Friday, April 9, 2010

God's Design for Heaven and Earth

God’s Design for Heaven and Earth

Written by Deb bie and Richard Lawrence
Published at Answer In Genesis

About the Series
Elementary and middle schoolers will love the exciting, easy-to-understand, and easily taught lessons in the God’s Design textbooks by Debbie and Richard Lawrence. All twelve books in the God’s Design series are very comprehensive, richly illustrated, and cover material that is often left out of other curricula. You’ll love the flexibility of this popular series, which is designed to be used with students ranging from first through eighth grade … all at the same time!

Best of all, God’s Design textbooks help you teach science from a biblical, creationist perspective, emphasizing God’s handiwork in the world around us. Using the God’s Design curriculum from AiG will help strengthen your student’s faith by showing how science consistently supports the Bible’s written record. Students will learn to think critically and logically examine arguments presented by all sides in the creation/evolution debate.

As homeschool parents who are also trained electrical engineers, Debbie and Richard Lawrence have designed each lesson with ease and excellence in mind. Each lesson begins with a “read-aloud” section that covers the basic material and is followed by a fun hands-on activity that involves your child and reinforces what you just read. Each lesson ends with review and application questions. In addition to the lessons (35 per text), God’s Design books contain special feature articles that examine the lives of scientists throughout history who have contributed to the subject. Other articles contain fun facts. Finally, each book has a unit project that ties all of the lessons together and reinforces what the student has learned. Good science couldn’t be more fun!

Specifically for Heaven and Earth curriculum
Help your children see God’s plan for our planet, our solar system, and our universe with this complete earth and space science curriculum for grades 1 through 8. Explore how God designed the earth to support life from our atmosphere to our oceans. Hands-on activities keep everyone interested in learning about geology, weather, and space. 105 lessons. Full-color.

Included Our Planet Earth, Our Universe, Our Weather and Water as well as Teacher Supplement and CD-ROM.

Who are Debbie and Richard Lawrence?
Born out of the concern of a mom and dad for their own children, Debbie and Richard Lawrence spent years developing this complete science curriculum out of their own homeschooling experiences.

My Thoughts
I had originally requested the God’s Design for Life but when Answers in Genesis answered me back, this title was not available for review. So my contact suggested that I review one of the three other God’s Design products. After discovering them on their website, I decided to go with the God’s Design for Heaven and Earth as I was waiting for our telescope to arrive.
So when I received the box, I was so curious and eager to discover this curriculum and let me tell you this is absolutely wonderful. Here are the books that come with the God’s Design for Heaven and Earth curriculum.

Weather/Water
This is an exciting study of the atmosphere and oceans of the planet Earth. In this book you will discover what weather is, how it is caused, and how meteorologists study and predict it. You will also discover God’s hand in the design of our oceans and their effect on our weather. Your child can be a junior meteorologist and set up his/her own weather station.

Planet Earth
In this book you will learn how God designed earth as a special place for us to live. Learn about rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, and glaciers. You will discover how the Great Flood changed the surface of the earth, and why fossils support what the Bible says. This book will help you reveal God’s design for our planet to your child.

Our Universe
Explore our solar system and the universe in this book. Learn about each planet and see how Earth was specially designed by God to support life. See God’s hand as you study nebulae, stars, comets, and meteors. Also, learn about the space program and see what it takes to be an astronaut. Learn how one astronaut used his life to bring glory to God.

Teacher’s Supplement and CD-Rom
Encompassing all three student books in the God's Design for Heaven and Earth series, the teacher supplement book provides an introduction on how to teach the curriculum, a supply list and answer key for each lesson, a resource guide containing suggested books, videos, and field trips, and a master supply list. The CD-ROM includes student supplement worksheets and tests in an electronic form.

Once again I think I have found the perfect science curriculum for homeschoolers. This curriculum can be used for grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and finally grades 6-8. As the children grow, you can easily reuse the books and discover more on the subjects they might have learned on previous years. Or you can simply use it if you have a multiple age classroom like many homeschoolers would have.

Each lesson contains beautiful images, interesting information about the subject studied, an experiment as well as how it relates with the Bible. Each grade level will have their specific activities to do. For example, the grades 3-5 students will have some questions to answers while the grades 6-8 students will have other assignments to do. When necessary other illustrations are included in the lesson like the one to illustrate the water cycle. I find it is always good to have extra illustrations to understand a concept. You will also find a glossary and a challenge glossary at the end of each book.

What I particularly like about this curriculum is the fact that a teacher supplement is available. This book is clearly listing you the specifics for some of the lessons. For example, you will get a supply list, you will have the answers of the questions for each level and you will be able to see the worksheets answers as well. In the appendices section, you will have a resource guide which suggests books, videos or fields trips as well as a master supply list for all the things you will need while you go through the curriculum with your children. Also, you will receive a CD which contains the quizzes and worksheets needed to get the most of the lesson.

I am very excited to start this marvelous curriculum with the use of our brand new telescope. I am planning to start with the book titled Our Universe when the camping season will start. It will be perfect to discover the sky when we are outside of the city. Even my oldest son, who is 8, marvels at the books and is eager to start using them.

This is definitively a wonderful curriculum to have in your homeschool. If you wonder how to teach science, don’t worry anymore. This is a beautiful set to discover God’s Design for Heaven and Earth!

This review was possible because I have received God’s Design for Heaven and Earth from Answers In Genesis.

Also available are God’s Design for Chemistry and Ecology, God’s Design for the Physical World and God’s Design for Life. Each book is available separately as well or you could purchase the complete curriculum.

God's Design for Heaven and Earth is available at Answers in Genesis as well as christianbook.com.

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