Bible Study Guide for All Ages

Sound familiar to you?  If you have been around Family, Faith and Fridays for a while now, you may remember that we reviewed Bible Study Guide For All Ages years ago, when our youngest was just 6.  At that time we were using the beginner level, but this review time we have been using the Advanced level, intended for 5th and 6th graders.  Spoiler alert- loved it then, love it now.

So what is it?  
The Bible Study Guide For All Ages is a Bible curriculum for groups or individuals that comes in four levels- Beginner (3-K), Primary (1st-2nd), Intermediate (3rd-4th), and Advanced (5th-6th).  If completed you will cover the Old and New Testaments in 416 lessons.  If you are teaching separate ages, the different levels run the same allowing you to cater to each child at their individual level.

There are two main parts to the program- the Teacher's Guide and the Student Pages.  You will complete the front and back for one lesson.  The student pages are consumable so you need a set for each student, and the Teacher's guide pages are identical to those pages, except they have the answers as well as any extra information that might be helpful in teaching, such as what parts of the time line need to be added if you are using that resource and what places need to be added to the wall map if you are using that.  Additional scriptures are listed for your reference as well as a place for you to add any additional notes you may want to use while teaching.

You can also buy a pack of Bible Book Summary cards, as well as a CD with original songs on it to help with memory work.



If you have the room, there is also a wall map and time line set that is to die for!  Seriously, makes me long for a dedicated school room to put it all up on the wall.





How have we used it?
Because our oldest son has grown out of the age range for this program, Colby, age 11, got to use it alone this time around. He is perfectly capable of doing the lesson by himself, but for the most part we did the lessons together, 2-3 a week depending on our schedule.

Each lesson begins with a Remember It? section, reviewing what you learned in the previous lesson.  There are spaces on the student pages for your student to write down the answers.

Following that there is the Memory Workout section.  Here your child reviews 2 things they have learned, whether a song, divisions of the New Testament, or something similar.  Every few days those are changed up a bit to keep it interesting.

The Guess What... section gives additional historical information such as why a firstborn child was considered special (when the father died he was given twice as much as other children) or what a cupbearer's responsibility was (to taste the king's food and wine to make sure it wasn't poisoned.)

The Time Line Activities or Map follow and have your child filling in details of the time line that is on their page, or labeling the map with places talked about in the lesson.

Get Active is intended to further explain the lesson, usually with group activities.  These are usually active lessons, requiring your child's participation. Since we are using this with just one child, I read ahead and see if there is an activity he can do alone or just with me.  It is hit or miss, but I will say that if you are teaching in a group setting the activities are great for getting kids up and active.  It would be a good way to either start the lesson or give kids a creative break in the middle.You know how squirmy Sunday School kids can get!

The last section on this front page is Apply It!  Here your child looks up a scripture and answers a few questions.  It always ends asking the child how this applies to their life or what is God saying to them.

On the back side of the page is where your child can really work independently- Discover the Bible.  It begins with the Bible chapter being studied, and I take that time to read to Colby.  He then works through the numbered questions one at a time and asks me if he needs help or is confused by anything.  Often the questions require just a one or two word answer, but your child will also be asked to draw pictures and look up scriptures.

I love that, while the content of the study is thorough and makes Colby think not only about what he is learning but also encourages him to think how to apply it to his own life, it is also lighthearted and fun enough to keep him from being overwhelmed with busy work.  The pictures often make him laugh and he is still young enough to enjoy drawing quick pictures.

My only complaint with this curriculum is the page size.  Silly I know, but you know how particular we homeschool moms can be! ;)  The pages are approximately 8.5x14 and therefore awkward to store on a shelf with our other books and notebooks.  I can see how this size would benefit a larger group setting, but I would love to see a version made that uses the typical 8x11 page that could be hole punched and added to a three ring notebook.  Not a show stopper, but it would be a perk.

Regardless of the page size, we are enjoying Bible Study Guide For All Ages and look forward to continuing to work through the additional lessons!

Weave Your Word in Me- Bible Study for TWEENS Review

Bible and Bible study are a big part of our lives.  From the time the kids are little, we read the Bible to them, we study it together as a family nightly, and we encourage them to study and have personal Bible time on their own.  It's the "on their own" part that we find to be the hardest transition.  It is rather easy to impart Bible knowledge to someone when they are young, but to get them to dive into it on their own, well, that can be a challenge.  Especially at the picky age of TWEENS!

When I was introduced to the new Bible Study made especially for the Tween ages from Kid Niche Christian Books called Weave Your Word in Me-- Part 1, I was quite curious.  We have found studies in the past for older children that we are happy with, but that hard to reach tween age is different!  Yay for Homeschool Review Crew and the chance to review this new program!

Weave Your Word in Me, by Susan Case Bonner, is a 36 lesson Bible Study written around the Lord's Prayer and is meant for 4th-6th grade students.  It comes with a full color title page, and hole punched pages ready to be put into a three ring binder.  The Bible study guide can be purchased in 6 different translations and an answer key is located at the end of the study pages for easy and quick reference.

The study is further broken down into two parts- Part 1 (the one we reviewed) which covers God the Father and God the Son, and Part 2 which covers What God Wants and God the Holy Spirit. The table of contents is color coded and includes the theme for each unit, references which verse of the prayer, My Whole Self Before You is being studied.  The prayer, which is included in the first pages for you is a rhythmical prayer modeled after the Lord's Prayer.

Each individual lesson is 1-3 pages in length and includes colorful pictures to hold a young person's interest without crossing the line into being babyish.  The verse of the poem being studied is written in color in a box on the side of each page to help them remember what it is they are focusing their learning on.

Lessons begin with Bible reading and fill in the blank answers and other activities from the reading, as well as more in depth questions to get your child thinking. The lesson ends with a prayer that has blanks in it for your child to complete and then they can read as their own personal prayer to God.

In addition, there is an extra activity guide on the web site that has even more things to do.  From personal stories from the author to web links, to activities like stained glasses painting, this section will thrill the hands on children in your life or the ones that just want to dig in a little further.

What do we think?
Quite simply, I like it- a lot!  This is a beautiful product, well designed and well organized.  It is visually pleasing which I think is one easy way to either win over, or lose, a tween. While the information being studied is by no means simple, it is presented in a student-friendly way and does not require so much work they will consider it drudgery.

I love that the study focuses on God's Word, requiring the child look up various passages to be able to fill in the blanks, but also asks more in-depth questions like "what do you think?"  Other question forms include matching, true/false and putting events in the correct order.

I would have to say my favorite part of the study is actually the prayer at the end of each lesson.  At this particular age of tweens, they are just beginning to become more shy with their peers and even family, and more careful with their words, for fear of how they will sound or be perceived.  Teaching prayer is one of the times that we have seen this in particular in our house, and teaching a child HOW to pray can be tricky.  Providing a basic framework for each prayer and allowing a child to fill in with their particulars I think is an ingenious way to model what prayer looks like in a gentle, non-threatening way.

So, you may say, you do not have a tween currently, Michele! You are right!  Being the Product Manager of the Homeschool Review Crew has its privileges and I am thrilled that we could be blessed by a copy of this study regardless.  That being said, CJ and I, age 10 (him, not me!) did do a few weeks of this study together to check it out.  He is a Bible whiz and loves to look up verses, so we walked through a few lessons together.  Here is what I found-

With a little help, he could most certainly keep up, but he wasn't at the deep self-examination stage yet.  He did say he liked how it looked and what was being studied and liked having a study that seemed more “grown up “ from his current ones.  

I think in a few years, when we have hit that tween stage, he will be more than ready to conquer this study on his own!

And after all, isn't that what we want?  To be able to transition from parent-led study to child-led study?  I think Weave Your Word in Me-- Part 1 is perfect for that!

Teen Prasso Bible Study- Schoolhouse Crew Review

Prasso.  A Greek word that means to continually, repeatedly, or habitually practice.

There are many things in this world we need to practice for sure, but studying the Word of God is definitely high on our family's list.

Prasso Ministries recently blessed us with Teen Prasso Teacher's Manual and the accompanying Teen Prasso Homework Manual to learn to do just that.  Made with a teen student in mind, this Bible Study allows for teens to "unplug from the culture and engage truth in a format that relates to them."

The Teacher's Manual contains 13 lessons that help you teach and facilitate a group through this study.  Each lesson begins with an outline for quick reference that includes a key verse and message goal.  Each part of the lesson is then summarized, directing you when to open in prayer, read each specific part, open up discussion, and close in prayer.  The remaining pages of the lesson contain sections of a story to read that continue through the course of the program to hold interest, as well as sections labeled "The Message" that teach the lesson.  The message section is full of biblical accounts and scripture, as well as questions for the teacher to use to help facilitate discussion.  Also included in the Teacher Manual are teaching tips for many of the lessons.  The study is clearly set up for group teaching, but can be easily adapted for individual use as well.

The Homework Manual (Student Journal) is for the student so if you are using this study in a group setting, you will want one copy for each child.  It includes 12 chapters.

Lesson 1: God Your Heavenly Father

Lesson 2: God’s Love

Lesson 3: Why Doesn’t 1+2 Add Up in My Life?

Lesson 4: It’s All-Out War

Lesson 5: The Enemy’s Lies . . . And Where They Lead

Lesson 6: Pressure!

Lesson 7: Anger

Lesson 8: Forgiveness

Lesson 9: Two Brothers – Pride and Selfishness

Lesson 10: Refocus

Lesson 11: Prasso, Putting It All Into Practice

Lesson 12: The Journey

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and is then broken down into 5 daily lessons that include verses to look up and questions to answer.  Day 6 is a Rethink Day, in which the student is asked to review what they learned, and then the lesson ends with questions for group discussions. Each day's assignment generally takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on the speed of your child.

How We Used this program and what we think-

I decided that the summer was a perfect time for my 13 year old son and I to do some bonding.  With his dad away for a while, it is sometimes a struggle to feel like we are connecting.  Let's face it, a 13 year boy needs a dad around, and sometimes I feel like a poor substitute.  I approached him about us doing this bible study together and he reluctantly agreed.  Hey, I will take what I can get!

We fell into a routine pretty easily, and I am happy to say we are still going strong.  At the beginning of each week, usually on a Sunday evening, we read through the lesson together, taking turns reading and discussing.  Though the study is more set up with a group lesson in mind, I have not had any problems tailoring it to fit our needs with just a few word changes, like "you all" to "you." We did take turns reading, as the lesson can take 30 minutes to an hour depending on your reading speed and how much you discuss.  After reading the lesson from the Teachers Manual, Salem would then be responsible for doing a lesson from his student workbook each day of the week.  When we met again the following week I would allow him to talk about the material and ask any questions on what he had been learning.  I did allow him to choose what he wanted to share, as I felt like he would be more likely to feel free to write what he wanted if his mom wasn't reading every word he wrote.

Many lessons included looking up a decent amount of scripture, and while that was not his favorite part he was able to see how having those scriptures in his head made for ammunition against bad choices and proved helpful in making good choices.    

The other thing I really liked about this study is that is does require daily attention of the student. While we are teaching our children at a young age to spend daily quiet time with the Lord, I love having this tool to encourage actual time engaged in and studying the Word of God in a slightly more formal way.  After all, practice helps form a habit,  I believe that Bible studies can be very helpful in our faith journey, and learning at a young age how to actively study the word of God is a worthwhile skill to learn.  Not only does it teach kids how to look at scripture in a new way and apply it to their lives, it teaches daily discipline.

In using an engaging story about two teen brothers on a week-long adventure in the mountains, Prasso Ministries has created a worthwhile Bible Study that will engage and challenge your teens on topics such as faith, Satan, revenge, and forgiveness.  They are topics worth studying and this is a study worth using!  The study also stresses the importance of the Bible being the word of God and that finding the right path and staying on it is the key to leading a Christian life.

Given that it has also carved out some pretty special mom and son bonding time for us, I hate to see it end!

Quietly Fighting

One of the things I have missed about our current location is an ongoing women's Bible study.  I love studying the Word with fellow believers, but quite honestly, I also just love the time with women.  It's time that is set aside to rejoice in our mutual love for God.

As the years go by though, I more clearly see that we all need a time to rejoice in our differences as well.  We need a safe place to come together and feel free to be ourselves.  To not be judged, especially because of the choices we make.

Women are like that, you know.  Have you noticed?  We smile sweetly at each other and then judge quietly.  In the modern day world of social media - not so quietly.  It is unfair, it is hurtful, and God calls it sin.

Do you?

In her newest online Bible Study, The Quiet Fight Between Women, Angie Tolpin tackles some of those very hard issues and gives hope to a different way of doing life together.  You are going to love Angie!  As you listen to her speak, you will feel like you are talking to an old friend.  She obviously has a heart for women and speaks truth with care and love.  Here is what she says in Unit 2-

"...most of the division that we see among women today is actually over issues that are not eternal, issues that Paul would have labeled disputable." 

That is it, ladies - we draw lines in the sand for each other and cause division among women based on preferences or personal convictions, rather than God's law.  Issues like whether to vaccinate or not, public school or homeschool, breast feed or bottle, or to drink kombucha or coffee become battle lines in our friendships. 

What causes this division? Often it is because we have taken a non-eternal issue and made it an idol in our lives, or we have seen the pros or cons of a topic in our lives so it has become personal.  For something to become personal for us is one thing, but when we make it personal for others we are sinning.  Our identity should not come from things, but rather from Christ alone! As Angie says, we are "making idols out of liberty choices."

In her 8 unit online study, The Quiet Fight Between Women, you will be challenged to think about these divisors as sin and then how to make changes for the better.

Unit One- Outline and Intro
Unit Two- The Root of Conflict
Unit Three- The Comparison Trap
Unit Four- Redeeming the Division
Unit Five- The Grace That Christ Offers
Unit Six- Rejoicing and Grieving Together
Unit Seven- Authentic Community
Unit Eight- Cultivating Unity

Let me tell you what is great about this study, outside of just the content - which by the way is amazing. Though online, Angie encourages journaling.  Not only are there workbook pages you can print out but you can also record your answers online and save them.  The format is very easy to work through.  Each video segment is just a few minutes long, followed by written portions to read and often followed by a multiple choice question to highlight a point Angie discussed.  This layout is repeated several times per lesson, but at any point you can save your progress and exit the study. Angie has a busy life with kids and  understand the demands on our time.  Any work you complete on the computer saves into a workbook that you can access and see how you have responded.

The Quiet Fight Between Women Bible Study can be done alone or as a group.  Angie has recently added a Group Leader Kit option.  In it you will find-

 - 6 minute video for Group Leaders

– Group Discussion Questions {PDF download}

– Letter to Group from Angie {PDF download}

– Tips & Tricks for Small Group Interaction PDF

– Group Dynamics Etiquette {PDF download}

– Prayer Audio from Angie to Group Leader

– Access to Private Group Leader FB Group

– $10 off coupon for the course, for all those in the small group

One of the things that has stuck with the most from this study is this statement from Angie; "We need to allow each other to be the person God has made us to be."

YES! YES! YES!

When we walk away from God's laws and make up our own, becoming prideful about the choices we make, and then judge others based on how they live up to our standards, we are sinning against a sister in Christ.  So many of us are guilty of making idols out of lifestyle choices.  Me included.

This study is challenging.  It is humbling to look at the sins in our lives and label them as such.  But it is also freeing, to ourselves and others.

Oh friends, that we may learn to repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness when needed, and forge a new path!

Our friendships will be blessed.  Our lives as well!

To share the excitement of her new Bible Study, Angie is hosting a fun giveaway. You can enter to win an Apple iWatch and course giveaway by using the rafflecopter below!  Quick, only 9 days left to enter!


a Rafflecopter giveaway








Blessings,

Firmly Planted, Gospels, Part 1 (Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Real Life Press, whose mission to is point people to a relationship with God and learning from the Bible, is new to me!  Created by Heidi St. John and her husband, Jay, this Christian company is reaching out to parents and homeschoolers with Bible Studies, books, and audio CDs on the subjects of faith, homeschooling, families, and parenting.  I am impressed with their growing selections!



We were recently blessed to be able to receive and review the digital downloads for one of their Bible Studies, Firmly Planted, Gospels, Part 1 (Stories from the Life of Jesus) which consists of the Family Study Guide and a Student Book.  Firmly Planted is a 10 week Bible Study explores the life of Jesus and is intended for families with children of all ages.




What is it?
Think of the Family Study Guide as your personal Bible Study for 10 weeks.
 Chapters include-

• Gabriel Visits Mary
• The Birth of Jesus
• John the Baptist
• Calling of the First Disciples
• Jesus Clears the Temple
• The Woman at the Well
• Jesus Casts Out Demons
• The Good Samaritan
• Feeding of the 5000
• Jesus Walks on Water

 Each week begins with a scripture reading based off that week's theme.  For example, in week 2 when studying the birth of Jesus, the scripture is Luke 2:1-20 and is printed out for you.  Directly following the scripture reading is a memory verse.  Here is what is so neat- it is done for three different levels.  The first (the Seed) is a short paraphrase for younger kids to learn.  The second (planting the Seed) is just a one sentence Bible verse, while the third, (additional planting the seed)  for ages 11 and up, is several verses long.  So while yes, you are all memorizing (if you so choose) the same verse for the week, in essence, it is made to fit the different levels that may be represented in your family.

The next section is called Watering the Seed.  This section is a basic retelling of the scripture just written in more of a conversational tone. Think of it as a summary.

Following that there are 4 days of "study" for that particular lesson.  Each day has you re-read a few specific verses and then goes into further detail of explanation, asking questions and getting you to think along the way.  A Digging Deeper section often brings in a little more history or background, while a Taste the Fruit section is more of an application lesson.

The Student Book is in PDF form with over 200 printable pages that correspond with the 10 chapters in the Family Study Guide.  These pages range from crossword puzzles, word searches, and mazes to vocabulary, science projects you can to, journaling ideas, coloring pages, map work pages, and a deeper study for older children.  Whether you have a preschooler or a teenager, there is a page that you will find to fit their skill level as well as their interest.

How did we use this?
When we first began this review and study I printed out the chapters.  We were on the road and I found it easier to have them in my hand.  Each week after, I just pulled the file up on my laptop and read from there.  Prior to our beginning the week, I printed out all of the corresponding worksheets in the Student Book.  While this might have been a bit overkill, as we only have three kiddos who were doing the pages, it did allow them an opportunity to look through all of the pages and choose which ones they would like to do.  It was fun to see what they chose!

On Monday we would read the Scripture and overview, and each following day we did one day of the lesson during our family time, making this a Monday through Friday study for us. Each day I would encourage the kids to pick at least one worksheet to complete. The youngest, age 7, often choose several to do in one sitting. Each night took about 20-30 minutes.

What did we think?
We have enjoyed doing this study together.  I think it is a great way to start studying the Bible, especially if you are new to studies and new to doing them together as a family.  While it is not overly deep, it does provide a good basic teaching of some high points in the New Testament.  Some of the questions asked, especially in the Taste the Fruit sections at the end of each day's lesson, provided our family with some good starting points of discussion.  Because I have a Bible major in our family, we were able to then dig deeper into a subject of interest.  While my older kids do not necessarily need to do worksheets to solidify ideas learned, it was a fun addition to Bible time for my younger kids.  My youngest especially loved the word searches, coloring sheets, and crossword puzzles.  I think the fact that they have geared the pages for different ages and different skill levels is genius since most families are dealing with age spans which can often make it tricky to engage all members! I think that these would be a good fit for a Sunday School teacher who teaches multiple ages. I also like that the scripture is printed in the study for you.  I do think we should encourage our kids to use their Bibles to look up and read scripture, but there are times, like when traveling or crazy busy-overscheduled nights (just saying), when having it printed in front of you just makes things easier.

Overall we enjoyed the study and the chance to do something that was engaging for everyone, even the 7 year old!

5 Additional Real Life Press resources were review by fellow Crew members- I encourage you to take at a look at those reviews as well!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered Review

From the executive producers of Touched By an Angel, comes a new show on the Hallmark channel called Signed, Sealed, Delivered.  As part of this review I was given advance access to the episode that aired tonight at 8/7c.

Most of you know that we are not big fans of television around here.  With conservative values and kids ranging from ages 6-20 it is just tricky to find anything that is family friendly.  We are also usually very careful about recommending anything to others as we know that everyone sees things differently and the spectrum of what is okay or not okay is wide.

But-

This one I am taking a chance on!

I like the Hallmark channel.  Occasionally the shows may seem a little sappy to my kids, but I like shows that are touching, make you think and challenge you a little.  Okay, sometimes I am a softie for sentimental shows, I admit it.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered is one of those.  A weekly show, Signed, Sealed, Delivered is a combination of a little romance, comedy and drama.  It follows the lives of four postal workers who work to find the intended recipient of mail that is seemingly undeliverable.  Minor detective work is involved, but don't think of it as a detective show.  It centers more on the recipients and senders, and the lives that are changed in the process. The team includes charming Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), the group's leader who is a man of faith and prayerfully approaches his work with the goal of making a difference in people's lives; new team member, Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), a technophile who brings 21st century sensibility to the group; free-spirited, “girl next door” Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe) who has a photographic memory; and lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods.

Each episode is centered around a particular scripture, without being preachy.  This particular one, "The Future Me" highlights scripture about being equally yoked and follows the dream of marriage of two adults with Downs Syndrome.  When a dad is afraid of their marriage, they struggle to assure him that they are able to love and care for each other. It is sweet, touching and challenging.

The timing for this review could have not been more perfect! Don't you love when God works like that?  We were on vacation all last week and due to a quick illness, I was stuck in a hotel room with one of the children while everyone else went out for the evening.  My 16 year old and I watched the episode first and are now eager to see what the family thinks now.  While we were a little behind at first, having not seen previous episodes, we quickly pieced the characters together and caught up with in the first few minutes.  Our favorite character by far was Norman, a cute little guy with a face full of expression!  Makes you just want to go up and hug him!  And root for the underdog!

So here is the neat part- The American Bible Society has built a Bible study to go with the series!  What a great way to take a fun show and make it a family learning experience!  When you sign up, beginning on the Monday after the airing, Bible verses and notes are sent to you via email each day for seven days.

Sign up for that here: http://www.americanbible.org/features/signed-sealed-delivered

Here is the study schedule for "The Future Me"

Day 1

Proverbs 16:1-3

We may make our plans, but God has the last...

Day 2

James 1:2

Faith and Wisdom My friends, consider...

Day 3

Matthew 7:24

The Two House Builders (Luke 6.47-49) “So then,...

Day 4

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from...

Day 5

Galatians 6:2

Help carry one another's burdens, and in this...

Day 6

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or...

Day 7

Ephesians 3:20-21

To him who by means of his power working in us...

We look forward to seeing what the studies are like!

Wanna know more?

♪ You can also see  the study outlines from previous episodes!

♪ You can see what Focus on the Family's Plugged In has to say.

♪ You can also read their blog post about the series!

You can find Signed, Sealed, Delivered here-

Website: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/signedsealeddelivered

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/signedsealeddeliveredtv?ref=br_tf

Facebook for creator Martha Williamson: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Martha-Williamson/609169295802010

Let me know what you think!

Blessings,

TOS Crew Review- Beauty in the Heart Bible Study

Have you heard about Doorposts?  How about the If-Then Chart?  Or maybe the Blessing Chart or Brother Offended Chart?  Those are some of the awesome parenting and character training resources they are best known for.  But now get ready to add another fabulous resource one to the list! Doorposts is now offering a lovely bible study Beauty in the Heart, A Study of Godly Beauty for Young Women, intended for girls ages 12 and up.  Using 9 chapters, and one for review, focusing on women of the Bible such as Sarah, Esther and Ruth, Beauty in the Heart is aimed on teaching modesty, true beauty, discretion and more in only 5-20 minutes a day.  Each chapter is broken into varying number of days, breaking it up into manageable pieces for up to two weeks of study per chapter.     This is not just your ordinary quick Bible study though! Throughout each study, young girls are taught skills such as using a concordance, using different Bible translations, using Nave's Topical Bible, using free Bible study tools on the computer and how to use marginal notes. Each chapter alternates how the subject matter is taught with inductive study, verse study, character study, book study and word study.  At the end of the book you can also find an Alternate Questions section for young men, which replace any questions that were directly asked of girls in each chapter.  How did we use this- Because we encourage all of our children to have daily quiet time and Bible study, which differs from year to year in how it looks, we were excited to be able to try out the Beauty in the Heart study with our 15 year old daughter.  Each day she reads the section assigned and does the work on her own.  I have sneaked a peek of her work from time to time, but I want her to own it and not have mom hovering by, so I have tried to allow her some privacy.  We had the agreement that if she had any trouble or questions she would come to me and ask for help.  Because she is 15 she is use to working pretty independently anyway.

Our copy for review was comb binding.  Final copies will be offered in lay-flat paperback!

Her thoughts- R here(; I definitely enjoyed this study. I liked how it wasn't just a fill in the blank workbook; you had to work and pay attention to the passages for the answers. The questions really caused me to think. One of my favorite ways of studying is the Observe and the the Interpret methods that are taught. I'll use these methods again.
We have enjoyed and highly recommend this study for your young girls!  It is well written, well organized and spot on at speaking to the heart of young girls today, as well as offering Bible study skills that will serve them well for years to come.  With the philosophy of  "Our goal is to provide you with tools that make your job easier", how can you go wrong?!

You can pre-order Beauty in the Heart for $14.00, as the printed books will begin shipping Aug 28th.  If you order now, you will also receive a free instant- downloadable copy of  the study.  Doorposts also offers a new Bible Study for young men, Because You Are Strong.  You can read about it as well as more reviews on Beauty in the Heart by clicking on the banner below.

This post is linked up with Caroline at The Modest Mom!

TOS Review- God's Great Covenant, NT

I have finally found it! A bible curriculum that I feel is worthy to use with younger kids that is not all fluff.


We had the privilege of reviewing God's Great Covenant, New Testament 1(GGC) from Classical Academic Press (CAP) and it has been great. Targeted for 2nd grade and up, here's what the publisher has to say,

"In God's Great Covenant, New Testament 1: A Bible Course for Children, students will follow the story of Jesus, the Messiah and King, as He is born and fulfills all God's Promises.  But Jesus did not arrive as people expected.  The people were looking for a mighty warrior to deliver them from the oppressive Roman government.  Instead, He came as the suffering Savior, who would die as the sacrifice for sin and death.  He was building a kingdom that was not of this world - it was the kingdom of God!"

The book begins with quite a few pages of detailed introductions about the cultural, historical and geographical background of the time period. We read through one introduction a day the first week as a starting point. This is not a section you want to skip! The information is very informative and helps fill in the blanks between the Old Testament and New Testament. After that, the book is broken into 36 chapters with review questions at the end of each. Every chapter has a memory verse, key fact chart and fulfillment of prophecy section. The text is engaging and fairly easy to read and my 4th grader and I took turns reading paragraphs to each other.

The separate teacher's guide is the full student text with the answer key and lots of additional notes.  I mean A LOT!  You will not have to worry as a parent about not knowing background information; CAP has you covered.  I found I had to peruse the sections ahead of time to see what I wanted to add; otherwise I tended to interrupt the boy constantly to add additional information.  There is also plenty of blank lined space to add your own notes.

In addition to the student text which sells for $26.95 and the teacher's addition that sells for $29.99, you can purchase GGC Audio files, over three hours of listening, for $9.95.  We loved this addition as it gave my auditory learner extra time to digest the information.

The only drawback I see in this program is that CAP does not provide lesson plans for this particular book.  That being said, it is easily divided into chapters, and would NOT stop me from using this program.  It is one that we will add to our curriculum  and continue to use.

Check out CAP here for additional products they offer.  Our family has also used their Spanish program and been equally as pleased with it!
See what other CREW members had to say about God's Great Covenant here.

Disclaimer- I received the Student and teacher's books of GGC as well as the audio file in exchange for my honest review of this product.  This review represents our family's experiences and was in no way influenced by products received.