Focusing on the Birth of Jesus with Multi-Level Bible Lessons from GrapeVine Studies {A TOS Review}

I love finding new ways to make the Bible come alive for the children. GrapeVine Studies has been on my radar for a while. Their curriculum intrigued me, and I have wanted to try out this fun idea of drawing stick figures to teach the children Bible stories, so I was thrilled when we were chosen to review Birth of Jesus: Multi-level. 

Birth of Jesus is one of GrapeVine's topical studies. You can choose between Beginner or Multi-level, both of which can also add on the Traceable book for younger students. The Beginner level is geared for children ages 5-7 and the Multi-level is for children 7 and up. The add-on Traceable level is geared for children ages 3-6. I decided to choose the Multi-level because I figured the Beginner level would be too easy for Tabitha and possible Amelia. As we were able to get the Traceable book, both Hannah and Harold (ages 5 and 3 respectively) were able to join in, making this study perfect for all the different ages in our family. 
We received a PDF download of the Multi-level Student book and Traceable level Student book along with the Teacher book. I was able to view the children's books on the computer; however, this was done primarily to print out their pages, they didn't work at the computer.  I did choose to read the teacher book straight from my tablet, to keep the cost of printer ink down.  In order to use the curriculum we also needed to have a Bible, a Bible Dictionary, a dry erase board/chalkboard and 8 colored dry erase markers/chalk (for the teacher) and colored pencils (for the children).  A computer or tablet is needed to view the curriculum and a printer is necessary to print out (at least) the students' pages. I chose to store the pages in my folder.  When we are done with the study I have plans to "bind" it in a pocket folder with fasteners, but there is no specific way that it needs to be stored.  The study is actually divided into three parts. 
The first part is the Time Line, which is meant to be completed first so the children have a framework within which to understand the lessons.

The Time Line pages are laid out horizontally so there is room to fit a few picture on each page. For these simple beginning lessons the parent is to read a short, one to three sentence summary about each section. The parent then draws the required pictures on the dry erase board and asks the child to also draw the pictures. 
The second is the Lessons,  There are 4 lessons, each of which is meant to take about a week to complete. The lessons are:

• The Announcement
• The Birth of Jesus
• The Proclamation
• The Wise Men and Herod

A Daily Schedule is suggested in the informational pages.
Each week, except week 1, there is a Timeline Review section on the first day. Days 2 and 3 are the days when the child is to use the student sheets while the parent teaches the lesson.  Each part has Bible verses to read. Teacher notes in green give the parent words/ideas of what to discuss about the passage. The lesson is specifically laid out on each page, showing which parts are to be completed each day. 

On the bottom of the second lesson page there are review questions.  On Day 4 the child(ren) are to draw their favorite part from the week's lesson and write out (or recite) their memory verse. I expect the older children to write out the verse, though the younger children are not ready for that yet.  
The third part is the Final Review.
When all of the lessons are complete, the children work on the Final Review, which includes questions to be answered and a final timeline to be figured out. 
There is also a map in the back of the book to be used in certain lessons to help the children connect where the story is taking place.
This study was focused on the "events surrounding the nativity of Jesus."  We began by learning how many generations there were between Adam and Jesus. We read about Gabriel coming to Mary and the conversation that took place. We learn about Elizabeth, Joseph, the Shepherds, the Angels, Caesar Augustus, Simeon, Anna, the Wise Men, Herod, moving all the way through Jesus moving with his family to Egypt and back.
It seems like there is so much information to learn, but the stick figure drawings help the children to focus on the main points of each lesson. Just the other day, Amelia started drawing figures on the board and quizzing me to make sure I knew which part of the story she was illustrating.  

This picture shows the shepherd coming to worship baby Jesus.
I love the multi-sensory aspect of GrapeVine Studies. The children listen to the Bible verses, watch me draw the pictures, and then draw the pictures themselves. They also have to recite the Bible verse and can even take turns reading the lesson verses. They are learning a lot of details that we hadn't gone into before and they are "sticking." They will also get to keep their pages in a folder book along with their completed timeline that I plan to tape together.   It has been great to have the Traceable pages for the younger children, though Harold hasn't been too interested in doing this work. Hannah has enjoyed being able to follow along. 

We are all enjoying GrapeVine Studies, and I highly recommend it as a hands-on, multi-sensory Bible study for multiple ages. 
I can't wait to try out some more of their topical studies. Here is a look at what they offer:

This will help you understand the levels a bit. You can check out some samples as well.
You can find GrapeVine Studies on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of the studies they used from GrapeVine Studies.

Building Character in Our Children with Lads and Ladies of Wisdom Bible Curriculum {A Review}

A year ago, I had the privilege of being a part of the launch team for Kathie Morrissey's Preschool and Early Elementary Curriculum called, Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue. Kathie Morrissey is a fellow homeschool mom of 8 children. She started Character Corner to provide Biblical parenting resources to other parents. Now, Kathie has released a followup for older children called Lads and Ladies of Wisdom. This curriculum was designed for children who are in grades 1-6.

I received 2 ebooks to use with the children during our Bible time. This curriculum is similar to the the Virtues curriculum in that there is a curriculum book and an activity book. The Lads and Ladies of Wisdom ebook sells for $15.00 and the companion Little Lads and Ladies of Wisdom Activities & Copywork ebook is also $15.00. You can purchase them as a set for $26.00.

This character building curriculum is designed to take 5 months to complete. Each week children learn more about wisdom through Bible readings, memory verses, Wisdom Keys, activities, object lessons, role playing, copywork and various worksheets. Besides having to print out the needed sheets and gather some easy to find supplies, the curriculum is pretty much open and go. There is an introduction and instructions followed by a materials-needed section. So far, I have found the materials needed are quite easy to come by, which is a great plus, as is having the materials listed out in the beginning of the book so the parent can easily prepare for each week's lesson.

Let's take a closer look at the main curriculum book. As I already stated, the book begins with an introduction, instructions, and a resources/materials needed section. From there we move into the 20 weekly lessons.

Each lesson has a memory verse and 3-4 Wisdom Keys shared on the first page of that week's lesson. The memory verse isn't written out because the parent is being given the opportunity to use whichever version of the Bible they prefer to use. You will need to have your Bible handy during the study. We then move into the lesson. Each day, there is a list of verses to read, again, just the reference is given. The children are being asked to listen to the verses and see how they relate to the lesson theme. For instance, in Day 3 of Week 1, the children are to listen for the blessings that come to a wise person. 

We then take the time to practice the memory verse, and on each of the following days we work on the verse, plus the Wisdom Keys that have been introduced thus far. 

I have found that the children learn the Bible verse a lot easier when we add motions to it.

Here the children were learning the memory verse from week 4: 

Proverbs 1:5- Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance

There is then an activity to help reinforce the day's lesson. These activities come in the form of object lessons, activity cards, activity pages, and games. The children had fun the first week when they had to go on a treasure hunt. Daddy helped by making up some fun clues to lead them toward the treasure. They have also followed directions to make a shape person and have drawn pictures of Miss or Mr. Arrogant. 

We used rocks and cotton balls to show the heaviness verses lightness of a parent's heart when children are foolish as opposed to wise. 

Sometimes the activity uses cards that I print and cut out for us to act upon. 

This past week, we learned that "A Wise Person Chooses Wise Companions." On each of the cards, there was written a scenario. We each took turns drawing a card and flipping a coin. If it landed on heads we were to respond to the scenario wisely, if it was tails, we were to act foolish. 

Following these lessons you will find the printables section. There is a Treasure Chest Chart with Treasures to cut out. The children earn these treasure pieces at the end of each week when they can demonstrate knowledge of what was learned during that week. I have the children each take turns reciting the memory verse and the keys for the week.

The Activity Cards described above are also found in the back of the curriculum book. I recommend printing them on card stock, so they will hold up to children using them. Sometimes the activity cards are used for discussion, other times we get up and move to play the games. 

The last thing you will find in the main curriculum book is the coloring pages section. Each weekly lesson has a coloring sheet. 

In addition to the main curriculum book, we received the Lads and Ladies of Wisdom Activity and Copywork book. Each week there are 2-3 activity pages for the children to complete to help reinforce what is being learned. The girls have been enjoying such activities as word searches, crossword puzzles, word unscrambles, and match ups.

Each day the children have copywork pages as well.  The copywork consists of the memory verse and the Keys learned during the week. These are offered in both print and cursive, which was perfect because Tabitha could use the cursive and Amelia could use the print. I have them trace the dotted words and then write it out below.

We have been having fun while learning about wisdom using Lads and Ladies of Wisdom. We have learned the definitions of Wisdom and Foolishness, plus looked at the blessings of Wisdom and the Consequences of Foolishness. From there we began digging deeper into the characteristics of a wise person. The majority of the study is devoted to learning about and internalizing these characteristics, after the short foundation in learning about what wisdom is and why we should desire it as opposed to foolishness.

I did have a couple of concerns. I have to admit, there were times when verses didn't appear to match up, then I realized that we were probably using a different version of the Bible, which would cause us not to find the exact same word.  There were times when reading multiple verses that I had to do quite a bit of flipping back and forth to find the verses. If I had realized it didn't really matter which order they were read in, I would have read them in order.

All in all, this is a wonderful character building curriculum for young children. I was able to include the youngest children who are 3 and 5 years old. I didn't expect them to learn all the Wisdom Keys by heart, though they did repeat them after me, and they memorized the memory verses. They were able to join in with most of the activities and had fun with the activity sheets, though I also didn't expect them to do the copywork. We are looking forward to continuing this study.

If you are looking for a character building curriculum for younger children, I also highly recommend Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue. I invite you to read my review for details of that program.

I am thrilled to be able to offer you the chance to win a set of the Lads & Ladies of Wisdom ebooks. The winner of the giveaway will receive both the curriculum and the copywork.

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. 

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. 

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs June 15 through June 30.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the Lads & Ladies of Wisdom ebook Curriculum and Copywork in exchange for my honest review. I received no further compensation. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers. 

Sound Words Theology Curriculum Review

Disclosure: I am an affiliate with Proverbial Homemaker and receive a small commission on purchases made through my links. Thank you for your support. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and are in no way swayed by any compensation I may receive. 

It is very important to my husband and I that our children grow up to know and love the Lord. It is one of the major reasons we are homeschooling our children, and the reason I chose the curriculum I did. However, I have been feeling as if something has been missing in our days. I wanted to be able to start our day, as well as end our day, focusing on the Lord. Yes, we always start our lesson time with prayer, and our curriculum includes learning about the Bible, but I felt we needed more. Thanks to Tauna Meyer and her Sound Words Theology 4 Kids curriculum, I have been able to add that extra dimension to our day.

Tauna is a fellow homeschool mom, who also happens to be a blogger. You can find her over at the Proverbial Homemaker where she blogs about Faith, Family, Homemaking, Homeschooling, and more. 

I was thrilled to be able to join in with the Launch Team for her new Sounds Words Theology 4 Kids curriculum. This curriculum teaches the essentials of the Christian faith through a question and answer type format known as a catechism. The information is taken from the Westminster Catechism, which I had been introduced to several years ago at the Play Group/Bible Study we used to attend. To tell you the truth, I had grown up Catholic, and before this time, I thought a catechism was a purely Catholic thing. I was intrigued to discover this wasn't the case, but I still wasn't sure how to present this way of learning to the children. 

Enter the downloadable Sound Words Curriculum. We received Unit 1: All About God. Not only are we asking and answering these questions to learn about God, there are devotions based on each question, Bible verses for us to memorize, copywork for the children to complete, along with a simple project. As an added bonus, Tauna has included an introductory "God is..." section so the children can learn the attributes of God. 

When I first received the download, I printed out the attribute cards as the lessons are meant to start with this introduction, one characteristic per day. To make them sturdy, I printed them out on card stock, though I didn't laminate them. Each of the blue attribute cards has characteristic of God listed and a Bible verse reference. Each day I introduced the card and then we read the lesson. The lesson has the Bible verse printed out, which I did read, but we didn't memorize them. We are then asked if we know what the word means, giving us time to discuss what the children think it means before reading the correct definition and how it applies to God. As a way to remember each of the attributes, we reviewed the previous days cards as we worked through the list. At the end of this short introduction, the children took turns attaching them to our "God is..." poster:

This brings us to the meat of the curriculum. Each lesson is meant to take one week to complete. Included with each lesson, you will find:

• A memory verse poster
• List of scriptures/Bible stories to focus on
• Discussion questions
• Devotion
• Craft/activity idea
• Copywork
• Notebooking pages

Eleven different questions are asked about God. We are learning the following:

• Who is God?
• Who Made God?
• Has God Ever Had a Beginning?
• Will God Ever Die?
• Are There More Gods Than One?
• In How Many Persons Does This One God Exist?
• Who Are The Three Persons of God?
• Where is God?
• Can You See God? 
• Does God Know All Things?
• Can God Do All Things?

At the beginning of the week, I will read the question and see what the children come up with for an answer, then I will read the answer to them. Next we will work on the memory verse. The next day, I read the Bible story and we discuss the questions, along with reviewing the memory verse. We take Wednesday's off from lesson time as we have co-op, but on Thursday we read the devotion and review the memory verse. We conclude the lesson by reviewing the memory verse once again and doing the craft. At some point during the week, the girls get the copywork in their workboxes. 

I love that there are two different versions of the copywork. Amelia has been able to use the dashed mid-line paper and Tabitha has uses the standard line paper.

I should come as no surprise that we enjoy the hands-on crafts/activities that help to reinforce the lesson. All of the ideas are simple and if materials are needed, they are easy to find (usually around the house). 

Here the children are having a blast making "God Created..." posters. During this lesson they learned that God created everything in our world and no one created Him. 

There are a total of 11 lessons in addition to the bonus lesson on the attributes of God. All of these lessons follow the same format which is great for keeping with routine. I love that we are able to use hands-on activities to bring these questions and answers to life, along with discussion questions and devotionals.

This downloadable curriculum is the first unit in a series of 9 that will be released monthly. The complete Sound Words for Kids Curriculum will include:

• All About God
• Creation
• The Fall
• Salvation
• Christ and His Work
• God’s Word
• Prayer
• The Ordinances
• Christ’s Return

This is a wonderful way to teach young children ages 4-9 about Biblical truths, and I would highly recommend it. Thanks to the Sound Words Curriculum we have been starting our day focusing on God, though this could be used at any time. 

If you would like to look into this great theology curriculum, I have some exciting news. For this first week, from February 13th through the 21st, the first Unit: All About God, is available for FREE! After February 21st it will be available for it's regular price of $14.95

You can check out the Sound Words for Kids curriculum here.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate with Proverbial Homemaker and I received Unit 1 of the Sound Words for Kids Curriculum as a part of the launch team in exchange for my honest review. I received no further compensation. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.

Learning Virtues with Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue {A Review and Giveaway}

I know how important it is to instill Godly character in our children, but I wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing so. Recently, I was introduced to Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue which is a Preschool and Early Elementary Character Curriculum by Kathie Morrissey from The Character Corner. I was so excited to be chosen to be on the Launch Team to bring this new book to my readers. 

I received the 2 digital books that make up this curriculum. There is the actual Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue ebook which sells for $9 and the Copywork ebook which sells for $5. You can purchase the Curriculum and Copywork set for $12.

The main portion of the curriculum is found in the Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue book.

This book contains just about all you need to teach your children. After the introduction, where the author shares the importance of instilling Godly character in our children, you will find the instructions on how to use the book followed by a list of easy-to-find materials that are needed for the object lessons that are found in each chapter. These materials are simple things that most people have around their homes, such as a simple glass half-full of water, blankets, cushions, chairs, construction paper, bean bags, a penny, cotton balls, crackers and candy to name some of them. Looking through the list for all the virtues, I couldn't find one thing that would be difficult for me to obtain or make. The bulk of the book is made up of the lessons you will teach. Each virtue is taught over a 5-day period.

The lessons always follow the same pattern. On Day 1 you will read the definition and the memory verse and have the children repeat them. Then there is always a way to explain the trait in a bit more detail. You end the lesson with the written prayer.

On Day 2 you review the definition and the memory verse, teach the "I Wills" and end in prayer. Then on Day 3 you review the information from the previous days and add in an object lesson, game or role playing. You then end again in prayer.

On Day 4, you also review the memory verse, definition and "I Wills," and then add in some sort of lesson and/or self-evaluation.  Day 5 is a review before having the children recite all that they have learned during the week so they can earn their reward ribbon (what we have been calling badges).

Additionally, you will find Coloring Pages for each lesson and the Reward Ribbons plus a "Something to Crow About" chart for the ribbons to be placed on as they are earned.  Finally, in the appendix you will find a wonderful list of additional resources.

If you are using the curriculum with preschool children, this book is all you will need. However, if you are including young elementary children you may want to invest in the Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue Copywork book, which is $5. 

For each day of the week your child will have some copywork to help reinforce what they are learning. 

On Day 1 they will write the definition of the character trait. On Day 2 they will write the memory verse. On Days 3-5 they will write the "I Wills" for that trait. 

We have been having a great time learning about and working on these character traits. So far we have worked on "Attentiveness," "Contentment," and "Courage." These traits are taught in alphabetical order and we have just been going down the list; however, I don't see why you couldn't change the order to suit your needs.

Here is a list of the 24 character qualities in the book:

• Attentiveness
• Contentment
• Courage
• Deference
• Diligence
• Faithfulness
• Forgiveness
• Gratitude
• Helpfulness
• Humility
• Initiative
• Joyfulness
• Kindness
• Love
• Loyalty
• Obedience
• Orderliness
• Perseverance
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Self-control
• Truthfulness
• Virtue
• Wisdom

In preparation for using this curriculum, I printed out the "Something to Crow About" Charts and hung them on the wall. Additionally, I wanted to have a nice visual available as we learned each trait, so I created this chart on a piece of poster board. 

At the beginning of each week I print out the copywork pages for Tabitha and Amelia plus the coloring sheet for all 4 children. However, I do not print out the lesson. Thankfully, I have a tablet I can read it on, which helps to save on ink. 

Before the children wake up on Monday, I put the Character Trait in the top pink rectangle so they can see what we are going to be learning about. I also copy all the information for the chart onto plain white paper cut to size.  Later that day we add in the memory verse and definition.

On Tuesday we add the "I Wills."

This chart is kept on our easel in our dining room/school room, so we can see it at all times. 

Either on Monday or Tuesday, depending upon what other projects I have lined up for the day, the children will color their coloring sheets.

We talk about the quality throughout the week and really focus on what it means and how to demonstrate the trait in our lives. I'm glad the study started with attentiveness, as lack of attentiveness has been a problem and now I can reinforce it as we go along each week. 

The children are so excited when they receive their badges at the end of the week. 

I have them practice them with me and then they go to recite them for daddy who approves of their recitation.

These short lessons are perfect for younger children to process the information. I love that we focus on one quality for the entire week as the repetition is also great for retention. The object lessons and games are perfect for the age group the book is geared toward. They are having fun getting up and building forts, tossing bean bags, role playing. In addition to getting up and moving there is time to sit and talk, choosing what would be the correct thing to do. The addition of the copywork is great for the older children, though I do have to say I wish there was a version for younger children with larger lines. The other thing I had a concern about was the amount of ink it takes to print out the Reward Ribbons. I would love to see an option of black and white outline ribbons that the children can color in themselves. 

This is a wonderful, affordable curriculum for teaching children Biblical character traits and I would highly recommend it. 

I am thrilled to be able to offer you the chance to win a set of the Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue ebooks. The winner of the giveaway will receive both curriculum and the copywork.

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs May 30 through June 14.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: I received the Little Lads & Ladies of Virtue ebook Curriculum and Copywork as a part of the Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Promotional Team in exchange for my honest review. I received no further compensation. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.