Tag Archives: Letter of the Week

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC Book Review

I have really enjoyed reading T is for Tree: A Bible ABC  published by Reformed Free Publishing Association with my kids.  What a terrific book!

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC

T is for Tree

A Bible ABC

Hardback Book

32+/- Pages

Beautiful Full Color Illustrations

Bible Scriptures KJV

Recommended for ages 3-6

Retails $17.95

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC is a lovely book.  It is an 9″ x 11″ hardback book made of quality materials.  It contains approximately 32 pages.  Each colorful page has a letter, a word, a poem, a brightly colored illustration, a detailed border, and an inspirational bible scripture (KJV) for each letter (A-Z) of the English Alphabet.

For example:

  • A is for ANTS” .  “A” is the focus for the first letter. “ANTS” is the word focus.  The “letter” and “word” are combined in a simple sentence, written in bold type, and located at the top of each page. Both the focus “letter” and focus “word” are capitalized.  The focus “letter” is also set apart from the text by a different color and large format.
  • The featured illustration shows the ants working to store up food. The page also has a border of ants. Both the illustration and the detailed border help to reinforce the “letter” and associated “word” being learned.
  • The poem reads “Though weak and small in size, They gather food all summer. May God make us as wise”. The poem describes something about the “word” being learned.
  • Next is a corresponding bible verse: “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise; the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer” Proverbs 30:24-25.  The bible verses are from both the Old and New Testament.  They always include the “word” being learned.  The bible verse focuses on the character traits of Father God or the traits of those who have faith in him.

The book continues with beautiful illustrations, poems, and scriptures throughout the entire book for all 26 letters of the Alphabet.  The author and illustrator, Connie L. Meyer, has done a wonderful job creating beautiful pages filled with interesting artwork for each letter and word.

Connie L. Meyer’s stated goal for this book (as listed on the back cover) is that it is “designed to teach young children of their heavenly Father’s almighty power and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises he makes to them as children of his covenant.”  She has extensive experience creating art curriculum products, bible study curriculum products, magazine articles, and more for the Christian community and her experience, as well as her love for Father God, shines through in this book she designed for younger children.

Our Experience:

We received this book in exchange for writing an honest review and sharing our experience.

We used this book for read aloud time as a bible study devotional, and also for learning ABC’s with my youngest son.  Though the book is intended for age 3-6, I also included my other kids too.

The kids enjoyed the illustrations.  For those who were old enough, I encouraged them to read the book on their own as well as read a page aloud to the younger kids and to participate in the bible discussions and help out with various activities we did.  We talked about the scripture passages together and this encouraged their walk with God.

To enhance the learning for everyone we added in lots more activities.  In addition to reading the book and going over the ABC’s, poems, bible verses, and enjoying the lovely illustrations, we also used this book each week for some hands on activities to further the learning.

  • Letter Recognition
  • Phonics
  • Matching
  • Bible Memory Verse
  • Bible Lookup
  • Poetry
  • Science
  • Math
  • Writing & Copywork
  • Music
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Playtime (related toys, props, role play, etc)
  • Nature Walks

This is a great book for young learners.  I would encourage other families to include this book when doing letter recognition and phonics training.   Younger kids learn best when play is combined with learning goals.  So we found ways to play and have fun. 

We took walks and looked outside in nature for things that correlated with the bible verses and illustrations.  This was a fun tie in with the book.  We found beautiful things in nature such as ants, birds in the yard, trees, clouds, moon, wild grape vines along the forest, and more.

The kids also did some science related experiments with simple household items we had on hand.  For example, we took time to study the properties of “ice” for the letter “I”. We used a worksheet to chart how long it takes for water to freeze into ice in our freezer, and how long it took for an ice cube to melt on our kitchen table vs how long it takes in our cooler.  I am planning another experiment for the next time we read through the letter “I” to put a few ice cubes in different cups and chart the temperatures of the control glass, a glass with only ice, and a glass with water and ice, and a glass with only water.  I am waiting to do this experiment until I acquire a separate thermometer to monitor each glass.

Another example of how we are incorporating science and math with this book is teaching the kids to track the moon cycle for the letter “M”.  The letter “M” page quotes the bible scripture from Jeremiah 31:35-36 about the “ordinances” of the moon, but most people do not understand what that means.  Because Father God established it and mentions it in the scriptures, I want my kids to understand what the ordinances of the moon are.  The moon means month.  It has an established law.  It was put in place to govern specific things such as to be a guide to keep track of time, for example each “day” begins in the evening and goes through until the start of the next evening. God established this on the first day “and evening and morning were the first “day”, and it has remained so ever since.  The moon is the gauge to track not only when the day (evening and morning) begins, but also to track each month.  The moon tracks when the month begins (at the first sighting of the moon), the middle of the month (full moon), and when the month ends (when there is complete darkness), it was established to keep track of Sabbaths (he established when he rested the 7th day, evening and morning, after he had worked for 6 days), as signs for future events in prophesy, and also to keep track of special feasts and appointed times with God.  Father God established ordinances for the moon and stars that not only provide light, but also establish the start of the new year, govern the days and months, and govern the planting and harvest of crops.  The moon ordinances even help regulate a healing chemical produced in our bodies called Melatonin that also helps us sleep, the moon cycle regulates fertility, and there is a lot more than I have time or space to share in this story here.

I want my kids to know these truths, and I would encourage every person on earth to seek out the truth, because Father God put it right in front of them so they will believe and rely on God to show them instead of believing and trusting in the lies (tel-lie-vision), theories (assumptions) and sorceries of men.  We do not worship the sun, moon, stars, or anything on the earth or under the earth, however we must understand that God put them in their habitations for his reasons and for our benefit.  These ordinances will never change, no matter how much kingdoms change, or church doctrines change, or books change, or technology changes, or cultures and man made traditions change. You can change the daily calendar as men have done, you can change the history books, you can write science books full of theories and fill them with lies and portray them as truths, but no one will ever be able to change the ordinances Father God has put into place and it stands as a witness of the eternal truth.

There are so many ways to build on what kids are learning in this book. For example, my kids created several arts and crafts projects they wanted to do.  They used some art techniques they have been learning in their current Art course. For example they made 3D paper creatures with construction paper, scissors, and glue. They also made pictures with watercolor crayons which are special paint like crayons that you brush with water after coloring and it looks as if you painted the picture.  Both of these are types of techniques they have been studying in our Art curriculum.

ABC’s

We did a “letter of the week” focus with my youngest son and included using hands on activities like matching with foam letters.

A is for ANTS:

We sounded out the letters, played matching games, and used an inexpensive ABC puzzle to help with letter recognition and association.  For one of the games we played, after I read the page to him, he had to find the correct letter from a pile of scattered letters, and then match the letter to the story and finish by placing the letter into the ABC Puzzle.

B is for BOW:

C is for CLOUDS:

Below are a few more examples of the many activities we did.  To save time and space, I am only sharing a few examples of what we did with the letters A, B, C, H, S, and T for the purpose of this review.

A is for ANTS:

For the letter “A” we did a few different activities.  We did a science observation and went outside and investigated an ant hill.

After observing the top of the ant mound, I let my son take a small stick and gently disturb the top of the mound one time.  Then I had him stand back to see what the ants would do.

The stick barely lifted a small thin section of the top of the mound.  The ants were at war instantly.  I had my son stand back at a safe distance as it is no fun to get bit by red ants.

They moved so quickly it was hard for my camera to capture a picture of them.

They came out of lots of tiny holes with tunnels that had been just under the surface layer of dirt.

He was quite interested to observe the ants defend their home.  Since these are red biting ants, I didn’t have him try to collect any for closer observation. 

I purchased a bug viewer for him to use, but he broke it while viewing a ladybug and before he had the chance to catch an ant.  We will however keep our eyes open for more opportunities to catch black ants and perhaps put them in a mason jar to look at closely with a magnifying glass.

Next we did some arts and crafts and created 3D Ants with construction paper.

B is for BOW:

For the letter “B” the kids made a “Bow” for the rainbow.  They created a bow with a creative craft called Super Beads.

After designing and assembling the beads to resemble a rainbow, they sprayed them with water, let them sit overnight, and had a toy rainbow to play with.

They also colored pictures of rainbows and colored in printables we found online.

We still have plans to learn more about the science of rainbows in the next few weeks with a science kit I purchased.

C is for CLOUDS:

To learn more about clouds, I found writing, science, math, and coloring worksheets on line that related to clouds.  We also went outside and watched the clouds.

Then we did cloud related projects.  For science we were able to learn about the different kinds of clouds and create a matching game.

We also watched a science video that taught us more about clouds.

For math we practiced counting clouds with cotton balls.  For phonics and writing practice and art we used worksheets, pencils, and crayons.

H is for HORSE:

For the letter “H” the kids made construction paper 3D Horses:

You will see more pictures of their horses and other 3D animals they have been making in an upcoming story about their art curriculum.

They also played with toy horses.

We are hoping to visit a horse stable soon and learn about the care of horses.  I found several printables online and am putting together a horse unit and lapbook for the kids.

S is for STARS:

The kids made their own firmament pictures with construction paper, crayons, glow in the dark stars, marbles, glass beads, and toys.

We also have a stars sensory bin that contains stars of different materials and colors, black pompoms, blue and clear glass beads, and more that my kids love to play with. Sometimes they pretend they are on a journey in space or that they have taken a journey to see the moon.

T is for TREE:

For the letter “T” the kids learned to draw and color trees.  Some made their trees with watercolor paints, and others made theirs with watercolor crayons and used the techniques they learned in our art curriculum.

They also used toy trees, trees they made with Super Beads, built Lego trees, puzzle letters, and more:

We took a nature walk to look at trees.   We love looking at the forest.

So many different trees are in the forest, and it is home to many different creatures and birds.  We also enjoy the shade provided from the trees so we can cool off from the sun when playing in the yard.

We like to learn to identify the different leaves of different kinds of trees.

We also find the most beautiful treasures produced by these amazing trees.

Sometimes the kids just enjoy climbing up trees, pulling themselves up on branches to see how high they can go and what they can see, and sometimes they hang upside down in trees too.

Sometimes when we go barefoot, we get ouchies like splinters from walking and balancing on tree logs too.

Author:

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC is written and illustrated by Connie L. Meyer.   She dedicated this book to “all the children of the Reformation, to the children who live by faith, faith in the promises of God.”  Connie L. Meyer is a wife, mother, and grandmother.  She has dedicated her life to serving the Christian community for many years as an author, artist, teacher, curriculum creator, tutor, speaker, magazine article writer, and has served students in all grade levels and adults too.  She is well known in various Protestant Reformed churches, schools, and associations.

Be sure to check out more books Connie L. Meyer has authored including her Behold The Beauty Art Curriculum.  I would really like to try this curriculum with my kids.  There are three individual art curriculum books and the entire bundle listed at the link above, as well a other books she has had published through Reformed Free Publishing Association.  Each art curriculum book has free sample lessons offered on the website.  I downloaded all of the free samples and plan to use them soon with my kids.

Publisher:

The Reformed Free Publishing Association (RFPA) is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1924.  Their mission is to be a witness to the distinctive Reformed truth.  They strive to publish works that are based on scripture and bring glory to God.  They primarily publish the work of professors, ministers, and educators who are aligned with the Protestant Reformed Churches in America and stand firmly as a witness to the truth of bible scriptures. They offer books, biographies, church history, educational curriculum, bible commentaries, bible study guides, devotionals, theology, and more in print, audio, and digital formats.  They offer discounted specials so be sure to check out what is on sale.  They also offer 35% off regular price and free shipping to members of their monthly book club.

Final Thoughts:

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC is a wonderful book full of inspiration for you to talk with your kids about Father God and his love for his creation and then put it into action.

I would encourage other homeschool families to get this book.  Read it for your bible study, or read aloud, or practice learning the letters and more for school.  Then spend time doing something hands on related to each page and really connect the message to real life for your kids.  Spend time teaching them God’s word and walk and talk it out.

Deuteronomy 11:19

“And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

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The Crafty Classroom: Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook Review

We have a fun and easy to use preschool curriculum to tell you about today from The Crafty Classroom.

The Crafty Classroom has lots of affordable printable curriculum options for kids of all ages.  We are currently reviewing their Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook.  This product has made teaching preschool super fun and easy in our home.

Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook

658 Pages

26 Letters with 24 Activity Pages Per Letter

Illustrated

PDF Download

For ages Preschool to K4

Retail $15

This downloadable curriculum includes everything you and your student need to hit the ground running.  The Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook is 658 printable pages on a PDF downloadable file.  It contains lots of illustrated full color (and black and white) downloadable materials that are great for teaching children the alphabet and teaching them verses from the bible while they grow in their faith in God.

The focus of this curriculum is to help kids learn their ABC’s and biblical truths at the same time.  By giving kids biblical truths in small pieces each day, it helps kids build a strong foundation and identity in Christ. Each week students learn a new letter, a character quality of Father God, and a corresponding bible verse as they grow in their knowledge of him and build their faith.

This curriculum is designed to keep the prep work to a minimum.

Good news!  All you need to complete this course is the printed out worksheets for the day (or the week), a bible, a pencil and crayons.  For a couple activities you will also need glue, scissors, and a ruler.  That is it!  This curriculum is designed to keep the prep work and organization for the teacher to a minimum.  You can store everything you need in 1 binder (large sized) and a zippered pencil case.  You can also add dividers into your binder for each letter if you want to.

It is suggested to teach this material 4 days a week during a 26 week course. Each day there are 4 to 5 worksheets for your student to complete. The suggested age range is Preschool to K4, but K5 and possibly first graders might benefit from going over this curriculum too. This curriculum would also be a great way to introduce ESL students to the English language too.

Included are lesson plans and a suggested schedule and 24 activities for every letter of the alphabet. You are encouraged to complete 1 letter per week for 26 weeks. The 24 pages of activities include: letter pages, Bible activities, games, worksheets, charts, coloring pages, math explorations, copy work, and more.

Charts

  • Character of God Chart
  • Bible Verse Chart
  • Bible Vocabulary Chart
  • Letter Chart
  • How to Write Chart

Coloring

  • Beginning Letter Bible Coloring Page
  • Bible Verse Coloring Page
  • Bible Themed Quilt Letter Square w/Cutting Activity
  • Blank Letters (x3 for coloring or art projects)

Worksheets

  • Tracing Worksheet
  • Handwriting Worksheet
  • Bible Verse Copywork Page
  • Find the Letter Worksheet
  • Beginning Letter Worksheet

Math

  • Daily Math Worksheet
  • Count & Graph Worksheet
  • Spin & Race to the Top Worksheet

Games

  • Full Color Memory Game (or Flashcards)
  • Bible Verse Maze and Activity Page
  • 4 in a Row Bingo Game Cards (4 different cards for each letter)

Take Home

  • Bible Verse Crown

 

Suggested Calendar & Schedule:

This curriculum is flexible and you can fit it into many scenarios for your student.  They suggest that you plan a work schedule of 4 days a week, working on 1 letter per week for 26 weeks.

The curriculum includes a handy reference Suggested Calendar & Sample Schedule.

HOW DID WE USE IT?

I can’t believe how quickly my youngest son is growing. It seems like yesterday he was still a little guy.  I am so thankful for this opportunity to review this curriculum because it fit perfectly for our family.  Life is busy with 6 kids in the house.  With this curriculum, all the prep work is done and we can just pull out what we need each day and do it.  He is progressing very well through this preschool curriculum and I think he will be ready for kindergarten curriculum this fall. He is so excited about his Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook.  We are currently working on the letter F and he asks to do his school work each and every day since we started! He loves learning!

I thought I would show you what a week with this curriculum looks like. Each week follows basically the same routine.  Below is what the first week learning the letter A and following the schedule laid out in the curriculum looked like in our home.

Monday:

  1. Character of God: Discuss the weekly theme, memory verse and vocabulary that are all related to an important character quality of God. Pray together and thank God for being our CREATOR!
  2. How to Write Chart: Use the chart to introduce the Letter A.  FINGER PRACTICE the proper formation of uppercase and lowercase version of
    the letter A.
  3. Beginning Letter Bible Coloring: Color the upper and lowercase letter A beginning letter picture and word to color. While my son colors, I can read the corresponding Bible story and discuss the weekly theme.
  4. Bible Handwriting Practice Page: This page reminds children
    of the proper letter formation and strokes. Beginning letter words
    are shown to provide ample practice opportunity.

Tuesday:

  1. Beginning Letter Chart: Shows children 10 different beginning letter words. Hang it on a wall or place on the front of your binder for a frequent reminder during the week.  You can also play games like tic-tac-toe, print two for a matching game, etc.
  2. Bible Memory Verse:  Read the verse for children to
    work on memorizing for the week.  Review the verse with your child throughout the week.
  3. Bible Verse Copywork:  Coloring page and beginning
    handwriting tracing page for the weekly verse.
  4. Race to the Top: This is a fun game played with a paperclip
    spinner. Children spin the paperclip and then trace the correct
    winner (uppercase or lowercase). The first letter to the crown
    wins! Follow up questions guide children through less and more
    and inequalities.
  5. Bible Maze: A simple follow up worksheet with mazes and
    small motor control art activities.

Wednesday:

  1. Blank Letter Pages:  Large letters that can be put into a plastic sleeve or laminated and the design can be filled in with pompoms, buttons, sticks, play dough, stamps, designs, stickers, or things that start with that letter.
  2. I Can Find the Letter: Find the letter A and count the upper and lowercase letters.
  3. Letter Trace: Trace the uppercase and lowercase
    letters. They can also make their own letters and color in a beginning letter picture for each row they complete.
  4. ABC Quilt Square: Color and cut out uppercase
    and lowercase letter A, then glue the letters onto the quilt square.
    Place the quilt square on a wall (or a string, or notebook, or place of your choosing) as they learn each new letter throughout the curriculum.
  5. Alphabet Memory Flashcards:  Cut out the flashcards and use them in multiple ways: pocket chart, play a game of concentration, play sorting games, ABC order, letter sounds, etc.

You can make several sets of these flash cards and use them in games such as matching or go fish.  My son really enjoys making and using the flash cards.

Thursday:

  1. Daily Math Worksheet:  Complete the daily math worksheet.  Skills practiced include: Counting, Measuring, Addition,Tally Marks, Patterns, Ordinal Numbers, Positional Words, Number Line, etc.
  2. Count & Graph Worksheets: Count the letters and pictures and then graph them.
  3. Write & Read Worksheets: Tracing page.  Fill in the missing beginning letter.
  4. Bible Crowns: Color your crown.  Decorate it and cut it out.
  5. 4 in a Row Bingo: Play “Letter A” BINGO.  The bingo games at the end of each week are a lot of fun and a great way to review his letter.

My Favorite Part!

I am thankful this curriculum is easy to print and go!  I am also thankful my son loves learning with it and we enjoy doing it together.  But my favorite part of this curriculum is the focus on the character of God and the verses that help my son learn about his Heavenly Father.

In just a few short weeks he has learned several letters in the alphabet while having lots of fun, learned a memory verse (though he doesn’t have them memorized), learned a vocabulary word, and learned a character quality of God:

Letter A: God is our Creator. (Genesis 1:1)

Letter B: God is Truthful. (Psalm 33:4)

Letter C: God is Love. (1 John 4:8)

Letter D: God is our Protector. (Psalm 46:1)

Letter E: God is Eternal. (Psalm 146:6 &10)

Letter F: God is Upright. (Psalm 25:8)

I also love that is it so flexible and easy to use.  You can use this curriculum as your main curriculum four days a week, or use it as a supplement to your main curriculum.  You can print out all of it, or print out just the portions you are interested in.  Being able to print only what you need is especially nice if you are working on remedial work with an older child who doesn’t necessarily need everything but does need practice in some areas.

My suggestion is to use this curriculum as your framework.  The lesson plans are already done for you and the curriculum covers all the basics your little ones need to build a good foundation in learning the alphabet and letter sounds as well as identifying beginning letters with associated pictures.  It also teaches kids basic understanding of who their heavenly father is, and how to go to his word, the bible, to read about him and build their understanding.  Then if time permits, and you want to expand on this curriculum, feel free to use additional props like play dough, sensory activities, sensory bins, related snacks, correlate reading books into the theme, songs, videos, or additional crafts that relate to your letter of the week.  I love it that this curriculum is so flexible, yet simple, and can be adapted to any family’s needs and schedule.

The Crafty Classroom

The Crafty Classroom has many wonderful and affordable resources for homeschool families.  Be sure to check out some of their great products and see if they will meet your family’s needs:

For Preschool:

Alphabet Curriculum Notebook (26-weeks)

Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook (26-weeks & Bible)

For Kindergarten:

Learn to R.E.A.D. Curriculum Notebook (36-week Curriculum)

R.E.A.D. Review Pack (28 Early Readers that Correspond with R.E.A.D. Notebook) Can be used as a stand-alone product, if you are not wanting a full curriculum.

For Older Kids:

USA Activity Bundle

How to Write a Paragraph

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