Homeschooling Plans for our First Grader

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We were blessed with reviewing My Father's World kindergarten curriculum, God's Creation from A to Z Package last year. I really appreciated having everything organized and laid out for me because it allowed me to focus on pulling materials together for our oldest son's final year of high school. With the great experience with My Father's World, we decided to purchase the first grade curriculum for our daughter.

There are so many wonderful components to the Learning God's Story first grade curriculum from My Father's World. Personally, one of my favorite aspects is the Learning God's Story Teacher's Manual. Each week is laid out on a grid for Monday through Friday and then additional information follows that week's grid. It makes it so easy to plan the individual days as we move through the curriculum. 

Our daughter was so excited when everything arrived and wanted to get started immediately – even though we were finishing up the kindergarten curriculum. As we unboxed everything, our daughter was quite enamored with the math manipulatives, but I was very excited to see My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions. I love that it included devotions based upon animals. What a neat idea! 

What Did We Get? 

The package that we ordered last year included the following: 

• Learning God's Story Teacher's Manual
• Student Sheets for Learning God's Story
• Student Workbook
• Bible Notebook 
• Bible Reader
• Geared Student Clock
• Horizontal Addition and Subtraction Flashcard Set
• My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions
• Pattern Animals: Puzzles for Pattern Blocks
• Science with Plants
• Science with Water
• Outdoor Things 
• The Complete Book of Math Grades 1 - 2
• Unifix Cubes - 100
• Wooden Pattern Blocks
  

How Have We Used My Father's World? 

When we started using our first grade curriculum, we spent the first several weeks following the Teacher's Manual and completing the majority of the suggested activities. Everything went very smoothly as we read from My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions, completed pages in our Math Workbook, and worked in the Student Workbook. I enjoyed working one-on-one with our daughter. 

When my mom's health began to deteriorate more quickly, we needed to take a break from the parent-led instruction of My Father's World and turn to other work that would allow our daughter to continue to learn while freeing me for other tasks. I went through some of the workbooks we have collected over the years, printed out worksheets, and found other activities for her to do. I utilized some of the subscriptions we received as members of the Homeschool Review Crew for our daughter, too. 

After the death of my mom, we were able to jump back into our first grade curriculum from My Father's World. So, while most are finished or finishing up their 36 weeks of first grade, we are right in the middle of it, and because we homeschool, it doesn't matter. We can move at our own pace. Because My Father's World is a complete curriculum that does not rely upon online subscriptions, we didn't have to worry about running out of time. I opened up the Teacher's Manual, collected the books and materials we needed, and we started again. 

Daily Schedule 

Each day when we get started on our homeschooling, I usually hand to our daughter the one or two things she can do on her own as I get her brother organized. Recently, this has been handing her the chart for her to write the numbers over 101 and the chart listing the 66 books of the Bible. 

As we started each day, I looked through the specific day on the grid to see what activities we have scheduled. After our daughter completes the few tasks she can do independently, we review the Proverb for the week together. During the week, she will write it out on her own. Then, each day contains a Bible/History activity or reading, a language arts/reading lesson, a math lesson (utilizing The Complete Book of Math book most days), and sometimes there are music, science, or art activities. 

One of the things I love about homeschooling first grade is that we can complete all the work in a short amount of time, which allows our daughter to have a lot of free time to pursue her own interests. She can play with her toys, read books, color, or complete STEM kit activities.

Adding In 

I also included other activities and lessons from a variety of resources for our daughter this year. As the Social Media Manager of the Homeschool Review Crew, I receive a variety of homeschool products and resources over the course of the year. Some of them are above her age range or grade level, but there have been quite a few that are a good fit for her first grade homeschooling. 

We have been slowly working through Preschool: Exploring God's Love from Positive Action Bible Curriculum. Even though she is in first grade, this curriculum has been a nice addition, as it reviews the key lessons in the Bible. She enjoys the workbook, which includes coloring, cutting, and drawing, and I like the read-aloud sections with questions. 

To sharpen her math skills, we have been using Memoria Math Challenge Level A sporadically. The math curriculum in My Father's World is solid, but I would like her to be able to add more quickly. The Memoria Math Challenge workbook starts with the dictation of numbers, writing the numbers that come after, and then counting and number lines. Eventually, she will be working on her addition math facts. 

Finally, we are adding in more science from Science: Lessons and Investigations from Evan-Moor, courtesy of Timberdoodle (look for a full review in a few weeks). Our son is working on the fourth grade level, while our daughter has the second grade level. They both start with the topic of plants, so we have been completing the lessons and activities together. 

Studying the Bible: A Review of The LIFE Plan

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Over the past several weeks our family has been using The LIFE Plan by Allen L. Elder from The LIFE Network to study the Bible. Our younger children, my husband, and I started with Volume 1: The Bible's Story: Genesis 1-11 while our teen started reading Volume 3: The Structure of the Entire Bible. I spent some time reading through Volume 4: The Life of Jesus on Earth by myself in the evenings.

The mission of The LIFE Network is to produce, publish, present, and provide Christian learning resources. They help to establish and support the growth of churches both locally and globally as well as provide spiritual training and physical resources for pastors and churches. The LIFE Plan is one of those resources. It will take the reader from the beginning with God to helping fulfill God's purpose in one's life.

What Books Did We Receive? 

There are six volumes in The LIFE Plan which contain 216 lessons. "The LIFE Plan is a discipleship curriculum which takes you from a beginning with God into a life lived according to his purpose and for his glory" (ix).  LIFE stands for Living Intentionally For Eternity. The goal of the books is for followers of Jesus to live a life according to His purpose and glory.

• The LIFE Plan Volume 1: The Bible's Story: Genesis 1-11 
• The LIFE Plan Volume 2: The Bible's Story Genesis 12-Malachi 
• The LIFE Plan Volume 3: The Structure of the Entire Bible 
• The LIFE Plan Volume 4: The Life of Jesus on Earth 
• The LIFE Plan Volume 5: The Church 
• The LIFE Plan Volume 6: Your Personal Ministry 

The volumes are paperback books (size 8.5" by 11"). Each lesson is designed in a similar manner. The lesson starts with the theme, lesson aim, and scripture reference. There is then a one- to three-page reading that addressed the topic following by an outline, Scriptures for you and your family to read to broaden your understanding of the topic, theological connections, a lesson glossary with vocabulary, and finally questions to answer. I highly appreciate it when a curriculum is presented in the same manner. It makes it easier to know how to prepare for the next day as well as provides reassurance for children as to what to expect.  

How Did We Use The LIFE Plan in our Homeschool?

When the six-volume set arrived, I looked through the volumes to determine which book I wanted to read on my own and which one would be best to hand to our teenage son for him to read independently. I knew I wanted to start with Volume 1 with our younger children. My husband and I sat down and looked through them and decided upon giving Volume 3 to our teenage son.

During the beginning of our studies, I sat with our younger children after dinner and read from Volume 1. They both sat at the dining room table with me and had their Bibles ready to start reading the Scriptures referenced. I would read through the reading selection aloud - stopping frequently to discuss the ideas and topics with our younger homeschooled children. I then used the lesson outline to review the ideas with them - to make sure they understand what I had read aloud. Next, we all took turns reading the Scriptures to Broaden Your Understanding. I loved that this curriculum allowed them the opportunity to practice finding different Scriptures in the Bible. Through our time use The LIFE Plan, they have become more family with the Bible and the order of the books of the Bible. I did skip the Lines of Theological Connection and sometimes the Lesson Glossary with our younger children and some of the questions.

Reading aloud the Scriptures to Broaden Your Understanding

One of the things that I love is that our younger children will be able to work through the curriculum twice over the course of their homeschooling studies. This will hopefully bring them into a much closer relationship with God and a better understanding of the Bible.

On some nights, our daughter sat across the table from me with her Bible.

Volume 1: The Bible's Story: Genesis 1-11 is taking us through the seven days of creation as well as reintroducing us "to the one true and living God," presenting the idea of the holy trinity, discusses sin, temptation, and other important events in the first 11 books of the Bible. As our children are young, things a bit more slowly (originally we were doing one lesson a day). But by the end of this week, we will have finished reading about the creation and start learning more about how man and woman bear the image of God.

During the evenings, I took the time to read through Volume 4: The Life of Jesus on Earth. I sometimes read several lessons each evening and skipped reading the Scriptures to Broaden your Understanding and questions, as I was more interested in reading what the author, Allen L. Elder wanted to convey to his readers. I will probably go back and use the books with all the lesson features at a future time to have a more in-depth Bible study.

Volume 4: The Life of Jesus on Earth starts with the Messianic Prophecies and quickly moves on through Jesus' birth and childhood (touching upon the fact that while we don't know a lot about Jesus' childhood, we can see that he had a great understanding of the things of God). The next several lessons discuss the plan of Jesus and disciple-making. Elder describes the steps that Jesus presented to make disciples - which we are meant to do as Christians. One of the lessons even has a matching section to help you remember the step-by-step method for making disciples.

During the writing of this review, I am in the middle of the lessons demonstrating how Jesus was a healer in Volume 4: The Life of Jesus on Earth. I am reminded that Jesus healed in various ways, as presented in the text and outline: by speaking, commanding the sick to do something, and by touch. The healing of individuals revealed to his followers and to us that Jesus is sovereign and a deity. Everything that Jesus did was for a reason to reveal who he was.

I really like how the books are written and I can see them being very useful in our future homeschooling years. While I think it might be helpful to read the books in order, since I am reading Volumes 1 and 4 I haven't really felt any confusion. So if you are more interested in one volume over another, you probably can make the decision to purchase or read that one first. And so far I haven't seen any problems with our children using different translations of the Bible to read the Scripture mentioned in the books. And finally, I love the amount of space in the books for notetaking.

Each book could be used over the course of one homeschool year. So if you purchase the entire six-volume set you have six years worth of elementary level curriculum (grades 1-6). You could then have your homeschooling students complete the work again in grades 7-12 so they will have worked through each book twice during the homeschooling years.

An Overview of What is to Come 

As we have not spent time with volumes 2, 5, and 6 yet, I would like to provide a brief overview of the information presented in those books. Each book is similar in length ranging from 183 to 201 pages – printed in the United States. Just like with the other volumes, they are presented in the same manner with text to read, an outline, scripture references, and questions.

Volume 2: Abraham and Israel focuses upon God calling Abraham, the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Readers then follow the story of the Bible through reading about the different leaders of Israel like King Saul, King David, and King Solomon. In general, Volume 2 presents a brief overview of the history of Israel and then closes with looking at the prophets in the Old Testament.

If you want to study the church from a biblical perspective then start with Volume 5: The Church. Over the course of 36 lessons (which you can complete over 36 weeks/one homeschool year), you will learn about the early days of the church, how the church spread, broke, was reformed, and continues to this day. There are also chapters on non-Christian religions, cults, and the occult. The author recommends that Christians should be grounded in the Word of God to help them in dealing with other religions.

The final volume, Your Part in the Story, helps you bring everything together so that you can make disciples. The final year (which will be 6 grade and 12 grade if you follow the suggested plan) is "focused on what you will do with your training for the rest of your life" (1). The reading text for the lessons is a little bit longer than some of the ones we are currently reading and the questions ask readers to delve even deeper into their beliefs. Some questions include: "Are you growing in Christ as a child of God?" and "Have you believed on Jesus for salvation?"

Easy-to-read font

I think The LIFE Plan would be a welcome addition to a homeschool family, a church ministry, or someone going on a mission trip. The information is presented in a clear and concise manner and provides plenty of opportunities to get back into the Bible and read the word of God. The questions also provide the perfect starting point for discussing our beliefs with others. And if you are stumped on an answer, check the back of the book for the answer key.

Do You Want to Learn More?

Website – Facebook – YouTube 

There were several other members of the Homeschool Review Crew who had the chance to use The LIFE Plan in their homeschool. Please be sure to read their reviews, too.

Journaling Through the Bible: Honor

During the month of November in Sunday School, our first grader was focusing upon Honor. He brought home papers that we read together that speak of letting others know that we see how valuable they are to us, the world, and to God. What a wonderful thing to focus upon, especially before Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Along with short readings asking our son to think about how to treat others and offering suggestions for daily prayers, we read verses from the Bible like: Romans 12:2; Romans 12:3; Romans 12:16; Romans 12:10; and Proverbs 3:27.

During November, we talked about putting others first and not holding back to show how we care about others. For our younger son this might mean that his sister gets to pick what board game to play or which television program to watch during lunchtime. These are simple ways he can put his sister first. 

Going through the readings and exercises with our son opened my own eyes to the things in me I also need to work on right alongside our son. I need to ask God for His help to put others before me. This is a "me first" world but it should be about others first. What a great way to honor others!

While it is important to not overlook my own needs and care, I need to look towards how I can give, agree, value, and help others more each day. What a balancing act for any parent! 

Prayer

Dear God,
Please help me to put others first.
To give more of myself.
To agree more often to fun (and reasonable) requests of my children.
To show how much I value my family.
To provide help where and when I can.

Amen.

Drive Thru History® – Take a Look at the World of the First Christians – A Review of "Acts to Revelation"

Reviewing the latest DVD collection from Drive Thru History® was a wonderful opportunity for our family. Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" looks at what happened after the Gospel accounts of Jesus Christ. Our host, Dave Stotts, takes viewers on an adventure through the modern Mediterranean world so we can travel back in time to see what the lives of Peter, James, Paul, Barnabas, and others were like during the early history of the Christian Church. Everyone in our family was eager to get started with Dave again as he drove "Steve McQueen" through Israel and then continued his adventures in Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Rome in other vehicles.

The special edition is a beautiful 3-DVD set with a Study Guide attached to the DVD case that provides beautiful photographs, summaries, discussion questions, suggested readings, and additional historical information. The case is well made and looks very nice sitting on our shelf as we watch each new episode. My only complaint would be that I would prefer if the Study Guide was removable but I can also see the potential for it getting lost if one could remove it.

Drive Thru History® offers "fast-paced, content-rich history" through over 50 episodes and this latest series is no different than the others in the series that we got to watch when reviewing Drive Thru History® Adventures last year.

Watch the Trailer!

How Our Family is Enjoying Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation"

Almost every night after dinner, our family has been joining together in the living room to watch Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" much like we did when we reviewed Drive Thru History® Adventures. By watching Dave Stotts present the lives of the individuals in the New Testament as he traveled through the Mediterranean Sea area, we are able to pause and discuss what he was talking about in each episode. There are many opportunities to make connections to modern day events, such as those in and around Syria.

When our two younger children are older, we will use Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" as part of our homeschool curriculum as we read and discuss the questions and the recommended readings from the Bible. For now, they are enjoying watching the programs with us as a family.

The Study Guide 

The Study Guide of Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" provides viewers with an introduction to the 18-episode series. In the last series of Drive Thru History®, viewers joined Dave Stotts in modern Israel as he documented the birth, ministry, life, and resurrection of Jesus according to the Gospels. With this new series, each episode is covered in the Study Guide with an introductory quote, summary of the episode, discussion questions, reading, and a side road.

Example of Study Guide for Episode 13

"When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." Luke, Acts 27:20

The summary shares a map of Malta as well as a brief explanation of the "perilous journey at sea." The Side Road provides some background information about Publius, the chief official of Malta. Discussion questions include:

• Name at least two other people that were on the ship to Rome with Paul. 
• After the shipwreck on Malta, why did the locals think that Paul was a god? 

At the end of each episode there are suggested readings for the viewers.

What We Like About Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation"

A short list of the aspects of "Acts to Revelation" that our family enjoys:

• Humor of Dave Stotts
• Use of maps
• Examination of historical sites 
• Cool cars 
• Perfect length of episodes (approximately 27 minutes) 
• Use of paintings to illustrate Biblical events 

We love the use of technology in the episodes.

Throughout the series a number of paintings are used to help bring the stories to life.

Our three-year-old has enjoyed looking through the photographs and images in the Study Guide with me as we watch the episodes while I like being able to use the discussion questions to check for comprehension and retention. Having the answers in the back of the Study Guide is also helpful in case you need your child to watch the episode and answer the questions before you are able to sit down and enjoy Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" yourself.

One of our five-year-old's favorite parts are the maps. Both my husband and I agree that it is very useful to actually see on a map where the early leaders of the Church traveled. In addition to the maps, our five-year-old son also loves the theme song. At the end of each episode, he gets up and dances through the credits.

Two specific scenes that really stuck with our two younger children were that of Dave in the sheep's clothing and the image of Dave getting dressed into the armor that the Spartans would have worn at the Battle of Thermopylae.

The history major in me LOVES how Dave incorporates different historical facts to provide evidence of the historical accuracy of the Bible. I also like the fact that the variety of religions is not shied away from but included. I feel discussing the different temples in such places as Corinth really helps viewers understand the challenges that Paul and other early leaders faced as they traveled the early Mediterranean World.

Another feature of Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" that I like is the overlaying of the ancient buildings and cities on top of the modern day cities. I love being able to see the comparison and change that has taken place over time.

My husband enjoys seeing the maps which enable the viewer to follow the travels of the early Christians as we move through the books of the New Testament after the Gospels. They provide a good correlation to the book of Acts and the corresponding letters of the Bible.

Our family would recommend Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" for families, couples, or individuals interested in learning more about the time after the resurrection of Jesus. Each episode is short but packed full of amazing information as Dave tours various historical sites as well as modern day cities. Personally, I think this is one DVD collection we will watch over and over.

The enthusiasm of Dave and his obvious love of history are great parts of this series.

If you would like to learn more information, please visit the following sites: 

Website – Facebook – YouTube – Instagram 

If you would like to see how other families have used Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" in their households, please visit the reviews of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Review Crew.

Reviewing Drive Thru History Adventures - A Fantastic Homeschool History Curriculum

  

We love history in our household. So, we were very excited to review Drive thru History Adventures, which offers curriculum for three courses – Ancient History, American History, and The Gospels. We focused upon Bible History Adventures, an 18-part series on the Gospels introducing children and families to the life of Jesus.

Each set of curriculum contains a half-hour program that transports viewers to locations around the world as they learn about the topic of that episode. The episode is accompanied by readings, sometimes another brief video, and a discussion worksheet with questions and answers to further the conversation.

Using the Adventures TV app on my phone, I was able to stream some episodes of The Gospels for us to watch together as a family in the living room. This was great because it meant that not only was my 15-year-old teen viewing the episode but so were my 2- and  and 4-year-olds. We were able to discuss the episodes together as a family. Additionally, closed-captioning is now available for The Gospels series after viewers requested it. This is great for hearing-impaired viewers. It also makes it easier to view with small children (who like to provide their own commentary!).

As a new member to Drive Thru History Adventures, Dave Stotts welcomes you in several emails and videos to help you on your journey.  There are eight videos to help you get started that introduce you to the curriculum, Dashboard, community, and the Adventures TV app.  Receiving each email a day or so apart was great for me because I didn’t feel overwhelmed that all the information was given to me at once.  It was all available for you to dive right in from the minute to become a member but if you need to take things one step at a time, these reminders were great to introduce you to the key features available as part of the membership.

We were all blown away by the very first episode of the Bible History Adventures. The introduction of The Gospels (The Historical Landscape) is very impressive.  Dave Stotts walking by famous individuals of history is a memorable image.

After watching each episode in the Bible History Adventures, students are presented with discussion questions along with images, paintings, maps, scripture readings, and additional readings and videos from scholars and others. In the Dig Deeper section accompanying the second episode – The Announcements, for example, there is a brief video about Roman coins which uses the American penny with Abraham Lincoln depicted on it to introduce the idea of learning from coins. Episode 6, Jesus Returns to Galilee, is accompanied by scripture readings from all four Gospels, and several articles and a video discussing the geography of the area in the Dig Deeper section. Articles are posted on a regular basis, adding new content to the Adventures you are studying.

One of my family’s favorite parts of our membership is the community that is fostered through the private Facebook group for members, regular email updates from Dave Stotts, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, and other social media avenues. We love the weekly updates and the holiday-themed videos. We have watched the brief holiday videos – like that on Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day – at the start of dinner. These videos then give something for the whole family to discuss together – from the 2-year-old to my husband and me. The welcoming community atmosphere of Drive Thru History Adventures makes you feel like you personally know Stotts and his family as he provides updates through emails and the Facebook group.

I asked my 15-year-old stepson what helped bring home the message of The Gospels. He said, “I think (Dave) actually being where the Bible took place helped, like at Herod’s palace. Being there gave you a sense of how grand it was.”

I also asked him what he thought of the host, Dave Stotts. He said, “Dave Stotts is quite the character. He is charismatic and awkward at times but in a good way.” I would agree with this sentiment. Stotts is down to earth while sharing his passion for history. In each episode, it is evident that Stotts is “passionate about history” as he said in a recent update video.

What we loved about Drive Thru History Adventures:

• Ease use of the Adventures TV app – for both my teenage son and myself: it remembers your viewing progress in each episode
• Images used to illustrate the events in each of The Gospels episodes – they were one of the first things my teenage son mentioned after he started following the Bible History Curriculum
• Videos that are uploaded to their YouTube channel are available within their Drive Thru History Adventures website so we don’t have to go to YouTube directly – and thus avoid the distractions of other non-related videos
• Inclusion of discussion questions and an answer key for parents
• Article and video supplements
• Updating via new articles and resources
• The community atmosphere
• The presentation of the scripture readings side-by-side on the website made it very easy-to-read. As an example, reading about John the Baptist this way in each of the four Gospels was interesting. Your children can still use your preferred translation by simply changing it at the top of the embedded Biblia.com application.
• In the concluding episode of The Gospels, “Who Is Jesus,” each prophecy that Jesus fulfilled is stated, along with the scriptural reference appearing on the screen. Accompanying archeological evidence is also provided.

My stepson summarizes the series for us:

“The host, Dave Stotts, takes you through the history of the Gospels using Bible verses as he explores such places as Nazareth and Galilee.”

Included with the subscription to Drive Thru HistoryAdventures are two other curriculums that we will be checking out when we complete the Bible History Curriculum – American History and Ancient History Curriculums.

In the American History Curriculum, your child will watch a series of 12 episodes and explore the history of America from Columbus to the Constitution. Through viewing the episodes and reading primary source documents like the Mayflower Compact and George Washington’s First Inaugural Address (which are available to both read online and to download and print), your child will learn about the Christian worldview, courage, and character. 

Through the 12 adventures in the Ancient History Curriculum, your child will learn about the empires of Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor, read excerpts from Herodotus’ Histories, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Bible, and other works. By the end of the 12-week adventure, your child will have learned about the role of the ancient empires in the rise of Christianity and Western Civilization.

Subscribers to Drive Thru History Adventures also have new programs to look forward to in the summer of 2018. That is when the new Acts to Revelations Series is planned for release. The series will have eighteen 30-minute episodes and curriculum materials to accompany it. Stotts also said they have many other ideas in pre-production. So, we have more to look forward to in the coming months and years!

My family wholeheartedly recommends a Drive Thru History Adventures subscription because you gain access to so many valuable resources including the videos, curriculum, and a growing community.