TOS Review: Bright Ideas Press Christian Kids Explore

Bright Ideas Press publishes Christian based curriculum that moms love!  Their curriculum is affordable, fits into the busy lives of homeschoolers, and is able to be used with a variety of ages.  Members of the TOS Crew were able to review the four different books from The Christian Kids Explore Science series: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth and Space.   My family has a wonderful time reviewing Christian Kids Explore Biology.

Table of Contents

Sample Lesson

Material List by Unit

Book and Resource List


Christian Kids Explore Biology is a one year science course for elementary aged children.  The course was written with 3rd-6th graders in mind but can easily be scaled down for younger aged siblings.  The course was designed to be completed in 35 weeks by teaching twice weekly.  There are 8 units: Biology Basics, Plants in God's World, Birds of the Earth, Mammals in the Wild, The Human Factor, Insects High and Low, and Water Creatures.  The book is a 291 page paperback and in addition to the eight units also includes 8 appendices: Reproducible Forms and Maps, Memorization Lists, Scripture Memory, ABC Animal Book, Additional Coloring Pages, Recipes and Supplemental Activities, Answer Key, and Book and Resource List.  In addition to the text you will need various supplies to complete hands on activities (see supply list) and a 3 ring binder to turn into a science notebook.

You can purchase Christian Kids Explore Biology for $34.95.

Purchase CKEB student activity pages for $7.95 by clicking here.  This download contains all the reproducible pages from the book.  Perfect for families without a scanner or to make printing copies easier.

Christian Kids Explore Biology makes learning biology fun and interesting for the students, and easy for the teacher!  Everything the teacher needs is included in the textbook!  I cannot express how much easier it makes things for me when everything I need is in one place.  All I had to do to prepare for the lesson was look through the chapter, decide on the hands on activities and make sure I had the necessary supplies.  The text is written in a very conversational tone and is in easily digestible chunks.  The activities reinforce the concepts being taught in a fun and engaging way using common or easily obtainable supplies.  I love that it can be used with a variety of ages!  I mainly used it with my 2nd and 4th graders, but my 6,4, and 3 year olds participated in the hands on learning time.  Even my 15 year old participated in the dissection of flowers, fruits, and vegetables.  We loved the discovery zone tidbits and Bible verses that are throughout the book.  The coloring pages are gorgeous!  The drawings included for the animal kingdom ABC book are great and that is a wonderful project to involve your little ones.

 Pictures of some of our hands on time activities:

Jell-o model of a cell

Alex drawing a picture of a desert for his notebook 

Dissecting a flower

Studying the parts of a flower up close

Dissecting fruits and vegetables

 There are a few things you may be interested in knowing.  The very first chapter is titled Creation vs. Evolution and the Big Bang theory is discussed.  The author also mentions that not all creationists believe that the world was formed exactly as the Bible says.  She closes the chapter by saying that by studying biology you will be able to see many reasons to believe that God created our world.  I mention this because this was the first time my boys have been exposed to the idea of the Big Bang theory and the Theory of Evolution and you may want to make extra time for discussing this.  There also is an optional section on human reproduction that is listed as "Parental Discretion is Advised."  It is a brief section (1 page) that in my opinion was very well done and age appropriate but parents need to decide on their own whether or not their family will cover that section.  If you choose not to, your child will  not miss out or even notice.

The reproducible download was a very nice addition to go along with the course.  Although it only contains the same reproducibles that are in the book, our printer does not have a scanner so I would have to go somewhere to copy off the pages I need.  Also, making repeated copies could in time damage the binding of the book so it is much nicer to make the copies from a file on the computer.

Christian Kids Explore Biology is a wonderful elementary age biology curriculum!

See what other crew mates had to say about the Christian Kids Explore Science series from Bright Ideas Press  by clicking here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received a complimentary copy of Christian Kids Explore Biology and a download of the reproducible materials for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.  I received no other compensation.

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