TOS Review: Christianity Cove

 

 I am not a stranger to Bible Curriculum for children. I wrote for a large Christian Publishing company. My husband and I also spent a number of years in full time children’s ministry. Some of you reading this blog might be some of our “kids” that rocked out to the Praisin’ Raisins (true story) or took a flight on a Missionary journey every month. Currently, I am in charge of Kids Church at our church. And as a homeschool parent, I have taken great joy in centering our “school” around Biblical Truths.

When I was given the opportunity to review 2 products from Christianity Cove, I wanted to review products I could incorporate into both of my worlds. I received  Bible Science and KidsMin Power Pack.  Since I reviewed two products, I will talk about one at a time.

What I Received

Bible Science: 25 Experiments That Show the Nature of God – EBook – $25.00

How It Works

Bible Science is an eBook (PDF file) that provides 25 easy scientific object lessons that demonstrates the nature and goodness of God.  There isn’t a specific age requirement, but I would take a guess that the experiments would appeal to a wide range of ages. Josiah is 11 and he enjoyed performing the experiments on his own. We did discuss the Biblical and Scientific principles together.

The experiments are set up into 5 groups.

·         Light

·         Color

·         Motion

·         Magnetism

·         Gravity

Within the experiments you will find a Scripture Verse, an Understanding God section, List of Materials, steps, Answer and Explanation. 

You are not required to research any scientific theory or experiment. All information is provided for you and the list of materials that should be easy to find. 

How We Used It

In our ministry, using science experiments has object lessons has been one of my favorite tools. Most kids are naturally interested in science. What better way to use the magnificence of God’s nature to apply it to Biblical truths. I chose to use Bible Science part of our daily devotion. Like most kids, Josiah enjoys conducting science experiments. I think it would be easy to incorporate the truths taught into a Science Curriculum, but I chose to focus on the Biblical concept using Science as a tool. 

I want to share with you 2 of the experiments found in Bible Science that Josiah enjoyed. These particular experiments are found right in the first part of the book. The first experiment uses “optical illusions” to illustrate the point.  

I gathered the supplies needed for these experiments. They were easy enough to find Josiah could have collected them. We first discussed the principles of Light. We talked about how it travels and how Jesus spoke to his disciples about him being “the light of the world.” 

 

 Another experiment in the “Light” section has to do with using water as a magnifier. I’ll not give away all of our secrets (you need to purchase the book for more), but I want to show you how easy it was to put all of it together.

We did several experiments in the book over the course of our review time. I was impressed with the ease of the experiment as well as the convenience of the supplies. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the cash or the time to invest in a complicated list of supplies.

I also felt that the author of Bible Science, Mary Kate Warner, did an excellent job tying the Science to what to those important Biblical Truths.  Our daily devotions made an impression on Josiah and he was able to retain far more than he would have if we would have just discussed it.  They really made him think.  I also feel that this is a product I can easily use in Children’s Church and at Home. 

What I Received

KidsMin Power Pack – EBook subscription - $19.99 per month 

How It Works

KidsMin Power Pack is a ( PDF) monthly subscription resource intended for the Sunday School or Children’s Church Teacher. It provides a mixture of suggested activities for holidays, events and more for that particular month. Those activities might include snack ideas, devotions, and crafts.  The Kids Min Power Pack is sent out on the 15^th of every month. For example, the Power Pack for February is sent out on January 15. You may cancel your subscription at any time. The lessons can be used with denomination and can certainly be adjusted to fit your particular needs.

How I Used It

As a children’s church leader at our church I understand the need for quality as well as economic resources. The KidsMin Power Pack is intended to be just that. It is not intended to be used as a complete curriculum, but it is certainly a helpful resource. I was given two months of KidsMin, April and May. 

We used several isolated projects in Children’s Church through the course of the review. Because many of the lessons or projects revolved around a holiday or event on the calendar, I was able to incorporate some interesting things into our services. For example, I was pleased with the more unique lessons. In April, we enjoyed including National Laugh Moment of Laughter Day into our service. In May, I was able to use the Kids in the News feature about the Pastor who has been imprisoned in Iran.  

 I appreciate the flexibility of the KidsMin Power Pack. I was able to pick and choose what it was that fit into a particular service I could base my whole lesson around a certain topic. Both the Mother’s Day and Easter Services had quite a few ideas.

Instead of showing you some pictures of how it was used in our Children’s Church, I wanted to share with you how I used one lesson, “May Flowers” in a different setting. We had gathered for a family event and I assembled Josiah and the cousins outside for one lesson I found particular timely. 

The herbs in my parents’ garden are beautiful and fragrant. When I found this specific devotion, I knew I needed to share it. 

We were able to learn a little more about the uses of herbs and how God gives all of us different gifts and talents. 

 You can see I used this lesson for a variety of ages. I think it is important for us to be able to adapt any material to our specific needs and this product is certainly adaptable.

Right now, you can download the June issue of the KidsMin Power Pack for just $1. I would also encourage you to wander around the Christianity Cove website. There are tons of FREE resources! I love FREE!

Because the books come in PDF form and I am trying to conserve printer ink, I chose to use both books in their original digital form. The books are easy enough to send to my Kindle Fire. 

Members of the TOS Crew were blessed to review many products from Christianity Cove. You can read more reviews by going to the SchoolhouseReview Crew Blog.