Every single day for the past few months my kids ask this question, “Can we listen to an Odyssey?”. While we’re cooking dinner, eating breakfast, doing chores, in the car or just hanging out at home. They want to listen to an Odyssey.
Lydia and Asa eating lunch on the floor next to the computer. So they can listen to Odyssey more closely, of course.
If you’ve been around here for any stretch of time, I’ve probably mentioned “Odyssey” or better known as Adventures in Odyssey. It’s a family radio drama about a town called Odyssey, a man named John Avery Whittaker who owns a discovery emporium/ice cream shoppe and all the kids and adults who make up this town, have adventures and ultimately learn about God and His Word.
Plus, they are high-quality with really amazing voice actors (like Scrooge McDuck, Chilly from DocMcStuffins, Owl from Winnie the Pooh and more!) and the lessons are just…oh, I wish I could describe them! They are just spot on and perfect conversation starters for you and your kids!
OK, but here’s the thing. If you want to listen to Odyssey, you have to find it on the radio. (Huh? What’s that?!) Or buy the CDs which are like $25 each. Which is fine, but honestly, even if I wanted to spend the money, I just forget to buy them. The stores don’t have every single album (there are like 50+) and I dunno, in this age of instant podcasts and free streaming on Spotify, wrangling an album of CDs is too hard for me to figure out!
So, earlier this year I heard that Odyssey was going to start this Adventures in Odyssey Club where you could have access to EVERY SINGLE Adventures in Odyssey episode on your mobile device or computer. Whoa. I signed up the day it began and was in Odyssey-heaven. All the episodes I listened to as a kid (even the ones that have been sent to the archives because they weren’t quite right) were there, plus all the others I’ve been dying to listen to for the past 20 years. (Literally. 20 years. I am old.)
From the time we joined I think we have listened to 14 albums. That’s like…I don’t even know…225+ episodes! There have been days we’ve listened to five in one day. OK, that might be a little overkill but do you know how much I love my kids doing their chores while listening to a story about kids obeying their parents, loving their friends and learning God’s Word?!
There is so much cool stuff about the Adventures in Odyssey Club that I thought I’d show you around in a little screencast. Ready? Here we go…
 (subscribers click over to see the screencast!)
Isn’t that fun?! Ohmygoodnes, I love it.
Now, just 2 more things:
1. The AIO Club does cost money. It’s usually less than $10 per month. Which does seem like a lot. But, I listened to a podcast with some of the creators of the OAC and they said that one big reason they did this club was to be able to showcase and support the ministries of their special adventures. So, I see my $10 as supporting Adventures in Odyssey and that ministry. Money well spent given.
2. Guess what else is included in your membership? A free subscription to Clubhouse Magazine! Y’ALL!! I can’t get over how much I love this.
The Odyssey Adventure Club is perfect for road trips and otherwise hanging around the house this summer! Are you an Adventures in Odyssey fan? And please, let me know if you sign up and how you like it!
See more of my Adventures in Odyssey posts including super fun activities and a new album!
 I wrote this post out of my great love and admiration for the OAC and bought the subscription myself. However, I’m also part of the LitFuse OAC Blogger team and am writing about OAC as part of a sponsored campaign.
Oh my… My boys are beyond ecstatic. We have one of the old cassette sets and have listened to it a bazillion times. Now to just get a smart phone, so we can listen to this on the road… 🙂
I know this is silly, but I want this for me! We’ve been listening to old Odyssey tapes (Yes. TAPES.) in the van that belonged to my sister when she was a kid. And I want to know what happened in between those episodes!!
Uh, me, too! I want to listen to it w/o the kids!
a
So excited to hear this! We used to sit I the parked car in the garage just to listen to Adventures in Oddessy! What a blessing it will be for my son to have the opportunity to listen to such amazing testimony through fun & exciting stories, just like his mommy did when she was little! I hope it stays around long enough for him to enjoy it (he’s only 16 months right now)
Another listening option…maybe as a “before you purchase a subscription trial”…the Apple podcast app has several free episodes. You can find them on their website as well. They’re not in any order, but it’s a good trial to see if your kids like it. I am definitely going to do a subscription, at least to try on our road trip vacation, I loved AiO when I was younger. 🙂
Thanks Amanda! 🙂
You can also hear several free episodes at http://whitsend.org and click LISTEN NOW. These are the episodes that would be playing on the radio. There’s a few to choose from but it’s unwieldy on a mobile for sure.
a
I meant to say, thanks, Samantha! Great idea! 🙂
a
This might be a crazy question but do you stream the episodes or download them?
You stream them. But on the app, I think you can save it to download it and listen to it on your phone. Does that help?
a
Our local Christian radio station plays episodes on Sunday nights (along with the Pond). We also have a His Kids radio (hiskids.net), which streams some great radio shows, too.
Hi Amanda, We just listened to underground railway on Odyssey and the kids loved it. Its a shame the Adventure Club is only available in the US.
Yay! I’m envisioning many summer afternoons listening to these! I could not figure out if I was signing up for a month-by-month subscription or a year. I know we are going to love it, but don’t know how long it will fit in the budget. Do you know if we can cancel anytime? Thanks so much!
Yeah, it’s month-by-month. I’m sure you can cancel anytime!
a
So very disappointed- this is not available in Canada. My son spends hours listening to Odyssey, this would have been perfect.
Bummer!!
This is fantastic! I purchased a compilation last year and my son (and I!) really enjoyed listening in the car. One question, since I know Asa is young, do you have any episode recommendations for the younger crowd? I know some of the content can be a little advanced for young listeners. (I had a time explaining false gods to my then-3-year-old!)
Oh my. We’ve listened to so many of them, I can’t think of any offhand…or rather, too many! 2 things: 1) Asa is young enough that most stuff tends to float right by him. Maybe it’s b/c he’s a boy, too? 2) You can see a description in the OAC of each episode (or go to http://whitsend.org and search for any episode) so you know what’s coming up. Oh, and I’m not afraid to stop an episode right in the middle if I realize it’s something I don’t want to talk about yet! Does that help?
Oh, that really helps! Thanks, Amanda! I’m looking forward to enjoying this with my kiddos. 🙂
I love this idea! and all your other ideas!! I have a 14 month old…do you have any suggestions of things I can do with him now? (Cant wait til he’s old enough for Truth in the Tinsel) I am a teacher and have the summer off (praise!) I want to be purposeful about teaching him Gods word now, especially during this precious time we will have together. Thanks in advance for any tips…. 🙂
Elyse, I’m not Amanda but saw your comment and thought I’d chime in. 🙂 I have a 23 month old and have wondered the same thing… sometimes I feel like I’m a little “ahead of the game” by reading blogs about older kids.
A few suggestions that have worked for us, or that I want to strive for, at least… overall, I think something great for you would be to work on establishing some simple habits NOW that will pay off in 6-12 months or a year or more. I know your school year will change things, but it’s easier to pick up with something you were doing previously than to start from scratch, so maybe this is a good time to start things, even if your little guy can’t fully understand them yet 🙂
1. read a Christian storybook every day. work on getting a collection together over the summer! (maybe check thrift shops, used bookstores, etc.). Kids’ Bibles are great, but honestly, with our daughter, I find it easier to read a stand-alone picture book than try to pick a story out of a bigger children’s Bible. So, for example, we have a few Berenstein Bears books with spiritual messages, some books for different holidays (Easter, Christmas), etc.
2. read a Bible story every day – this would be more from the a kids’ Bible – I know I said above that it’s hard, but of course, great if you do both!
3. Start memorizing a verse together as a family. We just started this a couple weeks ago, and we’re really enjoying it. I posted a few different places around the house – one in the shower in a ziploc baggie, one on the fridge, one on a poster, etc. I have seen really cute ideas on pinterest where you can get a picture frame with a glass front, put a piece of decorative paper inside (without too much of a print), and then use it as a “whiteboard” on your wall. We chose a really simple verse to start (I think Amanda has a list of 100 suggestions on the sidebar of this page) and I’m trying to say it aloud to my daughter as I think of it, and we say it at breakfast too. She’s still too young to join in saying it, but it’s good to say God’s word to her, and to be in the habit!
4. Put together a simple songbook of Christian songs (and maybe a playlist on your iPod or Pandora?) that are kid-friendly, whether this is Sunday school songs, hymns, or more modern worship songs. We’re trying to do a song every few weeks (for now, we picked one that coincided with our Bible verse). My husband and I sing it every night before bed to our daughter. It helped for my husband when I wrote out the verse – I tend to pick up on lyrics pretty quickly, but he likes to have it written down for him to see.
5. Have you tried the PraiseBaby DVDs? Those are fun and your son might be at the right age for them… they put pictures and videos along with worship songs (you watch on the tv). Pretty cute & nice for a quiet moment.
6. If you don’t regularly pray with your son, now is a good time to start… especially before meals, before bed, etc. This could be another something to incorporate into your routine!
7. We just recently made some popsicle sticks with 10 or so topics to pray about (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles, church friends, missionaries, etc.) and put them in a cup. Every night at bedtime, our daughter pulls a stick and we pray about it. She LOVES pulling the stick! Even though she doesn’t really know what it means, it’s a great way for her to be included (and she does know that it goes along with prayers – tonight before bed she asked for “sticks” and then folded her hands to pray). I have seen some similar ideas where you take a photo of people you love, put velcro on each one (on the back), store in a baggie, and then have a poster or something with velcro to stick a photo to each night or each week. Then you pray for that person. That might be even better for your son, who certainly would recognize a photo of grandma or a friend! 🙂
8. One final idea… I know you mentioned Truth in the Tinsel… I would guess that by December your little one might be old enough to do some of the basic parts of it – an abbreviated version. Since this is your free-est time of year, maybe put together the materials for it now, so it’s ready to go in December? My daughter was 18 months at Christmastime this past year, and I remember looking at Truth in the Tinsel (we own it already) and thinking, “I would do this with her, but I don’t have the materials ready to go.” So, that might be something you could get ready now!
Didn’t mean to hijack this comment – I just have a heart for people like you who want to do something NOW even with the littlest ones, because I’m in the same boat! (I feel like just now as my daughter is approaching 2 and becoming verbal, I can use a little more of the things i’ve read/thought about before now). So hopefully some of that might be helpful. 🙂