What kind of bible curriculum do you use?

[deeva58]

Just a quick question I'd like throw out there:

Is there a particular bible curriculum for primary grade level you really like, and if so why?

 

Thanks...

[Vanna]

Bob Jones - Bible Truths for Christians Schools and Abeka (sorry don't have the book nearby to tell you the title). Our children are ages 10, 8, and 6. I know he spent a lot of time at the last convention checking out the different options offered there.

 

Please let me know if you'd like more info on the Abeka (everybody is asleep right now so I can't ask them;)).

[BizyPenguin]

the devotional notebooking Bible CD-Rom from HoldThatThought.com right now. If we weren't using those, we'd just read the Bible and perhaps narrate, which is what PennyGardner.com suggests.

[Oakblossoms]

We are only using Dangerous Devotions right now. We have used the Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History before, but they were a bit too young. I really like the Greenleaf and would like to try it again once we are done with Dangerous Devotions. I'm looking forward to hearing some more though. I'm trying to figure out how to include some more studies into our week.

[dalynnrmc]

Christian Liberty Press, and I'm really happy with their middle grades. Our youngers will be coming up soon though, and I don't think their early primary books are "low" enough really. (Meaning, WAY too much reading for a first grader! And the reading is too difficult, at that.) So, I'm looking also for things at the K-2 levels. :) I'll keep an eye on this thread!

[Plaid Dad]

My preference is for Memoria Press's Christian Studies, which is written for grades 3-5 but can be used a bit before that. I like it because it focuses on biblical literacy, so it can be used by Christians of all sorts and even non-Christians who want their children to be familiar with the Bible. I much prefer to provide the doctrinal side myself, using commentaries and other materials that reflect my beliefs. Most curricula that say they are "just the Bible" still have a strong denominational slant, and nine times out of ten won't work for me for that reason. MP's program is the one out of ten that will.

[KIN]

I like Rod & Staff Bible readers for 1st-4th. They are great, combining age appropriate reading with workbooks for great reinforcement of the stories. They are also good for my boys b/c they have lots of different types of workbook answers - multiple choice, fill in the blank, crosswords, complete sentences, find the word in the text, etc. My boys don't do any other type of workbook/text subjects so this is good prep for test taking as well. It is also designed to be 2 subjects in 1 - Reading and Bible. I don't think you can get much better at these ages. I plan to continue Rod & Staff Bible for 5-8th.

[Melissa H. in GA]

We're using this along with the Bible in BLHFHG and Greenleaf Guide to Biblical History for my older.

 

Melissa

[Basketmaker Amy]

We go to Community Bible Study. Our CBS has a homeschool program for grades 1-8 and they study the same thing we do, with their lessons being adjusted to their age level. My boys and I love being able to study and share the same thing.

 

I don't know if they have one in your area, but I highly recommend checking it out. http://www.communitybiblestudy.org

[Testimony]

Currently, I am doing AWANA. It is a looot of scripture memorization and applying what you have learned in the truth in training section. I like the children getting the word in their hearts and learning how to apply it.

 

We are also reading the One Year Bible together. The children have to narrate back what they read.

 

In the past I used Christian Liberty's curriculum for bible teaching.:lurk5:

 

 

Blessings to you and your family,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Pongo]

"Leading Little Ones to God" with "The Jesus Storybook Bible" for prek-2nd

Then I moved into "Young Peacemakers" this year (I love it!), you have to order separately the comic books that dovetail with it. We do the lesson and then the kids read the comic books over and over. They are really well done. I am using it with my older 2 although my younger one is getting a lot from it. Lastly I plan on moving through the entire series of "Here in Is Love" that will probably take about 3 years.

[Susie in MS]

Right now I am using the Bible scheduled in Little Hands to Heaven by Heart of Dakota. I will most likely use the older levels as well. Bible is scheduled through out all of HOD's programs. I am not to the point of knowing if I will add to it or not with the older levels. I know it is very full at the LHTH level.

[Midwest Momma]

Here's a FREE one we used for K-3. http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm

 

There is a coloring page for each passage. I had the little ones color while I read the Scripture. Then I asked the questions. As they got better at reading, they took over my job and eventually did it all by themselves.

[liz]

To repeat what was said above, the kids learn good basic doctrine and memorize LOTS of verses.

 

I'd suugest you see if a church near you has an AWANA program. They meet weekly during the school year. Each meeting they say the verses they memorize, play active games, have a Bible lesson, and do some singing.:001_smile:

[elegantlion]

I have struggled with this. We don't use a "real" curriculum. I tried Bob Jones one year and ds hated doing one more workbook. this year we are going through the Proverbs and trying (with little success) of working through a book called 'Teaching Kids authentic worship' which I LOVE, but we just haven't been good about getting it done.

 

Next year we are going to read through Pilgrim's Progress and pull scripture from there and we are using MOH as well.

 

I may also use Lee Strobel's Case for.... books for kids. We would probably read those as a family.

[CookieMonster]

Here's a FREE one we used for K-3. http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm

 

There is a coloring page for each passage. I had the little ones color while I read the Scripture. Then I asked the questions. As they got better at reading, they took over my job and eventually did it all by themselves.

 

I'm a Calvary Chapelite and I didn't even know that this was available. Way cool.

[Harriet Vane]

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 was a lot like Rod and Staff but not quite as challenging. I also thought Christian Liberty was middle-range--not the greatest, but not terrible either.

 

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.

Reply With Quote

[pixelroper]

we use Memoria Press's Christian Studies- I love it for the same reasons as Plaid Dad- and dd gets to use my Bible from childhood. Golden Press "Children's Bible," as it was titled then.

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

Don't really use a *curriculum* for Bible, but we do use things such as:

 

The King James Bible

Abeka Flash A Cards in the morning

Rod and Staff Bible Readers at Night

 

For devotions here and there we like:

Little Visits with God

Training Hearts, Teaching Minds

 

I plan to go thru the Doctorines for Today from Abeka with my older 2 soon.

[buddhabelly]

I hope you can take a look at Bible for Children by Classical Academic Press. You can look at samples at their website. (This is the Latin for Children people.) We have finished it and were continually amazed at its high quality. Just the right amount of memory work, and I love the way that they tie the material together with "what does this tell us about God?" and also the various names of God (Elohim, etc.). The first book only covers Genesis through Ruth, but I shouldn't say "only" because we read the entire text of the Bible along with that. That kept us off the streets for a while.

 

Check it out -- it is extremely well-done. The next volume of it should be out this spring or early summer. We're looking forward to it. Oh, and we just purchased the student book, not the teacher book. The student book stands nicely on its own. There are lots of activities to help the child review and remember the lessons.

 

Julie

 

P.S. By the way, we certainly read some interesting things by not skipping anything in the Bible! Take a peek at Judges 19:23-30. Ew. Gross! And then a few chapters later, the poor women of Shiloh were all kidnapped by the Benjaminites to become their wives. :angry: (I guess the last sentence of Judges says it all: "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.")

[asher]

I 2nd Leading Little Ones to God. :lurk5:

[PariSarah]

I don't like any of the bible curricula I've seen.

 

I'm content with all that my church does, catechism-wise, but I've never found anything I really like for home. So, this year, for fourth grade, I decided to have him do an illuminated manuscript of the Gospel of Mark, using the New Living Translation.

 

We did a little looking at medieval illuminated manuscripts of the Bible, and then we went to a presentation on the St. John's Bible.

 

So, with a little inspiration from those two sources, I had him start to copy and "illuminate" the Gospel of Mark. Truth to tell, at the moment that kind of means drawing a picture every couple of pages--it's not quite as nice as I was imagining. But anyway, he copies as many verses as he can in 20 minutes, as neatly as possible (this is also his penmanship practice), and illustrates it when he gets to a point where he wants to do that. (If I were more artistically inclined, I'd be putting some effort into teaching him things like perspective and different materials and so on, but I'm pretty lame-o, so his drawings are pretty lame-o too.)

 

And then we talk about it. Every time he finishes a section (say, one parable, or a healing story), we chat a bit. It's informal, but that's what I was going for--I wanted him to experience the word itself. I wanted him to see the Jesus that's there, in the gospel, without it being repackaged and predigested by some curriculum company.

[Trivium Academy]

We have loved Explorer's Bible Study, Beginnings I and II. It is a complete curriculum without crafts and time-consuming, busy work extras. Bible story, scripture, questions, character training through Biblical thinking, songs aligned in Beginnings I.

 

Before using Explorer's we (dd7 and I) went through Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schooland, and a few other books such as Kenneth Taylor's Right Choices and Big Thoughts for Little People.

 

With ds3, I'm using Tomie De Paola's Bible Stories and then we'll go through Kenneth Taylor's book, Storytime with the Millers, Wisdom with the Millers and then move on to Leading Little Ones to God before starting Explorer's. I want to study Old Testament when we're learning about the Ancients.

 

I love that Explorer's is a complete program which progresses with the child as they grow, dd7 will start the Discovery level next year in 3rd grade and I'm excited to be using scripture passages instead of Bible stories.

 

I'm a pastor's wife but also first generation Christian in my own family so I didn't have anything beyond visiting friends' churches and reading The Bible Story in doctor's offices growing up. I did watch Super Book on TV and loved it. :001_wub: Explorer's is perfect for me to be the mother/teacher that my children need without going overboard.

 

Another thing we've loved is The Story Keepers DVDs,

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=05954&netp_id=353313&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

 

oh! they have Super Book at Christianbook.com!

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=008646&netp_id=436535&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

 

Of course the DVDs aren't a curriculum but we've loved watching them. The kids received The Story Keepers DVDs for Christmas and have asked if there is any more. We do not have the Easter and Christmas one yet.

[MelissaMinNC]

I really like Bible Study Fellowship. DD and I were doing this together (there are separate classes for moms and kids, but at the same place and time), but now just I am doing it - dd was a bit young to handle the late night. However, it's a wonderful program, and I fully plan on using it again next year - being more careful to guard our schedule and hopefully manage our time better.

 

http://www.bsfinternational.org

 

:)

Melissa

[deeinfl]

I like it because it goes through old testament stories and new testament stories in a year. I like that there is application to what you are learning and I love that the worksheets reinforce the story in a form that the child can retell, and that is, after all, what I'm looking for. I want my child to remember details from the bible story/stories. I love that there is a memory section that reviews everything that was learned up until that moment. And my very favorite part is that you actually read the bible to your child, not some watered down version of the Word.

 

I would love to tell you more, but we just started it. I wish I had seen this before. You can see sample pages at biblestudyguide.com. Right now I am using the worksheets without the teacher's manual. It's good enough for me to want to get the tm, even though many use it without. If you plan on using this throughout their jr. high years, I would also get the tm.

 

HTH,

 

Dee in Sunny FL!

[jail warden]

I really like it and plan to continue until 8th grade, when R&S is done.

[Angie in VA]

The kids received The Story Keepers DVDs for Christmas and have asked if there is any more. We do not have the Easter and Christmas one yet.

 

We have the Easter one and LOVE it. We ALL tear up from one song on there.

[prairiegirl]

I am using Leading Little Ones to God with my 5 and 7 yr. old as well as MP's Christian Studies with my 8 yr old. We are enjoying both programs.

 

 

Julia

mom of 3 (8,7,5)

[LisaKinVA]

We use the Veritas Cards as a "spine" -- and we read from the Children's Store Bible and the BLUE Bible Story Books, and the Bible daily. This will go through 6th with my DS, and then we will repeat the earlier lessons for my then K-4, 2nd and 3rd graders.

 

7th & 8th Grade will be more in-depth OT/NT -- something like this:

 

7th Grade -- Norm Geisler's Survey of the OT, along with Dust to Glory, some OT studies on Creation, Joseph, 10 Commandments, Nehemiah, Jonah, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Proverbs, Prophets

8th Grade -- Geisler's Survey of the NT, along with Dust to Glory, some NT Studies Ephesians, James, Beattiudes, Parables of Christ, Hebrews, Romans, John...

 

9-12th will include Bible Study (on their own), and application/topical studies. 9th grade will focus on how we know we're saved, etc. 10th Grade is Church History, 11th Grade Some Theology/Christian Ethis and 12th grade apologetics and Theology -- something like this:

 

9th Grade -- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Assured by God, Knoing God's Will, Building a Christian Conscience, To Whom Much is Given -- Along with Bible Study.

 

10th Grade -- Church History, Developing Christian Character, Pleasing God, Battle fo our Minds, Knowing Scripture -- along with Bible Study

 

11th Grade -- Choosing My Religion, Christian Worldview, Consequences of Ideas, If There's a God, Christian Ethics, Some Theology -- along with Bible Study

 

12th Grade -- Apologetics & More Theology -- Along with Bible Study.

 

At least, this is what I have planned:D

[Quiver0f10]

I hope you can take a look at Bible for Children by Classical Academic Press. You can look at samples at their website. (This is the Latin for Children people.) We have finished it and were continually amazed at its high quality. Just the right amount of memory work, and I love the way that they tie the material together with "what does this tell us about God?" and also the various names of God (Elohim, etc.). The first book only covers Genesis through Ruth, but I shouldn't say "only" because we read the entire text of the Bible along with that. That kept us off the streets for a while.

 

Check it out -- it is extremely well-done. The next volume of it should be out this spring or early summer. We're looking forward to it. Oh, and we just purchased the student book, not the teacher book. The student book stands nicely on its own. There are lots of activities to help the child review and remember the lessons.

 

Julie

 

P.S. By the way, we certainly read some interesting things by not skipping anything in the Bible! Take a peek at Judges 19:23-30. Ew. Gross! And then a few chapters later, the poor women of Shiloh were all kidnapped by the Benjaminites to become their wives. :angry: (I guess the last sentence of Judges says it all: "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.")

 

What grades would you say this is geared for?

[angela in ohio]

We've used many things, and we've sort of settled on our own curriculum using many resources. We developed a K-12 plan of study for dc (untested and not highly developed past 7th grade at this point, LOL,) and we use that to guide us. The highlights:

 

Vos Story Bible read in K-1

 

Veritas Press Bible cards (with plenty of VP receommendations, including the Victor Journey through the Bible)

 

A LOT of memorization of facts, individual verses, and whole discourses and chapters

 

Catechism memorization in grades 1-5

 

Studying God's Word (CLP) levels C through H used over several years

[mcconnellboys]

I agree! And we've begun using this programming, as well.

 

Regena

[Jami]

Angela,

 

Could you tel me how you're using VP Cards and Studying God's Word? We're usingi Studying God's Word B right now and really like it. I was looking over the next levels today and they the sequence is somewhat different from VP it seems. An overview of OT stories in C and NT in D and then the chronological slower study starts in levels E-H, is that right? Do you just use the cards that coordinate with various chapters of Studying God's Word? Do you use the full VP Bible program or just the cards?

 

I'm just going to start calling my homeschool plan the "Angelina in Louisiana/Beth in Central TX/Angela in OH" plan! I'm stealing ideas from all of you left and right. :P

 

Jami

[Janis in DE]

We tried Explorer's Bible Study and didn't like it. We switched to Kay Arthur's Discover 4 Yourself and my daughter really likes this. She is finishing her second book on Revelations. She is in 5th Grade. We do TOG and will be getting a lot of Old Testement next year when we start back with Year 1, so I will limit any other Bible Study.

 

Janis in DE

[buddhabelly]

What grades would you say this is geared for?

 

Thanks for asking, because I completely forgot to put that in my post. It is best for second grade through fifth, in my mind. You can see samples at the website (Classical Academic Press). If you have children younger than second grade, they could participate orally. I am just so pleased it was published when my son was in third grade -- perfect level for him!

 

Oops, we can't edit the subject lines. It is Bible for Children, not Latin for Children!

 

Julie

[mom2abcd]

We really enjoyed the Vos Story Bible for the littles. We're taking a break now and using the Picture Bible, but will go back to Vos.

 

CPH's Voyages books are also great. http://www.cph.org

 

For upper levels (5-8) I really like Rod & Staff's Bible curriculum. It's based on the KJV, but we adapt it.

[ArwenA]

Prek and K: Beginners Bible and Book of Mormon Stories

1st-4th: Explorers Bible Study and Book of Mormon Stories

5th and 6th: Explorers Bible Study, Book of Mormon and Book of Mormon Stories if needed

7th plus: Explorers Bible Study and book of Mormon

[deeva58]

You guys, this has been an EXCELLENT and resourceful thread! Thank you so much for all who have responded...:)

 

I am vigorously bookmarking all of the websites and taking notes on resources you've listed.

 

So far I like Explorers...we are using it now. It's very easy, no fussy business with crafts and such, but my daughter would like more crafts and hands-on materials so I print out coloring sheets from calvarywilliamsport.com

 

I would like to try some of the Kay Arthur studies perhaps next year.