The Old Schoolhouse Magazine:
The curriculum includes history and geography; logic and critical thinking; vocabulary and composition; presentation and persuasion; primary sources, apologetics, and worldview. If you want to help your child grow strong roots in God’s Word and a Biblical worldview, I urge you to check out Stacy Farrell’s Philosophy Adventure today.— Bonnie Rose Hudson, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (read the review)
Home Educating Family:
While I had never considered including philosophy in our homeschool, I was pleasantly surprised by how Philosophy Adventure opened up this subject to us in ways I didn’t expect. Combining research, writing, and speaking with creative and thought-provoking lessons from history make Philosophy Adventure much more than a philosophy course. —Ann Campbell, Home Educating Family
Knowledge House:
Philosophy Adventure is the most interactive curriculum I’ve seen that isn’t a DVD or computer program. The user-friendly layout, visually appealing pages, conversational text, colorful images, interesting stories, and challenging exercises are engaging and easy to follow. You and your student both will be fascinated by these lessons on the philosophers as you enjoy studying them from a Christian worldview and then writing and speaking about their ideas. (read the review)
Homeschool Giveaways
We are super excited to use Philosophy Adventure™ next year for ninth grade! I have come to know and dearly love the author of this curriculum and you will treasure it as one of your favorite homeschool curriculum resources! (read the review)
RATINGS & REVIEWS FOR PHILOSOPHY ADVENTURE – PRE-SOCRATICS
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Rated 5 out of 5
GENA – July 13, 2013
Stacy had a goal in writing Philosophy Adventure™–to make it engaging, easy to use, and empowering. I feel she succeeded on all three accounts! I was curious about this curriculum, which is why I chose to review it. But I will admit that I expected it to be a bit boring. I have never studied philosophy before, and didn’t think that it could be interesting! I really do love this curriculum. I have already reccommended it to our co-op for possible use for the high-schoolers for next year. I think it’s important (very important) for all Christian kids to study what you will find in this curriculum. Even if you don’t homeschool. You could even do it as a summer study! (read the review)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
JENNIFER –
I love learning along with my children. I enjoy seeing the timelines showing the Biblical and political contemporaries of the philosophers. The Bible references really help us to imagine the lives of philosophers and people in context.
Elizabeth read the first two lessons and completed those writing assignments in one day. Shh, I didn’t tell her that one lesson takes a week! She absolutely loves it and her favorite thing is quizzing me on the philosophers and trivia from her reading.
I am amazed by the variety of subjects in one volume – math, science, literature, history, geography. The research that must have gone into this astounds me! I plan to study along with my daughter. It’s just fascinating. And I’ll be able to answer her trivia questions!
Liz and I both really like the scholarly quotes from literature and history and the Bible and the kind but humorous narration. It’s encouraging and motivating to want to try our best. I especially hope to encourage my daughter Liz to public speaking. I know she is gifted in this, but needs training and I think this is perfect for her.
Liz loves the Anatomy of a Biographical Narrative. She loves lists and checklists and enjoys the layout of the Reader. We both enjoy the format of the Reader and it’s very easy to navigate and read the different sections.
And she’s earning high school credits!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
MICHELLE –
I have two aspects of this course that I just love! My favorite part of each chapter comes at the end where students get to contrast the thinking of the philosopher with the thinking of the Bible. What a great way to help teach our kids discernment! My favorite challenge in this course is the one for students to memorize the book of Philippians as they complete the course. What an awesome challenge, with eternal rewards! And what a great way for kids to renew their minds. Like I said, I love it!
To read a complete review, go to http://leadinggodsgeneration.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/a-first/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
DEBRA –
This is fun. We started with a two weeks per philosopher pace, and we did not like that. We switched so we are doing “a philosopher of the month” instead, and we are able to still do other schoolwork, plus enjoy our time learning the amazing content included in the text. Even my writing-phobic kids are able to do the writing assignments, as this is not rushing them too much.
The kids love that the book is addressing things like “According to a popular survey, many people claim they fear public speaking more than death.” They appreciate that this isn’t telling them to just buck up and do it. The book acknowledges that speaking can be scary, and eases you into it.
It just has a gentle approach in general. My 11th grader seems to think that this is “too easy” to be high school level, yet he acknowledges that he is learning a lot. I think that is a ringing endorsement… because to me, philosophy has always been this big, scary thing that you have to be really smart to “do” or to understand. Philosophy Adventure: Pre-Socratics allows even my 12 year old to “do” philosophy and to really learn something.
My only complaint about the program is that there isn’t a Volume 2. Maybe someday.
Disclaimer: as part of the Philosophy Adventure Launch Team, I received a copy of Philosophy Adventure in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to post a review here.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
MARCY CRABTREE –
With Philosophy Adventure, your student (or you!) will take a trip back in time, studying the lives of 8 pre-Socratic thinkers, learning about the time and place in which they lived and what they believed. Some of these philosophers include: Thales, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus. Lesson assignments explore how to contrast the beliefs of each philosopher against a biblical worldview and how to express these contrasting views in writing, thought and speech.
Whether you use Philosophy Adventure as a core subject for your high school student or as a jumping off point for interesting discussion in developing and defending a worldview with your middle schoolers, I believe you will be impressed with the depth and breadth of this curriculum.
Read more of my review here: http://benandme.com/2013/08/philosophy-adventure-review.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
KAREN M IN FL –
My son and I reviewed Philosophy Adventure. This program gives students an in-depth look at the ancient philosophers with a Biblical worldview. The Reader provides background information on the philosopher and his times. You also learn about their ideas and what went into forming those ideas. As you work through each philosopher you look for ways to stretch your skills in writing and speaking. It also helps the student learn to think critically and with discernment. Philosophy Adventure comes in a number of formats. Our family reviewed the digital download version. All the versions come with a Reader which is the main text for the program, a student workbook, and teacher resources.
Read more of my review here: http://myharborlights.com/2014/04/23/home-school-adventure-co-philosophy-adventure-review/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
LIS –
Why study Philosophy?
What is Philosophy?
Who is Pythagorus? Wasn’t he some math guy?
These are some of the questions that Home School Adventure Co. helps to answer with their homeschool philosophy curriculum, Philosophy Adventure. We discovered that the Reader was much more than a nicely written text on philosophy~ it also encompasses a writing program with instruction in critical thinking, speech writing and creative writing, as well as journaling. Definitely more of an adventure than if it were strictly philosophy.
You can read my full review here: http://acornsnuggetsofgold.blogspot.com/2014/04/home-school-adventure-co-philosophy.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
MELISSA LANGLEY –
Philosophy is a subject that I did not feel confident tackling alone so I was so glad to find Philosophy Adventure! I love Stacy Farrell’s writing style. I can tell that she has a heart for God and equipping the next generation to take a stand for their beliefs. She is also equipping parents to educate their children. She is a homeschooling mom who is going through the trenches the same as we are and I felt as though she was taking me by the hand and guiding me as well as my student.
You can read more of my review and how we used Philosophy Adventure in our homeschool here: http://www.gchomeschool.com/2014/04/review-philosophy-adventure.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
BONNIE ROSE HUDSON –
When I first received the textbook and student workbook to review, I was a little nervous. Philosophy? The word brings to mind dusty bookshelves, deep theological texts, and eyes struggling to stay open under the weight of heavy eyelids.
I couldn’t have been more wonderfully surprised.
The book skillfully takes us through the lives of eight philosophers: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Protagoras, and Democritus. But the text does far more than simply recount historical facts. In the introduction, author Stacy Farrell shares, “what we learned when we delved deeply into the study of the history of philosophy is too significant to sleep through. In fact, the future of freedom may depend upon how many of us wake up to the world of ideas and seek to discern and defend truth.”
Why is understanding the history of philosophy so important? Do any of these questions sound relevant to today’s life?
*Where did the universe originate?
*Was the universe created or has it always existed?
*What happens to a person when they die?
*Is there more to life than the physical body?
*Is the spirit reincarnated into other living creatures?
*How does the character of a group’s leader impact his followers?
*Could there be one omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God?
*Who or what can solve the mysteries of life?
*Can truth be known or is all of life an endless string of confusing contradictions?
*What happens when you try to blend science and myth?
*Is it possible to know God exists?
Read more of my review at http://writebonnierose.com/philosophy-adventure/
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 4 out of 5
TAMMIE BAIREN –
A month and a half ago, we received the digital version of Philosophy Adventure, by Stacy Farrell, from Home School Adventure Co. A great deal of time and effort was put into producing this curriculum as can be seen by the wealth of information contained within it, as well as the numerous activities that have been created for the student. Because Philosophy Adventure not only teaches about the philosophers but also teaches writing skills, critical thinking skills, and speaking skills, I wanted to do this review with my high schooler.
The philosophers discussed in this curriculum are not your typical such as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates, although they are mentioned. The philosophers we learned about were Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Protagoras, and Democritus. Some of the things learned about the philosophers were the title they were given such as Thales being called the “Father of Western Philosophy,” a famous quote ascribed to them, and then as much of their history as could be found through various sources.
Read the rest of my review here: http://theunfoldinglife.blogspot.com/2014/04/home-school-adventure-co-philosophy.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 4 out of 5
DAWN W –
For us ~ we are really enjoying this curriculum and will continue using it. We are using it as a supplement to our current material. We LOVE that there is not a lot of reading associated but there is a lot of thought required. It seems to be a “simple program” but honestly there is A LOT packed in to it. We love how it covers so many different subjects at one time and how the learning is presented in an interesting way. For this review, we printed everything we used because it was easier for us but you could easily read the material on the computer and then type in the answers for the student workbook on the computer.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
AMANDA H –
Every student, no matter what they decide to do in their future will need to be able to write and speak in a professional manner. With the ways of the computer, we are less of the actual writing process…why should they, the computer will check it for them. I have seen it with my own son. With the Philosophy Adventure, I am not only going to be able to help my son (and the littles when it is their turn) learn how to think, write and speak in a way that he (they) will need to have if they want to succeed in life, and that is something I do want for them. Not only will my kids be learning about reading, writing and thinking, but I am able to add the foundation of history and the biblical worldview.
Read the rest of my review over here: http://hopkinshomeschool.com/philosophy-adventure-final-review-and-giveaway/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
SIMBLISSITY JENN –
I love that so many topics are covered in one class. I love that this very aspect alone teaches them that learning is part of our lives and not just part of our classroom. This teaches history, geography, memory skills, writing, speech, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and research skills. It challenges them to think, walks them through logical communication, and helps them create timelines, maps, and beautiful notebooks.
Read the full review here: http://www.simblissitycottage.com/2014/04/homeschool-adventure-co-review.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 4 out of 5
SUSAN @HOMESCHOOLING HEARTS & MINDS –
I had the privilege of being a member of Philosophy Adventure’s Launch Team and received a free digital copy of this program for review purposes.
Overall:
We love the full-color reproductions of antique maps. Yeah, we’re geeky that way.
We love the type-in notebooking pages.
I love the flexibility of the program. It could easily be done as an intensive course in 8-12 weeks, or spread out over the course of a year. You could choose to concentrate mainly on the historical aspect or dive deep into the writing assignments. There’s plenty of food for thought and discussion.
I love the way the author speaks directly to the student as a peer and with true empathy (“I’ve been where you’ve been”). The Write, Think, and Speak sections have really bolstered my son’s self-confidence and I can tell that he enjoys the writing assignments (even if he still groans some). I do think that some of the writing assignments could be more focused, but this is an area that can easily be adjusted.
Honestly, I also love Philosophy Adventure’s beauty—it just looks good with its lovely graphics, color highlights—it looks like quality, professional work, there’s not even a hint of homespun-ness about it.
Stacy Farrell has done an excellent job researching and creating Philosophy Adventure—I can’t wait to see what she produces next.
You can read my full review of Philosophy Adventure here: http://www.homeschoolingheartsandminds.com/2013/08/philosophy-adventure-review-and-mega.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
CINDY WEST –
Stacy has made a relatively tough subject very user-friendly with visually appealing pages, clear activity directions and text that isn’t overly “intellectual.” At the same time, though, your children will peruse several primary-source quotes and gain a large vocabulary – on top of diving deep into philosophy!
What I like best are the writing, thinking and speaking activities that give students a chance to assimilate what they’ve learned in very thoughtful and meaningful ways. This is the point of philosophy in the real world!
http://ourjourneywestward.com/philosophy-adventure-review/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 5 out of 5
WENDY STOLLER (verified owner) –
My 2 daughters are doing Philosophy Adventure and enjoying it thoroughly. They are 12 & 14 years old. We went through the Philosophers and completed them – then they are going through and completing the journal after. It will take approx 1 semester (or less) to finish. It was easy to complete.
I also echo the sentiment that I wish there was another level to continue on through it! If one is written – let me know – I would be glad to pilot it so we could follow up with it soon!
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Rated 5 out of 5
JENNIFER @ Conversaving – July 17, 2014
Overall, I was very impressed with the materials and think it would make an excellent co-op class for high school students. I think this material would be excellent for group discussions and would probably generate some great conversations among the students. I think we will probably use this material again in high school due to the deep nature of the topics. I really liked the focus on speech writing and free writing, things I feel are not well-covered in other writing materials.