Teaching our children to know and love God with all their heart is one of the primary reasons we homeschool. Without that, all the academics will be useless. Because of this emphasis, I have carefully researched before choosing what to use for Bible and discipleship studies, especially when our oldest was younger. One “problem” I have is that our church’s Sunday School materials are very deep, providing a rich knowledge base for the children as they grow. They aren’t that excited about the other Bible curriculums we’ve used because it simply repeats what they already know. We’ve followed the Sonlight Bible readings scheduled in our core, read through the Millers books, used Leading Little Ones to God, and began catechism studies with Big Truths for Little People. With all of these, our children have learned and parroted back the information, but it has always been with some reluctance, primarily because it is me teaching and them listening. This always saddened us, but we didn’t know what else to try.
Then we received a Grapevine Studies book to review through the Crew. How are these studies different from other studies out there? The students are actively involved in learning, because they are Stick Figuring Through the Bible©. Like other curricula, the Grapevine Studies include comprehension questions, memory verses, timelines, and reviews at the end of each unit. But the primary tool of instruction is a single figure or simple scene representing the event, person, or concept using stick figures or line drawings.
We chose the Biblical Feasts and Holy Days study because it gives the connections between the Old Testament feasts and the New Testament fulfillment in Christ. I also chose it because it would not be going over the same Bible stories again, letting me see if my children were actually learning something new. Finally, I chose it because it only had 13 lessons and I hoped to complete it over the summer (didn’t happen!) . My only hesitation was that the intended age is 10-13, through adult, but I wanted to include my 7 year old. However, I went ahead with it, figuring she could sit and listen, even if she didn’t participate.
The package arrived with a teacher’s manual and two student books. At first glance, I was impressed with the quality of printing, binding, and paper used in these studies. As we began, I became still more impressed with the content and layout of the lessons. The student books provide enough room for each drawing, with the teacher’s book showing what is to be drawn for each section of the lesson. Most lessons include 4 different drawings to illustrate the scripture readings. The teacher’s manual, along with the sample drawings, contains additional information for each lesson, longer scripture portions, and answers for each of the comprehension questions.
Click here for sample pages from the Biblical Feasts study. The website contains samples for each study.
How we used it:
My ten year old and seven year old each used a student book. My littler ones also wanted to join in, so I stapled a stack of plain white paper together for their “Bible book.” Over the summer we have been doing our studies in the living room, away from our whiteboard. I simply drew each figure on a separate piece of white paper and held it up for the children to copy. Once the older ones had finished their drawing, the little ones took each sheet and also attempted to copy. Many of the drawings were simple enough that my almost-5 year old was able to do quite well with them. The study began with an overview of the feasts using a timeline, showing where each one falls during the four seasons. My seven year old has not struggled with the pace or content of the lessons and my ten year old has not been bored!
What we liked:
- Each student lesson contains a shorter section of scripture. These passages are well-chosen and long enough to grasp the concept without overwhelming a reluctant reader. Even my seven year old was able to easily take turns reading with her older brother.
- The lesson concepts are broken down in small enough chunks that all ages can learn from them, even young children.
- My children begged to do more each day, showing me that the lesson length was just right.
- They loved the symbolism involved—a triangle for the Trinity, the color purple for royalty and God. My daughter asked if she could use purple for a drawing of the tabernacle, because the curtains were purple and it was God’s house.
- Just the facts—no denomination or doctrine is specifically promoted—just the facts of each story as stated in the Bible, allowing you to interpret the facts according to your tradition. They call this teacher-directed doctrine.
Because we start school in a week, we’ve taken the past two weeks off, allowing me time to plan our fall and finish arranging the schoolroom. My daughter asked today if we could just start the Bible study again, even if we didn’t do any other school. I can’t express the joy that filled my heart at that question.
The Biblical Feasts and Holy Days study is one of many offered on their website, including Old and New Testament Overviews, Old and New Testament basics, The Birth of Jesus, Esther, and others. Each study is available in multiple levels, allowing you to teaching all ages. The older levels begin teaching the students how to use Bible study tools and examine the geography of the Holy Land as well as the Bible stories. I can’t wait to try another one! I am in the midst of deciding which ones to purchase to use once we finish this study. Thankfully, my search for a Bible curriculum seems to be over, at least for now.
If you want to try these without purchasing an entire study, you can purchase single lessons in their E-Lesson section. These single, downloadable lessons are only $1.95 and a great introduction to the fun of Stick Figuring through the Bible. Most of their studies are available in both e-book and hardcopy format. The price for each study ranges from $9.95 to 19.95, depending on the length and format.
Read other crew members reviews of some of the other Grapevine studies here.
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