Teach Me: Franklin Springs Family Media – Measure Twice Cut Once DVD Review

Home schooling is starting to catch on and in a big way. Hip mama's all over the United States are deciding to take the reigns of their children's education by providing them one at home. Just this month in the winter 2009/2010 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine they reported a whopping 1,739,000* estimated students are home schooled.

In our home school the opportunities to learn new things seem endless. I've learned so many new things and a lot of forgotten things since we've started. We've also focused on subjects you wouldn't have given much thought to without the opportunity. In this land of homeschooling I find that in the many resources provided (in the thousands mind you) that many of them fit in with any lifestyle whether you home school or not. One of those are that of educational videos. Just recently I had the opportunity to review a few movies published by Franklin Springs Family Media.

Franklin Springs Family Media is dedicated to providing quality family media. Their vision comes to a relief for my husband and I. It was starting to get to the point where we couldn't even turn on the television without something inappropriate being on there. As if the shows and movies presented weren't appropriate enough for my children, the commercials were starting to get out of hand just as much. With companies like Franklin Springs Family Media, I can feel confident in popping some pop corn and sitting down to a family movie night without the worry of the mute button or in a rush to turn the channel.Franklin Springs provided me with Measure Twice Cut Once: Essential Building Basics for Young Men. 

This DVD isn't your usual action packed, good guy versus bad guy that boys are most fond of, however it is interesting and educational on so many levels. The host Joey Valenti learned carpentry from his father who is a carpenter and general contractor by trade. Joey at the age of 16 leads his brothers and other boys 16 and under on a building adventure constructing a tree fort from start to finish. 

As my husband and I as well as our two boys gathered around the television, the idea of a building video seemed uninteresting to me, but it sure did bring out excitement in the guys. Just the looks on their faces learning about tools, teamwork, measurements and building was enough to fill any mamas heart. I was able to be open my mind and heart to the simplicity in the message being provided and I'm so glad that I did.  The movie wasn't fancy, and hyped up on computer graphics, but it was full of essential skills and enough information to make them want to learn more about building with their own two hands.

This DVD is probably not something I'll watch over and over, but I know the guys will. When we're ready to discuss measurements, tools and engineering this will be a great resource to cover some of the basics and open further discussion. When the snow melts and summer presents itself again, it will be a great tool to pull out and ignite that excitement to go outside and get creative.

Who knows if video games and network television would have ever ignited that passion to learn about building in my boys, but I'm glad I didn't wait around to find out. 

Thanks so much to Franklin Springs Family Media for providing this DVD for our review. Visit Vintage Indie again soon to learn about another fantastic learning adventure my boys and I had with another great resource from Franklin Springs Family Media. 

 
Disclaimer: I requested a few movies from Franklin Springs Family Media and they happily obliged in no cost to me a few of their videos for review here at Vintage Indie. I wasn't paid for my review and as with all reviews here at Vintage Indie. If you'd like more information about our disclaimer please visit our disclaimer page.

* National Center for Education Statistics Issue Brief (De. 2008), U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Services, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009030.pdf,accessed July 2009