Homeschool Help: Scripture Memory System

SCRIPTURE MEMORY SYSTEM

We consider ourselves an eclectic homeschooling family. The variety of homeschooling methods might overwhelm some, causing them to cling to one particular method and stick with it. This works great for many families, but personally, I thrive on exploring and implementing different teaching styles! That said, we are not a Charlotte Mason family, by definition, although we do appreciate some of her methods. One method in particular, is the Scripture Memory System. 

Bible teaching and memorization looks different from one home to another. Some families beginning their day with a family devotion. Others gather around the dinner table listening to Dad read from the Word of God after a delicious meal. In our home, we read a chapter from the Bible in our homeschool each morning. We are currently in the last book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy. My hope is to have each of my children hear/read the entire Bible several times before they graduate High School. This way, they will know what the Bible says and won't be easily swayed by false teachings. 

Reading through the Bible is an important element in our homeschool. It is also important that the head of our home, my husband, is able to teach, instruct and impart the Word of God to our children. This is why we integrate the Scripture Memory System into our daily routine. This method is simple, only takes a few minutes a day, and is surprisingly effective!

 1 Index Card Holder
41 Tab Dividers
1 Pack of Index Cards

First you will prepare the cards by turning the dividers over and labeling the back of the tabs:




Daily
Odd
Even
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1-31


Place the dividers in the box, in that order, beginning with DAILY.

Next, write a verse you want to memorize on an index card and place it behind the DAILY divider.

Everyday, when you go over your daily verse, have one parent read the reference. The rest of the family will then repeat it. Breaking the verse up into small chunks, read and have your family repeat the verse. Continue with the DAILY verse until it is memorized by each member of the family. This may take days or it may take weeks. 

Once the verse is mastered, place behind the ODD divider and place a new verse to begin memorizing in the DAILY. Once this verse is mastered, place behind the EVEN divider. Keep adding verses behind the dividers as you gain mastery. Eventually you will have a verse behind each one.

Once you have more than just the daily verse, you will repeat your verses in the following manner:

On odd days of the month you will go over the daily verse, odd verse, the verse of the day of the week it is and the verse for that particular day of the month.

Example: On Monday, December 28th you will go over the following:

DAILY
EVEN
MONDAY
28

I hope that makes sense! 

If not, here is the video from Simply Charlotte Mason that our family used to get started:





This system is an excellent way to build confidence in the hearts of each member of your family. You have the chance to rehearse what your family already knows and you will always be learning more. We have been implementing this in our home for about 9 months now. Each child has a favorite verse and they are now able to easily hide them in their little hearts!

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Odyssey Adventure Club- A Great Gift!







Tired of the Christmas shopping, the baking and sugar overload, the Christmas festivities that keep you away from your family during the season? Take time special time to spend with your loved ones and invest in your community—with Focus on the Family's help!


You can download a fun gift to give to your friends, family, and community! Each Christmas stocking stuffer card directs you to a special place to hear an Adventures in Odyssey Christmas episode. Plus, you’ll be able to read a special excerpt from Imagination Station #12, “Danger on a Silent Night.” Sign up here to download the free cards.


Plus stop by this page for a slew of crafts, recipes, and stories to share with your family during this special time of year!





 

If you're still looking for one last gift to give your kids this year, give the gift of the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family, including an Advent calendar, a broadcast download with tips to create a memorable Christmas, AIO cutouts, and Christmas stocking stuffer cards. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:

• Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.


• On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.


• 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.


• A new, members-only AIO episode every month.


• A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.

To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Evangelicals For Life Event {January 21-22 2016}

Clear your schedules January 21-22, 2016, because Focus on the Family and The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will host Evangelicals for Life, a major pro-life conference held in conjunction with the March for Life event.

The event will take place in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Evangelicals from across the country will gather to hear from leading speakers, such as David Platt, Russell Moore, Jim Daly, Kelly Rosati, and others-to be equipped and encouraged to become a voice for life! The event will also be simulcast for FREE so individuals, churches, and organizations from coast-to-coast and around the world can take part.

Speakers will encourage evangelicals to engage the culture on issues of abortion and end-of-life decisions, and the event will affirm the evangelical belief in the sanctity of life, that every life matters to God and is created in His image.

For more information, visit http://evangelicals.life/.

Readers of this blog will receive 15% off their registration by using the code FocusLife.

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Russell Moore will be speaking at Evangelicals for Life. He is President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is a theologian, ethicist, frequent cultural commentator, and author of several books. In the guest post below, he speaks to the importance of hosting the conference in the midst of the cultural battle for human dignity.

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Why We're Hosting the Evangelicals For Life Conference

By Russell Moore

As many Christians sat at their computer and watched a casual dinner conversation over the price of dismembered children, a lot of us probably thought: "But what can I do about this?" This is a question I hear often from pro-life evangelicals. Many Christians are utterly convinced in their heart of the personhood and dignity of the unborn, yet don't know how to faithfully effectively advocate for life.

It's important to understand that the cultural battle for human dignity doesn't begin on Capitol Hill or on CNN. It begins in your family, in your local church, and in your neighborhood. In fact, many of the people we know most vulnerable to the abortionist's rhetoric are not actually pro-choice, they're just scared, scared to scandalize a church with their secret. The false gospel of the abortion clinic, which says, "We can make all your trouble go away for you," is overwhelmingly seductive.

What these people need more than a lesson in embryonic development is to have the Gospel preached to their conscience. This means much more than simply offering "The Romans Road" or prompting a sinner's prayer; it means speaking directly with the message of Jesus' complete sovereignty of the universe, his righteous indignation on the murder of the unborn, and most importantly, his complete absorption of God's wrath on the cross, and his invitation to mercy and fellowship and the imputed righteousness of the Son of God.

The Gospel disarms the appeal of the abortion clinic because it offers truth with love, judgment with mercy, and righteousness with grace. The consciences around us don't believe what they're telling themselves. They're scared and confused. Shine a light on their conscience, and then present the Gospel of reconciliation.

Moreover, the pro-life movement has set an example worthy of our imitation when it comes to practical, holistic mercy ministry. For over 40 years since Roe v. Wade, those committed to defending unborn life have done much more than preach and teach; they have welcomed the scared, the vulnerable, and the wounded and loved them. 

This has looked like the establishment of crisis pregnancy centers all around cities. It has looked like adoption advocacy and building a culture of adoption in local churches. It's true that our pro-life witness has a long way to go, but we do not, thankfully, conform to the caricature that says we believe life "begins at conception and ends at birth."

 

Questions like these are why I am excited to be a part of the Evangelicals For Life Conference in January. This conference exists to help evangelicals articulate a truly Christian doctrine on the dignity of all human life. Being pro-life, after all, means much more than being against abortion on demand; it means believing in the dignity of the elderly and infirm, and advocating for compassion and inclusion of the poor, the orphan, and the widow. 

No doctrine of human dignity that fails to speak to these cases is fully "pro-life." Sometimes Christians are encouraged to leave issues like this behind. Sometimes the fight for human dignity is portrayed as "culture war" baggage. For those of us that watched an executive from Planned Parenthood talk about the most valuable anatomy of dead children, we know this to be false. The stakes for human life and human dignity could not be higher, and the plight of those ignored by the world does not go unnoticed by our heavenly Father.

We have a Gospel word to speak to the abortionist and the unborn, to the orphan and those not considering adoption. Will you join me in Washington, on January 21-22, as we seek to speak this word?

This article was adapted from the original article posted on Russell Moore's website.

A Baby and a Manger

Humility. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of the true meaning of Christmas. God, ."..emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant... made in the likeness of men, (Philippians 2:7). The God of the universe. The One who spoke when there was nothing, and created everything, (Genesis 3-26). The One who controls the clouds and makes the lightening flash, (Job 37:15). The One who holds the keys to death and hell, (Revelation 1:18). He chose to come down, as a man, the man Jesus (John 8:58). He didn't come in a royal robe. He wasn't nurtured by the richest king of the times. He came by his servant Mary, (Luke 1:38) through humble beginnings. 

Baby Jesus is Born

Think of your beginnings. Where you came from. We all come to Christ empty handed and broken. Even if we have all the riches of the world we are still spiritually dead, since we were born into sin. 

We need to be born again (John 3:7). We need to become like a child again. We need to learn how to think, act, and treat other people; the Bible way. 

When this happens, we change. We aren't the same person we used to be. Thought processes are different. Priorities have changed. Routines are no longer routine but we now follow a new rule book. 

A baby, from birth, is dependent on his mother's milk. He then grows and matures. Jesus Himself grew in wisdom and stature, (Luke 2:52). He came as a babe and grew and matured, all while staying pure, sinless and unspotted from the world.   

This Christmas, let us remember the humility of the manger, the stable and the one who came into this world to carry our burden of sin. Let us not forget that through Him, we might be saved and that His humble life here on earth was our example. 

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Rainbow Resource Center. All opinions stated here are my ow

Teaching Character in Peace

Many parents wait until the heat of the moment to teach their children character traits. Classic example; their child hits another kid on the playground. Embarrassed and.... Continuing Reading at Our Homeschool Forum