I’ve had the privilege lately to be studying with my children two different materials from Christianity Cove. I received the Activities to Teach the Fruits of the Spirits pack and the Lord’s Prayer Lesson Pack.
Both files I received were PDF downloads – but not just any PDF. Colorful and fun, these were really well written. I wished I had a book of them instead of a computer screen to view them – and a sub-par printer that wouldn’t do them justice. It was like having a glossy page of colorful fun in front of me – except not. Each lesson contained hands-on lessons that all four of my older kids “got”. I’m pretty sure Charlotte just saw the apple and grapes as snacks – but she’s 2. She’ll get there. Sterling (6), just after the first few lessons, could recite all the fruits of the spirit and the importance of staying connected Jesus. (I added into this story also being connected to the body of Christ – the church.)
From the get go, I could see how 
passionate Christianity Cove is about spreading the gospel to kids – and writing it so that it’s at the child’s level, understandable and relevant. Comparing grapes on the vine, growing and alive, to raisins, shriveled, lacking much of their original nutrition, to Christians growing in Christ vs. alone and spiritually dying, was pretty spectacular. That’s the first lesson we did, and we dug in from there. The Juicy Jump Rope Rhyme is good in theory. Problem: none of my children can maintain the jumping long enough! It was fun to try though. What Makes Apples Turn Brown? was a fun experiment with a lesson attached.
The Lord’s Prayer lessons actually has them praying through the Lord’s Prayer – not just reciting it from memory. (They also learn to do that.) According to Martin Luther, this is a way to learn to pray effectively. I was impressed with how they approached prayer, meaningless “empty” praying, and meaning what you pray. It gave a physical picture to what prayers look like, and who’s to argue with “Oreo Prayer Snacks”?!
Both packs contain printable worksheets. I tried to find the age range each are recommended for, but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere on their site. I did it with Liberty, 9, Eden, 8, Sterling, 6, Ruby, 4, Charlotte, 2, and Pierce, 1. While the worksheets are more for the readers, down to Ruby seemed to grasp the lesson well. It was definitely over Charlotte and Pierce’s head (although the snacks spoke volumes). I’d put the age range from 4 to age 10-12 as capable of understanding, although the ability to read and write makes the worksheets more doable.
This would be fantastic for a Sunday school or VBS. Great. Expensive, perhaps, with the Fruits of the Spirit one, but it would be easily adaptable I think. The experiments and fun to be had was with ordinary or easily obtained objects, and most of them we had on hand.
The Activities to Teach the Fruits of the Spirit are available here as a PDF download for $19. The Lord’s Prayer Lesson Pack is a PDF download for $19.99 and available here. Both offer a money back guarantee. You can read their statement of faith here.
To read more reviews on this and other materials from Christianity Cove, check out the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.
