TOS Review: Judah Bible Curriculum

This has been a hard review to do.  I was excited when I heard about the Judah Bible Curriculum.  As I mentioned before, I have been looking for a different Bible curriculum for my kids, but had not found one that I liked more than the one we've been using.  Based on the description on the Judah Bible Curriculum website, I felt like it might be what I've been looking for.  I loved the idea that the Bible is the only text book for the curriculum, that it stresses that students will learn to truly study the Word for themselves and internalize it, and that the one curriculum can be used over and over again from Kindergarten through adulthood.  The best part was that you can use any translation of the Bible you choose.

When I began going through the website, recordings, and downloads that were provided, I was disappointed.  It is a bit less "curriculum" than I expected - there are schedules of what to study and when, and blank worksheets.  However, I'd never heard of the "Principle Approach" to homeschooling, and there seemed to be so much focus on it and government throughout the materials that I feel like it was made unnecessarily complicated, and extremely so.  I was so thoroughly distracted, trying to figure out what the Principle Approach is and whether or not it's something I want to attempt, that I was never really able to sit down and try this with my children because I just wasn't confident that I understood any of it.  The very basic idea of it - reading the Bible together and seeing what you learn from it - sounds like what we already do, when we actually have a time of family devotions.  However, when I begin to think of the notebooking aspect of it and look at the worksheets and other instructions in light of my children - especially Wonder Boy -  I just don't see it being a good fit for us.

If you are unfamiliar with the Principle Approach, or want to be able to use a Bible curriculum with minimal effort, I would not suggest the Judah Bible Curriculum.  This program is very teacher-intensive, and not meant to be used "right out of the box."  Reading through the materials, I felt like I needed to attend a conference on the curriculum before teaching it.  Fortunately(?), there is an eight-session audio seminar included with the materials to help you learn how to use it!  If you are uninterested going through a seminar on how to use a curriculum prior to being able to use it, then this is not for you!

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate what the creator of the Judah Bible Curriculum has tried to do.  I do plan to spend some time with it over the summer, to see if I can discover something I want to use with my children.  I still love the description of the curriculum and what it says my children will get out of it.  I'm not giving up on it yet, but I'm also still unsure of whether or not I'll truly figure it out and then be able to get my children to understand.

If you are interested in the Judah Bible Curriculum, you can find it at www.judahbible.com.  It is available in both a print version for $74 or a download for $44.





***Disclaimer:  I received the downloadable version of the Judah Bible Curriculum in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.