Our Bible Program 2014 & 2015
Veritas Press and Add-In's
We have been enjoying the Veritas Press bible program for a few years now, and I wanted to update my blog regarding our use of it. We had been doing the Sonlight Bible program for years, and though we enjoyed it, I kept feeling like we were rushing through each book without really getting to KNOW it. I was wanting a program that took it to the next level. After many discussions on the Sonlight forums, and many recommendations, I decided to try the Veritas Press (VP) Bible Program. This program, plus reading our Bible instead of their recommended Children's Bible, and the other resources we've added-in, has really made this program perfect for us. I've wanted to make a post that shared what we've found, and perhaps someone else will read this review and find a Bible program that better meets their needs.
We started at the beginning:
We started at the beginning:
Item #: 015234
Item #: 015242
I bought each our sets at Rainbow Resources:
Item #: VB2KIT
Grade 2
- Grade 6
Retail: $51.85
Rainbow Price: $49.00
at Rainbow Resource, if you were to search Genesis Through Joshua, you would see this review:
"Julie A. from Dallas, TX wrote the following on 04/15/2004:
I grew up hearing the stories of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. I always knew they could be found in
Genesis, but not exactly where. Now thanks to Veritas Press, I know
that and so much more. This was my first year using the Veritas Bible
curriculum, and most definitely won't be my last. I used this program
with my second grader and we both loved it. It was challanging at the
beginning of the year, because the answers for all the worksheets and
tests are fill in the blank. Once his writing skills improved this was
not so much of an issue. I found that the prep time for each week was
minimal. The cards are wonderful tools for students and instructors
alike. Students can use the cards to find the answers to all the
worksheet questions, and the instructor has the weeks resource list at
their finger tips. We also found the audio tape fun and very helpful in
learning the titles, dates, and scripture references for each card. My
four year old even enjoys singing along with us each morning. I would
enjoy a CD because they are more durable. However, after 20 weeks the
song becomes pretty long. The tape allows us to cover only a verse or
two at a time when necessary. I highly recommend this program to
everyone I can.
I would say the same for the Old Testament/Ancient Egypt History
curriculum. I am extremely pleased with the Veritas materials and plan
to use them for years to come."
We really like the Teacher's Manual, which is the worksheets for each of the cards we do, and the cards. The Teacher's Manual has a few pages to be filled in by the student for each card- chronologically. I felt like this was a really fair amount (not too much) of "fill in the blank" material for Elementary/Middle school ages. By my Dd having to write out all the answers to their questions, regarding the material we read for each card, her memory was reinforced through her writing in the answers.
Each workbook covers a few books of the Bible. As we go through the Bible, we use their cards to walk us through the process; step by step; card by card. There is a card, with an image of what ever we are studying on the front, and a short summary of the details of what we are studying, and a section called "Resources" that list what we are to read to complete the card. After you complete the card, you go to the next card, on and on throughout all the sets (all the Bible). We never really clicked with the audio CD. I think my Dd started this program older than the typical user. Veritas Press (VP) has the grades recommended for this program to be grade 2 through grade 6; well, I could not disagree more! Dd is in grade 7, with years of bible study under her belt, and we are still learning a LOT! *I* am learning a lot, too! One of the ways we have adapted this program to meet our needs to take out the Children's Bible they recommend, and switch it to our own study bible, and incorporate some other books too (like a Bible commentary). I think if you used their suggested Children's Bible, it would also be fine for the age/grade that they suggest; I just don't agree with putting the cap on grade 6! I feel this program would easily be good for high school grades, if you replaced the Children's Bible with a normal Bible.
Each workbook covers a few books of the Bible. As we go through the Bible, we use their cards to walk us through the process; step by step; card by card. There is a card, with an image of what ever we are studying on the front, and a short summary of the details of what we are studying, and a section called "Resources" that list what we are to read to complete the card. After you complete the card, you go to the next card, on and on throughout all the sets (all the Bible). We never really clicked with the audio CD. I think my Dd started this program older than the typical user. Veritas Press (VP) has the grades recommended for this program to be grade 2 through grade 6; well, I could not disagree more! Dd is in grade 7, with years of bible study under her belt, and we are still learning a LOT! *I* am learning a lot, too! One of the ways we have adapted this program to meet our needs to take out the Children's Bible they recommend, and switch it to our own study bible, and incorporate some other books too (like a Bible commentary). I think if you used their suggested Children's Bible, it would also be fine for the age/grade that they suggest; I just don't agree with putting the cap on grade 6! I feel this program would easily be good for high school grades, if you replaced the Children's Bible with a normal Bible.
Our Current set:
The front of the card always has an image to represent what we are studying during this card. There are some very great paintings included in the many card images. This painting of Jeremiah was done by Michelangelo.
We typically go through at least one card per week. There are some cards that have taken us a month or so, as well. For example, this card is on Jeremiah, but they don't have any specific chapters or verses that we are assigned to read--so I assign us to read as much as we can or want, to complete this card. We usually read more than assigned.
The back of the card has a short summary of what we are studying while completing this card. Here is an example of this:
The back of our card has a list of the books/sections we are suppose to read. We also add reading that portion of study in our normal study bible. We read the verses in the bible, and then read those same verses in our Believer's Bible Commentary.
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| You can see that they assign us to read from Journey Through the Bible, Survey of the Bible, and most of the time we have a section from The Greenleaf Guide to the Old Testament. This specific card doesn't assign specific Bible chapters or verses; usually there are sections for us to read. |
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| Here is a picture of the inside of JTTB. This book has lots of maps, illustrations, and pictures. |
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| This book has been terrific! It is full of photographs and images that really help the Bible, the lands, the concepts come alive. |
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Personally, I think this book has really helped us to retain what we are reading, by answering all the questions and writing down all the answers. I fill in the answers in this book, if Dd was older I would have her do it, but I really fill up the pages with lots of detail, and I'm afraid she would give brief/conscience answers.   |
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| Whatever section that we are assigned to read in our Bible, I also follow up with reading those same portions in our Believer's Bible Commentary. This book has really helped us to hear all the small things that we might have missed if we had just read the Bible alone. |
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| I wanted to show some of our bible pages. A few years back I was struggling remembering all of what we were reading in our bible study, and I thought I would try an old college trick of mine---writing in my book, putting in notes in the margin, and "owning" the material. Before, I thought that it just wasn't right to write in a Bible. But, then I figured that my writing in the Bible was really enhancing my understanding, and that was a bigger bonus than not getting all that I could. This has really has helped me and my brain process the information better. Also, a part of me thinks of the future, when I can give my Dd the Bibles we used during our homeschooling, and then she can see our thorough walk with this book--when we read each section, and the notes we made. I think the future Dd, will like this. |
I own a lot of reference books, here is one that we refer to while doing the VP program:
I use this book with our VP readings. For example, while reading Jeremiah (or any of the main male characters of the Bible), we also read the chapter on Jeremiah (or whomever we are studying) in this book.
KJV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture, Bonded, Black
International Children's Bible Dictionary: A Fun and Easy-to-Use Guide to the Words, People, and Places in the...
May 30, 2006Unrelated to the VP program; but one of our add-in's. Our hope is to bring in materials to help bring in areas that need help--this book talks about the culture and times of the bible; which our VP program doesn't really cover.
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| This book has good information, and LOTS of projects that can be done to make all sorts of things to enhance your bible study. |
The following book is the Sonlight Core G Bible book, we read our weekly assignments in this book as we are in Core G. We read the Core F Bible books that Sonlight assigns too. We always read SL's suggested Bible program books, we just don't do their schedule of reading the bible anymore. We used their (SL's) Bible assignments for years, but wanted to do more of an in-depth study after following SL's path for year after year. I am so glad we have found VP to make our Bible readings, more of a real "study" and research than just a Read Aloud.
2015 Bible Additions that I am SO pleased with:
Holman Reference / 2014 / Hardcover
we used this one more often when Dd was younger:
Some of my favorite Bible verses, that I think can be connected to Bible Study:
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (ESV)
18Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
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