Cornerstones and Home Schooling
The newest trend in Christian Education is infusing faith development into the home schooling setting. Many parents are choosing to be intentional about making the home a central place where Bible stories are learned, Bible study skills are developed and Christian values are nurtured. There is more to it than simply reading a story from the Bible at bedtime. If the story is going to be etched on the heart of the child, it needs to be interactive, experiential and dynamic.
Cornerstones is a substantial curriculum that explores 60 Bible stories. There are six themes, each developed over ten units from Old Testament to New Testament to the new church. Each unit has eleven different lessons than can be bought individually for just $15.
How to use Cornertones curriculum in the home schooling family
One approach is to explore one theme over the entire academic year. See our suggested Scope and Sequence. Notice that you can study one story/month and conduct one lesson per week. You will be amazed at how your children will start to make connections between the stories and fundamental concepts, enriching their faith.
Using seasonal connections
For example, in our Witness to God’s Presence year, you study the Plagues and Passover in October, making and eating a Passover meal. In March, you study the Last Supper, making and eating a Passover meal. Your children will remember that meal and understand how Jesus transformed it into Holy Communion. Every time they are in church and partake in the Eucharist, they will bring that background with them, enriching their spirituality.
Small groups
Another dimension is to get together in small groups once a week to explore Bible stories that are enhanced by group dynamics. The Moved by the Spirit lesson in the Last Supper unit recreates Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper; this requires 13 people. The Moved by the Spirit lesson in the Abraham unit repeatedly constructs and deconstructs a campsite to understand how Abraham was a nomad who listened to God. The Video Live lessons involve making a video; frequently the group simulates a news broadcast of a biblical event. If gathering with other Christian families is part of your social networking, Cornerstones has many options for creating transforming opportunities in faith development.
Using multiple skills
Another approach to Christian Education for the home schooler is to connect a Bible story to a particular academic skill. In the Bedouin Encampment lesson in the Abraham unit, learn about the promise to Abraham that he would have more ancestors than he could count and then count grains of sand. Simple arithmetic to complicated math can be used to ponder the number of people who have descended from Abraham. In the Where in the World lesson, learn about the geography of the Holy Land by comparing maps from the time of Abraham to current day maps. The Video Live lesson reinforces the geography skills by designing a promotional video for a “Footsteps of Abraham” video.
Computer options
Cornerstones also explores the Bible using computer software in our Bible @ Your Fingertips lessons. With a handful of software and a graphics program, the whole family can have fun learning Bible stories. The lessons encourage the use of concordances, Bible atlases and Bible dictionaries as supplements, developing the skills needed for lifelong faith development.
Mission outreach
If you are interested in expanding your family’s faith with mission outreach, Cornerstones often connects a Bible story with involvement in the community, whether on a local, national or international level. While learning about the Feeding of the 5,000, the family can participate in Heifer International. While learning about Abraham, a benevolent sewing project can be made for the local family shelter or county hospital. The Faith Today lessons are often mission-oriented and are a good place to start.
If this intrigues you, contact us online or call toll free 866-851-7102 and we will brainstorm together how to enrich your family’s faith development at home.