Many of us have chosen to homeschool because we desire to disciple
our children daily, to model a love of God's Word, and to live
2 Timothy 3:16-17--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works." To that end, we love
to see Bible studies that are meaty and engaging, drawing our kids
in and awing them with the unending power and goodness of God.
Precept Ministries has produced a really great series of inductive
Bible studies for kids called Discover 4 Yourself®, covering
such topics as Abraham, Daniel, Jesus, the future, prayer, and
even how to study the Bible. Each is co-authored by Kay Arthur,
Precepts Ministries' founder (with husband Jack) and author of
over 100 books and Bible studies. Are you wondering what an "inductive
Bible study" is? According to the Precepts website ( www.precept.org ), "'Inductive'
means we use the Bible as the primary source of study to learn
about God and what the Bible teaches."
There is no proper starting point in the Discover 4 Yourself® series.
Given that, I had no problem handing Wrong Way, Jonah to
my 10-year-old and letting her just go for it. Right on page two
is a list of things the student will need (NAS Bible, pen or pencil,
colored pencils, index cards, a dictionary, the book), and it was
easy to give her a small box in which to store her Bible study
materials.
Wrong Way, Jonah is a five-week study and is written
like a news story. The student is instructed to "get the scoop" on
the man who ran away from God. Each day's assignment for the Nineveh
News is written in story form, with passages to look up,
references to mark, puzzles to solve, and discoveries about God
to be made. Students are asked to think about their own lives and
apply God's Word to their situations and struggles. It's a great
method for learning to study the Bible.
With goals like learning about God's great love and compassion,
the importance of obedience, and repentance, Wrong Way, Jonah is
a study we all can use. And although the Precepts site lists these
studies for anyone old enough to read, my experience is that they're
really best for the 3rd to 6th grade age range, although I certainly
would consider them as great material for a family study or devotional
as well.
Product review by Kendra Fletcher, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine,
LLC, August 2011
|