Using the Bible to Study the Bible

     Judah Bible Curriculum is more than a curriculum, it is a total method for studying the Bible.  I was really excited to be able to experience this program first hand.  We were given the downloadable version to use for purposes of review.  Unlike some other curricula, Judah Bible Curriculum downloadable version is 100% like the print version. I like being able to download a product and just print what I need; so, this download version was just right for me. 
     When I received the download, I opened and loaded all of the documents and the eight lecture teacher training mp3’s.  I actually was able to put all of the files on both my laptop and my IPad, which was convenient for reading and listening on the go.  Judah Bible Curriculum is based on the Principle Approach.  Being as I was not familiar with this educational approach, I did some research on the Principle Approach before I even tried to delve into the curriculum. 
   The Principle Approach is a method of biblical reasoning whereby we identify the biblical foundations or “principles” of every subject and are enabled to correctly Identify and Interpret the facts.
“The Judah Bible Curriculum is a "Principle Approach" Bible curriculum whose distinctives are the following:

• The BIBLE is the textbook. The student studies and learns the Bible.
• The student learns God's purpose in history, studying the hand of God in the lives of men and nations through the Bible.
• The student develops his reasoning ability, helping him to apply Biblical principles personally.
• The curriculum helps you shift from rote learning to Biblical reasoning.
• The student learns the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the personal responsibility of the individual.
• The student learns the relationship between individual character and national liberty.”

     I really love the underlying principles of this curriculum.  Implementing it has been a bit of a learning curve; but, it seems like that is the beauty of the curriculum as a whole.  It is not step-by-step, do this, do that type curriculum.  The K-12 manual directs the teacher basically by giving an outline of the basic themes to be studied and the portions of scripture to use to begin study.  Beyond that, study seems to be completely related to following the themes and learning how the overall themes and principles of the Bible apply to real life.  We have likened this type of approach to inductive Bible study.  We are using the Bible as our textbook.  It is extremely helpful to have an atlas of Bible maps, a concordance, and a dictionary on hand.  We have learned it is very easy, especially in the Old Testament, to get ‘in’ to the history and geography behind the events.  It has been so interesting!
     What about accountability?  Judah Bible Curriculum is designed for notebooking.  There are some printable pages for older and younger students to use for identifying key themes, etc…  Also, teachers are provided with notebooking suggestions for the younger students.  I have found a lot of coloring pages for free online that could work as part of the notebooking with younger students.  I really wish that we had been able to use this curriculum from day 1 of our homeschooling journey.  Each year students complete an entire notebook containing each of the major themes of the Bible.  I would love to see how their learning progressed from kindergarten to grade 12.  I guess I’ll just have to settle on seeing the progression from grades 6-12.  The teacher / parent makes a notebook also.  Since our kids are in the older student age group, we are able to allow the kids to be much more independent in their study.  They are encouraged to pray and read and study their Bible and allow God to speak to them directly through the passages for the day.  Judah Bible Curriculum is ideal for this type of personal study. 

     If you decide to try Judah Bible Curriculum, understand that if you are not accustomed to the Principle Approach, there will be a learning curve for you.  It is not a curriculum for everyone. By visiting the Judah Bible Curriculum website, you can read lots of information about the curriculum and the philosophy behind it.  I really think this is an ideal Bible curriculum for families using the Principle Approach with children of multiple ages.  It totally lends itself to use across an entire family.  It is currently being sold on the website for $69 for the print version and $44 for the download version. 
     Many of my other TOS Homeschool Crew friends have also used this curriculum for the past couple of months and have reviewed it on the main crew blog. Go check out their reviews for more information.
**Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Judah Bible Curriculum at no cost to me in exchange for this honest review.  I have not been compensated by Judah Bible Curriculum or TOS in any way.  The opinions expressed are my own.**