Bible Curriculum Suggestions?

[Prewitt Family]

We understand SWB's reasons for not including Bible curriculum suggestions in TWTM. However, our local church doesn't have suggestions for a homeschool scope-and-sequence. So...does anyone have a suggestion for a classical method Bible curriculum? In case it helps, we're very conservative Baptists.

 

Thanks in advance,

The Prewitts

DS6 - 1st grade next year

DS3 - Pre-K next year

[JudoMom]

I'm contemplating using Through the Bible With My Child. I was going to use the Bible Study Guide for All Ages, but yesterday I found out that a friend's husband put this book together. It goes through the entire Bible in 4 years. You can download it for free, or buy it on Amazon for around $10. I like that it uses the Bible (and not excerpts or stories). It's supposed to be free of doctrinal slant. It's got maps and tests and recommends things to memorize as you come across them in your study. I wish it had timeline information included, but that should be easy enough to look up on my own.

 

ETA: Oops! It's around $15, not $10, for a book.

Edited June 26, 2009 by JudoMom

[kckamy]

My favorite Bible curriculum is by Children Desiring God Ministies, John Piper. Their curriculum is a bit pricey but I have a church that buys the material from me after I am finished.

 

http://www.childrendesiringgod.org/index.php (click on curriculum)

 

Since it is so expensive, I alternate with Suffer Little Children. http://www.rfpa.org/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=9 Don't let the grade levels throw you. We have finished the first two books and I have gone through the third book on my own. All ages can benifit from these books.

 

Amy

[HeatherLynn]

I like this program, it is what my family is using. :D

[Twelham]

You can download it for free, or buy it on Amazon for around $10.

 

Shouldn't bible study materials for children be free? I mean, it just seems wrong to make a bible curriculum prohibitively expensive. Thank you so much for the link and I think it's awesome that he has made the material available for no cost!

[twogirlsmommy]

I use Bible Study Guide for All Ages because it does include both kids. I like the review, the way the info is presented, the maps, and the additional student pages. There are 104 lessons in each book; there are 4 books. We take two days to do each lesson, so it has lasted us a long time.

[Julie in MN]

So...does anyone have a suggestion for a classical method Bible curriculum? In case it helps, we're very conservative Baptists.

 

Wouldn't a good classical method be to read the real Bible as an original source & outline it a bit each day? :)

 

P.S. We like the NIrV for slightly easier reading.

Edited June 26, 2009 by Julie in MN

[Harriet Vane]

Here is a Bible curriculum review I wrote:

 

When I evaluate a Bible curriculum, I look for what percentage of questions require the student to answer from the Bible text itself (I shoot for 2/3--most studies unfortunately only hit 50% or less), how factual versus opinion-based any notes are and to what degree there is denominational bias.

 

I also look for how much a good inductive process is reflected in the study--there should be factual observations, an opportunity to summarize the main point of the passage in one concise statement, and finally, application to real life.

 

I also think that younger children do well with circling the right answer, puzzles, and drawing in response to the text. However, as your child reaches fourth and fifth grades, their Bible study should include more short answer and independent work. (SWB's SOTW reflects this same progression--SOTW 1 has a lot of coloring and multiple choice on tests, whereas SOTW 4 has more short answer and not so many coloring pages.)

 

I have not found one single Bible curriculum or study anywhere, ever, that asks for a one-sentence summary of the main point of the passage. I highly advocate adding this feature in to whatever Bible study you use or teach, in any setting. A good way to do this with kids is to ask a question like, "What did you learn about God in this passage?" or "What do you think is the very most important lesson in this passage?" Keep it to one short sentence--there may be many subpoints that are good to know, but it is very valuable to be able to distinguish the main, most important point.

 

My number one pick would have to be the Explorer's Bible study, which is available at http://www.explorerbiblestudy.org. Many thanks to Jessica at Trivium Academy for recommending it. I was impressed. It has a good amount of factual observation questions, is very Bible-text focused but still includes some cultural/geographical/historical notes here and there, and has a small proportion of application questions in each unit. Information is presented from an evangelical perspective but seems more factual than opinionated. For those who may be familiar with Bible Study Fellowship or Community Bible Study, this curriculum follows the same pattern. Each unit is also laid out into five days of homework--a decently challenging but not overwhelming amount. Another key feature of this curriculum is the fact that there are corresponding adult studies as well. For a logic stage student either their older elementary OR high school study would be appropriate depending upon reading fluency and maturity.

 

I also, by the way, recommend both BSF and CBS children's programs. I evaluated both. I think the CBS program has slightly more challenging homework, but also really like the way older children and teens are led to do homiletics at the BSF meetings. (Homiletics is a process of generating an outline of the passage with a final, summary statement.) I recommend either program without reservation in addition to the Explorer's curriculum.

 

I also have used and liked Kay Arthur's Bible study series for children. My own dd has used several books in this series successfully this year. However, I would steer away from *How to Study the Bible* as it is unnecessarily wordy and proved to be quite challenging for the 4th-5th grade girls I taught. The material is not hard--the presentation of it in this book was terribly convoluted, though. If you choose to do that book, take two weeks per unit and plan on really holding your child's hand through it. The other books in the series are much easier and quite doable, though--we have been satisfied with several others in the series. These books have five or seven days of homework per unit, include both factual questions and marking things directly in biblical text, and some application.

 

After that, I consider Rod and Staff to be a decent alternative. There is a solid amount of factual questions and some good information on history/geography/culture. However, there is virtually no application, and no summary statement opportunity (none of those I reviewed include this). And, even at the older grades there is virtually no short answer--format is still multiple choice and simpler responses. There is more denominational bias in the notes but can be overcome by careful Bible study. This curriculum would be acceptable even if it's not my favorite.

 

Christian Light is a lot like Rod and Staff but not quite as challenging. I also thought Christian Liberty is a decent alternative.

 

I was really NOT impressed in the least with either Abeka or AlphaOmega and would not recommend those at all. They were simplistic, passive, lacked depth and do not require much from the student at any age.

 

One final thought--for high school I would gravitate towards the Explorer's adult series or towards NavPress study guides. I also think teens should be generating their own inductive notes (observation-interpretation statement--application) rather than passively responding to a Bible study guide.

 

There may well be other wonderful resources out there. This is just what I have reviewed. I'd be happy to answer any further questions.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Based on the ages of your kiddos, I would recommend simply reading through Egermeier's Bible Story Book. You can either have them narrate or use the questions in the back to discuss the story. There are free coloring pages for many of the stories here if they need to keep their hands busy while you read.

[siloam]

Another Bible Study Guide for All Ages fan here.

 

Heather

 

[WiseOwlKnits]

We're planning to use Alpha Omega and I like it personally. DD is very excited to get to start their 1st grade LIFEPAC this fall.

[Joy at Home]

Wow, I almost didn't click on this thread because I thought I knew most of them. Thanks for the great resources! I am particularly interested in the Foundations course. Can you tell me more about it? It looks like something I've been looking for.

 

I was also interated in Picture This for next year. Someone suggested this on this site and I thought it would be a nice change, especially for my artsy daughter. Anyone use this?

 

thanks so much!

Lisa

[Chris in VA]

I just want to comment that I don't think bs curriculum should be terribly expensive, but "the worker should be paid," so to speak--I have no problem compensating someone for the work they did.

 

Thanks for this thread--good to know there are things I haven't explored out there bs wise!

[Malenki]

This is too old for your eldest yet, but it may work eventually for you:

 

http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

[Joyful]

This has been a wonderful thread.

You have posted some resources that I have not seen before.

I'm adding them to the list of materials to research this summer

while we take our summer break. :)

 

Thanks!

[jetzmama]

We've done CBS (Community Bible Study) in the past, but just couldn't work it in last year. Bible was built into my 'cookie cutter' curriculum I tried last year and was, arguably, the best part of the program.

 

This year, I'm convicted that my very different kids will not be best served by another 'box' curriculum, so I've been researching a bunch of stuff. The Bible study I landed on is by Grapevine Press. Their tag line is something like 'stick figuring through the bible.' Sample lessons are available on their web site and if you email them, they'll send you some lessons throughout the summer to keep up the good habit.

 

My oldest is a multi style learner, but my middle is highly visual and my youngest will benefit from the concrete aspect of having to draw, however simply, the passages we read.

 

It simply takes you through whatever translation you prefer and allows you to teach your own interpretation/doctrine. The point: The Word is the text. This just gives a visual, concrete way to go through the Bible(and keeps those wandering minds engaged).

[jetzmama]

I forgot... about Grapevine...I couldn't get the link to order on their site to work, so I called my order in and found out they are doing a phone order discount this month (I just love the way God works:001_smile:). And, if you refer a friend, you get another break.

[aprilinparis]

You've got some wonderful suggestions here. Might I add that Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, CA offers free lessons and coloring pages that take you through most of the Bible? You'll find some great stuff that no other coloring book or curriculum has. You can add it into anything you're reading. You'll find entire lessons, but you can choose to just print the coloring pages if you want. Here's the link:

 

http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm

 

Blessings,

[greenmamato3]

is there a website for the GRAPEVINE press? i googled .... nothing comes up other than phone info.

[debbielong]

...but I didn't research this category, and have nothing to compare it to.

 

CS gave us exactly what I was looking for: a structured move through the Bible over 3-years. Each book is 25 lessons and each lesson has:

 

 

 

• Facts to know: a list of the primary people and places in the studied text. I have my children copy this onto 3x5 cards.
  
• Memory verse: and short answer questions to the memory verse.
  
• Comprehension questions: 5-8 short answer comprehension questions that cover the material
  
• Map work: finding places on a provided map.
  

 

A comprehensive review follows every five lessons. The reviews include a time line, and are very challenging. These books are perfect for my 5th and 7th graders. I do it orally with my 2nd grader.

 

There is no commentary at all and no denominational slant implied in any of the questions (that I can tell, so far). There are also no life application questions or narrative summary requirements (excellent ideas!!). The curriculum follows the Golden Children's Bible, but we use an NIrV.

 

Oh, and to handle what some folks might prefer to skip or gloss over for the youngest children - Sodom and Gomorrah, for example - these stories are revised and summarized inside the workbook.

 

I was looking for a "just the facts, ma'am" curriculum that went in order through the Bible, over several years, and CS fit the bill. We will complete the materials in less than three years, though, so we can start at the beginning of the Bible again when we return to ancients in 2011.

[CookieMonster]

is there a website for the GRAPEVINE press? i googled .... nothing comes up other than phone info.

 

It's Grapevine Studies.

 

If they choose me, I'll be doing a review for them. I'm very excited at the prospect of using their curriculum, since I've also struggled in finding something that really feels right. I like the looks of their stuff.