When we were given the opportunity to review the latest set from Apologia’s “What We Believe” Worldview series, we jumped at the chance. Our experience with the other volumes has earned this curriculum a spot on our favorites list. This volume is about Servanthood. Each of the eight lessons explores questions such as “Does Anyone Really Need Me?”, “Why Did God Make Families?”, and “Why Does the Church Need Me?” Just like the earlier sets, this one includes the hardcover Text ($39), spiral bound Notebooking Journal ($24) and soft cover Coloring Book ($8). The one item not yet available is the audio (it will be added, it wasn’t ready in time for our review). In the previous sets this is a CD of MP3 files. With the audio, we listen during lunch and complete the activities while we are still at the table. We continued with the plan of a “listening lunch” for these lessons. I read the text aloud to the children. It works great this way to include all the children. They all add to our discussion. It has been neat to see how even the 4 year old is learning and has something to say.
The suggested schedule is to spread the lesson out over three weeks, spending two days a week. This is the schedule we follow- though it is easy to tweak and adjust as needed for your family’s needs. The Notebooking Journal has a schedule with a block for each day’s activities and readings, six per lesson. It is easy then to schedule each part when it works best for you. The lessons are written to the student at an upper elementary level. It is possible to have your child do the lessons independently, though we really enjoy doing as much as possible together. It is easy for even my younger learners to get much from the lessons, though my older girls are getting the most benefit.
The pages in the Notebook Journal give your learner a place to reflect on the lesson, sharing their thoughts. You will also find the typical pages for the vocabulary being learned- crossword puzzles and word searches. Their are even some mini books to complete attach to various pages a la lapbooks. One of my favorite resources in the journal is the page listing additional books and even songs to add more to the lesson.
The coloring book offers several pages for each lesson giving busy hands something to do while listening. All of my children enjoy the coloring pages – it is not just for littler ones!
As we have been reading and discussing through these lessons, I realized why lessons like these are so important. Yes, we read Scripture (and discuss it) daily. Yes, we work on memorization of Scripture. With these things in place, I know my children will know the Lord. I am hopeful they have a close relationship with Him. What may not be as easy, is the sharing of their faith. Yes, they may know the “right answers”, but it is not always easy to share how and why you know what you know. Going through these lessons with my children allows us to add even more understanding. When you know something, it is not the same as being able to explain the hows and whys to someone else. These lessons move them from knowing it and living to sharing and understanding.
Often, it seems mostly with math concepts to see how well one of my children truly understands a topic, I will ask them to teach it to a sibling. One of my daughters catches on quickly and can get all the answers correct. She cannot always teach that concept to someone else though. She knows it, but cannot explain thoroughly how or why. This is the sort of shift in understanding and application I am seeing in my children in their knowledge of the Lord. The “What We Believe” series has been an easy to use tool for my children to grow in this way. I cannot recommend it enough.
Our family is not the only one who reviewed this awesome curriculum. To read more reviews from Schoolhouse Review Crew members, check out the Crew blog.
