Review Detail

We are about to start our 4th year using Bible Study Guide for all Ages, so obviously we find it a great fit for us. Not only have I used it for family bible study, but I have also used it while teaching bible classes in my local congregation. For the purpose of this review, it might be helpful to know that my children are currently 11, 8, and 7.

Originally I purchased the student pages, teacher guides, summary cards, and CDs but now I only have to purchase the student pages and teacher guides each year. I think the timeline would be a great investment, and I've considered buying it for the bible class I teach, but at my home I don't have a place to put it up. Thankfully, the timelines (and maps) on the student pages have been more than sufficient. I'm so glad we purchased the bible summary cards, too. We use them a lot at home and in bible class playing games that I have made up with them. We also love the CDs but since we memorized every single song in about a month's time, we don't listen to it much anymore. Though, we do still sing them, just not with the CD. I will say that once you learn the songs, you won't ever forget a judge's name or the sons of Jacob again. In fact, we learned those songs three years ago and it proved helpful last month during our congregations' child training class. The judges were the next things on the list of things to memorize and my children were able to cross that off the list quite quickly. (The bible time periods were also easy to cross off because of the extensive timeline work they have been doing on the student pages.)

Not only has this curriculum provided a wealth of information for my children, but it has also encouraged me to grow as a christian, having only been one for 5 years at the time we started the program.

I really like how everyone can be on the same bible lesson at the same time but have work that corresponds to their own level. Before I bought the curriculum, I printed out the website's sample student pages and sample teacher guides from the levels I needed and gave it a trial run with my kids. This allowed me to see how a lesson would flow with children on different levels. It also helped me really understand how the curriculum works.

My children enjoy this curriculum because they are learning so much. They are very aware of how much they know in comparison to other people in general and it was at one of their requests that I started using it in bible class to help other children gain in bible knowledge. They especially enjoy the pictures on the student pages. I enjoy the application sections because sometimes the application may not have been one I would have connected to that story. It really helps me to think outside of the obvious sometimes.

The website is correct in saying that you do not "need" the teacher guides in the intermediate and advanced levels, but I still find them helpful and buy them anyway.

Hands down the best part of this curriculum for me is the absence of man made doctrine. I'm very careful to make sure whatever I teach my children comes directly from the bible and not man's ideas of something. This curriculum makes that easier for me.

I just interviewed my 7 yr old son about what he likes about this curriculum. He said, "I like that it's divided in sections and that the map and timeline rotates days."

My 11 yr old said, "I like the format of the sheets. They're not just fill in the blank type questions. I'm thankful for the constant review and I appreciate the emphasis on praying at the end of each lesson. I enjoy my prayer time."

My 8 yr old said, "I like how the timeline and maps help the story make more sense in my head. I can see where and when it happened compared to other stories."