Note: I received this book free of charge in return for my honest and unbiased review.
I have a love/hate relationship with curriculum. I love to research it. I love to read reviews about it. I love to buy it. I love to play with it and plan lessons around it. But I hate it when it doesn't live up to my expectations. Not the case here! I really enjoyed this program and want to share it with you today.
Choosing a Bible curriculum has proved very difficult for me. My kids had Bible everyday when they were in private school. They love their Bible classes at church and already have a strong Bible knowledge. I wanted something to complement and add to their current studies. I was looking for something that was a) scripturally sound, b) well organized and laid out, c) something I could use with both kids at the same time and d) something they'd enjoy. Tall order.
A while back, I sent out the word that I was looking for a new Bible curriculum to use. Several homeschool moms wrote back and made suggestions. One response was from Heather Pryor of Pryor Convictions Media. She and her husband, Paul, have developed a new series called "Growing Up in God's Word". She sent me a copy of their study on the book of Exodus for me to review.
A while back, I sent out the word that I was looking for a new Bible curriculum to use. Several homeschool moms wrote back and made suggestions. One response was from Heather Pryor of Pryor Convictions Media. She and her husband, Paul, have developed a new series called "Growing Up in God's Word". She sent me a copy of their study on the book of Exodus for me to review.
The kids and I used it the last several weeks of school and really enjoyed it!
Heather suggested Exodus as she thought my kids would really enjoy studying about the plagues...and they did! Each book is laid out the same, so regardless of the topic you choose, this review should help you get a feel for the program. The book is well laid out and easy to use. Unless you are doing the crafts, very little pre-planning and prep work are required of the parent. (Woo Hoo!)
First, you have the lesson which she calls "Growing in The Word." The book will instruct you to read certain verses from the Bible text and then you go back into the book and read the commentary. It is simple and straightforward, and includes questions to check for comprehension. It usually took us two days to complete this part of the lesson.
Following the lesson, you have other areas of instruction such as "Putting Down Roots" which is memory work. We didn't do the memory verses, but we did other memory work such as memorizing the twelve sons of Jacob, the plagues and the 10 Commandments.
Somehow I got lucky, and my kids (like me) love maps. She includes a section called "Farther Afield" that helps you get a feel for where places were located. Blank maps are included in the back, and you are instructed to plot cities and countries as you progress through the study. In a sense, you are building your own map, and my kids liked this part a lot.
"Harvest Fun" includes ideas for games and reinforcement activities. These activities include journaling ideas, role-playing and competitive, team-style games. With our limited schedule, we had to bypass most of these.
"Digging Deeper" takes you beyond the lesson and encourages you to do research on your own. It would be ideal for older kids who are learning to research online or in libraries.
"Food For Thought" was our favorite. It consisted of a variety of puzzles such as fill-in-the-blanks, unscrambling words, Who Am I?'s, word searches and codes. It was a fun way to review the facts they'd learned.
"Fruits of Our Labor" offered lots of craft ideas and would be ideal for younger children and those whose kids really enjoy hands-on activities.
Heather and Paul have done a great job of presenting the material in a thorough and thoughtful way. Aside from the general knowledge gained from the lesson, activities such as map work, research ideas and fun games contribute to a great experience for all learning types. You can't help but learn as you complete this study.
Heather and Paul have done a great job of presenting the material in a thorough and thoughtful way. Aside from the general knowledge gained from the lesson, activities such as map work, research ideas and fun games contribute to a great experience for all learning types. You can't help but learn as you complete this study.
The book is well-laid out and I found it very easy to implement. Heather suggests a five-day-a-week schedule, however, we have Fridays off for co-op and field trips. We easily modified the schedule to fit our needs. We skipped the crafts (I know, they can be the best part, but we were nearing the end of the year, and I was trying to finish the book) and memory work, and were able to complete the chapter each week in four days.
The books are very reasonably priced at $14.95 each, and you only need one copy for the entire family. You can photocopy as needed for home use.
We thoroughly enjoyed the study and plan to complete the Life Of Christ Part 1 this fall. The books are attractively presented and easy to use. Most importantly, my kids and I had fun learning about this exciting and important period in Old Testament history.
If you are looking for a Bible curriculum that is sound, teacher friendly and easy to use with a wide range of ages, this study is for you. There are currently several titles available and more are in the works.
Other topical studies include: Genesis, Numbers, The Life of Christ and The Book of Acts. They also have books for children and teens as well as devotionals for Moms and even a cookbook!
Heather and her husband, Paul, live in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they work and worship with the Northside church of Christ.
Heather has graciously given me an extra copy of Exodus to give away to one lucky reader. Take a moment to enter below. And even if you don't win, be sure to visit Heather at Pryor Conviction Media and see what they have to offer.
Now for the giveaway!
Good luck!
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I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!
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Sounds like a great book! I have taught several different Bible curriculums for private schools & they often are not in line with scripture. Nice to see one that is scripturally sound. Thanks for the review!
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