Learn To Read Bible

I thought it would be fun to let you all know a bit more about the materials that we’re using for our homeschooling. Beyond the free curriculum that’s offered with CPP, we’re also doing some other activities, and the one I’ll share today is Reading and Copywork.

Sissy is only 4 1/2, so she is just starting to be able to read sight words, and slowly learning to sound out larger ones. She’s also expanding on her ability to write letters. It was very important to me that she learn to read using Christian Materials, and so I went on a search all over the internet to find the best Christian early reader materials, that of course fit into my non-existant budget!

Alas, after many hours searching for just the right books, I stumbled upon this Learn to Read Bible! I knew I found exactly what I was looking for when I looked inside the book, and saw they way it was set up for early readers……..not the ones already reading….but the ones who need to learn a few things yet!

Just perfect for preschoolers! I can’t stress enough how great this bible is. Each page has a full color picture with two new vocabulary words. This is followed by a short reading entry that uses the two words, and tells the bible story. Everyday we have school, Sissy gets assigned one new page from the bible (so she learns 2 new words a day).

For example, our last lesson was on Adam and Eve. So she learned the words “Rule,” and “Eat.” Here is an excerpt from the book…..First I read it to her, then we read it together, then she reads it on her own.
Rule Eat
God had a rule, a good rule: Do not eat from that tree or you will die.

Each day we build upon the last entry, and I help her to re-read the lesson before as well. Further for each day, she will use her Copywork book to write the new words she’s learned. Then we draw a picture together and color it at the top. I got this copybook from Wal-mart for less then $2.00, and it’s great for this age because there’s room for both coloring and writing. This bible is chocked full of stories too! There’s over 500 pages, each page with vocabulary and easy to read words for preschool children. If you have little ones who are just emerging as readers, I can’t stress enough how much I recommend this book. I never found this at any of the Christian bookstores in town, I found it at Christianbook, but you can get it way cheaper at Amazon too. (I think the lowest price is just over $5.00) You really can’t beat that price. Further, as your child learns more there is a coordinating series called Rocket Readers that you may want to check out as well! Check out the sample pages here! It’s just perfect for children who are just learning to read little words.

HERE IS OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR OF THE LEARN TO READ BIBLE: HEATHER GEMMEN Please welcome a very special guest to Little Blots blog. I was so excited this past month when I found a very special bible that is helping to teach my daughter to read. I just had to track do the author of The Learn to Read Bible, and thank her for her for all her efforts on this book. And you can imagine that I was beyond estatic when Heather agreed to be a guest here on my blog! Heather has such an amazing talent for writing, and such a strong faith in the Lord, and I found myself rejuvinated as I read the personal account of her life testimony in her book, Startling Beauty. You absolutly must read this special message from Heather, and enter our contest to win a couple of her titles! Her work for the Lord has inspired me completly to pursue a very personal passion I’ve held for someday sharing the full story of my own intimate walk with Christ.

Mother to 6 beautiful children
Author, Speaker, Editor and Volunteer
“I have the greatest admiration for teachers, especially home schoolers. I have six kids myself, and I am well aware of the sacrifices adults make for the children in their care. I pray that each of you who are giving so much to your children through home schooling will discover for yourselves the rich blessing of embracing God’s upside-down truth that we gain so much more than we lose by sacrificing for others—especially our children.

Please understand, I don’t say those words lightly. They have been tested. My husband and I acquired our full quiver in nearly every imaginable way: through birth, adoption, marriage, and the startlingly beautiful result of rape. When I was living in the inner city, called by God to minister there, I was raped in my home while my husband was at a church meeting and my two young boys were asleep in the room next to me. I had to sacrifice my pain and anger in order to gain God’s healing and peace—and it wasn’t easy. But now, twelve years later, I have a precious daughter who was conceived that night, and I never would have been able to appreciate this gift from God if I hadn’t chosen to trust his goodness.

It is my wish to bless parents and children, and I am happy to introduce you to the Learn to Read Bible. With this, you can introduce your children to the great stories o f the Bible while they are learning to read—not just so they can know the stories, but so that they can gain an understanding of God’s presence in their lives. Let me tell you a little story about one of my heroes who knows all about sacrifice: My sister-in-law, Thea, had a radical life change when her baby was born with Down’s Syndrome. Instead of despairing, Thea immersed herself in learning how to make Sarah’s life the very best it could be. Thea and my brother sent Sarah to the local Christian school, and they made sure someone (often themselves) was available to help Sarah out in the regular classroom. “It was beautiful to see my little girl so happy and making so many friends, but my real dream was to see Sarah read the Bible,” Thea once told me. “Honestly, I didn’t expect it to ever happen. And then along came the Learn to Read Bible. Now Sarah reads from that b ook every night and sleeps with it under her pillow.” Thea sacrificed her entire existence to give the best possible care to her daughter, and she gained so much more than she lost. “

Heather is currently releasing her latest title, Lydia Barnes and the Blood Diamond Treasure, which is about a 14-year old girl who travels with her missionary parents around the world, and how her life changes the people in her path. If you have older children you definitly have to check this out, you can download a sample, and Heather has created an adorable site for children and parents to explore more about the Lydia Barnes series.

Heather has appeared on The 700 Club, Montel, has associations with Focus on the Family, and is a member of the Ambassadors Speakers Bureau. If you’d like to have Heather come to your group or organization and give a special presentation, or even host a retreat, you can view the different options available here! Heather and her Husband, Larry also co-present a special topic called “Thank God for Marriage.”

And of course, if you’d like to get your hands on any of Heather’s titles, just visit her site, http://www.heathergemmen.com/

Heather I am so honored that you have graced my blog with your presence, but most of all that you’ve shared your story with the world. I haven’t read a more powerful testimony coming from a wife and mother, and I know how you’ve given God all the glory!
Blessed to have met you,
Valerie