Where has the time gone?? This school year has been zooming by, and we are learning so much. I wish I had the time/mental energy to blog more about all of the activities/lessons we've learned this year, but don't we all? So I will fight the temptation toward "blog guilt" and just get on with sharing what I have been up to. :)
A particularly favorite activity from this winter has been learning about all of the books of the Bible! When I saw this was coming up in our curriculum, I admit that my first inclination was to think, "Hmm, I don't know if the kids are going to be very excited about this." Wrong! They love it! It's interesting for them to learn what the different books are about, who wrote them, when they were written, what order they come in and why, etc.
Jason (our resident seminary graduate) has been very helpful preparing for these daily mini-lessons. First, he suggested that we divide our visual chart into the 5 primary types of books included in the bible: History, Poetry, Prophets, Jesus, and Church (aka letters to the churches).
It's a great way to break the books up visually into bite-sized chunks, but it is also a great way to introduce the concept of hermeneutics, as we can better understand the Scriptures when we know the type of book it is (for example, one would read/interpret a poetry book differently than one would a book of prophecy or history). Combined with our timeline, it has also helped us see the progression of God's story throughout human history.
The kids have asked some great questions, and it's been a great catalyst to talk about things like how the Israelites came to be (God's promise to Abraham), Israel's history of obedience/disobedience and the consequences of their choices, the prophecies of Jesus' coming hundreds of years before His arrival, and connecting their favorite memory verses to the context of the book it can be found.
We also found a really cute song on YouTube that includes all of the books of the Bible to a melody that is fun (ukulele!) and doesn't make me want to hurt myself after singing it every day for two months. :)
The song also includes simple declarations: "The books of the Bible, time-tested and reliable; their wisdom's verifiable! Scripture has a power that undeniable!"
Yes it is! I've been so surprised to see how this simple daily activity has been such a catalyst for such good conversations and desire to search the Scriptures for answers. Watching the kids (and myself!) come to understand and love God's Word more though this exercise has been wonderful.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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