Schoolhouse Review: Growing Up Wild

One thing you might not know about me is that I am the missions director for our ladies group at my church.  While I have never been on a mission trip, I am passionate about spreading the gospel and I work really hard to support missionaries and organizations that reach the lost around the globe.  As a mom I try to share that passion with my children.  I don't think there is anything more fun or satisfying then engaging in missions as a family.  While explaining what missionaries do is great, seeing what they do is a lot more fun, especially when it's from the perspective of a child.  Growing Up Wild is a DVD series (my latest Schoolhouse Review Crew product) that does just that.

In Growing Up Wild you follow the every day life of the Wild family children who live in Papau Indonesia with their parents who are missionaries there.  I reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 4.  Each video has 3 episodes that are about 15 minutes long that share some aspect of their life on the mission field.  While they are narrated by the parents, they are mostly about the children's role and experiences there.  It's targeted for children ages 5 to 12 but I think it can be beneficial for any age.

Growing Up Wild Volume 1 contains the episodes Home Sweet Hut, Supply Trip, and Sun and Water.  It's really interesting to see how life is different living in Indonesia.  It's fun to watch them build a home out of what nature has provided them.  Taking a tour of their Hut you see what its like to live there but it's also interesting to see how they meld their own culture into their home as well as adopt the culture around them.  The video really gives a new perspective on every day activities we take for granted, such as going to to the store and even turning on the faucet.

Growing Up Wild Volume 4 contains the episodes Amazing World Around Us, Adventures in Culture, and Tribal Calling.  This one emphasizes the differences in our worlds by first showing us some of the amazing wonders of creation that they get to see each day.  I really loved how  it emphasized that while the gospel is cross cultural and relevant to us all our cultures are often different.  It really helps you examine what in your life is influenced by culture and what is influenced by God's Word.  The Tribal Calling was my favorite because it really expressed why there were there serving as missionaries. I loved it so much I shared it with our children's group at church too.

Each DVD also comes with an Activity Guide that has suggested activities for each segment.  You can gain further insight into God and His creation, study our differences in culture, explore some science, express yourself through art, go on a field trip, or fill out some charts and graphs.  There are many activities suggested to begin to peek your interest and they recommend you do many more.

We really enjoyed each episode of the DVD.  The intro music is very "catchy" and Gess would perk up whenever she heard it.  I think making each segment 15 minutes long was about perfect. Gess remained fully engaged and really learned from them.  I also love that everything was viewed through the eyes of the children.  It not only made it easier for the children to relate to it, but it shows them that children are an important part of missions too.

This is a great video for Christian families that embrace the differences in cultures while spreading the gospel. The Wild family truly embraces the culture of the Wano people and even allow their children to get their noses pierced.  It wasn't that I minded that so much, but watching them have it done was sort of stressful, but it was also very real. Our cultures are truly different, but God loves us as people and calls us all to obey His Word, not change our culture.  There certainly is a difference!  Here's the trailer so you can see a glimpse of what is in store in the series.


On a personal note I just wish there were more episodes on one video.  I either think that each video should come with 6 episodes or cost 1/2 as much.  When it's just about the price of a feature length film I would expect at least an hour and a half of video even if it comes with activity guides.  Of course everyone views prices differently and while that may not matter to some people, it does affect my decision to make (or not make) any additional purchases.

We did thoroughly enjoy the videos and I do like having this resource available not only for my home but also for my church. To learn more about Growing Up Wild visit their website.

You can also see what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought about it by clicking on the banner below.

Disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received the Growing Up Wild DVD Volume 1 and Volume 4 for giving my honest opinion and assessment of them in my review.  
Note: All pricing is current at the time of posting and is subject to change.