Forensic Faith For Kids ( Review)

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Forensic Faith for Kids by David C Cook was a fun review! We read a chapter in the book each morning during our morning time and most nights we would watch the videos on the Case Makers Academy website that go along with each chapter.

We really enjoyed this book. It had parts that were really fun and lighthearted but yet really taught valuable lessons. In the words of my twelve year old son, “I like how they include the Bible verses but it doesn’t sound like they are preaching.” The book taught some really important lessons about the Bible and faith but in an engaging format. The book was written from a second person point of view. This really resonated with my daughter who said, ” I like how it feels like you are there solving the cases.”

The main characters of the book are a group of friends in a Junior Detective Academy learning about investigations. As part of their program they were working on two cases. One involved a ‘found’ puppy and the other was the evidence for Christianity and who Jesus claimed to be. This is the third book in this series (though the first one I have had the opportunity to read). The students had a friend who was questioning whether or not Jesus even claimed to be the Son of God. The detective helped them understand how they could research and investigate to help him answer that question.

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On the sidelines of the pages were some additional components that added a lot of value to our experience in reading this book. There were ‘Dig Deep’ features which reminded you about activities and features on the website that related to the lessons learned in that chapter. There were ‘CSI Assignments’ where you went to the Bible and read a verse/s and then filled in the blanks and answered a discussion question. This was great for bringing out scriptural lessons in real life applications.

There were also ‘Detective Definitions’ where they explained some of the more technical terms used by the police detectives. For example, the words forensic and evidence. Finally, sprinkled throughout the book were sections titled, A Tool For Your Detective Bag. Those sections focused on lessons the reader could learn from the case such as “Accept Your Duty, Take Your Place, and Know and Help Your Listeners.”

The Case Makers Academy had short five to ten minute videos that discussed each chapter. In addition there were worksheets that could be printed and completed. These included crossword puzzles, drawing worksheets, a detective notebook and even a leaders guide. The leaders guide gave great question to ask about the chapter, a summary, and connected to the adult books that correlate to the series. While I used this just with two of my own children (three if you count the four year old listening to find out more about the missing dog), it would also be a great study for a youth group or middle school small group. I intend to show the book to our youth minister at church as a possible tool for working with the youth group.

Don’t forget to check out all of the other Review Crew reviews below and then purchase your own copy of Forensic Faith for Kids! be sure to tell us in the comments how you think you could use this in your home school, family, or youth group.

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October Hymn Study: A Shelter in The Time of Storm

Shelter in the time of Storm

I looked at the calendar earlier and realized how close it was to October. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity from preparing for a hurricane to helping with relief efforts. I had not decided on a hymn for this month though I had a few options. I felt in my soul that I needed a song about storms. I needed to remind myself and maybe others of you that either went through Florence or are going through a figurative life storm that God will see us through. I asked on Facebook and received multiple wonderful options of hymns related to storms. It was truly inspiring to sit and listen to each one of them and I tried to decide which one we would focus on this month. I encourage you to take a few minutes and listen to those songs that were recommended. It was such an encouragement to me.

I have chosen to study A Shelter in the Time of Storm by Vernon John Charlesworth this month. I think it really speaks to what I needed to internalize. There will be times of storm both literal and figurative in our lives but Christ is our shelter and our rock. We can depend on Him.

Our plan is to listen to a variety of versions of this hymn as an enjoyable way to become familiar with the words of the hymn. I will also have the children complete the hymn study fact sheet to learn more about the background of the hymn. Each day for one week they will complete the copy work pages for the hymn. Through these activities they will internalize the hymn in just a few minutes of work each day. If your family was musically inclined there is sheet music listed below. They could learn to play the song on an instrument of their choosing.

I know many people choose to do more than one hymn per month but this allows us to really learn the hymn as we keep going back to it each week. Next month I plan to have a hymn focused on Thanksgiving. I would love to hear about your favorite activities and ways that you incorporate hymns into your home school or family time. I have included links to the background information, lyrics and sheet music. I have also included free downloadable copy work pages and a hymn study fact sheet that can be used to write down what they learn about the hymn and its background. I pray that this song brings you the same peace and comfort that it brought me as I have been listening to it while I researched and planned for our hymn study this month.

Background and Sheet Music

Background Information and Lyrics

YouTube Performance

Download Your Freebies Below!

Hymn Study Fact Sheet

A Shelter in the Time of Storm Copy Work

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Deals and Freebies!

Evan-Moor is having a special sale this week on their Teacher File Box! TeacherFileBox is a subscription to digital lessons from over 450 Evan-Moor books including ALL grade levels and ALL subjects

Little Women is only .99 on kindle right now! (Amazon prices subject to change always check before purchasing.)

FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!

All About Learning has released the best deal of the day: A FREE Snowman Pack with reading and spelling activities for a variety of ages.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Letter E Preschool Activities and Printable!

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

We are excited about all of the ‘E’ activities for this week! My son loves going out each morning to help his older brother collect eggs from our chickens and he has been learning how to scramble eggs so he will be thrilled to get to help make eggs for one of his ‘E’ foods. He is also working on counting and we are going to incorporate the number eight into our weekly studies. Even if your child is already comfortably counting past eight you can use numbers like eighteen or eighty.

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My four year old, like many children his age, can have trouble expressing and explaining his emotions in appropriate ways. I hope to talk about emotions this week and help him with expressing those in constructive ways. I have included a website in the resources below that has some great activities and games to help with that concept. I also love the books, The Grouchy Ladybug and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I plan to do a letter sort with all of the picture cards from the letters we have covered so far. We will lay out each letter and then have him place the pictures that start with that letter in the rows below the letter cards.

He loves animals so we may make one of these adorable elephant crafts if we have time. We will also use our craft dough to shape the letter E and maybe practice the letters that we have already covered.

Our nature study is going to focus on eggs. We are going to look at the eggs from our chickens and ducks as well as looking at books and information about other bird eggs. We can study how they are various colors, shapes, and sizes. You can also talk about how many people think about birds when you talk about eggs, but other animals such as turtles and fish also lay eggs.

Please share your ideas for letter E in the comments below!

Snack Ideas:

Eggs
Enchiladas
English Muffins
Elephant Ears (no not real ones… the fried dough ones)
Eclairs (this is a great mom snack!)

Extra Resources:

Letter E Upper Case Craft Freebie

Letter e Lower Case Craft Freebie

Optional Activities:

Nature study on eggs, egrets, or eels

Work on the number 8 (jump 8 times, find 8 rocks)

Work on Emotions concept (excited/sad/mad)

Experiment with elastic

Learn about electricity

Don’t forget to download your free letter E Sensory Bin pictures to use this week!

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

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Deals and Freebies!

The World of Peter Rabbit and His Friends Only .99 on Kindle! We love Beatrix Potter’s stories and this one includes her original illustrations.

Sunny Under the Sea Free (always double check because Amazon changes prices regularly!)

Wind in the Willows on Audio for only $2.95

Alice in Wonderland on Audible for less than $1!!

FREE: Check out this great new FREE resource for classical and Charlotte Mason education! Classical Christian Education & Charlotte Mason. Great for folks already homeschooling or if you have friends that are looking into it!

FREE Fantasy and Fairytales StoryBuilders from Write Shop!

I Know It: An Online Math Practice Site Review

Math is a skill that sometimes takes some extra practice and I Know It is an online subscription program that offers that extra practice. This review was different than some other math programs we have tried because rather than being a math program that teaches new concepts, this program reviews the concepts they are learning in other programs. The program includes levels Kindergarten through 5th grade.

I used I Know It with both my 10 and 12 year olds and they both seemed to enjoy the program overall. The program is set up where I could assign them a particular lesson to review (converting fractions to decimals for example) or I could let them choose from with-in the grade level that they were assigned. We did a mixture of both so that I could have them review concepts that they needed review and let them just play around with it a little bit. My twelve year old is beginning seventh grade but used the program to review a couple of concepts that he had forgotten to help him with his current lessons.

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Each grade level was divided into sections like basic algebra, geometry, and place value. Then there were specific lessons under those sections. For example, place value to the millions, and comparing decimals to thousandths were two of the lessons in the 5th grade place value set. Most of the lessons had about 15 questions which was enough to get some practice but did not feel like it drug on and became busy work. The lessons varied between fill int he blank and multiple choice answers. There were also timed sections for math fact drills.

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When a child was completing a lesson if they were having difficulties with a problem they could click on the ‘hint’ button to get assistance with that problem. That would pop up a dialogue box that would give them some assistance in answering the question. There were only a certain number of questions that you could get help with for a particular lesson.

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My son thought that the responses that were given to correct answers were really funny and it helped him engage with the program.Each time he answered correctly it gave him a fun comment. Two of his favorites were “You’re the bees knees” and “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”. It is such a small thing but it seemed to motivate him to go ahead and do his best answering questions.

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As a busy parent I really appreciated the score reports that let me very easily see how they were doing and even see which problems they had missed so that I could better help them with any areas in which they had not scored well. This program is not designed to be a complete curriculum but is a great supplement to other math programs. It is a fun and simple way for children to review the math concepts that they have learned or get extra practice on concepts that they are struggling with.

If you are looking for a fun math supplement I encourage you to check out I Know It. They even offer a 60 Day Free Trial for you to try the program and see if it is a good fit for your family. Make sure to click below to see all of the other Review Crew reviews.

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Take a Child Outside Week!

The week of September 24-30 is “Take A Child Outside Week”. There are many studies and books that show the benefits of children (and adults) spending time outside in nature. Honestly, it is the anecdotal evidence that I see in my own family that has me convinced that time outside is one of the most beneficial activities that we can offer our children. While I certainly do not advocate only going outside during this week, I think this is a great chance for us to get excited and create a habit of taking our children outside.

This time outside can be structured with a nature walk or study, fishing, kayaking or it could simply be free time for them to explore outside. You could go into your own backyard, a local park or check out a state or national park near your area. There are so many options for going outside with your children. If you need some help coming up with activities you can check out this great list.

Our family loves to hike together. Sometimes it is a simple local trail and other times we travel to the mountains or another area to see a variety of locations. When we hike we have the opportunity to see wildlife, plants, and scenic views that are amazing. We can clear our minds from the busyness of life, spend quality time together, and get some great physical exercise all at the same time. There is minimal to no cost depending on where you are going. You simply need a good pair of shoes (your sneakers will work just fine), a water bottle, and a place to hike. Many areas have free hiking trails available. If you want to add a bit of nature education on your hike an inexpensive field guide can be a great tool for helping you identify plants or animals that you see on your hike.

Kayaking is an activity that takes more equipment but it is lots of fun and great exercise. We own our kayaks and enjoy paddling around in the river and seeing all of the birds and even the occasional dolphin. I was out on a kayaking ‘date’ with my husband this summer and we were blessed to have the dolphins start swimming and playing near us. It was amazing to see them so close. If you don’t’ own kayaks do not feel like you have to go out and purchase hundreds of dollars worth of equipment to give it a try. Many parks or beach shops have kayaks that you can rent for a few hours to give it a try. If you have younger children you may want to try a tandem so that they can ride with you.

We love the beach. It is truly our ‘happy place’. I enjoy hearing the waves and feeling the sand between my toes. My children love to walk along the beach and collect treasures, fish, shrimp, bird watch, look for animals in the tide pools, and just explore all that the water has to offer. They spend hours swimming and playing and just enjoying the great outdoors.

Playing outdoors does not even have to mean going away from home. You can go outside in your own back yard and explore. You can do activities in small areas like a ‘micro’ nature study where you choose a small area (like a one-foot square) an study it closely looking at any plants, animals (insects), that are in that area. Even just walking and looking to see what you can find or maybe playing games that utilize the imagination. My children have this old fallen down tree that they love to use for imaginative play. Over the years that tree has been a fort, a ship, a pirate ship,the ‘poles’ of a tent and such much more.

No matter where you live or what your favorite outdoor hobby is, I hope that you take some time this week. If you do not have a favorite outdoor activity, pick something new to try. Spending time outdoors has numerous benefits but even if it did not have all of those extra benefits it is fun and enjoyable. Share with us in the comments what you can do this week to “Take a Child Outside”.

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Deals and Freebies!

The World of Peter Rabbit and His Friends Only .99 on Kindle! We love Beatrix Potter’s stories and this one includes her original illustrations.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Free Help Your Child’s Memory Book from All About Learning Press!

Letter D Preschool Activities and Printable!

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I want to be transparent, we did none of the ‘C’ activities on our list last week. Our schooling was put on hold as we dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. While our family was blessed to still have a safe and dry home, many people in our community were not so fortunate. Once roads were passable and our power restored we worked with our church to help those that needed assistance. We are still helping but hope to fit in both some C and D activities this week to get caught back up. I’d love to hear what you did for letter C.

This week we will be using the printable cards (free download below) in a sensory bin, eating “D” snacks, sorting through the cards from all four of the letters, and doing some dirt themed ideas. My four year old loves dirt and will be thrilled to do anything that involves playing in dirt or getting dirty. I think we may use dirt for our sensory letter activity by doing a ‘dirt’ tray instead of a sand tray and letting him trace his letters.

Please share your ideas for letter D in the comments below!

Letter D Snack Ideas:

Dates
Doughnuts
Dirt Cake
Dolmas (This may be a new food for many preschoolers but my son loves these stuffed grape leaves and they can be found in many grocery stores).
Dairy

Letter D Extra Resources:

Letter D Upper Case Craft Freebie

Letter d Lower Case Craft Freebie

Letter D Optional Activities:

Nature study on dirt! (Use a magnifying glass to look at how dirt is different in different places or what you can find in the dirt. You can even experiment to see what happens to the dirt if you add water or if you sift it through a sieve. )

Dashing… practice running fast, maybe even set up some lines and time yourselves

Drawing

Dates/Days (You can begin working on calendar skills or days of the week. There are some really fun songs to help learn the days of the week.)

Dollars (You can begin talking about money and the concept of dollars and coins.)

Don’t forget to download your free letter D sensory bin pictures to use this week!

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Deals and Freebies!

The World of Peter Rabbit and His Friends Only .99 on Kindle! We love Beatrix Potter’s stories and this one includes her original illustrations.

Sunny Under the Sea Free (always double check because Amazon changes prices regularly!)

Wind in the Willows on Audio for only $2.95

Alice in Wonderland on Audible for less than $1!!

Ireland By The Way (Review)

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Is it a book? Is it a unit study? Is it a Bible lesson? Is it a geography course? Is it a fun family activity? I found that Ireland By the Way from the By the Way Book Series was all of this and more! This is the first time I had read any books from By the Way and I was really impressed. It felt like so much more than a story book but yet it was still a fun read aloud for the whole family.

We started reading this book under very normal circumstances as a family read aloud and we were really enjoying it. When we were about half way through the book a major hurricane hit our town and caused a lot of stress and power outages for multiple days. We would sit in our living room at night and read pages from this book by lantern light. The children loved hearing it and it was a welcome break from the stresses that were going on around us.

While I sometimes find things that try to include too many subjects become confusing or seem disjointed, in this book the author did a wonderful job of including them in a very natural flow that did not make us feel like she was jumping around from topic to topic. We used this book as a family read aloud and discussion starter. However, it could honestly easily be turned into a unit study because it includes so many different topics woven into the story but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

I should first tell you that this is the story of two children and their mother on a trip to Ireland to meet extended family members and see all the sites of that beautiful country. We journey with them from Wicklow Mountains (and the wonderful wildlife) to a 5th Century Lighthouse and then on to a castle. They continued their tour through Ireland visiting other castles, cottages, cliffs, and even doing one our families hobbies, geocaching. My twelve year old son even said, “she wrote it so that I felt like I was traveling with them and with the pictures I felt like I could really see the places.”

Along the way we learned about a variety of subjects. At the lighthouse we learned not only about the lighthouse but about the whales and dolphins that live in the waters there. Then at the cliffs we learned about the birds and other animals that are common in that area. In another place we learned more about the history of the Titanic and even legends of fairies and leprechauns. Intertwined into the story were many Biblical lessons such as the power of the tongue when they saw the Blarney Stone to the wonder of God’s creation as they visited the Cliffs of Moher. As we went through the book there were many great discussion topics. We enjoyed a good conversation about how we can use our tongue for good and needing to be careful not to use it to cause harm.

There were fun facts about the animals, rivers, and other places they were visiting in sidebars along the various pages. These easily could have been used to expand the learning and be the jumping off point for a larger lesson. For example, when we learned about Puffins the children thought they were very interesting and so we may go back and study them further. They also enjoyed learning that Ireland has dolphins which were already a favorite of theirs because we have them here in North Carolina as well.

Ireland By the Way is part of the By the Way Book Series and each one is set in a different geographical location and includes information to help teach a Christian worldview. I hope to continue reading these with my children for fun family read alouds that spark great discussions. To check out some of the other great titles in this series or see how others used the book make sure to check out the other Review Crew reviews! I would love to hear in the comments which of the locations you would like to read.

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Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith (Review)

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This past Christmas my 12 year old son received his first comic book and really enjoyed it. So, he was very excited to get the chance to read and help me review Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith by The Captain Sun Adventures. This comic book is more than your average comic book, it is part comic book and part devotional written by Bryce Morgan and illustrated by Mitch Martin.

The comic is not a Bible story but in the words of the author, “a Christian Worldview tool”. The comic gives the story of the hero’s origin and how he used his powers against the villain. Throughout the book there were pages that looked like the front of a newspaper. These pages have devotional like information that connected what was going on in the story with a Biblical lesson. For example the first one was titled “The Origin Story” and talked about how we were created by God and are given a new identity in Christ. There is a question for them to think about and a Bible verse to connect it all together on each of these pages.

At the end of the book there is a list of questions that correlate with each chapter for parents to discuss with their children. For each chapter there is a question that relates to the story, such as “What did the story reveal about where Captain Sun came from?” and also follow up questions about the lesson/devotional. An example of a devotional question that goes with that chapter is, “What does the Bible reveal about where we came from?”

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My son really liked the illustrations. He felt that they did a good job portraying the story. He felt that the comic was very easy to read and understand; even asking if there were more in the series. I was happy to be able to tell him that there are indeed two more books in this series. This was a fairly short read for him and only took him about an hour to complete.

He said his favorite part was how everyone was waiting on Captain Sun to appear and he just came out of nowhere. He was able to fly in and save the city. When I asked him what he learned from this story he said that evil never pays off.

As a mom, I love that they provided a fun and entertaining story that reflected our faith and worldview. There are some comics that we feel send the wrong message in their stories and values but this one clearly pointed back to Christ. We love finding resources like this that can engage our children in a fun way.

If you have a child that enjoys comic books and graphic novels or maybe struggles with the length of many typical novels this maybe a great fit for your family. My son doesn’t mind long novels but I know many children who struggle with the length and this may be a great way to give them something shorter but still age appropriate to read. You can find out more, download coloring pages, and check out the other two books in the series at The Captain Sun Adventures. Also, don’t forget to check out the other reviews of Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith by Review Crew members.

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Letter C Preschool Activities and Printable!

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

Our second week back was quite different than the first! This week has been a whirlwind for us as we prepare for Hurricane Florence. I’m writing this and setting it to post on the blog just before she hits so that you will have next weeks letter resources even if we do not have power. We had really hoped to do bird study to go with the letter B but between hurricane prep and many of the birds leaving before the storm we have delayed that part of our lesson. He did enjoy ‘reading’ the new Young Naturalist Backyard Birds Field Guide that I picked up for him. It is perfect because it has most of the birds we normally see on our walks but isn’t’ so long as to be overwhelming to a young child. Hopefully once the storm is over we can get back to our walks and identify the birds that we see.

The letter B was a review for him because it was the very first letter that he learned since it is also the first letter of his name. This was a blessing this week with my limited time. He was able to practice writing the letter B and review A by painting them with his paint brush. We also looked at the picture cards and have plans for him to use his sensory bin while we are hunkered down waiting out the storm. It should be a good quiet activity for him.

B painting

We also thoroughly enjoyed ‘B’ foods this week. The big kids got into figuring out ideas and we went a little further than normal. We had bagels, breakfast burritos, bananas, blueberry dessert, and even biscuits. My daughter cooked the biscuits and surprised him with one in the shape of a ‘B’.

This week we will be using the printable cards (free download below) in a sensory bin, eating “C” snacks, sorting through the cards from all three of the letters, and doing some camping themed ideas. We had actually planned a three day family camping trip and the timing was working out perfectly, however, the storm has postponed that trip. Depending on the weather and storm damage we will either camp in the backyard one night or set up a ‘tent’ in the living room and pretend to camp. I even have a great book of camping poetry that we can read together.

Coloring is always a fun activity. He can color the letter ‘C’ or just his own creation. He also really enjoys the chalk pastel lessons from ‘You Are an Artist‘ so I will be sure to include a couple of those if we have power and internet. He knows his colors but does sometimes get a couple of them confused so we might do some fun activities with colors to reinforce that concept.

I would love to do a nature study on creeks because there is so much so see and do at the creek. They are great places for play and exploration (supervised of course) under normal conditions. However, with the predicted flooding we will probably postpone that study as well. If you are in an area not affected by the storm I highly recommend spending some time observing at a local creek.

Please share your ideas for letter C in the comments below!

Snack Ideas:

Cheeses
Carrots
Celery
Clementines
Cookies
Cake
Cottage Cheese
Crackers

Extra Resources:

Letter C Upper Case Craft Freebie

Letter c Lower Case Craft Freebie

Optional Activities:

Coloring

Work on Crunchy/Soft concept

Nature Study on cicadas, creeks or crickets depending on what you have nearby.

Camping (real or pretending in your living room or back yard)

Homework and Horseplay has some great ideas for a camping themed tea time!

Don’t forget to download your free letter C sensory bin pictures to use this week!

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

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Deals and Freebies!

The World of Peter Rabbit and His Friends Only .99 on Kindle! We love Beatrix Potter’s stories and this one includes her original illustrations.

Sunny Under the Sea Free (always double check because Amazon changes prices regularly!)

Wind in the Willows on Audio for only $2.95

Alice in Wonderland on Audible for less than $1!!

FREE Fantasy and Fairytales StoryBuilders from Write Shop!

Guest Review: Easy Peasy and Genesis Curriculum

I am pleased to bring you this wonderful guest post review by Emmy Daniels.

Easy Peasy

This review is about two different curricula, Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool, and Genesis Curriculum. The same person created both of these, but they are two different curricula with completely different styles. I am going to give an overview of each one, what I like and dislike about each one, and how I personally am going to be using them this coming year with my four children.

Easy Peasy

Easy Peasy is an all-in-one complete curriculum that is free to use. It goes from preschool (learning to read) all the way through high school. The content is based on what the creator, Lee Giles, was using for her own children. She saved all the books and sites, links to videos, worksheets, etc., that she was using so that she could re-use the same things for her other children. She then decided that she could make it available for others to use. I love that she keeps her curriculum free, and she does that because she has a desire to make home schooling easy and possible for more people.

Easy Peasy is divided into levels and years. The levels are roughly equivalent to grade levels, but they tend to be a bit advanced in the reading, so there are placement tests available. The years include math, reading, writing, and LA (grammar and spelling), with thinking and computer every week or so. At the middle school levels, Foreign Language is added. Everything is online, but Lee has started to make LA and the readers available in book form. There are also four “years” to choose from, and those cover Bible, history, and science daily, with health/PE, music, and art every week or so. There are two levels in the years: L for 1st through 4th grades, and M for 5th-8th. This is designed to be done together, so that all levels are learning the same things, with the higher “M” level going a bit more in depth. You cycle through the years twice, once at the L level and once at the M level. The year subjects are: Year 1 — Biology, Ancient History, Matthew and historical books of the Bible; Year 2 — Animals, Early American History, Mark and New Testament minus the other gospels and Revelation; Year 3 — Earth Science, Geography and Cultures, Luke and Psalms and Proverbs, and Year 4 — Physics and Chemistry, 20th Century History, John and Prophets.

The best thing about this curriculum in my opinion is the lack of lesson planning involved. I love that it is laid out day by day, with instructions for each day. My kids like that they can do it themselves and work at their own pace. There is enough variety with online games thrown in, an occasional video, and a few projects as well. The curriculum is challenging enough without all the extra busywork that can drag a subject out. I don’t love all the screen time, but I have started to buy the readers, which cuts out a lot of the online reading. My husband and I own a computer repair

business, so luckily we always have computers that he can refurbish and we have enough computers for each kid to use. Others families with several children and not as many computers may have to take turns, which could make for longer days. My younger two especially like the online games that are included in the curriculum.

Genesis Curriculum

Genesis Curriculum is a completely off-line curriculum designed to be used as a one-room schoolhouse type curriculum. The parent reads the material to all students. It is best for about 3rd grade until 8th, although it can be used for high school as well with more in-depth study added. The main curriculum book includes Bible, Greek or Hebrew, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, writing, science, and social studies. (Reading is not included). There is also math you can purchase separately, along with workbooks for each child, an answer book, and a map book. What I love about this curriculum is that all of the lessons are based on the Bible reading. There are 4 years in this curriculum: the Book of Genesis to be followed by the book of Exodus, and the book of Matthew to be followed by the book of Acts. In each one, you will read through the book of the Bible, and the science and Social Studies lesson will come from something in the reading. Each week there is a memory verse to learn together. In the Old Testament books, you will learn some basic Hebrew, and in the New Testament ones, you will learn basic Greek. I love this style of teaching! I read to the kids and we can all have a discussion about what we learned. I also like that the lessons are varied. One day you may learn about a type of animal, and the next you are learning about how an engine works. I tend to get a little bored when studying one subject for too long, so I personally like the variety that this curriculum provides. The vocabulary will generally come from the Bible passage of the day, with review days thrown in, and the writing assignments are based on the things you are learning. This curriculum is extremely affordable as well.

Last year I used the Book of Matthew with all four of my kids, having the older two do the “Explore More” section, which is an option for further study for each day. I didn’t use the writing part of Genesis curriculum; instead, we used Easy Peasy language arts along with the reading. We did do the spelling, vocabulary, and grammar in Genesis curriculum, though, so my kids were sometimes getting double language arts. I am ok with that, though, and I am amazed at the progress my kids showed in those areas last year. My kids enjoyed the time spent together with this curriculum.

This year, I am using Genesis Curriculum Book of Acts (it follows the Book of Matthew and will continue where we left off with the Greek lessons) with my younger two children (ages 8 and 10) and my older two are using Easy Peasy High

School (ages 12 and 14). My 12-year-old daughter is a bit ambitious and wants to do high school level classes for credit during middle school and get college credit while in high school, so she is doing the Easy Peasy High School level courses. Although you can use Genesis Curriculum in high school, I personally think Easy Peasy is a better choice, because they provide everything needed as far as how to grade and how many credits to give for each course. One thing I’m excited for this year is a Learning to Draw class my oldest will take, available on the high school site. My younger two will use Easy Peasy for LA and writing, and my 8-year-old will also use a cursive handwriting curriculum. All four kids use MathUSee for math.

If you are looking for a comprehensive and affordable curriculum, both Easy Peasy Homeschool and Genesis Curriculum are excellent choices! They are easy to use, complete enough without a lot of “fluff,” and they both have a lot of support with Facebook groups and Lee Giles herself available to contact through Facebook or email. I highly recommend both of these, and I am so thankful to have found them to use in our home school journey!

About Emmy Daniels:

This is the start of my 10th year homeschooling. I have 4 kids who are currently 8, 10, 12, and 14 (later this month). My husband works from home as the owner of a computer repair shop, and I am a mostly stay-at-home mom who works a few hours a week at our local recreation center and also takes care of my disabled mother in my home. With so much going on, we love that home schooling can be flexible to fit the needs of our family! Our family loves the Lord and we like to read, hike in our beautiful mountains, hunt, camp, and participate in 4H.