Do I really need a Bible curriculum?

[Heather in Neverland]

I keep looking at all the various bible curricula out there for ds (5th grade) and some have too much busy work (ds is not crafty), some just aren't meaty enough, some have different doctrine than we do, spme are too pricey, etc.

 

So I started to think...can't I just have him read the bible and we can do discussion as a family? Do I really need an actual curriculum?

 

Isn't the Bible by itself enough?

[sagira]

:lurk5:

[Sahamamama]

Heather, I am trying to find something... oh, now where did I put that link... I have been looking for it, but do you think I can find it?

 

Well, my husband is getting ready for bed (early), so I don't have much time, but I'll put my two cents here now, and try to get back to this thread tomorrow.

 

The short answer, from my perspective is: No, you don't need a Bible curriculum. You do need:

 

1. A Bible reading plan (one that is realistic for a 5th grader).

2. A study Bible for a young person.

3. Bible maps.

4. A Bible concordance.

5. What the Bible Is All About (the youth version), by Henrietta Mears.

6. And that Bible reference tool/resource that I have on the tip of my tongue, but can't quite pin down... aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Don't you just hate that when that happens to you? Sorry, I'm having a retrieval problem with my brain.

 

I'll dream about this thread and get back to you tomorrow. :D

[Harriet Vane]

I do use Bible curriculum simply because it's a tool that makes my task easier. I have, in the past, written my own as well, for many of the reasons you stated.

 

Having said that, I am all for folks digging into the Bible itself. All too often we as Christians get all wrapped up in reading stuff ABOUT the Bible and our time with actual Bible text is minimal.

 

Here are some ideas for you:

 

I recommend a 3-step process. This can be done just in the course of discussion and need not be taxing or fancy.

 

Step one: Observation. Ask lots of easy-to-answer questions about the details of the text. Do not INTERPRET those details yet--just amass the basic facts of the passage. Who are the "characters" in this event? What happened? Discuss the timeline. What did so-and-so ask? What was the answer to that question? Where are they? You get the picture. Try for at least one observation per verse, more if they stand out to you.

 

Step two: Interpretation. Try to sum up the main point of the passage in one, short sentence. If there are important sub-points those can be discussed as well, but make your focus on finding one, short, main point. If the child is young you might ask a leading question like, "What does this passage tell us about how to treat others?" but if your kids are older (2nd or 3rd grade and up) keep your main point question more general.

 

Step three: Response or application. With this be careful that your kids don't learn a habit of skimming a passage for it's hidden behavioral "assignment." Sometimes you might choose an action response (like bringing muffins to an elderly neighbor) or other times you might respond in prayer or worship or journaling or whatever. Sometimes you might brainstorm potential actions but then choose not to act that day--you might choose to let that lesson just be something that's good to know.

 

Other ideas:

 

I have found that kids respond really well to drawing in response to a passage. They can cartoon events, or draw one thing, or perhaps draw examples of what behavior a passage teaches (like forgiveness). They could also choose the verse they think is the most important or the key verse, and decorate it with a pretty border or whatever.

 

Every now and then you can turn your discussion into a game by giving points for correct answers to the observation stage questions. Kids love an occasional contest.

 

A good study Bible can help you as the parent flesh out some background information for the kids. Use one that gives a lot of FACTS, not commentary (opinion). By this I mean information about the city or geographical region, or history, etc. A good Bible dictionary can also give you that information.

 

If you teach your kids to learn about God from the BIBLE ITSELF and from interaction with God (prayer, worship) you will have given them a tremendous gift. Good for you!

[G5052]

We read and discuss one chapter of the Bible at breakfast and one at lunch every day. Then DH does family devotions and prayer in the evening. For us, that's been straightforward and has achieved the desired results. As the kids have gotten older I've had them take turns reading aloud.

 

This year my oldest was asking for a more historical Old Testament course, so he's doing Rod and Staff Bible 5 on his own.

[Ellie]

and yes, the Bible is enough.

 

Parents have been teaching their dc things of God for thousands of years--hundreds of them B.C.--with nothing except God's Word, and often, not even that.

[JenParrish]

I do not think that you need a bible curriculum. I decided to use one because it makes my life easier. I have a guide line to follow and follow up activities / questions that help me "teach".

[Margo out of lurking]

Well, *I* don't think you need anything more. If you aren't discussing it with your dc, it really is just busy work at that age anyway, imo. While the little devotionals and dot to dots might be nice independent work, they probably aren't teaching to any depth.

 

I've always found that over the years my kids have enjoyed a variety of approaches for Bible time. We change course every few months. Sometimes we read aloud, taking turns, with each child paraphrasing. Other times I'll read and we'll just discuss. We might read stories of missionaries or other Christians in history. We might focus on one person and learn more about their specific time period. We've done a few different things that I've found online, reading the Bible and then using some of the online questions as helps for me. This year, my plan is to start with Our 24 Family Ways, but we'll just be using it as a guide. But I don't expect to stick with it all year through.

[Heather in Neverland]

These are some really great ideas ladies! Any suggestions for an age appropriate bible? Any favorites?

[mamakven]

No! totally not... BUT if you ever decide to, i can't reccommend highly enough this curriculum!! its AMAZING!! no busywork, good stuff. The bottom link is from the same gal, tips and stuff...

 

http://www.homeschoolingbible.com/

 

http://www.annesschoolplace.com/bible.htm

[Ellie]

when we're doing a Bible study, I want *real* scripture, KWIM? Remember that millions of children learned to read with the King James Version.

 

My first favorite translation is the New American Standard, followed by KJV. I think a Bible with large print and no commentary is a good choice for children.

[sweetbaby]

and yes, the Bible is enough.

 

Parents have been teaching their dc things of God for thousands of years--hundreds of them B.C.--with nothing except God's Word, and often, not even that.

 

:iagree: My littles had been using a formal curriculum last year but it didn't work out so we are doing a personal Bible study of the same. They love it because they actually spend more time in their Bibles.

[Scuff]

We all have a Young Explorer's Bible The print is a little larger, so they can see the words better and the youngers who can't read yet, like the pictures to look at. (though that can get distracting sometimes).

 

Translation is really a personal issue. I grew up with KJV and memorized much scripture with it. Didn't even know other versions existed until high school. However, I didn't understand it. I read the Bible on my own and heard it at church, but didn't understand much until I got my own NIV. Then I ate it up.

[Titus.Two.Five]

No! totally not... BUT if you ever decide to, i can't reccommend highly enough this curriculum!! its AMAZING!! no busywork, good stuff. The bottom link is from the same gal, tips and stuff...

 

http://www.homeschoolingbible.com/

 

http://www.annesschoolplace.com/bible.htm

 

 

 

 

Thank you! This looks wonderful (and it's Baptist in stance to boot!).

[Sahamamama]

Sorry, Heather, it took me so long to find this, but here's the other resource that I'd use along with a youth Bible to do Bible study with a 5th grader -- The Victor Journey through the Bible:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Journey-Through-Bible/dp/156476480X

 

We also like this immensely -- The Children's Illustrated Bible, by Selina Hastings (DK Publishers). We are using it now, and plan to continue using it right on up through late grammar school:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Illustrated-Bible-Selina-Hastings/dp/0756602610/ref=pd_sim_b_40

 

It's a children's Bible, so your son might be beyond it to some extent, but the text is well-written and taken (mostly) straight from the Bible, while the illustrations are excellent and help the student to grasp the setting and context of the Bible stories.

 

Another resource we have enjoyed using is The Ancient World of the Bible by Malcolm Day (1994). Your library might have it. This book helps the student to understand the background of the Bible. Here's a link to Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-World-Bible-Malcolm-Day/dp/067085607X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220056321&sr=1-1

 

Hope that helps. Sorry it took me so long to remember "Victor." I had the biggest BLANK in that part of my brain!

[Missouri Mama]

I know what you mean. However, I found curriculum like the Greenleaf Guide to the Old Testament extremely beneficial because it forced us to read passages in more than a cursory way. Perhaps, you could design a set of questions/criteria to determine what you want to get out of the Bible so that you have a format to work with. Otherwise, I think there's a tendency to not get the meat out of the chpts/books.

[magistramom]

I do not think you need a curriculum, and think that if you feel inspired to go with the Good Book, then that is where you should start. It can be used for spelling, memorization, teaching poetry (Psalms), history (esp. OT), geography, and other areas.

 

If you are interested in reading an easier version, try reading THE MESSAGE with your children. You can find it virtually everywhere - Target, Wal*mart, book stores...

[magistramom]

Oooh, oooh, oooh! The Victor Journey Through the Bible! Yes:) do this one before The Message.

[karensk]

Any suggestions for an age appropriate bible? Any favorites?

 

I like an updated NASB which includes some of Kay Arthur's study suggestions (how to mark up a passage and take notes on it). Each chapter has a space where you write your own chapter description. The text is in a single column instead of double columns; the margins are wide enough to write your notes. The font is as large as many Bibles marketed as "large print" and is larger than the font in many children's Bibles.

 

But one of the things I don't like about the NASB is that it's less readable than most other versions. This isn't an issue when dh or I read the passage together with the kids, where we can explain some of the stuff. However, if I want to assign large amounts of independent reading where they're to understand the main events, characters and ideas, I prefer something like NIV or even The Message (as a supplement to the Bible). I'm going to need to buy a new Bible for ds11, and one possibility is this NIV student Bible.

 

Some considerations are: What's your favorite version to use for memory work? Do you want to use that same version for independent reading? Do you want larger font size? Will the student write notes in his Bible (inductive study method)? Will the Bible mainly be used for read-aloud & discussion time?

 

In selecting your resource books, some things to think about: Will your ds be studying particular books of the Bible or a theme/topic? Have y'all already selected which (if any) books you'll be studying?

 

We have the Victor Journey Through the Bible, which is easy to use. My favorite Bible atlas is The Holman Bible Atlas; it has the most detailed maps for the most number of events (I had looked at ~20 different Bible atlases several years ago).

 

One resource I recently purchased is from the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Series. It's in full-color (important to me!), like The Victor Journey Through the Bible, but focuses on Corinthians, whereas the Victor book has a little about every book of the Bible. This series might work better if you're only studying one or two books in a very in-depth way. If you're doing an overview of the Bible, the Victor book seems more suitable.

 

HTH!

[FloridaLisa]

We read through the Bible as a family and it's one of my favorite times. I try very, very hard to keep it first thing in the morning despite the pressure many times to "get to" math or other pressing academics.

 

Start with a book in the Bible that you would like to study. Genesis is excellent or one of the Gospels or another book the Lord is leading you to study. We read through a short portion, perhaps one or two of the parables and then discuss it. Three questions that often helps in dissecting the passage:

 

1) WHAT is happening? Who is involved? What is the problem?

2) WHAT does it mean? What message is given?

3) WHAT does it mean TO ME? What is the personal application?

 

These simple times each morning studying the Word with my children have probably been one of THE most fruitful times in my adult life.

 

HTH,

Lisa

 

ETA: As I'm now reading through other responses, I see that Strider fleshed out theses three questions very well! Great minds and all . . . ;o)

[Rosy]

I don't think kids are ever too young to start hearing and reading the actual Bible. We stopped using kids' Bibles for devotions about a year ago and I love it. I feel like my kids are becoming familiar and comfortable with God's Word, learning how to understand and apply it. But for school, I like using a curriculum.

 

I think the Discover 4 Yourself curriculum is fantastic because it teaches kids HOW to study the Bible, rather than spoon-feeding them answers. No crafts, no games, no cheesy object lessons--just the Word with some help in interpreting and applying it. I like using a curriculum because I think it helps direct their thinking. For me, it's just like using a book in a women's Bible study--you don't have to, but they really add a lot.

 

So I would say you can go without a curriculum, but I personally feel that they add a lot to anyone's study of Scripture, and especially a child's.

[Lori D.]

1. Start with praise and worship (3-5 minutes)

 

- a song from a praise CD

- play a song downloaded from I-Tunes (or others)

- google search for midi files of a song and play via your computer (example of a search: "Amazing Grace, midi file")

- play/sing with instruments if your family is musical

- I wanted us to learn some hymns (our church music is all contemporary) because of the GREAT doctrine and praise of who God is in the lyrics, so we used the book "101 Hymn Stories" to launch us -- but a good Hymnal would have worked just as well. What an awesome experience to sing "All Creatures of Our God and King" or "Be Thou My Vision", joining our voices to the voice of The Church which has sung those hymns and others for hundreds of years!

 

 

2. Personal journal (5 minutes)

 

After a praise song, we take a moment to jot down:

- 3 things we are thankful for (required that it be different things all week, and that 1 thing would be an aspect of God's character -- who He is) -- to help us develop the attitude of gratitude

- 1 way we saw God working in the last 24 hours (specific prayer answered; gift of a beautiful sunset; protection in a situation; brought a person to mind to pray for or serve; helped me with my attitude; etc.) -- to help us be daily looking for the Lord's working in our lives. If someone absolutely didn't see something, I don't force that. But to prevent that from becoming a pattern, I start suggesting things either from their "thankful" items, or prompt them from things I saw happen; I think this is a hard thing to "see" at first for children -- how God (who is intangible Spirit) was "visibly" working.

 

 

 

3. Read/Discuss a short Bible passage (10-15 minutes to read/jot down; 10 minutes to discuss)

 

First briefly pray that the Holy Spirit would help everyone set aside any distracting thoughts and give us focus; and that the Holy Spirit would enlighten us, open our eyes and hearts to see, hear and understand God's Word. After reading the passage, in the personal journal, we jot down the following, and use it for discussion:

1. reference of the passage we read (on average, about 20 verses long)

2. key verse or verses -- most meaningful to me; most powerful thought; etc.

3. summarize what the verse(s) actually said

4. summarize what a spiritual meaning we saw in the verse(s)

5. write a short, simple, specific personal application -- how I will put this truth into practice today

 

 

4. Share praise reports/prayer requests and pray together (5-10 minutes)

 

- Start with praise for who God is and what He has done.

- Daily requests for our immediate family; once a week on different day of the week pray for: extended family; neighbors; friends; church leadership; country leadership

- We jot prayer requests (in just a few words) in the personal journal, and then go back and add in how God answered those prayers -- great record of seeing the Lord at work!

 

 

All together, Bible takes us 30-45 minutes, depending on discussion or prayer time. I'm hoping this format is helping our sons learn how to have their own daily devotional time with the Lord; to set a lifelong pattern. : ) May your family Bible time be as deep of a blessing to your family as it has been to ours! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

Helpful but not critical resources:

- Bible atlas

- concordance

- Bible commentary

- Kay Arthur's "Learn How to Study the Bible for Yourself"

[keithfamily5]

We read the Bible passage together (usually a chapter at a time). They actually read most of it, themselves. We talk about what was going on, how the people might have felt, what would you have done, how hard would it had been to obey God, etc. The other day we were reading in Exodus about the manna God fed the Israelites with and they read the word "evaporate", so I decided to see if they remembered what it meant. Of course not :tongue_smilie:. So, we stopped where we were and discussed the process of evaporation. (can you say: "mini science lesson") Once they had a grasp of that, we kept reading. We do have a set (kind of like encyclopedias) that someone gave us. I think it's out of print now. It's called the Book of Life by Zondervan. We only use it to look at the pictures and captions (actual pictures from the holy lands, Bedouin people and how they live today) and then we'll read the Bible Comes Alive section, which is kind of like a mini history lesson. We basically read from our Bibles the section that is paraphrased in the Book of Life, (the kids retain more reading from their Bibles). We always pray before and after and I've started having them read the same Psalm every morning before our Bible study time. My oldest has it memorized already. (just a couple of weeks) We could do outlining and more digging, but my heart is that I just want them to love the Word of God, to be in His Word daily, and to hide His Word in their hearts. As they mature, we will do more in depth "studies", but I wouldn't replace our Bible time right now. I have friends that agonize over their Bible curriculum. What we do, works for us and our goals.

 

I hope that all sounded okay. All of that to say, yes! You can just read the Bible. There is no better textbook!

 

Patty

 

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