laurad1125 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 We're looking for a new Bible curriculum and I'm looking for suggestions. I want something that helps the boys learn the stories and messages in the Bible and how to begin understanding the lessons themselves rather than something that simply says, this is the story and this is what it means. Something that would help me lead discussions with them would be good and if it could include them both at the same time (1st and 5th grades) that would be even better. I need help/guidance with this, simply reading the Bible together and discussing it overwhelms me and probably won't get done.... :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysparkler Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 (edited) I recently picked up Unit 1 of Bible Study For All Ages ... I can't really recommend it yet since we haven't started it... but you might look into it. :) I like that you do one bible lesson, and the kids all have student pages for that lesson geared towards their own levels... and that it is bible-study based, not bible-story based. Edited July 19, 2009 by babysparkler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I absolutely love the Suffer Little Children series. There are 3 volumes that just go through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. There is a Bible passage to read aloud, then a summary of important points to go over with the kids, and a "Points to Remember" section that applies the lesson. There is also a memory verse for each day related to the lesson. It's designed to be done 4 days per week over a school year. The 2nd and 3rd volumes have related worksheets that having mapwork and matching/fill in type questions reviewing the lessons every 4 days. I can't say enough good things about it really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmwife Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I absolutely love the Suffer Little Children series. There are 3 volumes that just go through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. There is a Bible passage to read aloud, then a summary of important points to go over with the kids, and a "Points to Remember" section that applies the lesson. There is also a memory verse for each day related to the lesson. It's designed to be done 4 days per week over a school year. The 2nd and 3rd volumes have related worksheets that having mapwork and matching/fill in type questions reviewing the lessons every 4 days. I can't say enough good things about it really. May I ask some questions?:confused: I noticed that you are doing Show me Thy ways with your 9yo. How is that going? Could you spell out how you do a Suffer Little Children lesson. I need a lot of hand holding and this is the curriculum I want to use but when I take a peek at my friends it seems a little overwhelming? I just need a step by step approach to SLC. Also, do you do it for 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade and repeat with your younger child? I like that it is very WTM as far as repeating the cycle. One more thing, if you plan on going through the Show Me Thy ways route, where are you going in 7th grade? Any thoughts about down the road? Sorry for all the questions, just very curious about your approach. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYHokiemom Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I second Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This will be year 2 using it. Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 May I ask some questions?:confused:I noticed that you are doing Show me Thy ways with your 9yo. How is that going? Could you spell out how you do a Suffer Little Children lesson. I need a lot of hand holding and this is the curriculum I want to use but when I take a peek at my friends it seems a little overwhelming? I just need a step by step approach to SLC. Also, do you do it for 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade and repeat with your younger child? I like that it is very WTM as far as repeating the cycle. One more thing, if you plan on going through the Show Me Thy ways route, where are you going in 7th grade? Any thoughts about down the road? Sorry for all the questions, just very curious about your approach. Thank you! Show Me Thy Ways is going well with my 9 yo dd. She is doing it independently now. Her textbook gives her short readings for the day along with a discussion of the text. She has worksheets to complete after every few lessons like before. I used the Suffer Little Children series with her from the beginning and I am just starting with my almost 6yo ds. I start each lesson of Suffer Little Children by reading the passage highlighted for the day. If it is on the long side (like more than one chapter), I try to hit the highlights and move on to the discussion in the TM. It really holds your hand and shows you the important points to draw out from the reading. We discuss it together a bit and then I sum up with the "Points to Remember" section and we read the memory verse. For my ds's age, I use the memory verses as copywork sometimes. The 2nd and 3rd volumes have the workbooks. There is a worksheet for use after every 4th lesson. I copy those out and I bought a cheap Bible atlas for the mapwork. The questions are basically comprehension questions. I would go over any my dd couldn't remember from the lesson and show her where in the Bible she could find the answer. I used Suffer Little Children with my dd for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, and now that she has started 4th grade, we've begun Show Me Thy Ways. I started my ds a little early on SLC. He technically would be in Kindergarten this year because of cut-off dates, but he has a mid-September b-day, so he is doing a lot of 1st grade level stuff. I have utterly no idea what we are doing after Show Me Thy Ways. :001_smile: I will have to keep my eyes peeled. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmwife Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Show Me Thy Ways is going well with my 9 yo dd. She is doing it independently now. Her textbook gives her short readings for the day along with a discussion of the text. She has worksheets to complete after every few lessons like before. I used the Suffer Little Children series with her from the beginning and I am just starting with my almost 6yo ds. I start each lesson of Suffer Little Children by reading the passage highlighted for the day. If it is on the long side (like more than one chapter), I try to hit the highlights and move on to the discussion in the TM. It really holds your hand and shows you the important points to draw out from the reading. We discuss it together a bit and then I sum up with the "Points to Remember" section and we read the memory verse. For my ds's age, I use the memory verses as copywork sometimes. The 2nd and 3rd volumes have the workbooks. There is a worksheet for use after every 4th lesson. I copy those out and I bought a cheap Bible atlas for the mapwork. The questions are basically comprehension questions. I would go over any my dd couldn't remember from the lesson and show her where in the Bible she could find the answer. I used Suffer Little Children with my dd for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, and now that she has started 4th grade, we've begun Show Me Thy Ways. I started my ds a little early on SLC. He technically would be in Kindergarten this year because of cut-off dates, but he has a mid-September b-day, so he is doing a lot of 1st grade level stuff. I have utterly no idea what we are doing after Show Me Thy Ways. :001_smile: I will have to keep my eyes peeled. Hope that helps! Thank you for the reply! I have already purchased Show Me Thy Ways 4 for next year for my dd and I like the looks of it. I appreciate your encouragement in the SLC. I used her storybook Come, Ye Children a few years ago and really liked it. Maybe I need to look into SLC for next year with my littles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I LOVE CLE - particularly for grades 3 and up. I also love Proverbs People - a book you can buy through CBD. It's wonderful/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 10 yo dd and I have been using the Explorer's Bible series for the past two years and have found them to be very good. Within the series is Discovery, which is for grades 3-6. These lessons can be done corporately or individually from consumable workbooks. I like their use of maps especially, and the fact that the passage of scripture is printed in the workbook. (We also look it up in the Bible so dd is also having hands-on experience, especially if we want to read from more than one version of the Bible.) Anyway, someone here recommended this series to us, and I'm so glad they did because my dd is really learning her Bible. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominbc Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I second Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This will be year 2 using it. Love it! :iagree: We use it with the student pages. Love it here too!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckamy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 We have completed the first two books from Suffer Little Children and I also highly recommend it. It has taken us more than a school year to finish each book; there is so much in each book. I like using the Betty Lukens felt set along with SLC, especially with younger children. I like going through the lessons and marking the Bible verses beside the different points on the outline. Then I read a section from the outline and my daughter reads the scripture that it corresponds with. We prefer this over reading the whole passage at the beginning. Even without the felt set, this is a wonderful curriculum and my daughter has a very good understanding of the Bible and is also able to find the Bible passages quickly on her own. The suggested memory verses are good even if you only use them as copywork. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Here is a 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imhim Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 We used Explorer's Bible series for K-level, and my daughter was bored. My friend really likes Bible Study for All Ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaS Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I also, by the way, recommend both BSF and CBS children's programs.I'm not very good with a lot of the abbreviations. Could you tell me what these are? Thanks for the valuable information, as I too have been struggling with finding a good program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisasaysto Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I'm not very good with a lot of the abbreviations. Could you tell me what these are? I believe BSF is Bible Study Fellowship and CBS is Community Bible Study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaS Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmwife Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 We have completed the first two books from Suffer Little Children and I also highly recommend it. It has taken us more than a school year to finish each book; there is so much in each book. I like using the Betty Lukens felt set along with SLC, especially with younger children. I like going through the lessons and marking the Bible verses beside the different points on the outline. Then I read a section from the outline and my daughter reads the scripture that it corresponds with. We prefer this over reading the whole passage at the beginning. Even without the felt set, this is a wonderful curriculum and my daughter has a very good understanding of the Bible and is also able to find the Bible passages quickly on her own. The suggested memory verses are good even if you only use them as copywork. Amy Thanks Amy! I appreciate the ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessdmommy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Another user of Bible Study Guide for All Ages. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I'm not very good with a lot of the abbreviations. Could you tell me what these are? Thanks for the valuable information, as I too have been struggling with finding a good program. Bible Study Fellowship and Community Bible Study. Both are neighborhood Bible programs that meet weekly. Both are focused on in-depth study. If you are part of such a study, you do homework each day (usually takes just 15 minutes or so), then go to the meeting for small group discussion, an hour of in-depth teaching, and finally you read extensive commentary notes on the passage. By hitting the passage four times (homework, discussion, lecture, notes) you really learn a ton. Both organizations also have excellent children's programs. If you are interested in attending a lesson, you can easily locate a local class on their websites. http://www.bsfinternational.org/ http://www.communitybiblestudy.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 (edited) :iagree: We use it with the student pages. Love it here too!!!!! :iagree: ACK. I forgot that I can't quote a quote here LOL. We use Bible Study Guide for All Ages with the student pages too. Edited July 19, 2009 by razorbackmama added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 We love CLE for Bible. After trying a couple different ones, CLE was what the kids liked best. http://www.clp.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 My number one pick would have to be the Explorer's Bible study, which is available at 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. In my earlier post I mentioned the maps and scripture references, but Strider brought out some other really great points. We are getting a lot out of this way of learning Bible at our house. BTW, you can order these books from CBD and Rainbow Resource. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurad1125 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 I really appreciate all the feed back. I think we've settled on Bible Study Guide for All Ages. It seems like a good fit for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 We like Rod & Staff for 5-8. For youngers, we used cph.org's Voyages and Vos Story Bible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy+2 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Just thought I would throw this one in the mix... http://www.bibledraw.com/ :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneeK Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 We like Bible study for all age also. My favorite is Grapevine Bible study which is like Bible Study for all ages one but more hands on IMO. They both are around the same cost. Grapevine uses stick figures for the kiddos to draw, its alot of fun for the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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