grapevine studies. joseph. a review and giveaway.

this giveaway is over.
this giveaway is over.
this giveaway is over.

i've had friends ask me what curriculum i use for history.  and i'm always like.  none.  because it's history.  forgive and forget.  i think only one person has ever laughed at that.  because dude.  homeschoolers are way serious.  

but then when i see the concern, i come clean and answer with grapevine studies ---> their tagline?  stick figuring through the bible.  (um.  i like stick figures.  and the bible is fine by me.  and what a great history book it is, too.)

the girls and i are currently working our way through the story of joseph.  he's well known as the man with a pretty fine coat.  and we know that severe sibling rivalry got him thrown into a pit and sold into slavery.  but GOD chose him to enter into pharaoh's courts and joseph ended up saving lives - including his brothers' lives.

what grapevine studies does is this:  they take the subject (in this case, joseph) and they break it down into lessons.  there are bible verses.  and discussions.  and vocabulary words.  and memorization.  and just like any other curriculum, you can pull what you need to pull from it.  joseph is designed for ages seven and up.  but mad (who is four going on mid-life crisis) does just fine with what we go over.  

wait.  there's also drawing.  <--- makes grapevine studies extra special.  this is what engages my girls.  stick figures, when properly drawn, can be framed and displayed above your piano.  of course my girls think that if i'm going to display my lesson drawings, i should also display theirs.  

our set up is simple.  i pull out the chalk and board and gloves.  (my closest friends will read that line i just wrote and not give a second thought to it.)  the girls get their colored pencils.  and then we all actually just sit on the floor and work our way through the day's lesson.  i tend to split lessons into mini lessons because lil and mad work best this way.

we enjoy grapevine studies.  lil can look at her drawings and recall the specific events of the lesson.  mad remembers a good bit, too.  but her recollection of the story may not be as detailed.  still.  what a great way to learn history - for the girls and me.

ps.  warning for those who have children like my mad.  there are times when the stick figures are drawn with profiles.   so basically, they've got one eye.  go ahead and have your child draw in two eyes.  it's not worth the meltdown.  

want to try out grapevine studies?  go for it!  because for the whole month of september, grapevine studies is offering li'l mad readers a 20% discount with the code:  gvsblog12.

and you know what else?  right now on my blog, i'm having a giveaway!  one blessed reader will win a free ebook copy of joseph (the teacher guide and student workbook).   all you have to do is check off the appropriate entries in the rafflecopter entry box below.  so go ahead and play.  you have until 12:01am est on monday, september 10, 2012.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

and now for the fine print. it's more small print than fine. contest starts as soon as this is posted. it ends at 12:01am on monday, september 10, 2012 est. one entry per person - unless you participate in the optional additional steps. in that case, you'll get a maximum of ... a lot ... of entries. if you do not follow the rules, you're not a rule follower.  chances of winning depend on the number of entries. raise your chances of winning by not telling anyone. lower your chances by telling everyone you know. this contest is open to you - whether i know you or not. by entering this giveaway, you agree to abide by the rules i've stated or not stated. and i can change the rules whenever i please. this is a review in conjunction with a giveaway. i purchased my joseph books and did not receive compensation - monetary or otherwise. i was not required to write a positive review. this lovely post you just read is comprised of my own personal opinions. i say what i want, yo.