Apologia’s What on Earth Can I Do? (Schoolhouse Crew Review)

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• Ideal for grades 1-6.

• Books in the series do not have to be completed in order.

• Can be used as a family devotional.

• Helps teach children what being a faithful servant of God really looks like in different areas of life: 
  • use of time, gifts, and talents
  • material stewardship
  • physical bodies
  • the rewards of faithfulness

• Includes 8 lessons, each of which has a suggested timeframe of two weeks.  Suggested lesson plans are also provided. 

• The Notebook and Junior notebook (for ages 6-9/limited writing skills) include project pages, comprehension and discussion questions, coloring pages, games, extra activity ideas and book suggestions, and more. 

How We Used the Curriculum

My kids are all 1st grade level and below, so we took the lessons at a slower pace, reading a chunk of the main text at a time during mealtimes. After cleanup, my 6 year old would work on any applicable pages in the Junior Notebook and the girls (4 and 3) would take turns in the coloring book or share a page. Occasionally I’d find a similar coloring page online so they could color separately. 

Although we stuck to the mealtime reading, I think we may switch to doing the reading and coloring together after dinner since it captures their attention so well. We didn’t use the notebook designed for older children since ours are all younger, but we’ll keep it on hand for the next time we go through the book. 

After the first reading or two, I was concerned it would be too advanced for my kids or simply would not hold their interest. Early on, I worried about the intensity of the stories (some being about Nazi Germany and the holocaust). However, as we progressed, I realized that my children loved the stories and were fully engaged in them. Any need on my part to edit certain details were needed less often than I had expected. For children a bit older, none would be necessary. 

We particularly enjoyed the fictional stories, the beautiful pictures, and the people profiles. We all learned a lot and would talk about them for days afterward!  

 

Things to Note

• The real-life stories are engaging to the kids as well as to my husband and I.

• Teaching points are backed up by scripture references.

• The journals and coloring books allow for teaching the concepts to the whole family.

• Some of the stories are a bit intense for younger kids. Skimming ahead or on-the-fly editing solved that problem for us. 

• The historical events and people shared in the stories paint a picture of God’s purposes and character. I love this!

• The curriculum widens the children’s view of the world, showing that God is at work in all times and places.

Bottom Line

I have always heard great things about Apologia’s What We Believe series, and now I know why. I hope to purchase the other books in the series, along with the supplemental materials. 

These wonderful stories and activities have prompted great family discussion. We are all learning so much! We have found that reading these books has really enriched our view of the world and God in it. Worldview training at it’s best!

• Hardback book ($39.00)
• Notebooking journal ($24.00)
• Junior notebooking hournal ($24.00)
• Coloring book ($8.00)