Review: Beauty in the Heart

I was recently given an opportunity from Doorposts to review their new Bible study Beauty in the Heart: A Study of Godly Beauty for Young Women.

A study on Godly beauty is a very timely one for us as our Mackenzie is on the verge of becoming a teenager. In a world where young girls are encouraged to wear less and less, knowing God's standards for beauty is a very important topic for any parent of young girls to discuss.

About Doorposts

Doorposts seeks to provide parents with Biblically-based parenting and character training materials. Started by a busy mom of five, Doorposts offers a variety of products designed to help you raise a Godly child. They offer products for character training, Bible studies for mom, dad, boys, girls, and the entire family, scripture memorization, and more.

Our Experience

We received the Beauty in the Heart Bible Study in print format. Mackenzie, my 12 year old daughter, was away at various summer camps for half of the review period so I decided to do the study myself and see what it's all about.

The study teaches will teach your daughter what the Bible says about modesty, serving, and humility by focusing on Ruth, Sarah, and Esther. These are things that God considers to be true beauty. Who wouldn't love this for their daughter? All I have to do is turn on the tv or log onto facebook to see that these are areas that our society isn't too concerned about these days. I want my daughters to know that God is interested in their inward appearance, not on what they wearing. That alone is enough to sell me on this study.
But there's more. And it's really neat.

This study is also designed to help your daughter learn how to study the Bible. That's not even the cool part. The cool part is how they do it.

The book is made up of nine separate studies. Each study will teach your daughter a new way to study the Bible. They will learn how to do the following types of studies:

Inductive Study
Verse Study
Character Study
Book Study
Word and Topical Study
Chapter Study

I did not know that there were so many different ways to study the Bible. This excited me so much because I learned new and different ways to study God's word. And what a great gift to give you daughter that will benefit them for their entire lives. I  LOVE it!

I love how this study gets you digging into the Word. It teaches you how to outline the content of the passage, to study the original Greek and Hebrew, gather all of Scripture's words about a particular topic, use other resources to help you study your Bible and so much more.

The creator recommend that you get a topical Bible, concordance, and colored pencils to aid you in your study. I told you that you'd be learning to dig deeper. They also recommend digital resources for your iPad if the print versions are out of your budget.

This study is definitely a step-up from the types of studies that Mackenzie has done in the past. This is no "little girl" devotional. It is going to help her grow into a young lady and lead her to a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Teaching your daughter what true beauty is and how to study the Bible in a variety of ways is a double win in my book!!!

F.Y.I.

Website: http://www.doorposts.com

Age Range: 10-12

Pricing: Pre-order for $14. Print books will ship by August 29.

And check out this special...

Use the coupon "beautystudy" during check-out and get a FREE instant download PDF when you pre-order.

Review: Draw to Learn by Notgrass

Isn't it nice when you can combine two subjects with one resource? That's exactly what you're able to do with the Draw to Learn series from the Notgrass Company. Art and Bible study all-in-one. Awesome!!!

About Draw to Learn

The Draw to Learn series is designed to provide your student with an art curriculum and a Bible study in one easy-to-use product. Your child learns about God's truth while completing a variety of drawings.

The series contains 5 volumes, Draw to Learn Acts, Proverbs, Psalms, Letters of Paul, and Learn the Life of Jesus. Each volume contains 150 lessons and are available in print or digital format.

It's so simple to use that your child can complete the lessons on their own. All they have to is:

Read the Bible passage.

Think about the meaning.

Draw a picture related to the passage.

Easy, right?

Our Experience

Mackenzie LOVES to draw so she was beyond thrilled when we received the print version of Draw to Learn Proverbs. The supplies that you need are minimal: a drawing pencil, a nice set of colored pencils, and, of course, the curriculum.

We started off by reading and discussing the passage together, then Mackenzie would draw a picture pertaining to the passage. Each lesson offered suggestions for what to draw. There will also suggestions at the front of the book on how to draw the pictures in general. Things like draw people first, use a model, and fill the entire page, for example.

Mackenzie was in love from the get go. Eventually, she stopped waiting for me to do the lesson with her and just did them. lol Then she'd show them to me and discuss what she learned. That method works well too.

What did Mackenzie think?

"I want to keep doing it for my Bible lessons. Forever."

Good thing they sent us the complete set in digital format. Her wish has been granted. But I would've gladly bought them all for her if they hadn't.

F.Y.I.

Website: http://www.notgrass.com/notgrass/

Age Range: All Ages

Pricing: $14.95 for print copies, $9.95 for digital format

Review: Bible Study Guide for All Ages

Bible Study Guide for All Ages is a product that I am very familiar with as I've used it with Mackenzie in the past. So I was very excited to see it pop up on our upcoming vendor list. I was even more excited when I was chosen to use the Beginner Level with Kayleigh.  Up until now, I've mainly just been reading Bible stories to her with memory verses and the occasional craft. Unfortunately that hasn't really been holding her interest. Not good. So I was beyond thrilled to try it with her.

About Bible Study Guide for All Ages

This product was created by a mom and Sunday school teacher, Mary Baker, who couldn't find a product suitable for her needs. So what does an enterprising mom do? She creates it herself and the Bible Study Guide for All Ages was born.

This program is set-up to cover the entire Bible over a four-year period giving the students "the big picture" as well as in-depth knowledge and how to apply the knowledge to their own lives. There are six levels available for pre-school through adults.

Each year of study is made up on one unit and each unit contains between 100-104 lessons. There are 4 lesson packs per unit.  All levels cover the same topics with age appropriate lessons. You can see the order of study HERE. What is fantastic about this set up is that if your student does Unit 1 using the beginner level but is ready for the next level upon completion, you can go ahead and get Unit 2 in the primary level. No need to redo Unit 1 in the next level because the same topics are studied in each level. Another perk of every level using the same text is that you can get the appropriate student pages for each student and the entire family will be studying the same lesson at their own level. How awesome is that?

Our Experience

We received the Beginner Student Pages (Lessons 1-26), Beginner Time Line, and the Children's Songs CD set.

The student pages are printed on legal size paper in black and white. All of the teacher's instructions are right there on the page. You use one page per lesson. The lesson includes:

     *Learn the Basics: Suggestions to use the Beginner Time Line and give the student the "big                
        picture."
     *Sing and Remember: Song suggestions to complement the lesson, teaches the books of the Bible
       in small increments, and review questions.
     *Get Active: Activities to get your student moving and prep them for the coming lesson.
     *Discover the Bible: The meat of the lesson. The teacher reads the lesson while the student  
       interacts  
       and responds by tracing, coloring, or crossing out pictures.
      *Apply It: Helps the student make connections from the story and apply them to their own lives.

The Beginner Time Line includes 34-full color cards printed on sturdy card stock. The cards cover key Bible stories and include a question to check learning. They are bright, colorful, and fun to look at. We've been posting the cards we're using on the wall near our circle time area so we can easily refer to them.

The Children's Song CD set includes 90 songs on 2 CDs. The CD includes many old favorites as well as some new ones that help the learning stick. 

This program is super easy to use, basically just open and go. All you need is some crayons and a Bible and you are good to go. We pretty much just went through the lesson as scripted. We began each lesson by reviewing the Time Line cards, then working our way through the books of the Bible and the review questions, and did the Get Active activity. Occasionally we had to skip the Get Active activity as it was better suited to group situations. 

When we get to the Discover the Bible section, which included the Scripture references as well as the scripted lesson, I'd read directly from the Bible first then we'd go through the scripted section and she'd follow along completing the work sheet activities. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES completing these activities. I found this surprising because she's generally very resistant to taking direction for any reason. lol

The best part is that Kayleigh has really been learning from this program. I can't believe that I didn't think of using this with her on my own. Better late than never though, right? 

My final thoughts...well I bought the rest of the lessons for Unit 1 so I guess that about sums up my feelings on this product. Two thumbs up!!!

F.Y.I.

Website: http://biblestudyguide.com

Age Range: pre-k through adult

Pricing: $5.95 per lesson pack, $19.95 for the CD set, $24.95 for the Beginner's Time Line

Review: Creation Illustrated

Creation Illustrated is a Bible-based nature journal published by Tom and Jennifer Ish, a homeschooling family. Published quarterly, this magazine has been referred to as "The Christian answer to National Geographic" due to the fabulous photography.

About Creation Illustrated

Mission Statement

Our purpose is to share the wonders of God's creation. By revealing fresh insights of His infinite wisdom, gentle touch, undeniable justice, redeeming love, and flawless design, pure truth shall bering renewed peace. Each part of this publication is offered as a reprieve from the daily rigors of life so that all can look to the future with unbridled gratitude and hope.  

**Each edition is divided into three sections: Creation Illustrated in Nature, in Scripture, and in Living -- to provide the mental, spiritual, and physical enrichment that everyone needs for balanced growth and education.

**There are uplifting spiritual, character-building lessons for students and family members of all ages in every feature -- Christ's method of teaching eternal truths through the things He made.

**The Instructional Guide in the back of each edition helps homeschoolers glean facts and spiritual lessons from each story.

**Garden features, activities, and a youth nature photo contest help youth and families unplug from the computer and get out into God's Creation to build a meaningful relationship with Him and each other.

**There are even Genesis Cuisine Recipes for homemakers to be creative in the kitchen with their children.

Our Experience

When we opened the package and found these four beautiful magazines were inside, we were excited. The magazine itself was on thick, glossy paper. The photography is simply stunning. The articles are captivating and, as my daughter described them, touching. With scripture woven throughout each page, it's like getting a devotional and a science lesson all rolled into one. And they are a great spring board for deeper discussion.

The instructional guides are also wonderful. They give you suggestions for devotional readings for your students along with comprehension questions for the articles. There is also a word search, youth photo contest, and suggestions for more hands-on activities.

My daughter is really enjoying the articles and discovering the many beautiful places that God had created. She is compiling a list of places to visit based on what she's been reading. She has also requested another subscription as a gift.

This beautiful magazine would be a welcome addition to any home.

F.Y.I.

Website: www.CreationIllustrated.com
Age Range: Great for the Whole Family
Price: $19.95 per year (4 issues), deeper discounts available for extending your subscription time out

Great News!!! Creation Illustrated is offering a FREE ISSUE as part of a subscription offer.  Just go too. www.CreationIllustrated.com/TOS

Disclaimer: I received a free subscription to this magazine for review purposes. All opinions are my own

Review: God's Great Covenant

We really enjoyed reviewing Classical Academic Press's Art of Argument , so when we saw their name pop up on the vendor list again, we were excited! This time around we were given the opportunity to review one of their Bible programs, God's Great Covenant, New Testament 1: A Bible Course for Children.

About God's Great Covenant, NT 1

In God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1: A Bible Course for Children, students will follow the story of Jesus, the Messiah and King, as He is born and fulfills all God’s promises. But Jesus does not arrive as people expected. The people were looking for a mighty warrior to deliver them from the oppressive Roman government. Instead, He came as the suffering Savior, who would die as the sacrifice for sin and death. He was building a kingdom that was not of this world—it was the kingdom of God. He is the Son of Man, God’s Servant, the Messiah, and the Son of God. Each of the four units in this text emphasizes one of these names of Jesus. God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1 teaches the Gospels to students in fourth grade and up, using stories, worksheets, memory verses, devotional guides, quizzes, and a little boy named Simon. In the introductions to the text, students will also learn about the historical, cultural, and geographical setting of the New Testament. This book is a most comprehensive and heartfelt study of the Gospels, and many parents and teachers will find themselves learning along with their students. 

We received the student text, teacher's edition, and a MP3 audio file.  I so love the audio file to help with my "Sonlight throat."  (Those of us who use Sonlight read aloud.  A lot!  To put it mildly.)

The study includes:

• 36 weekly chapters, divided into 4 themed units
• Each chapter contains:
• A memory page that includes a weekly memory verse, key facts chart, fulfillment of prophecy section
• A thought-provoking “Think About It” question that encourages children to consider how to relate to God in their own lives
• A worksheet and quiz
• Unit reviews that contain a memory verse worksheet, devotional guide, and a fun short story of life in Simon’s world

The teacher's guide contains the complete student text along with answer keys and extensive notes that expand upon historical, cultural, and geographical facts that are included in the study.  We are talking TONS of background information.  

Our Experience

Once again, Classical Academic Press did not disappoint us.  The texts are bright, clean, and easy to read.  The text starts with a lengthy introduction that covers historical, political, geographical, and religious information of that time.  You then read about Simon's World.  Simon is a fictional child who shows your student what it would be like to live in Jesus's world.  Fun!

After the introductions, you dive into the lessons.  Each lesson includes memory work, key facts given in the form of an easy-to-read chart, beautiful period maps, and review sheets.  The maps really are lovely and are one of our favorite parts of the study.  And they're accurate.  (If you've ever read my blog, you know that accurate maps are a pet peeve of mine. lol)  The review sheets offer a variety of activities: fill-in-the-blank, crosswords puzzles, unscramble the words, etc.  Always a variety to keep it fresh for the student.   The end of the unit contains a devotional to help the students apply the lessons to their lives.  After all, what good is studying the Bible if you're not going to apply it?

I'm going to mention the notes in the teacher's guide again.  They are just fabulous!!  I learned so much about the Bible from them myself.  And they are improving my ability to teach the Bible to my children. They are jam packed with background information.

According to Mackenzie:

I like the simplicity of it.  I feel like I get a lot done without having to do a lot of work.  I like to highlight the verses they mention in my Bible so I can apply them to my life.  I am understanding the Bible better.

What mom wouldn't like to hear that about their child say that about their Bible Study?

F.Y.I.

Website: http://classicalacademicpress.com/

Age Range:  4th grade and up

Pricing:  Student text $26.95
   Teacher's Guide $29.95
   MP3 Audio $9.95
   Bundle $56.95



Click the Crew banner to read more reviews.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this program for review purposes.  All opinions are my own or that of my daughter.