Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History

 Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, History, Literature, Uncategorized, Writing  4 Responses »
Jun 252010
 

Years ago, when we first started homeschooling, another veteran homeschooler recommended that I take a look at “the Greenleaf history guides” from Greenleaf Press, and I am so glad that she did, and I did! I ended up buying a few of them and have had no regrets whatsoever! They have turned out to be a perfect fit for us in many regards, at different seasons in our homeschool journey, but today I’d like share with you specifically regarding The Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History by Rob and Cyndy Shearer, “History for the thoughtful child.”.

The Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History: History for the thoughtful child.

When our older kiddoes were younger we had a few favorite Bible and devotional-type story books that we read aloud from to them regularly for the majority of our “Bible time”. However, once we started reading aloud straight from the Scriptures, this guide offered us a helpful tool for making that transition easier and more thoughtful.

Therefore, let the minds of young children be well stored with the beautiful narratives of the Old Testament and of the gospels; but, in order that these stories may be always fresh and delightful to them, care must be taken lest Bible teaching stale upon their minds.
(Charlotte Mason, Vol. 1, Home Education, Part V– Lessons As Instruments Of Education, p. 251)

The Shearers have basically taken the Scriptures, from Genesis through Nehemiah (though they left out Leviticus- which we cover with different resources anyways, and may be a bit laborious for younger students), and broken them down into 196 readings, each from a chapter to two chapters long.

To see a complete listing of how the Bible chapters are broken down, as well as a few examples of what each reading/lesson looks like, click here on this link to see it over at cbd.com and you’ll see some links there to view pdf samples.

One of our favorite aspects of this guide has been the open-ended discussion questions included with each reading. A few years ago, as we used it along-side of our family’s Bible read-aloud time, we used these questions as oral narration prompts. However, as our children are now cycling back through these Old Testament readings again, our son has been using these discussion questions as writing prompts for his own private Bible journal time.

There is some brief commentary and helpful “background information” included where necessary, a graphical timeline of Ancient History, along with references to Bible maps, as well as some brief teaching suggestions mentioned here and there. Overall, this guide provides a wonderfully simple to use, comprehensive study of Ancient Israel’s history, using the best historical document we have, the Bible itself.

There are a few recommended books to go along with this study of Ancient Israel, which though they are not necessary, we have found helpful. This book is just what it claims to be, a simple guide to take you and your children through the Old Testament at a nice, comfortable pace. However, we’ve often broken a lesson into two separate readings. The Shearers recommend that you use their Guide to Ancient Egypt (which we’ve also used and appreciate) alongside of this guide for a more involved, complete ancient Bible history program.

Note: The two primary aspects of this guide that I most appreciated, those being its simplicity to use (as in no projects nor preparation necessary) and open-ended (as in no “answers” provided) discussion questions, are the very aspects that caused a friend of mine to not like it, nor use it.

I am reminded of the wise words of Charlotte Mason in this regard, with which I do concur:

We are probably quite incapable of measuring the religious receptivity of children. Nevertheless, their fitness to apprehend the deep things of God is a fact with which we are called to ‘deal prudently,’ and to deal reverently.
(Charlotte Mason, Vol. 1, Home Education, Part V– Lessons As Instruments Of Education, p. 248)

I have found that our children do a good job of thinking through the Scriptures’ ramifications and implications as they read them for themselves, and have personally appreciated their not being told what to think as they read the Word for themselves, especially during their private devotional reading times in the mornings. When they do have questions beyond me (and as they’re getting older, they DO!) we now find ourselves turning to meatier commentaries and texts together anyways, so this guide has been perfectly adequate for our usage!

The price is nice too, especially for all of the use we’ve gotten out of it over the years!

Written by Beth Brewer, a Charlotte Mason inspired, Spirit-led, relaxed-eclectic homeschooling Mama of 3. She’s also an author at The Homeschool Post and blogs her photos, musings, hopes, fears, faith and falterings as she lives, loves and learns with her family at the brew*crew adventure.

Lessons in Responsibility for Boys

 Bible  No Responses »
Feb 162010
 

Boys are curious creatures if you ask me.  One day I think I’ve got mothering boys down, and the next day I realize I have no clue!  They want different things than girls – they need different things than girls.  One thing I’ve seen in both of my boys, as compared to my daughter, is the need for independence.  They both want to do things their way, feel like they’ve made the decisions and done the work, and feel as if their efforts have reaped wonderful fruit.

The problem – they aren’t quite ready for all this independence yet.  In other words, projects go disastrously awry as poor, uninformed choices are made, or the things that truly have to be finished are pushed to the side while things they want to work on are attacked with gusto.  Moms of boys can tell you story after story about volcanic eruptions in the living room, clocks that will never work again after being disassembled, building projects that ,um, “beautifully” grace our homes and so much more.

I’ve come to understand that this journey to turn my little monsters boys into men – men that will take that independence and boldly go into the world for God – requires purposeful teaching about one main thing… responsibility.  Biblical responsibility that translates into daily responsibility.

Earlier this year, I went on a search for some sort of Bible/devotional curriculum that would help me teach this topic of responsibility to my boys.  What a blessing it was to find exactly what I was looking for from the Pearables company.

Lessons In Responsibility for Boys, Level 1 is written for any boy six or older.  In this book, you meet Ben who is just learning the idea of responsibility.  In short lessons that only take about 5-10 minutes, Ben begins to understand responsibility as it relates to such things as chores, siblings, possessions, friends, television, grooming and plenty more – there are 30 different lessons to be exact.

In each lesson, you read a short story to your son, ask a few questions and complete a simple task.  The task could be anything from writing a list of household rules together to planning healthy snacks.  A reproducible coloring page with an appropriate Bible verse is included with each lesson, too.

The lessons are meant to be used once per week, but we chose to go ahead and read through one lesson per day since I was starting with a nine year old.

Lessons in Responsibility for Boys, Level 2 is written for any boy eight or older.  In this book, Ben’s older brother, Josh, continues learning what it means to be a responsible young man.  The lessons in this book are more in-depth and require 10-15 minutes to complete.

Again, a coloring page with a Bible verse is provided with each lesson.  The lessons, however, include more Bible verses and discussion about how those relate to our lives.  The questions from the first volume are replaced with a suggested prayer this time around, while a task is still offered.  Most of the tasks encourage your son to be in the Word himself in order to make connections in his own life, or ask your son to have real conversations with his parents about the topics.

Topics covered teach responsibility in the areas of reading the Bible, fellowship, being considerate, clothing, money, learning to care for and fix things, and much more – again, there are 30 lessons.

My older son and I have made it through the 1st volume and are about 1/2 way through the 2nd volume.  Our time together has been VERY well spent!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3.  You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and Shining Dawn Books.

Explorer’s Bible Study: Beginnings II God’s Promise

 Bible  1 Response »
Jan 242010
 

At the beginning of each school day I read the Bible aloud to the kids, and we work on our memory verses. However, I like to use a curriculum as a supplement to help us delve deeper into the Bible. For my youngest (1st grade), I chose Explorer’s Bible Study: Beginnings II ~ God’s Promise. God’s Promise is an Old Testament (Genesis through Malachi) study written for young readers. This study is written for children in grades 1-3. It doesn’t just cover the familiar stories, it tells the whole story of the Bible on a young child’s level.

The book is easy to use and inexpensive. There is no teacher’s manual to purchase. You can purchase a separate answer key, but I chose not to do so at this level. Each lesson is broken into five parts — one for each day of the week (lesson 10, day 1, etc.). The lessons are short and geared toward young readers. There are memory verses or words to remember for each lesson. Review questions follow each lesson, as well.

Here’s how we use it in our home:

  • I read the Bible Words to Remember to her. This is the week’s memory verse(s). These are the same for each of the five lessons in a week. We discuss how these verses go with the lessons we have been reading, but I do not require her to memorize them.
  • Then, I read the Bible story. We talk about what led up to the topic we are studying (currently the 10 commandments). What things were mentioned in previous lessons that correlate with today’s reading? What do you think will happen next?
  • Some lessons have a prayer thought at the end. These are included to help each child learn to talk with God.
  • Some lessons also have a “think about” section. These describe situations which are designed to help the child apply God’s Word to his/her life.
  • We discuss any words to know (bolded vocabulary words that are defined at the end of the lesson).
  • I allow her to answer the “Thinking & Remembering” questions on her own. Some of these questions are multiple choice and some are fill in the blank. For example, the lesson we will complete next (lesson 10 Day 4) has 5 multiple choice questions, 5 fill in the blank questions (filling in the missing word in several commandments), and an instruction to learn the next set of commandments.
  • After she completes the review questions, I check them. We discuss them and correct anything that needs to be corrected.

Even if your child is not a “workbook” child like mine, this curriculum could work for you. You could easily read the lessons, memory verses, and review questions orally. Your child doesn’t HAVE to write the answers to the questions. My daughter just happens to enjoy doing it this way.

Explorer’s Bible Study has 15+ books written for children from preschool through high school, as well as studies for adults. Your student will study the Old and New Testaments in broad overviews in preschool and early elementary school. In upper elementary school the curricula is broken into 5 separate studies:

  • Genesis
  • Exodus through Joshua
  • Job, Psalms, and Proverbs
  • Luke and Acts
  • Exploring Bible Prophecy

The junior and senior high curriculum is broken into 6 studies. In addition to the five books listed above (at a higher level), there is an additional book that studies Romans, Galatians, and James.

I recommend this curriculum to anyone looking for a straight-forward, no frills way to teach the Bible to young readers. You can view the books in this series, as well as sample lessons, at: http://www.explorerbiblestudy.org/store.php
Tara, homeschooling two with a little bit of everything. You can find her blogging at Mom Teaches 2.

Hymns for a Kid’s Heart

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Music  4 Responses »
Dec 012009
 

After two year of homeschooling, I heard an idea I quickly embraced. In fact, I don’t know why it hadn’t been implemented already.

Start each day with worship.

We read the Bible. Math lessons were completed. Spelling done. But what about ideas wrapped in melody? I wanted words from the saints echoing in our soul.

Our worship time varies greatly from new music to old. We use CDs, YouTube videos, or simply our voices. It can be one song or many. And it usually includes at least one little person dancing. When I hear humming throughout the day, I know the effort of gathering everyone is worth it.

One resource we’ve enjoyed is the series by Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Eareckson Tada entitled, Hymns for a Kid’s Heart.

48986: Hymns For A Kids Heart, Volumes 1 and 2

Before the words and music for each hymn, there is a beautiful illustration, an introduction to the hymn writer, and a personal story from Joni Eareckson Tada.

There are twelve hymns per book. I read the short biography one day and “From My Heart to You” the next, spending one week on each hymn. The accompanying CD includes children singing with both of the authors. The arrangements are engaging and pleasant.

There is also a version for Christmas Carols and Passion Hymns. They don’t include the biography section, but instead have a Scripture verse and Bible story to introduce the music.

These books are not just for kid’s hearts. My heart needs the inspiration, too. We pulled out the Christmas one this morning to sing, O Come All Ye Faithful. Yes, I need to come. I need to rest a moment and lift my thoughts heavenward before the day’s work begins.

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

Moody Science Classics

 Bible, Science  2 Responses »
Nov 052009
 

One of the goals my husband and I set when we first had children was to surround them with learning opportunities. We want them to love learning. And we don’t want learning to be something that just happens during “school”. Several years ago we saw an incredible special on the entire collection of Moody Science DVDs, and we knew immediately that we’d found something that we would like to own. We have not been disappointed.

679657: Moody Classics, 19 DVDs Moody Classics, 19 DVDs

Each DVD is 28 minutes long, and there are 19 videos in the set. (They are also available separately.) There are a wide variety of science topics covered including many animals, plants, human anatomy and physics. Several of the videos weave in history lessons as well. All the videos end with a discussion relating the topic to a Biblical theme.

Though these are science videos, they are very unlike their modern counter-parts. Notably absent is the cool, science-geek character found in most of today’s videos. The videos don’t jump between segments with wild graphics and pop music. Each episode contains a variety of information that may not seem related at first, but the relationship between the topics is made clear by the end. They always include interesting laboratory demonstrations. Though I wouldn’t describe the videos as “exciting”, they are all very interesting. Amazing things about each topic are demonstrated and explained. They are also not strictly for children and never talk down to the watcher. My husband and I enjoy watching them and have learned something from every episode. (We’ve both got science backgrounds and my husband teaches chemistry.)

For example, we most recently watched Signposts Aloft. It was about using instruments in airplane flight. It showed how pilots could fly without instruments in good weather, but in poor weather the sense of sight is useless, and they cannot rely on their sense of direction. They did a very interesting demonstration where a blindfolded man was spun around. He reported what direction he was spinning. At the beginning he felt he was spinning in the right direction, but then he felt he had stopped and was beginning to turn in the other direction. However, it was obviously false. This false sensation was explained using a model of the inner ear. (We duplicated this experiment at home. You can watch it at A Day in the Life – Fooling the Senses.) They also visited the site of an airplane crash in World War II. The pilot had flown past his base and crashed in the Libyan dessert all because he didn’t trust his instruments. The importance of having “faith” in the instruments was stressed and reinforced in a short interview with a very young John Glenn. Finally, the point was made that faith and science are not mutually exclusive pursuits. Further, we need to have faith in the Bible, because sometimes life is like flying without visibility, and the Bible provides us with the right direction.

Over the years I have used these videos in several ways. Occasionally I have pulled one out that relates to our current science study. Sometimes I have had the children watch one for a science lesson when I was sick, or had something I needed to do. Mostly though, they’ve served as family entertainment. They really are that good.

Written by Kristen – Relaxed Classical Mom of 4. She blogs at A Day in the Life.

Inspiration from Pilgrim’s Progress

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Encouragement, Literature, New to Homeschooling  3 Responses »
Oct 062009
 

If lessons are meant to be creative, mine fail. This year, lessons are pretty much straight from the book. Commendable plans smolder in my thoughts. Our idea books are perused often, but not by me. My son has taken to finding his own creativity. I applaud his efforts.

Pilgrim's Progress
Pilgrim’s Progress

When I asked him to record the characters in Pilgrim’s Progress, he hunted for Alternatives to Worksheets. Not taking into account my paper-cutting, creative-sketching, engineer-type son, I had traded it on Paperbackswap. Similar books grace our shelves, so I did not think it would be missed.

It was, but only momentarily. Once my son explained his idea, I found another tab book as an example. He finished his lesson with flourish.

Enter guilt. Where is my creativity? I should be adding interesting projects to make school exciting. If I battle laziness, and quit being distracted, maybe my son will not draw incessantly at the bottom of every assignment.

Then again, maybe that isn’t so bad. His mark of individuality is on each page, and every doodle tells a story. I need some of his inspiration. Thus the thoughts clash in my heart. I can choose guilt and despair, or forgiveness and hope.

In Pilgrim’s Progress Hopeful and Christian are captured by Giant Despair. Thrown into the dungeon and tormented the prisoners refuse to die, so the giant plans to kill them. Fearful captives intercede through the night. Then Christian delivers a passionate speech,

What a fool, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.

The key does indeed unlock the doors, and the companions escape, free to continue their path to beloved Celestial City.

Like these two pilgrims, I cannot remain burdened by fear any longer. Wallowing in guilt cripples. There are keys for me to use. They are principles to challenge my negativity.

Promise 1

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Philippians 1:6

I am unfinished. The grace of God is my hope as I forge ahead on this pilgrim journey.

Promise 2

A battered reed he will not break off, and a smoldering wick he will not put out, until he leads justice to victory. Mathew 12:20

I am not ashes yet. The breath of the Holy Spirit blows on my heart to ignite my soul.

With these promises firmly in my grasp, I hear the chains clatter as they hit the floor. The gate swings open, and the paralyzed giant is no longer a threat. I am free!

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids

 Bible  5 Responses »
Sep 302009
 

If you’re looking for a Bible study that your 8-12 year old can do alone, the Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids are  a good choice. Written by Kay Arthur of Precepts Ministries, these studies are solid introductions to forming a lifelong Bible study habit.

discover 4 yourself bible studies
There are many titles in the series covering the gamut of Old Testament and New Testament books, people, and big ideas. My daughter has already completed the God, What’s Your Name? and the Joseph, God’s Superhero titles. She enjoys writing her answers and thoughts in the consumable workbooks.

Because each book has from 25-30 lessons, it generally it is a five to six week course. And each day’s lesson can be completed within 15 minutes. Since the books are not terribly expensive and they cover only a short period of time, they are easy to try out. If you like the format, then you can buy more titles. Although you can see some chronological progression, you don’t have to do them in any particular order. They are each a stand-alone Bible study.

  • How to Study Your Bible for Kids
  • God, What’s Your Name?
  • Genesis 01-02: God’s Amazing Creation
  • Genesis 03-10: Digging up the Past
  • Genesis 11-25: Abraham God’s Brave Explorer
  • Genesis 26-36: Extreme Adventures With God
  • Genesis 37-50: Joseph, God’s Superhero
  • Wrong Way Jonah
  • Daniel 01-06: You’re a Brave Man, Daniel!
  • Daniel 07-12: Fast-Forward to the Future
  • John 01-10: Jesus in the Spotlight
  • John 10-16: Jesus: Awesome Power
  • John 17-21: Jesus: To Eternity and Beyond!
  • James: Boy, Have I Got Problems
  • Revelation 1-7: Bible Prophecy for Kids
  • Revelation 8-22: A Sneak Peek into the Future

Each Bible study has a narrative theme that ties the book together. For example, in the Joseph, God’s Superhero study, the theme was creating a comic book and having it published in New York City. The theme of God, What’s Your Name ? was a secret agent mission. The daily lesson opens with the narrative and leads into the Bible study. My ten year old daughter finds the theme a bit childish and a distraction from the meat of the Bible study. In fact, she says the themes have too many characters that are hard to remember. Despite that criticism, overall she enjoys these Bible studies. Sometimes she just skips the story part and jumps right to the Bible part.

There are a few black and white line illustrations in the books, some related to the theme and others to the Bible stories. The student is meant to write his answers directly in the book. In fact, one of the things I really like about these studies is how it teaches students to study the Bible by marking up Bible passages. For example, in one lesson Genesis 22 was printed in the Observation Worksheets at the back of the book, and the instructions were to mark key words accordingly:

  • The LORD Will Provide – underline in blue
  • Love (draw a red heart around)
  • Obey (circle in orange)
  • Worship (circle in purple)

Once the passage is marked in this way, it’s easier to see the principles in the text and then answer the fill in the blank questions about the passage. These marking assignments are quite common in the Discovery 4 Yourself Bible studies.

discover 4 yourself bible studies puzzle pageSometimes there are puzzles to work such as crosswords, scrambled words, or ciphers. Other times the assignment is to sketch an illustration. Many of the questions are open ended applications to the student’s life, “When have you felt this way?” or “What does God want you to do?”

Despite their being many Bible passages printed in the book, you will still need a New American Standard or New Inductive Study Bible to complete the studies. We tried with other translations and found it most frustrating. So make sure that you’ve got one of those versions before buying a Discover 4 Yourself Bible study. Besides colored pens or pencils, there’s nothing else you need to complete these studies.

Character Building for Families

 Bible  3 Responses »
Aug 122009
 
Character Building For Families
 
Here is a typical scenario in my house: One of my sons decides he wants to make “shooting sounds” with his mouth while he is drawing his civil war scene. My youngest daughter who is also at the table drawing gets annoyed with her brother and starts to tell him he needs to stop making that noise. Ahh, now my son has realized he can now tease his sister with this annoying noise he is making. So my daughter now gets even more annoyed and decides to hit him. My son of course retaliates and now my daughter finds me in the other room and tattles on him. Does this sound familiar to anyone here?
 
When we were having days like this I knew I needed to find something that can teach my children how to love each other on a daily basis! We needed some character training. My wonderful friend told me about a curriculum she was using with her children that was just for character training.
 
I am sure every child will need some guidance in character traits such as obedience, cheerfulness or truthfulness. I know in my house all of my children have needed some extra guidance in character building. Let’s face it all of us can use some character building.
 
As I said through a wonderful friend I found this wonderful curriculum called “Character Building For Families.” It is published by Full Gospel Family Publications. It is a bible study designed for the whole family which focuses on character training. I am sure one of the reasons most of us have chosen to homeschool is to have more time to develop those Godly character traits we want our children to have.
 
Let me tell how the curriculum is laid out.  It is a topical unit study of christian character traits. There are two volumes that can be purchased. The first volume covers 12 traits; obedience, orderliness, diligence, loyalty, deference, cheerfulness, gentleness, contentment, gratitude, truthfulness, servanthood, and hospitality (I am sure many of you are now thinking my children could use guidance in one or more of these traits). There are 165 lessons. In volume two there are five topics covered; stewardship (of money, time, speech, bodies, friends and the gospel), teachableness, mercy, patience, and desire for Jesus. There are 135 lessons. The traits can be done in any order. We had started with gentleness because at the time it was the most needed trait that our children needed to learn. Each character trait is broken down into daily lessons.  A single trait may have as many 14 lessons. Each lesson starts with a biblical passage to read. Each day there is bible memorization. The verses to be memorized are to help cement those daily lessons of each trait being taught. There is discussion about the bible passage that is read and how it can be applied to our lives today. Sometimes the lesson may ask Mom and dad to give examples in the own lives of how to apply a lesson. The lessons have questions for you to ask your children. Each lesson ends with prayer and the lesson gives suggestion of how to pray for that day. It is a simple layout but a very effective one. It demonstrates how God has shown himself through his word and how he wants us to be like Jesus.
 
What are the cons? It may be a little advance for younger children such as 2nd grade and lower and there are not any pictures.
 
This curriculum was a great fit for our family. It is so easy to implement into your homeschool day. The lessons generally take 20 minutes. We’ve have had some great discussions in our daily bible lesson with this curriculum. This is a great bible curriculum that is easy to teach and so effective. No preparation is needed. The only material needed is a bible. We did keep a bible journal. My children would write our bible verses that we were memorizing and they would journal their thoughts about what they had learned in our bible study. That was something extra we added to the program.
 
It is very affordable, the cost is only $15.00 for each volume or $28.00 for both volumes. Here is a link if you would like more info:
 
This link shows examples of the program:
 
Written by Korey
 

Walking with Jesus: Noah Plan Bible and Reading program

 Biblical Principle Approach, Language Arts  1 Response »
Jun 232009
 

Biblical Principle Approach is big on reasoning, especially reasoning from God’s word. It can be a challenge to a home educating mom who was not taught this way. One resource to consider to help you on this journey is Walking with Jesus.

This is designed for fourth grade, but I believe a fifth or even sixth grader could glean a lot. It is a softcover book with beautiful Biblical illustrations sprinkled throughout. It comes with a teacher CD that breaks the year down into 4 nine week quarters, which of course you can modify to fit your home’s needs. I recommend the CD because it has the weekly lesson plans and also printable graphic organizers, which are used often in this book.

It is divided into four quarters: 1) The Immediacy of Christ, 2) Old Testament History, 3) Wisdom Literature and Prophecy and 4) New Testament History. At about $40 for the book and teacher CD, is affordable for most home educators.

Here’s how it works: your child reads the lesson, which will introduce a passage of scripture to read. After reading the scripture, there are several resoning questions to answer. Sometimes there are charts to make, organizers to complete and interpret or paraggraphs to write. There is always reasoning at the end of the lesson, that is, they interpret and glean form God’s word for themselves. No one in interpreting. There are no answers on the teacher CD. See sample pages of the book and teacher’s CD here.

Pros:

  • Planned weekly lessons give structure but freedom to do your own thing.
  • Teaching reasoning with a template is very helpful.
  • It improves comprehension and personal application of God’s Word.
  • It is not consumable, so it can be reused with your other children.
  • They practice map work and study skills.
  • It fosters Christian scholarship, which your kids may or may not like.
  • It is a notebook method resource, so your child creates their own Bible notebook to refer to.

Cons:

  • They require the NIV Adventure Bible, so if you don’t like that Bible you don’t want this resource.
  • It requires an investment on the teacher’s part. It’s not a totally independent resource.

This is actually one of my favorite resources from the Foundation for American Christian Education. My daughter used this in fourth grade and we took a two year plan with it. She balked sometimes because it required a lot of thinking on her part. I insisted because I believed so much in it and I was impressed by her reasoning the longer she stayed with it.

Written by Anna-Marie, Biblical Principled Mom

A Child’s Book of Character Building, Volume 1

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason  2 Responses »
Jun 192009
 

childs-book-of-character-buildingWe use a variety of resources during our morning Bible time, but this past year I purchased a book that has become a favorite in our home. A Child’s Book of Character Building by Ron and Rebekah Coriell is a compilation of short stories that highlight Christ-like character traits. It is designed for ages three to seven, but you could possibly use it with a slightly older child as well.

At the beginning of each chapter, you are presented with a particular character quality and a Scripture verse that applies to it. Following this are four separate, one-page stories which portray that particular trait in various contexts. The first story is from the Bible, and it shows how Jesus lived out the character quality in His life here on earth. The remaining three stories provide examples of real-life situations involving children in which the trait is demonstrated in the context of home, school, and play. At the end of each chapter are character development challenges that use activities and questions to help the child apply what he has learned from the stories.

The character traits covered in volume one are:

  • Attentiveness
  • Creativity
  • Faith
  • Diligence
  • Patience
  • Contentment
  • Obedience
  • Wisdom
  • Tenderheartedness
  • Thankfulness
  • Honesty
  • Joyfulness

These stories captivate my children and hold their interest so much that they always want me to read more than one story each day. I try to limit our reading to one or two though because I really want these concepts to sink in to their young hearts.

I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of times that my seven-year old has brought up one of the stories or character traits at a time other than our morning devotions. When helping my children work through difficult situations, I’ve been able to use these stories as reminders of the attitude Jesus would want us to have or how He would have us handle the problem.

These scripturally-based stories have proven to be a wonderful way to plant the seeds of godly virtues in my children as they grow in their relationships with Jesus.

Written by Shannon, Unit Study/Charlotte Mason mother of three, who counts it a joy and a privilege to point her little ones to Jesus.

You can also find Shannon at Song of My Heart.

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