A friend recently asked me for curriculum suggestions for her son. He starts kindergarten this fall at their local school and she wants to teach him things at home this summer that he won’t learn at school. If you don’t already know, asking a homeschooler about curriculum excites them the same way a grandparent is excited when you ask them to show you pictures of their grandchildren. Needless to say, she came over and I bombarded her with all my favorite teaching resources:)

While all school districts are different, I have to admit, I thought my son would not be exposed to evolutionary theory until he was older. As it turns out, he learned it in elementary school. In kindergarten he came home asking why his teacher was reading stories to them about “mother nature.” In first grade, he had to draw pictures of the Big Bang. The science books he read all referred to evolution as a given fact. (Our homeschool story is a bit unique. We began homeschooling him in first grade but he continues to attend the school one day a week for an enrichment class).

This past fall, we took the kids to DC to the Smithsonian. I was excited to take them to the museums I remember going to every year as a child growing up outside of DC. I was also excited to show them exhibits on topics we had learned in school. We were disappointed to see at the museum of natural history that each and every exhibit and each and every plaque referenced evolution in one way or another.

The impact of one’s world view affects all of life. I always point out to my children how one’s belief about God, whether he exists, and whether he has any say over their life affects everything they do and say. We see it in the tv shows we watch, the books we read from the library, the websites my kids visit. My children love to read books on science and watch science shows on tv. As I help them filter what they learn through a biblical worldview, it’s amazing how deep and far reaching one’s world view spreads. It’s not simply a matter of whether someone believes God created the world or not. These beliefs also effect ethics, morality, human worth and dignity, goals, and way of life. It effects whether a baby in the womb is considered worthy of living. It also effects whether people live to pursue their own desires and pleasures at the expense of others-because after all, if there is no after life or no Creator to be held accountable to, what does it matter how we live?

Why do I bring all this up? Not everyone can homeschool or afford a Christian education. And I realize that not every family has a desire to homeschool. But regardless of the type of schooling a family chooses, I believe it is important that children receive a firm Biblical foundation at home. Mornings before school, evenings, weekends, and summertime are all wonderful times to spend teaching children the foundations of the Christian faith.

And the best place to start is back in the beginning…

When my friend came over to see and talk about resources that teach children about God as Creator, I shared with her these resources below:

Exploring Creation With Astronomy (Young Explorer Series) (Young Explorer (Apologia Educational Ministries)) Apologia is a great homeschool science curriculum that is creation centered. Each text book focuses on what God created during each day of creation. We did the ocean creatures of the fifth day last year and loved it!

Awesome Science: Explore the Grand Canyon This is one in a series of videos made by a homeschooler named Noah Justice. In this video, he discusses how the Grand Canyon developed as a result of Noah’s flood. Each video in the series is from a creation perspective. My son has loved them.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Another great creation movie, this one is more for older children.

Genesis for Kids: Science Experiments That Show God’s Power in Creation! This book contains simple activities and experiments that coordinate with the seven days of creation. Best for younger elementary grades.

Dinosaurs of Eden: Tracing the Mystery Through History The Answers in Genesis group has a number of resources for children, this is just one of them. In this book, children learn about how God created dinosaurs on the fifth day, with all the other land animals.

Jonathan Park: The Adventure Begins (Jonathan Park Radio Drama) This is part of a series of radio dramas that teach creation through fun fictitious stories.

Case for a Creator for Kids, Updated and Expanded (Case for… Series for Kids) My son loved the book The Case for Christ for Kids so I got him this book as well. Written by the same author, this book also includes well researched information that helps answer questions about how everything began and the case for God as creator.