tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7231876981906489792.post5452394425728995741..comments2024-01-13T15:30:03.851-08:00Comments on My Two Happy Homeschoolers: 2011 to 2012 Curriculum PostAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13841297851874457415noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7231876981906489792.post-55042374181040966512011-03-16T21:32:47.173-07:002011-03-16T21:32:47.173-07:00Hi there! My mom just forwarded your curriculum po...Hi there! My mom just forwarded your curriculum post to me, knowing I love to check out a good curriculum overview. :) And I noticed you were thinking about Kids' Quest Catechism Club. I run our KQ club at church, and I wanted to tell you how much we love it. It is very well written and truly weaves together the Bible truths with the catechism questions and answers. My two children are following the "beginners" curriculum in their classes, and they are hearing more about sin and their need for Jesus than most churches would present to "beginners". It is 100% reformed! :) We also have 1 class going through the elementary curriculum, and it is also solid theology. I have nothing bad to say about Kids' Quest. It is worth the investment, especially if you cycle back through the 3 volumes. <br /><br />I wanted to tell you that I think you could just order the teacher's guides ($13-ish a piece, I think??). The student packs are cute, but they are not essential. Our teachers send them home at the end of the class, sometimes taking a few minutes to work on them if there's time. In our program, it is not used as a part of the lesson. (The elementary student packs do actually have activities like word searches and fill in the blanks that have to do with the lesson, but the beginner student papers are color by numbers and cutesy little activities for non-readers. My 4 & 5 year olds have fun with them, but I wouldn't pay for them to use at home!) I'd be happy to snap some pictures of anything you're wondering about. <br /><br />If I were you, I would order the teachers' guides and that's it. The cds are, in my opinion, cheesy. They are cute little sunday school-cd type songs that sort of have to do with the lesson, but they don't outright teach the catechism. If you are looking for the First Catechism set to music, I would highly recommend "Ask Me Whooo". http://www.askmewhooo.com/series.html The music is very well done and is word for word to the First Catechism. My kids love these cds. I downloaded the first two albums on itunes. <br /><br />I also wanted to tell you about the book "Training Hearts Teaching Minds" by Starr Meade. It is daily devotions based on the Shorter Catechism. (I just found your blog tonite when my mom shared it with me, so forgive me if you already know about this book and have talked about it on your blog!) :) Each question is given one week's worth of devotions, and each day's devotion is made up of a short paragraph. Various scriptures are used in each devotion... from the gospels, Psalms, various NT and OT passages. It may appear to be too old for younger children, but my kids were 3 & 4 when we started using this for family worship, and they were attentive. Kids' Quest may be more what you're looking for as far as Bible Curriculum, but I had to mention this book as well. :) <br /><br />Wow, this is a crazy long comment! Sorry for the length! I just got a little excited. :) Let me know if you have any questions.emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05148255997752913945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7231876981906489792.post-65900958191710440052011-03-16T12:57:21.115-07:002011-03-16T12:57:21.115-07:00I don't know if you've looked into Grapevi...I don't know if you've looked into Grapevine Studies Stick Figuring Through the Bible program (http://www.grapevinestudies.com/), but my kids have really enjoyed it. We did Beginner's Level for both OT and NT. My son (grade 4) also hates putting pen to the paper, though he knows how to write. I'm still trying to find a writing program that will work well for him.Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06862163059927293977noreply@blogger.com