I've been wanting to try the Grapevine Studies for a while now. The opportunity to do this review was exciting especially since it was for a Resurrection Study this close to Passover. The teacher's book describes these studies compared to a puzzle, putting together the framework and then filling in the pieces. That simple description really intrigued me.
I have to admit right off that when I first got this digital set, I was very disappointed. I've been overwhelmed with settling my mother's things since she passed away. I also had company who was helping & being a great support for me and my concentration just wasn't on simple Bible study with the children. |
My biggest problem though is that I really just do NOT like digital things. Lapbooks are nice because they have printable pieces that we color, cut, paste, & put together in folders. (Very much like pieces of a puzzle as well... or even better, like a quilt!) Otherwise, I prefer real paper books over ebooks and real paper activity books for the children that we can date and keep for records. I have a real need to highlight and make notes in the margins of my books. That being said, GrapeVine Studies are all available in paper book form with room for note-taking. (Yay!)
First, you MUST have the Teacher's Book. It is absolutely the key to unlocking these Bible studies. You could do it without the student books or printables, but you'd be lost without the teacher's book. It contains:
- lesson notes (These are wonderful. I was feeling soooo brain-fogged that I just read them directly to the children and it made my life way easier!)
- stick figure drawings (You do NOT have to be artistic at all for these! Easy-Peasy.)
- timeline drawings (These are in cute scroll-like form, but I'd just put a long piece of brown paper on the wall for the children to add the drawings to.)
- map (This is helpful to visualize, but if you can come up with a historical map of Jeruselem, it might be better. Like this one.)
- lesson goals & key points (Really helps put things in perspective.)
- memory verses (These are small, I'd encourage memorizing much more. Children's brains can really pack a lot of verses in without too much trouble.)
- comprehensive review questions (These were a good springboard for the older ones.)
The Student & Traceable Books are great for preschool, Sabbath class, or special needs students. There is a traceable student booklet and a booklet with blank areas for the children to draw their own depending on the needs or level of each child. They include:
- simple lessons pages
- scroll-looking timelines
- basic map of Jerusalem
- short memory verses
- relevant vocabulary words
- review questions & drawing
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