Grapevine Studies Review

Including the Bible is an important part of our homeschool. When our children are learning hands on, they tend to retain more of what they are learning. That’s why I love that Grapevine Studies offers a variety of hands-on homeschool Bible study lessons for ages 3 and up.
For our review we received Birth of Jesus: Beginner in eBook format. The Birth of Jesus: Beginner includes the Teacher Book and a Student or Traceable Book, but for our review we received both the Student book and Traceable Book.

The Birth of Jesus helps children discover the story of the events that surround the birth of Jesus – or, in our children’s case, discover it in a whole new way. It starts with Gabriel approaching Mary to the birth of Jesus until Mary, Joseph and Jesus return to Nazareth. It is broken up into 14 daily lessons or 7 weekly lessons. We found for our family, personally, the weekly schedule was best.
For the weekly schedule, there are two lessons per week. We have been doing the lessons together as a family. Each lesson (including review) takes around 15-20 minutes. The printouts are the same other than the Traceable book already has the stick figures drawn for them so younger children can simply trace them.

Our older two children (ages 9 and 7) use the Student Book printouts, and our 5 year old uses the Traceable Book printouts. Unfortunately, he’s always a little resistant to anything drawing related, even if it’s tracing, so I can’t always get him to trace. I don’t want to discourage him, so we still enjoy the learning time to together, and they all actively participate in the listening and review.
During the review, I ask questions provided that pertain to what we learned in the Bible verses. Most questions are directly related to what we learned – meaning they only have one specific answer, but some of the questions are slightly more subjective such as what did you learn about this subject? Of course, there are still answers that wouldn’t be correct, but I encourage each of them to answer in their own way.

While I am reading the Bible verses the kids are encouraged to draw what I am reading. This is personal preference, though. Another option would be to read the verses first and then draw. I also draw on the white board using stick figures once I have finished reading the verse.
Our preschooler traces, of course, (when he does opt to trace) and our oldest son draws using stick figures. Our daughter, though, actually prefers to draw more in depth. She loves to draw, and through this study I’ve seen she learns a lot through drawing as well, so I allow her to draw as much as she would like. Sometimes she simply draws the main people mentioned in the verse and other times she includes more in depth details. I think this is such a great way (particularly for those still learning to read and write) to remember what they are learning! It does note that older children could take notes as well.

Colors are also encouraged, and we kind of play it by ear. Because Aurora draws in detail she prefers to draw with pencil, but I think, overall, the point is not to focus on the drawing itself. It’s about the process. It’s about what they are learning. Are they learning it in a way that is fun? Are they retaining what they are learning? That’s what’s important!
I love that Grapevine Studies not only encourages Biblical learning, but it encourages families to learn the Bible together. It notes everything I need to prepare as the teacher/parent for each lesson such as materials, and the number one thing it notes is prayer. I couldn’t agree more. Of course, it’s helpful to read the Scriptures prior to the lesson which is also helpful.

Grapevine Studies Review

Overall, I think The Birth of Jesus is a great introduction to the story of the events surrounding Jesus’s birth. It encourages children to learn in a hands-on engaging way and encourages parents to truly be involved in God’s Word and meet with Him in prayer daily. I have really enjoyed using Grapevine Studies. This is an easy to follow Bible curriculum, and I love that I can use it for all three of our children together!
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