7 Reasons We’re Using a Video Class for Homeschool Bible

When I posted my list of curriculum choices at the beginning of this school year, I noted that we would be doing a streaming video class from BJU Press Distance Learning for Bible class.

Now I want to give you my reasons for choosing to go this route and how a video curriculum benefits our homeschool.

I love using a video course for Bible class because:

1. It gives me time to get my day started

When it’s time to start our school day, I usually need just a few minutes to get a load of laundry started, make my bed, and deal with small emergencies (toddler wet the bed, baby needs a diaper change, etc.)  It is so helpful to me when the older children can go ahead and start their day independently.  They just have to turn on their video and watch their class.  That gives me enough time to be able to start my day as homeschool mom without feeling frazzled or having the kids create a big mess in the school room while they were waiting for me.

(Small con here: I do wish the lessons were a little longer.  Sometimes they’re really short and I have to tell them to do a second one because I’m still in the middle of bathing a toddler.)

2. It helps my children learn to work independently.

It’s good for my children to be given an assignment by the teacher on the video and to be expected to complete it without mom hanging over their shoulder.  They learn to listen and follow instructions better when they know I’m not there to repeat myself or help them with something they shouldn’t have needed help with.

Note: Most lessons have a small assignment in a workbook, and the teacher on the video gives all the instructions for it.

3. My children need to hear others besides mom and dad reinforcing the Biblical doctrine and principles we are teaching them.

My kids have come home from church several times saying things like, “I was tempted to snitch the animal crackers out of the Sunday School classroom today, but I didn’t do it.  Know why?  My teacher taught us that God always see us and that we need to do right whether anyone is watching or not.”  The first couple times that happened I thought, “How many times have I taught  you that at home and it hasn’t seemed to click with you?”  But I eventually realized that hearing things from multiple people with multiple teaching styles is very good for my children.  The more people who teach them the same things, the more they realize there is something to it after all.  It’s not something mom and dad are just making up.

4. I don’t have to plan or prepare lessons.

Preparing lessons as a homeschool mom is time-consuming, so it is very refreshing to have a subject where I don’t have to do anything other than watch my children learn.

Note: There are instructions at the beginning of each lesson outlining what materials will be needed.  Occasionally there is a supplemental page that I have to print out, but usually it just tells which worksheet they will complete that day, in which case my kids find the correct page themselves.

The system automatically keeps track of where we left off while still giving us the freedom to move around if we need to.  We got behind at the beginning of the year due to some sickness, so we skipped to the Christmas section and then picked up where we left off once Christmas was over.

5. My children enjoy singing, especially singing along with other children.

Singing is an important part of Bible class in my opinion.  Singing songs full of truth reinforces the Biblical concepts they are learning and gives my children an opportunity to praise the Lord through song.

Note: The songs on the videos are recordings sung by children, and my children just love singing along.

Small con: I wish there were a longer singing time.  Most lessons only have one song and my kids are always disappointed that there is not more.  This would help create longer lesson times too (see #1).

6. My children get to experience some variety in their day.

My kids hear me teaching them all day long; it’s nice for them to experience someone besides mom.

7. Videos make learning come alive in a way that I can’t replicate myself.

The teacher teaches with illustrations and visuals that I simply would not have the time to prepare and use if I were teaching the class myself.  The videos from BJU Press also occasionally include people dressed up as Bible characters from the lesson to make it come alive even more.

 

You can see that video schooling has a lot of benefits that my children would not experience otherwise.

We have done all of our subjects by video in the past, but have moved away from a full video curriculum for several reasons which I will explain in a future post.

But I am so thankful that BJU Press Distance Learning respects the fact that all parents don’t want an all-or-nothing approach to video schooling.  I was thrilled to find out that I could purchase single subjects through their distance learning.  Other video curriculum that I have looked at does not have that as an option, but instead the subjects are always combined.

One of my children is in 3rd grade and one is in 2nd grade.  We chose the 3rd grade course and both children watch Bible class together.  (My preschooler sits in too if he is not getting a bath. 🙂 )

Of course, with any Bible curriculum my first criteria would be that it is doctrinally sound.  BJU Press Bible is right in line with what our family believes so I know that I don’t have to worry about my children being taught error.

You can view all Distance Learning Bible classes by grade at this link. (You can also choose DVD’s as opposed to streaming video.)

 

Tell me what you think!  Have you ever tried a video curriculum before?  If you haven’t, do you think it would be beneficial to your family?