happypamama Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hi! A friend recommended this board to me. I'm looking for some Bible study suggestions for my daughter. She is 8, a very fluent reader, but she strongly detests a lot of writing. She is very familiar with basic Bible stories, and we have a good Scripture memory system in place. I'm looking for something that is a bit more along the Bible study/application lines. Ideally, I'd like something more than a quick devotional sort of thing but not quite as in-depth and grown-up-oriented as Polished Cornerstones (which also had too much writing for her tastes; I think we will look at that again in a few years). Since we have several younger children, I think something that could have her read/look up a few verses and then discuss them with me would be good, rather than something that needs me to sit right there the whole time with her. (We also have A Child's Book of Character Building, but I'm looking for a bit more than that.) We liked Susan and Richie Hunt's books a lot but have been through all of them. Sorry, this is a bit disjointed, I know. I guess I'm looking for something that will help her learn to look up things in the Bible and to synthesize them to see what she gets out of them. Any and all suggestions would be great! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallorie Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Kay Arthur inductive bible studies for kids has been recommended to me, and one of my ds's will start one tomorrow. My other two are starting CLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 What about the One Year Bible for Kids? It's basic--there is a passage to read and one or two questions to think about. You might have her read the passage and then just tell you what it's about, and tell you (or write in one sentence) the most important point. Here's a review I wrote of some other resources: 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. ****To this I will add: I have also been impressed by Positive Action for Christ. It's a topical study (meaning each study requires the student to look at a couple different areas of the Bible on one topic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We have not yet used it, but plan on starting with Covenantal Catechism on Monday when our academic year starts. I think it could be done orally with little to no writing. I only mention it as we've also liked the Hunt books and plan on using Polished Cornerstones/Plants Grown Up for our children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Wow, thank you all for the quick and helpful responses! That is exactly the kind of info I was hoping to find. The Kay Arthur books look good; I'll have to see if DD would like the puzzles and all, or if they're not her thing. I'm also thinking that the Explorer's Bible Study would be perfect; we could do it orally, and/or I could have her do fewer questions a day and take longer to work through it all. And thanks for mentioning the Covenantal Catechism; it sounds intriguing and worth a closer look too, might be just the ticket. I like the looks of the One Year Bible for Kids for her too, especially since the OYB for Children looks like it would be good for her younger brother. All the suggestions are much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) . Edited April 21, 2023 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 More great suggestions -- thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamma Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 My daughter and I are going through Personal Help For Girls by Pearables. In our family is really important that we are raising a woman of God...I like the focus on inner beauty, purity and doing all things for Him. Not the flashiest book, but my 9 year old loves it! http://www.christianbook.com/personal-volume-1-nurturing-virtuous-spirit/9780979244650/pd/244650?item_code=WW&netp_id=606123&event=ESRCN&view=details#curr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Strider, I wanted to thank you for the link to the Explorer Bible Studies. It is exactly what I have been looking for and just ordered one of the studies. I have become increasingly disillusioned with our current Bible program and am glad to replace it with this one.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twacademy2010 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Strider, I wanted to thank you for the link to the Explorer Bible Studies. It is exactly what I have been looking for and just ordered one of the studies. I have become increasingly disillusioned with our current Bible program and am glad to replace it with this one.:001_smile: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 This has been such a helpful thread to me; I'm glad others have been blessed by it as well. My mom (former homeschooler) immediately mentioned the Kay Arthur books as well, and she has some of those plus some others on the list. She's going to send them all to me, and I think I'll try them with/show them to DD and see what works best. I'll try to report back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Padfield Bible study is free and online at their website. Look for the Bible Study for Children link. We're using it and are very happy. It requires that the child be able to look up verses, read and discuss them. We do this and then answers are written for questions I've selected. We don't answer every question, as it is very in-depth. Very nice and free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonNative Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 You have already rec'd wonderful suggestions. I just wanted to pop in and say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Strider, I wanted to thank you for the link to the Explorer Bible Studies. It is exactly what I have been looking for and just ordered one of the studies. I have become increasingly disillusioned with our current Bible program and am glad to replace it with this one.:001_smile: :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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