History textbooks have a tendency to be boring, but I discovered a series of about American history to treasure. These books do not contain dry lists of dates or a simple retelling of events. Instead, they focus on the causes behind events: people and Providence.
The Mighty Works of God consists of three volumes for the early elementary years. They are not listed by grade-level, but gradually increase in difficulty. This review will focus on the 1st level, which is roughly 1st or 2nd grade.
The first lesson from The Mighty Works of God: Self Government introduces history as the story of God working in the lives of men and nations. For his title page, my son wrote,
“You are the God who works wonders…Psalms 77:14”
He was so inspired considering the works of God in his own life that he composed a song:
God, You are so good to me. God you set me free…
That moment I knew it was a good curriculum choice.
We placed the carefully written song in his notebook along with the variety of colorful pages created from the CD in the Teacher’s Guide Timelines, coloring pages, t-charts, maps, and notes created a meaningful overview my son still enjoys purusing.
The Teacher’s Guide also includes detailed lesson plans and suggestions For Reflection and Reasoning and Cultivation Mastery. Each lesson is one leading idea, so it is simple to implement.
The lessons are derived from original source documents whenever applicable and those sources are shared in The Teacher’s Guide. I still refer to the quotes and research even though we aren’t using this particular curriculum right now.
I requested permission to use some images and samples from the book, and it was graciously given to me. The following list of files (pdf) were sent to me by the author, Ruth J. Smith.
You can get a good understanding of what is covered in the year-long program and a glimpse of the beautiful artwork throughout:
I learned so much using this curriculum. It gave me examples of how to use leading ideas and how to research lessons. It also filled many holes my own history education, especially in regards to looking for internal causes instead of merely at external events.
The best part is that it inspired my song-writing son to remember the Mighty Works of God.
Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.
sounds wonderful! i tried to visit their website through your links, and i could not. 🙁 anyone else having this problem? i’d love to be able to get there!
Emily,
Apparently, their server is down. I can’t access the site, Pilgrim Institute, either. All I know to do is to try again later.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Detours and Distractions =-.
I sent an email to ask about the website issue. Hopefully, it will be resolved quickly.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Detours and Distractions =-.
Yeah, the website is back up! I suggest getting both The Teacher’s Guide and the Student Text.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Detours and Distractions =-.
Renae,
Great review! I discovered this same curriculum at our AFHE Convention here in Phoenix last year. However, we were still in the midst of completing Early American History, Primary Version by Beautiful Feet Publishing. So I quieted the part of me that absolutely wanted The Mighty Works of God, and went on my merry way.
That being said, if I were to recommend a first-time History Curriculum to someone, I would recommend this one. Anytime you have an opportunity to teach your children the principles of Self-Government, I say “Go for it!” The Might Works of God would be a great starting point.
Kathy,
I actually wrote a review here about the Beautiful Feet history, too. You can read that here:
Early American History- A Literature Approach
We used that curriculum first and then jumped into The Mighty Works of God.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..The Mighty Works of God: Self Government =-.