Diana Waring History CDs Review

"A teaching tape? Oh, Mom, I hate listening to teaching tapes. They are so boring," my son moaned when I told him our plan for history.

"You will like this one. . .it's Diana Waring. . .she is funny and enthusiastic. . .and interesting!" I responded, eager to sit down and listen to one of my favorite speakers.

Jimmy did not look like he believed me, but was determined to have a good attitude, avoiding a "talk" with Daddy later.

To his surprise, he loved listening to Diana. 

"She's really cool!" was his assessment.

I discovered Diana Waring at a homeschool convention in the early 1990's, attending her workshop because I am a history buff. She satisfied my desire to learn more about history from a Christ-centered perspective, but she turned out to be one of my favorite speakers. She is so bubbly and enthusiastic in her love for history that you can't help smiling as you listen to her speak, in person or on CD.

Diana agrees with me that history starts at Creation (in 7 Days by our Loving Creator in Heaven) and ends with Jesus' Return. She believes that the Bible is true for all of life, including history. The research she uses to compile her teaching material is from solid historians who trust the Word of God and archeologists who have made discoveries that confirm that the Bible is true.

Diana loves the Lord and expresses wonder at the Sovereign Hand of God in history throughout all time. She not only teaches our family history, but encourages us to love and pursue God.

History Alive!

History Alive! is a complete history curriculum in unit study format. You can use it all or use her teaching CDs to supplement your own history studies. History is shared by Diana in the form of stories on her CDs. She offers What in the World is Going on Here, True Tales, and Digging Deeper series. Her curriculum and CDs are divided up chronologically into 3 time periods: Ancient Civilizations, Medieval to Early Modern, and Modern History. She is working on Modern Times. She offers teacher guides, elementary activity books (K-4), and Student Manuals (5-12) to go along with the CDs.

The exciting thing about this history curriculum is that it targets all the learning styles in its teaching approach. Of course, listening to the CDs appeals to auditory learners, but the student manuals are full of activities for visual learners and hands-on learners too. History is made alive with geography, music, art, cooking, science, movement, architecture, writing, and drama activities.

My children have enjoyed her limerick activities the best! Since we do our history in a coop with another family, the children (and moms) would all complete her limerick (she would give two lines and we had to finish it). Then, we would all read them aloud. What fun!

After each section, she gives an amazing book list that has opened the door for my family to discover many written treasures such as Adam's Kin by Ruth Beechick, G. A. Henty's books, After the Flood by Bill Cooper, The Puzzle of Ancient Man by Donald E. Chittick and many more.

This material has something for everyone in the family, no matter how old, no matter how young. It is the one course that my high school students can do along with the babies and no one is bored.

What in the World is Going on Here?

This is the main teaching CD set and comes in three volumes. Volume 1 covers Ancient Civilizations, Biblical Heroes, and archeological discoveries. Volume 2 covers Early Church, Might and Fall of Rome, Rise of Islam, Fall of Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Crusades, Renaissance, Reformation, Great Awakening, and French Revolution. Volume 3 covers the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from William Carey heading to India as a missionary to the Korean War.

True Tales

  This series is supplemental to the What in the World series and contains more interesting stories from history. Here are some examples of what is contained in these CDs.

True Tales of Ancient Civilizations

• Proofs for a Young Earth
• Advanced Early Man
• Search for Mt. Sinai
• Discovery of Ancient Hittite Civilization
• Rosetta Stone
• Table of Nations
• Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (shorter version)
• Prophecies of Jesus

True Tales of Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries

• Attila the Hun
• St. Columba
• Byzantine Empire
• Alfred the Great of England
• Prince Henry the Navigator
• Cortez
• Moravians
• Sir Issac Newton
• Captain Cook

True Tales of World Empires, World Missions, and World Wars

• William Carey
• William Wilberforce
• Von Metternick
• James Watt
• Benito Juarez
• Simon Bolivar
• Garibaldi
• Suez Canal
• Lawrence of Arabia
• Korean War
• Cold War

Digging Deeper

This series goes even deeper with more fascinating history stories to enjoy with your family.

Cost

The What in the World series is available for $21.95 for each CD series (four teaching CDs per set). The Digging Deeper and True Tales CD sets (three CDs per set) cost $17.95 per set. Teacher and student manuals can be purchased on Diana's website, Diana Waring Presents! There are also packages available for each time period.

Let me know if you enjoy these CDs as much as we do.