A More Detailed Look at Using the Bible as Our Main Text

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As most of you know, this fall I have been convicted to use the Bible as our main text.  I have written about my many reasons why we are doing this and how the idea came about. You can read all about it here. I also wrote a general idea of what our day will look like here.

Many of you have wanted more details, so as promised, I am going to give you a more detailed idea of what I have planned {for the first week.}

We are beginning with Genesis. The resources I have for our studies are as follows:

• Genesis: Finding Our Roots, by Ruth Beechick
• The New Answers Book 1 by Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis
• A Child’s Geography, Explore the Holy Land
• A is For Adam, Answers in Genesis
• Adam and His Kin, by Ruth Beechick
• The True Story of Noah’s Ark 
• What Happened to the Dinosaurs
• Life Application Study Bible
• Amplified Bible 
• King James Version bible
• Several commentaries

Using Genesis: Finding Our Roots, by Ruth Beechick, I have complied a plan to work with as we go through Genesis. Many of the other resources are there to help me guide us in our studies as well.

Right now {and I will be posting as we start in September} I have planned to begin each morning by reading the passage. Then we will discuss the themes of the passage using many of the resources and the commentaries.

Below I will share with you what I have for Week 1. We will be in Genesis 1.  We will discuss the Creation. There are lots of things to discuss based on my resources, some being:

• beginnings-the word “Genesis”
• discuss the word create, “bara”in Hebrew
• discuss the word “yom” the Hebrew word for “day”
• myths of Creation {evolution, humanism, atheism}
• dinosaurs in the Bible 
• animals and plants that God created

I have compiled a list of spelling words for each week based on our passage for the week. I have entered them all into separate lists for each child at SpellCity.  This way they can practice their words using various games throughout the week on the computer as they wish.

I also will have them doing copywork straight from the Bible. For the first week the children will copy these passages:

We will be using the book, Genesis for Kids: Science Experiments That Show God’s Power in Creation! for science experiments.

My middle schooler will also have the following assignments for Week 1:

• Write what you would tell an atheist about creation
• Write what you would tell a humanist about creation
• write what you would tell an evolutionist about creation
• write a poem to praise the Creator. Using Psalm 148:2,3 as an example
• Read Adam and His Kin, Chapter 1

My 4th grader will have these assignments:

• practice Roman numerals
• write a poem to praise the Creator, using Psalm 148:2,3 as an example
• write what you would tell an evolutionist about creation

My 2nd grader will have these assignments

• write a poem to praise the Creator, using Psalm 148:2,3 as an example
• Create a book depicting the days of creation
• practice writing days of the week

We will also look at various art work based on Genesis 1.

• The garden of Eden by Jan van Kessel

My preschooler will make a Creation mini-book. I am hoping to have his older sister and brothers do some “teaching” and helping with him as well. I love how homeschooling fosters relationships between older and younger siblings and will have them all engage with each other.

He will also practice the days of the week as we learn that God created the earth is six days.

We will then watch some videos on demand on Answers in Genesis website.

We are planning a trip to the zoo in September to see in action all of the living things God created! We will take along a zoo record book to record what we see.

Aside from these things, the children will do their lessons in Math U See, and they will also have reading assignments in some fiction books.

Above all, we will let God lead us. I have much planned out right now as a guide but am completely open to how God will work. If we get stuck on researching something and it takes longer than usual, that is great. I want the children to absorb everything they learn and not just hear it. We want to truly learn it.

I actually feel a ton of freedom from just letting go of the strict planner/schedule and letting Him lead us. There is so much to learn in the Bible…from history, to geography, to science, and math…but most of all, the wisdom that is gained, the family time that will be spent, and the love that is written on our hearts by Him will be beyond any textbook.

**by the way…very cool…as I was writing this yesterday and planning, my 3 year old showed me a book he brought home from the church library…What Happened to the Dinosaurs. We actually need that for our study! And then my oldest son was having trouble with the thought of people killing animals for food…another topic being brought up in Genesis as we originally did not kill animals for food before the fall. LOVE how God confirmed our studies by bringing these things up just at the RIGHT time! We’ve already had discussion and learning going on to prepare us!!

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