids and I really enjoyed listening to these stories. We got the MP3 downloads, which were very easy to download into iTunes, create a playlist, and burn CDs. We listened to them in the car when as we drove around town and on our vacation to Cincinnati a few weeks ago. They’re exciting and really draw you into the stories! There were a couple of the 12 30-minute episodes where it was recommended that the younger children listen with their parents in case the subject matter became too intense for them. My kids were fine with all the stories of Season 2. One thing I really loved was that there is a great focus on reaching the world for Christ. There are many instances of people sharing their faith with others. Sometimes people become believers; sometimes they don’t. Great lessons are taught as well, such as doing hard work and not complaining. Finally, I love that my kids are learning about different countries and cultures. I really felt like we were in China and Mexico and “Bazakistan.” And it’s so important to learn about the issues we can get involved in to help others, such as ending slavery around the world.
We’re excited to listen to more episodes and hope that Season 3 will be out soon. And–I hope we can meet their family sometime!
Additional Resources:
Stories behind the stories: One thing that’s really neat about the stories is that they are all based on true events! On the website they have each episode listed with all kinds of additional resources that give details about the full story. There are interviews with missionaries, photographs, videos, links, etc.
Ways to contact the real missionaries: There are email addresses and websites so you can write them!
Listen: You can listen to an episode for free. Check it out and see if your family likes it.
Fun Stuff: Behind-the-scenes videos (of the filming of the episodes), downloadable printables to color, and other videos about people and places around the world.
Price:
The Brinkman Adventures operates on a donation basis. The 4 CD set includes 12 episodes and 5 + hours of listening pleasure for a suggested price is $25.00. The MP3 downloads have a suggested price of $17.00.
Visit The Brinkman Adventures on their Facebook page!
