Drawing Closer to God~ Our Biblical Studies Curriculum for 2018-2019

In my current series of discussing the curriculum we are using and our routine, I have pointed out that one of the most important things that I’ve included this year relates to increasing biblical knowledge. In my last post, I shared the memorization system that we are using to “hide scripture” in our hearts.

(You can snag a copy of my printable if you check out that post!) 

Today, I want to share the two bible study programs that we are using with each boy to further increase their overall bible knowledge. These studies are enjoyable and only add about 15 minutes of time to our day!

Bible Study Guide for All Ages

Last year, our family had the privilege of reviewing the Bible Study Guide for All Ages in the Intermediate and Advanced levels. This allowed me to work with both boys at the same time, but with them doing grade appropriate stuff. After completing the review, I decided that it was too easy for my oldest, but just right for my youngest!

Because of this, I chose to continue using the product and purchased more once we were done with the item we had received for our review. I encourage you to read my review of the Bible Study Guide for All Ages to get more information and to learn WHY I love it so much.

Memory Work from Lesson 57

The program is simple to break down over the year. There are 26 lessons in each “unit” and four units per year. By working on it 4 days a week, each unit lasts about 6 weeks—which means completing the entire year provides about 24 weeks of lessons. Now it’s possible to only do one lesson per week, or however you decide to use it. For us, four lessons per week works perfectly.

Chapter review from Lesson 57

Thus far in our year, we’ve covered Joseph (in depth), the book of Daniel (in depth), the life of Christ over all four gospels, the choosing of the disciples, the book of Job, Creation, Noah, and we are currently working through the first books of Exodus. The program has encouraged memorization of the 10 plagues, the 12 sons of Jacob, and the 27 books of the New Testament. As well as being able to summarize what the books of Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Job, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts are all about using the Bible Book Summary cards. We’ve read at least 25 entire chapters of the Bible as part of our studies.

And we aren’t even done yet! We are currently in the middle of Unit 3, and I will be purchasing unit 4 soon. It's so lovely that each unit is only about $7! This program is so perfect for my visual and hands on learner, and I am so grateful that it was brought to our attention.

Alone with God Bible Studies: Acts

My oldest informed me again this past summer, that he wished he knew more about the “non-Jesus” part of the New Testament. He wanted to know more about the apostles themselves and stories from their “adventures”. This was a great request and I was so happy to have exactly what he needed on hand from a previous review. If you are looking for a more independent bible study for your children, you need to check out Alone with God Bible Studies series. There are currently four bible studies in the series which covers 5 books of the Bible. We had reviewed Acts, but hadn’t continued with it. Needless to say I pulled it back out this year.

It’s set up for a 6 day week of Bible study and goes for 52 weeks. That really allows for your child to have a more in-depth look at the book they are studying. With my son studying Acts, this allows for a great lower speed to work through one of the most exciting and encouraging books of the Bible! There are SOOO many stories of great things in there—and I love having him come tell me about what he’s learned. He has a great memory and has really loved the stories he’s learning. We’ve also had some great discussions about it.

I imagine he will finish it this year, so I will be having him pick another one for next year’s study. I think he’ll probably go with either Jonah/Ruth or 1 Samuel.

How Do These Fit In Our Daily Routine?

The boys work on their respective Bible Studies at the same time. My youngest son’s work takes a little longer, but this allows my oldest to shift into his free reading time. We do these studies 4/5 days a week. My oldest usually doubles up one day of the week to get all 6 assignments in for the week, but they are short and easy to do.

The main thing that these both have in common--and the #1 reason I picked them-- is that unlike a lot of curriculum, these are based EXCLUSIVELY in the Bible. There isn't extra commentary with specific doctrines of any organization being promoted. Both of these bible studies use just the Bible as text and then helps your child understand and discuss what is read. This is why they are so easy to incorporate, to teach, and to use with children wanting more independent work!

Between the memory verse time and our Bible studies, I really feel like we are starting every school day off right, and are learning the most important information of all—the Word of God!

In my next post, I will talk a little more about the way we finish out our morning routine and first half of the school day--so stay tuned!