Most people are skeptical, at best, when it comes to unschooling. Unschoolers are often times accused of rejecting the wise proverb, “Train up a child in the way he should go”.
So how do our children learn about God and His Bible? Like they do everything else – through life.
They learn when they hit their brother and are reminded that Jesus taught us to treat people they way we want to be treated. They learn when they read their own bible. They learn when we talk to them about what we’ve been reading in our bible. They learn through the songs on the radio. They learn through Veggie Tales.
And they learn when their dad gathers them in their room every night for story telling. No curriculum. No devotional book. No copywork. No children’s bedtime stories book. (Though good things could be said about any of the above). No, our little unschoolers only know their dad, his bible, and him retelling the stories in a way they can understand it. Every night.
And how do we know if our loose way of life learning is working?
Because we see it come out through their art.
We see it surface through their song.
And we hear it come from their lips.
So we pray that they will continue in the way that we are showing them to live and love.
Jessica writes more about their unschooling lifestyle at Bohemian Bowmans.
Amen! The Bible is not a “subject” to be taught but the very truth of our daily lives. Love how you are demonstrating that to your kiddos:)
I agree with you in that we should teach them through life, but I have found particular books (curriculum if you will) to be helpful. I gave up on devotionals very quickly (for myself and my kids) as I would prefer to teach directly from the source. Currently I am using “Telling God’s Story” to guide us through our journey. I like that in the early years it focuses on the life of Jesus – not Old Testament stories. The author suggests that by introducing our kids to all the Bible stories, they might eventually feel that they outgrow them, just as they outgrow other childhood tales. I like that they are learning about Jesus and in later years can get the bigger picture of the Bible as a whole.
I also like that there is only one scripted lesson each week – the rest is just us talking and reading more of the Bible together.
Before finding this book, I had struggled with how to approach the Bible with my girls. I found this very helpful in giving me a map of sorts, but leaving the majority of the teaching up to me.