We've been using Explorer's Bible Study and we like it, I'm happy with it overall. What is making me wonder whether it is overkill is that the kids will be in Sunday School after we move in June, something they haven't been doing at our current church. So I'm wondering, with TOG and Sunday School- should we still have a separate Bible curriculum?

Looking for opinions and experiences,
Jessica

Even as a pastor's wife, I feel I need to include Bible as a regular part of school with my kids. You probably know already that the Bible is inexauhstable. My kids have been in Sun. School since they were each 2, but it is different having another adult teach them God's word than having me teach them. I pray that when I teach them intentionally (and bits throughout the day) that they will understand that the Bible is not a Sunday only thing. I want them to see how God uses the Bible every day in my life, and that their mother studies it every day.
This is the first year I've stuck to reading straight through the Bible; I want to pass that on to them. Some good friends at church also have started believing doctrines which I don't have peace about- the best way for you to help your kids be solidly grounded in God's truth is to study it together.
Can you tell I think you and your family will be blessed if you keep doing Bible with your kids during the week?

We've experimented a little, but here is what we found:

Y1 is a wonderful Bible study, but it does help to add an emphasis on application. We did this through family devotions. Y2, Y3, and Y4 give a Christian worldview, but don't fill the need for Bible study.

We tried Bob Jones' Bible curriculum one year and I appreciated the application and emphasis on missions. In the end, however, we bought a second year of Bob Jones' Bible to use for family devotions reading and discussions (and ditched the workbooks, etc.). We didn't do it as a school subject.

I think Elissa Joy is right that Bible study should be a daily thing. Whether or not it becomes your "school" subject depends on your situation. For us, we combine our Bible Study Fellowship (the elementary age kids do it too and it has daily work) with AWANA and family devotions to make sure that we are teaching both Biblical truths and spiritual disciplines.

We are blessed with a stellar Sunday School program, that is meatier than usual Sunday Schools, but I still think it doesn't make the impact that a lifestyle of Bible study does.

I don't know about Explorer's Bible study--I should learn about it--but I would recommend that you continue with something in addition to TOG and Sunday School, echoing Elissa Joy's thoughts.

I've been thinking about this very thing on my blog: http://sixedwards.blogspot.com/2008/04/preparing-for-summer.html

Thank you ladies! We have a little bit of stress happening right now (we're moving in a month) and still trying to accomplish our lessons plus I'm doing planning for next year so I sort of felt overwhelmed with all we're doing.

I have ds4 that will be doing Bible stories for preschool, dd7 who will have her own Bible study that I with her and I didn't know if it was all "needed" in addition to what we get from TOG plus the weekly Sunday School and Youth programs.

I do see the need now, as a way of mentoring a lifestyle and developing that foundation and it's much more effective between us than it is with outside sources. Thank you for the reminder!

Blessings

Hi,
We read the Bible daily and work on a Psalm to memorize each year. That is in addition to anything we do for school or at church. My children also take part in a Bible Club once a week and have to memorize verses for other things they participate in - like Christian karate.

I don't use a separate Bible Curriculum, though. I just read God's Word. Right now we are reading systematically through the New Testament in chronological order. (my husband tells me which book to read next because he's a PhD student and knows such things. Sometimes we discuss it, sometimes we just listen. I do think you want to read the Bible each day. I don't know that a curriculum is necessary.

Sometimes we put too much focus on what a curriculum or commentator says when we just need to listen to what the Spirit teaches us about His Word. I'm not against curricula, but I do think that too much extra can be overkill. You never go wrong when you just read the Word and meditate on it with your children.

HTH. I just want to encourage you.