Mr. Livingstone I Presume?

History is not one of those subjects that I enjoyed studying as a child and I think I may have passed this on to my kids. Drat! However, as I was flipping through all 54 of the new messages in my inbox. (Yeah, I don’t check email a lot.) A message from the History channel popped up. I’m not sure what came over me, maybe I hit the wrong button. (That’s the only thing that makes any kind of sense.)  Whatever the case, I opened it and started reading and I’ll be darned if I wasn’t actually interested.

Expedition Africa is a reality based TV show where 4 explorers retrace the steps of Sir Henry Morton Stanley’s journey to find famed explorer David Livingstone in Tanzania. Technology be damned because they are only armed with a compass and a pretty basic looking map. We pulled out pillows and blankets and hunkered down to watch what would unfold. We were surprised that the History channel felt the need to have the Navigator explain what a compass is and what it does. Does the majority of the population not really know about magnetic north and degrees? I suppose not. 

We absolutely loved the Wildlife Expert! I know that Rhiannon identified with her love for nature and animals. The spitting cobras made the top of Ronin’s “coolest thing to see on TV but don’t want to see in real life” list. While the Maasai Warriors were my favorite throughout. They were so regal looking no matter what the situation. I loved the fact that they were so relaxed about fighting lions and wildlife. To be so calm…

I highly recommend the show and we give it two thumbs up here at Chez Homeschool. It’s a great launching point to talk about cultural differences, geography, history, and even orienteering. Oh and if you’re historically impaired just like me, the History channel even made up an Educator’s guide so that we can cheat our way through.