We used Grapevine Bible the last couple years, but we started slacking on it at the end of this year. I think it's getting boring. I saw Picture Smart Bible at our conference and thought it looked really cool. Anyone use this? Then, there is the bible reading verses in the Sonlight Instructor's Guide. We've never followed this, or the memorization - has anyone else? I've already paid for it, and my kids are getting older (8th and 6th grade) so I'm thinking of doing the verses from the Sonlight guide. If anyone has done that, do you have your children take written notes or journal at all? Or do you just read them, and memorize the memorization passage? What else is worth looking through? Thanks!
I really like God's Great Covenant. The Old Testament books say grades 3 and up but they work well all the way through middle school. The NT book says 4th and up and I would say that is more a middle school book. As for the Sonlight we have done their Bible for the younger grades. Not this coming year but the following one we will be going back to it for the Apologetic emphasis. I will have her do the Bible reading but I also plan to add in a family daily devotional.
We have been using and happy with the Christian Light Education Bible studies. They're in workbook form, 10 per school year. www.clp.org I believe you can see samples there and see what's covered each year. I have also used the 5th grade of Rod & Staff Bible. It's a one-workbook study guide to the Bible, starting in Genesis and ending with Samuel. I used it with a 7th grader and she found it challenging. The 6th grade picks up with King Saul and completes the OT. The 7th grade starts the NT, the Gospels and Acts, and the 8th grade finishes through Revelation. www.milestonebooks.com You can see sample pages there. I've always been intrigued by the books from Positive Action for Christ but haven't gotten around to using them yet. https://positiveaction.org/school
If I use Sonlight's Bible reading recommendations, we'd cover all of John, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel this year. I'm thinking of doing that, and then adding the coloring pages from Picture Smart Bible. But, I kind of feel like we have always taken such baby steps with learning our faith, and I leave so much of it to Sunday school. Does anyone do family bible study time, and if so how does it work for you? I could just read each day's verses with my kids and discuss them, but I also like structure. Sonlight doesn't have a good IG for bible - only recommended verses to read each day. Thanks for the great suggestions so far - looking into them now!
We use Picture Smart and LOVE it. It's an excellent overview of the Bible. We're almost done with the New Testament and so will be starting in another curriculum. However, the Picture Smart curriculum I could easily see being able to go back to later on again. It's designed to be used for children through adults.
I tend to try to not make Bible a "subject" as much as a Life Learning thing. My younger two do Keys For Kids devotionals every morning. My middle (son) is working through reading the entire Bible. For my oldest, I focus on growing up Godly. This year I found a devotional called Elements of Faith which will companion nicely with her taking Apologia's Chemistry. She will also do "Lies Young Women Believe and The Thruth That Sets them Free" Bible study/Book this year. I do not "grade" bible, I also do not read the journals my kids create during this time. I find that these can be deeply personal. I list the books (and for my high schooler the credit for completing it) int heir book list, but I don't grade it at all. Curious to see what others do.
Through 6th grade we use Christian Light Education. From there we use Won by One. Our doctrine differs from CLE's, but prior to 7th grade it's not an issue. We also use For Instruction In Righteousness by Doorposts. I use that as a springboard for my own lessons. Once my girls are done with Won by One, we will use Holy Women (High School). Our High School students are also allowed to take Bible Classes at our church's evening Bible School. I plan on my kids attending there once they reach HS (I know not every church as that option). Correspondance courses might be an option for you, too. If, for whatever reason, we move before our kids reach HS, I'll probably use the Correspondance option for our Bible School.
We had a Bible Curriculum when we first started out. But then my kids were doing AWANA, and that really did cover the basics. They spent so much time on it that I decided to just use it exclusively. It covers all the basic doctrine, not just learning WHAT to believe, but WHY, with Bible memorization to support the Biblical truths. The high school program also has you reading all the way through the Bible, in addition to the studies and memorization.
My daughter's been in AWANA for two years now, and we love it too. She's learned a great deal of scripture, which I think is important for our faith, but even more than that -- I love that it makes scripture part of our lifestyle. It's so fun that it's definitely the highlight of my daughter's week, and full of positive messages for kids regarding life choices. I love that our church offers it through high school, which I've found is a little unusual. Seems like the teen years are a great time to have kids choose a church program as a weekly social outlet! We've been using Bible Study Guide for all Ages as part of our daily curriculum (https://www.biblestudyguide.com/). It's engaging for young kids (I haven't seen their lessons for grades beyond elementary) and really detailed, including timeline and map work. There are songs with each lesson -- my daughter enjoys dancing around as part of the lesson. As a new Christian, they've also been really helpful for me! I've found the cost of Bible Study Guide for all Ages to be quite reasonable as well. Good luck finding the best fit for your family!
Thank you all! My step kids used to go to AWANA and they loved it. My church doesn't offer it - I should look to see if others allow non members to attend. I keep hearing so many positive things. My son will be going through confirmation this year at our Catholic church, so I know he'll be learning more in depth. But, as for a bible study, the program is a bit weak. He'll learn a lot about our church, and will do a lot of community service. Both good things, but I want to get more in depth with a bible study. Thank you all for your help! I think I've decided to use Sonlight's schedule as a guide and sit down and read and discuss it with my kids. I am strongly considering adding Picture Smart Bible for the books that we do study.
I've never seen a church require membership in order to attend AWANA. I would be shocked if any church required membership to attend, as this goes against the principles of the program. If you're looking for an AWANA program near you, the AWANA website has a locator that might be helpful: http://awana.org/club-finder
Most churches see AWANA as outreach, so generally you don't have to be a member to attend. There's a Catholic homeschool publisher, I think, but can't remember the name. They might have a good in-depth Bible study for kids....
Seton!!! Thanks, Hermione! That's what I was thinking of, but not being Catholic, I've never used it!
I also like Rod & Staff's 5th thru 8th grade series. They're not "for 5th grade" or anything like that ... the level on the book is simply when R&S chooses to throw that book into the mix. You can use/adapt it for any age capable of a workbook. In 4 years, you'll go all the way through the Bible, and along the way, also pick up mapping skills, research skills, Biblical vocabulary, historically significant culture/history that has an impact on the way the Bible was written, etc. It's a Mennonite curriculum, but I only found maaaaaaaybe 4-5 sentences that I didn't agree with (meaning, they were biased by a particular religion's beliefs rather than straight from the Bible and open for individual interpretation). For someone looking for entertainment (vivid pictures, scratch-the-surface stories, etc.), you'd want to look for an elementary curriculum, but for in-depth study, this is a wonderful series, and my son didn't find it boring at all. He loved it! I'm starting it with my second son next year.
