Books I Love & More - Grapevine Bible Studies: Stick Figuring Through the Bible by John & Dianna Wiebe

Books I Love & More

May. 28, 2006

Grapevine Bible Studies: Stick Figuring Through the Bible by John & Dianna Wiebe

    If you want your kids to KNOW the Word of God, and you want them to learn in a way that will stick, then Grapevine Studies is the curriculum for you!

   I have been home schooling now for over 18 years. In that time, I have used many different kinds of curriculum for our Bible Studies. (See my other blog.) But I am just tickled pink to share a Bible Curriculum with you that I think is perfect for home schools, Sunday schools, Bible study groups and family worship.

   For the past five months my students and I have been using the Stick Figuring Through the Bible series from Grapevine Studies. I have been using this at our cottage school, where I teach my own children and a few others. The students' ages range from 3 years old to 15, and it was so easy to use in a multi-level setting that I wish we had discovered it years ago!

   We are working through the Old Testament Overview books. These books come in five different levels: Beginner (5-7 year olds); Level 1 (1st - 2nd grade); Level 2 (3rd - 4th grade); Level 3 (5th - 8th grade) and Level 4 (Teen - Adult).

   This is how the program works. The books have timeline labels and spaces that the students fill in with stick figures according to the scripture that is listed on the page and studied. Older students have more figures to draw than younger students, and more words and scriptures to fill in than the younger students. But everyone can learn the same thing at the same time and at his or her own level.

   Every lesson begins by teaching the timeline for that scripture. I especially appreciate the fact that subsequent lessons have a timeline review up to the point of the current lesson. This helps the students understand the context of the events and the characters of the Bible.

   After reading the scripture for a particular lesson, students then draw stick figures, or symbols, or colors or use words to illustrate the passage they are studying. They are actually interacting with scripture as they do this! And they are internalizing in a concrete way the spiritual lessons they are learning.

   There are review questions at the end of each lesson, and at the end of each section there are more review questions, as well as memory verses. I used the review questions to play "Bible Baseball" every Friday so that we could review what we had learned so far that week. The kids loved it!

   The results of studying in this way are students knowing lots of facts about the characters studied, and being able to understand when particular events in the lives of these characters occurred.    They are able to draw timelines from memory, and if the memory verses are memorized, quote the scriptures to go with them!

   Another one of the things I really love about this program is that everyone can do it! I teach children with disabilities such as autism, mental retardation, ADHD, dyslexia, et. al. and every child was successful. That rarely happens all in one curriculum. It meets all kinds of learning styles beautifully as children are listening, doing, seeing and interacting with nearly all of their senses - the best way to learn!

   I also like the classical approach of this curriculum. I am a Teaching-the-Trivium-Charlotte-Mason-Classical-School fan, and since this program is chronological, (that is, starting at the beginning and working toward the end), it's perfect for this type of schooling.

   It's actually perfect for ANY kind of schooling, but I am particularly fond of its emphasis on the students knowing not only what events happened, but also when they happened and in what context they occurred.

   Life Application is left up to the individual teacher and what the Holy Spirit would impress on the teacher's heart to emphasize about each lesson. When we studied baby Moses, it was about the time of Mother's Day, so I emphasized the importance of godly mothers and fathers. The Word of God never changes, and the life lessons are immeasurable!

   Families and classes can go as fast or as slow as they want to in the books. There is not a strict time schedule, and isn't that what we all want in our home schools?

   There are many more resources on the Grapevine Studies website that I can't wait to order and use! The website is also helpful, offering plenty of examples and free samples for those interested in their programs.

   I highly recommend Grapevine Studies Stick Figuring Through The Bible. It gets a two-thumbs-up from me, and I am grateful to the Lord for the gift of this curriculum! The lessons to be learned within are priceless!

    After 30 years of teaching children, teens and adults in Sunday School, Children's Church, and Bible Clubs, this curriculum has me very excited as a Christian educator. I would love to see it in the hands of every Sunday school teacher, Pastor and Home School Parent in the country! I think teaching God's Word this way is very important in this age of twisting of God's Word, and so-called discoveries of "new codes," and "new texts."

   Are our children equipped to discuss the real Jesus? Are they equipped to know the real Bible? Will they be fooled by the newest false teaching, and tossed to and fro, or will the foundation we gave them by grounding them in the unadulterated Word of God keep them in the firm grip of Truth?

   We must teach our kids the pure Word of God so that they can "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh [them] a reason of the hope that is in [them]..." Peter 3:15.

   Let's not let happen to this generation that which came to pass in the days after Joshua's death: "...there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).

    "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).

   How will our children and grandchildren learn if we do not teach them? I will not belabor the point, but I have met far too many young people who do not know who Noah and Moses are or even Who Jesus is! Imagine, growing up in the United States of America and not knowing Who He is! But it's true! Many, many youngsters in my own town, rural USA, simply DO NOT KNOW HIM!

   This curriculum is important - not just to our own kids - but also to the generations they will teach and reach themselves. Jesus is coming soon, and we need to do our part to see that those who are taught by our children will know Him, too!

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Comments

Jun. 1, 2006 - Hi Karla!

Posted by knowledgequest

Nice to find your blog! Between these reviews and your own writing, you must be busy, busy, busy. It will be fun working with you again for our upcoming book. I guess you can't review a book when you are one of the authors, huh?

Terri

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Jun. 11, 2006 - Thanks!

Posted by jaminacema

I am looking for a Bible program for my son. I wil have to check this out. Thanks.

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Jul. 20, 2006 - Stick Figuring thru the Bible

Posted by Anonymous

Thanks so much for this commentary on Grapevine Studies. I read their website a month ago and it stuck in the back of my mind as something I would like to buy. But I have been praying about it and I started getting all those negative thoughts you sometimes get, like: "You've bought so many curriculuums before and didn't use them, what makes you think this one will work/is any better/etc etc. I feel your review is a confirmation that God wants me to use this in the upcoming school year, so I am really excited! I have 6 young children ( 7th grade on down) to teach. Thanks again and God Bless!

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