Monday, May 6, 2013

Creation ~ History of the World Study


"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
~ Genesis 1:1

Today we are sharing samples from our simple studies of the History of the World, starting with creation. We have done a lot of creation related activities in our homeschool so this particular study wasn't in depth. It was more of a review for us but I would like to share our journey in case any one is intimidated to try something like this. The school subjects taught in this unit are shared in parenthesis.


For our "Book of the Centuries Timeline", we recorded each of the seven days as a separate page entry since this was a special week. We printed out the appropriate Scripture and illustrated it for our timeline. Day one and day seven are shared above (Subjects accomplished include: Bible, world history, language arts via copywork, science/nature, art/crafts).

As we recorded the creation days in our timeline, we did school work to correspond to each creation day. Here is a sample of some of the activities we did which we placed in our "Student Work Binder". (The next unit of history will have it's own tab and we will keep adding to our "History of the World" student binders as we learn.)


We recopied the creation day Bible verse that we used in the timeline binder but in handwriting this time (Bible, cursive, language arts via copywork). We did a scrapbook style page showcasing each creation day. Our first entry was simply a half white/half black construction paper page (arts/crafts) symbolizing the light and darkness.

Each day, we read a few pages from The Amazing Story of Creation by Duane T. Gish, Ph.D. in order to learn about the science of creation and the evolution debate (science/nature, Bible). This book reinforces the truth of the Scriptures using observable science. If you are struggling in an area in the word of God that you think contradicts science, you will find answers here in this "Supposed Bible Contradictions Index".


Next, we recorded what was specifically created on each day (science/nature, arts/crafts) and read related picture books or encyclopedia entries on the subjects (such as "light"). We used the first few chapters of "Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation" as a resource for this section.


This book is very detailed and would be a help to someone who has questions and doubts about evolution versus creation but it is a little advanced to be read in its entirety to elementary aged students. 


We used the Webster's 1828 Dictionary and defined key words for each creation day (language arts, science/nature).


We tried to accompany each creation day with artwork for picture study (fine arts). For day one, we used a photograph that the Hubble telescope took. Older children can write an art review below the picture (language arts) while the younger children can explain their feelings about the art (narration).


Here is an example of our collage for day two (arts/crafts, cursive, language arts via copywork, Bible). Firmament is spelled incorrectly and will have to be fixed :)


We continue to document what was created on each day and read accompanying books on the subjects (arts/crafts, science/nature).


We went into detail about water and how it exists in three forms (liquid, solid, gas) and shared examples of this. 


On day two, we studied the creation artwork of M.C. Escher (fine arts) and did another "art review" (language arts). I think you get the idea...


When we got to day six, the verse was quite long so we used Microsoft word (Bible, typing) and printed it out for our scrapbook page (arts/crafts).

At the end of this study, we wrote a poem about creation (language arts).

On the weekends, we watched educational (but fun) movies about creation (shared below).


On day seven, we scrap-booked and copied the appropriate verse (arts/craft, cursive). We also took this opportunity to discuss the importance of the Sabbath (Bible).


During this study, as the clothes needed folding and housework needed doing, we listened to Jonathan Park "Creation Science" Adventure Series on CD (Bible, science/nature, character building, home economics). These CD's alone could teach creation without any effort from mother.

We followed this "Creation Study" with a study on Dinosaurs. You could also blend the two together since dinosaurs were created on day six.

Some of the other resources we used  for this study were:

The New Defenders Study Bible (Read creation account in Genesis) 
Walking the Bible/Illustrated Children's Edition by Bruce Feiler (This brought in a different element of someone's personal journey through the Bible. We thought this was interesting and read it as a literature and georgraphy source. We read only pages 1 - 20 for this study and the remaining parts as we continued on our history journey.)
What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers by Henrietta C. Mears (Read pages 1 - 26 only, reserved the rest for the next study.)
Journey Through the Bible by V. Gilbert Beers (Read only the creation account, pages 10 - 11, reserving the rest for the remaining studies.)


We watched the following videos during this study:


Project Dinosaur DVD (BJU Unusual Films, Family Favorite/Fun & Informative)
Newton's Workshop "World Building 101" DVD (Moody Science Video/ For Elementary Aged Children/ Educational and Wholesome Series)
Six Short Days, One Big Adventure DVD (VERY CHEESY but children enjoy/informative.)
Creation Mini-Series DVD Pack (This set would be excellent for older students of 16+ years and adults who are new to the subject of creation science and it's relevance. We have watched this series dozens of times in our home.)
Visit here ~ Our Favorite Creation Science Videos



Our favorite website for information about creation science with freebies:


You can find free creation books online from Answers in Genesis here. They also offer some teacher's resources on creation and a "Terms to Know List" that may be helpful. They share bookplates that you can print out for your students. If you live near Kentucky, you can visit their Creation Museum. Should you have any questions about science being in harmony with the Scriptures, you will find answers here.



"If God’s Word be true, evolution is a lie.
I will not mince the matter: this is not the time for soft speaking."
~ Charles Spurgeon

6 comments:

  1. Oh Jes, this is fabulous! Creation is one of my favorite things to study - I never grow tired of learning about God's great handiwork :) I will definitely have to do this with my son. We will finish school in a week and a half so maybe during the summer we can work on something like this - what fun it will be! Thank you for your wisdom and inspirational ideas.

    Have a blessed week! Hugs to you.

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    1. I do notice that you post a lot of ICR information and Henry Morris quotes who is a favorite. Studying creation science is also a dear topic of mine :) The Remarkable Book of Job by Henry Morris is excellent. Such a gem and a very interesting read. Have a wonderful week!

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  2. How great! We did a creation week...it's how we start kindergarten, so much more simple with pictures and numbers. It teaches them their numbers from 1-7 while instilling the foundation of well everything I suppose...because without the creator we would not exist. I love how in depth you guys went. We will be doing this when my kids are just a tad bit older.

    ~Katie
    www.simplefoody.org

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    1. Good point with the numbers! We did a simplified study in kindergarten too but wanted to brush up on the subject as we started our history of the world (in order) study. Lots of fun! :)

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  3. We have every Jonathan Park set, the kids love them! Blessings, ~Melissa

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    1. We do too! I love that they teach for me on those crazy days. Character building, Bible, science, adventures… all rolled into one!

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