Grapevine Studies: New Testament Overview Part 1{TOS Review}

I read many reviews last year from TOS Review Crew members about Grapevine Studies, and I was very interested in trying it out. You can imagine my excitement when I was given the opportunity to review Grapevine Studies' New Testament Overview, Part 1.

 

What is Grapevine Studies?

 Grapevine Studies is a Bible study method that incorporates hearing the Word of God, stick-figuring the passage, and discussing the scripture - Hear, Draw, Review. Your child will learn major events and people of the Bible, as well as memorize many verses. They also incorporate a timeline, which helps your child to see the "big picture". The older the child, the more they will learn, like Biblical geography and how to use study tools, like a Bible dictionary, concordance, and topical Bible. 

 What Did I Receive?
 

I received a digital copy of the Beginner's Level {and Traceable}, Level 1, Level 3, and Level 4 {all four levels included the Teacher's Manual.} The New Testament Overview, Part 1 for levels 1-4 covers the Birth of John to Jesus's Ministry. The NT Overview, Part 1 for Beginners covers the Birth of John to the Apostles. I will admit, I didn't realize that the Beginner's Level was not compatible with Levels 1-4. This was an oversight on my part, as it clearly states that on the website. I was a little disappointed, as my family does multi-age, family-integrated homeschool, and we wouldn't be able to use this all together. However, I decided to combine Mercie {my 2nd grader} with Silas {my Kindergartner} in the Beginner's Level, and Mikaela and Eli used Level 4 and Level 3, respectively.

{Level 4}
 

Level 3 and 4 have only one difference - Level 3 has a Student Review page, where Level 4 has a Quest page. The Quest page has your child use a Topical Bible, concordance, and Bible dictionary to look up words, events and people, and scriptures. Level 3 is recommended for ages 10-13, and Level 4 is recommended for ages 13 and up.

 

The Beginner Level is recommended for ages 3-5; however, my 8 year old did not find it too simple. She enjoyed the short Bible readings and the ability to answer the "easier" discussion questions.

{Beginner Level}

How Did We Use Grapevine Studies?
 

I would read the verses aloud and ask a few questions, and then the kids would draw the stick-figures on their worksheet. It is recommended to use a whiteboard and dry-erase markers to illustrate the stick-figures representing each passage of scripture, but I just let my kids look in the Teacher's Manual at the example and copy it. I let them use markers, which somehow added to the fun. Some days, we would have a timeline to complete; other days, we would have a Student Review page or Quest page.

This did not take us long each day at all! I would say it took around 10 minutes for the Beginner Level, and no more than 20 minutes for Levels 3 and 4.

Grapevine Studies Levels 1-4 can be used as 12 weekly lessons {for a Sunday School class or a co-op, maybe} or 45 daily lessons. We used it about 3-4 days a week, so it could last us 15 weeks possibly! If you used it 5 days a week, it would last 9 weeks.

 

The Beginner Level can be used as 11 weekly lessons or 22 daily lessons. We used it twice a week, so it will stretch to 11 weeks for us. If you used this 5 days a week, it would last a little over 4 weeks

What Did We Like About Grapevine Studies?

The timeline is very helpful for children who may not be familiar with the Bible. My kids are very familiar with the Bible, but they still enjoyed filling out the timeline. In fact, Eli said the timeline was his favorite part!

My children loved drawing the stick figures, and my 5 year old enjoyed the fact that he could draw almost as well as his 8 year old sister. The drawings are simple enough for a young child to copy without much help.

I also like the shorter readings for the Beginner Level. Sometimes, there was only 2 or 3 verses to read. This ensured that my 5 year old would pay attention without zoning out. He has a difficult time listening to long passages. I also liked the discussion questions and answers provided.

 My kids really enjoy Grapevine Studies; so much, in fact, that we will be using some Topical studies pretty soon. I will make sure that all the levels I order will be compatible this time! I will also be ordering the physical set instead of the digital set; with 5 kids, it was way too much printing for me and my little printer.

 Would You Like to Try Grapevine Studies?
 

If you're not sure where to start, or which Level you will need, there is a very helpful chart on their website.

 

 

 

It would be more cost-effective to buy the physical copies if your children are in different levels. The physical copy of the student  book is $12.50 and $10.00 for the e-book; the teacher's guide is $22.50 for a physical copy and $18.00 for the e-book. I would much prefer the physical copy myself!

Check out the other Bible studies Grapevine Studies has to offer on their website!

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