Way back when I was in middle school my church had this weekend retreat where we could all learn the BIG STORY of the Bible. We spent the weekend learning the major events and motions to go with each event to help us learn what happened when. Fast forward almost three decades later and I’m talking with my fellow Bible study leader and we are about to start a study on the kings of Israel, without even thinking about it I say, “Saul, no heart, David whole heart, Solomon, half heart.” I tell you this story because The Word in Motion homeschool Bible curriculum takes what I learned in a weekend and only half remember and expanded it out into a two year Bible curriculum in conjunction with Walk Thru the Bible that I learned way back in junior high
(this post is sponsored by Apologia the creator of The Word in Motion, all opinions are my own, and I’m glad to find a great homeschool Bible curriculum)
It is hard to find a good homeschool Bible curriculum
I actually gave up on finding any sort of homeschool Bible curriculum for my kids because they fell into a few different groupings:
- just fun, it has lots of fun activities and that’s what they emphasize
- just paperwork, lots of and lots worksheets
- there were a few that was a balance of the two, but it didn’t go very deep
After a while, I gave up and just went about reading the Bible with the kids and using my Sunday School curriculum on my kids before teaching my class.
If I had found this curriculum back when my kids were little, I would have picked it up.
Side note, it didn’t exist until now, so I’m glad it has come out.
Apologia has created an engaging homeschool Bible curriculum
I chose the word engaging deliberately.
Take a look at the textbook. They’ve taken the knowledge of how to create engaging nonfiction books from the secular publishing industry and applied that knowledge to their textbook.
It’s no longer a wall of text. It’s broken up and it’s colorful. There are small things called out from time to time for the kids to think about.
Having recently used a textbook that was a wall of text, I’ve come to appreciate a good page layout.
The lessons are short and clearly broken down to be easily digestible by kids.
The Word in Motion engages all the senses
Once you pick up the book, you’ll get access to the Extras page. There are links for each lesson including a lesson plan for the week and a video lesson.
I was really worried about how I’d explain the video to you, but thankfully Apologia has uploaded lesson 1 of The Word in Motion for you to watch.
Each lesson has a video, it has something to read (and like with their science curriculum they also have an audiobook version).
But, here’s where it truly engages all the sense and where I tie back into that introduction, each lesson has a motion to help you remember it.
Forget the kids, I’m going to watch the lessons to remind me of what I learned all those years ago
And while I may not use the super awesome mini-book with my high schooler, I’d totally use that with younger kids.
Honestly, I’d hang them up on the wall right now as a visual to keep them up (and if I had a Sunday School room, I’d find a poster to hang them up in). I like the visual. It’s a great way to remember each book and what it’s about.
Getting back to the official how to use this homeschool Bible curriculum
When you head over to the Extras page for the curriculum (password is in the book), there is a weekly lesson plan.
Side point, I think this is a slight weakness of the curriculum because each lesson plan is a single page, you have to print out each page individually, so it’s a waste of paper, which always annoys me. That’s the only thing that I’ve found that annoys me on this curriculum.
If you’re using this with an elementary school student, I would more or less keep to the suggested weekly schedule, I’m undecided if I would use the weekly memory verse (only because I’m kinda bad at memorizing scripture).
But, here’s how I use it with my high school students
Understanding, this homeschool Bible curriculum is for a younger age.
- Day 1: watch the video and practice the movements
- Day 2: read the textbook and practice the motions again (I truly think the motions are one of the keys of this curriculum)
- Day 3: discuss the “Let’s Talk About It” questions. I’ve found with my kids I get better answers and they think about it more if we talk through discussion questions rather than have them write down answers. Then I’d grade them based on their participation. Again practice the motions.
- Day 4 and 5: Continue to practice the motions.
The activity page at the end of each lesson is clearly designed for a younger age, so I wouldn’t use it with my high schoolers (though the kids would probably create some truly amusing versions of the assignments).
So I take that back, I might well assign those because my kids would get a kick out of completing them (it’s my fault their sense of humor is so messed up, I’d apologize but it wouldn’t be a real apology).
Who is this Bible curriculum for?
You should get The Word in Motion if you want a systematic homeschool Bible curriculum that will take you from the beginning to the end and give you the background for everything going on.
The Word in Motion: New Testament will give you the background of why the New Testament is written in Greek, or why Matthew quotes the Old Testament so much.
The Word in Motion: Old Testament (and I really don’t know why I mentioned it in this order) gives you background on what words mean or why Jericho was such an important city to conquer.
This curriculum is for someone who wants to know the why and the how of the Bible.
Yes, you could just read the Bible, and you’ll get a lot out of it.
But, this.
This is like having someone who knows the answers in your house, so when you’re reading and think, “Why did this happen?” You’ll have an answer.
What should I get? there are a lot of options.
For the purposes of this discussion I’m going to alternate between talking about the Old and New Testament curriculum of The Word in Motion.
The Whole Shebang
The Whole Shebang, is The Word in Motion: Old Testament Advantage Set. It includes the textbook, notebooking pages, and the audiobook.
Honestly, prior to my kids taking Chemistry last year I would never have considered getting this set. Then my son thrived using the Apologia Chemistry audiobook. That’s when I learned how incredibly helpful an audiobook can be. He listened as he paced.
So, definitely consider this set if you’ve got a kid who loves to LISTEN to their books.
Just the basics
Just the basics is The Word in Motion: New Testament basic set. All you get is the textbook and notebook. If you’re doing this with multiple kids you will need to buy multiple notebooks (and I bought multiple notebooks for years when we used the elementary science curriculum, I LOVE those notebooks).
This is the option I used for most of my kids’ elementary years. So yes, your kids will still learn if you choose this option and you still get the videos.
I don’t need no stinking notebook
That may be what you think, but Apologia truly believes in these notebooks, and I’ll be honest I’ve been that person who says, “I don’t NEED a notebook,” I can just create the notebook myself.
It is always a mistake and way more work for me.
I ended up buying the notebook because it was less work, they’re well laid out, and particularly in the elementary curriculum, it has all the best discussion questions.
Because of that Apologia only sells The Word in Motion: Old Testament Basic Set, you can’t just buy the textbook. You will not regret this decision, I promise you.
Which The Word in Motion set would you buy?
Check them out and tell me. I’m super curious what fits your family best.
And of course, because Apologia is super generous we’ve got a giveaway for you!
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