Quest for the Key to Heaven Bible Mystery Curriculum

Welcome to The Quest for the Key to Heaven Bible Curriculum: a 180 Day Journey Through Scripture! When writing this curriculum, I had several goals in mind:

1. I wanted my kids to get a solid understanding of the main themes of Scripture.
2. I wanted my kids to have a basic knowledge of what is in the Bible and where to find it as well as a basic understanding of what each book of the Bible contains.
3. I wanted my kids to be familiar with the most memorable and highly quoted verses and passages of Scripture in context.
4. I wanted my kids to have some understanding of how the various parts of the Old and New Testament fit together.
5. I wanted to engage my children’s curiosity and love for adventure.
6. I wanted to teach my children to think deeply and critically and to apply what they learn to their daily lives.
7. And most importantly, I wanted my kids to develop a love for Bible reading and to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

To this end, I’ve structured the curriculum to go straight through the Protestant Bible from Genesis to Revelation, stopping in each book for anywhere between 1 day and a few weeks. I tried my best to include all (or at least most) of the most well-known passages of Scripture and most-memorized Bible verses. Each day, there will be a clue, some suggested music, a Bible Passage, and a puzzle piece. You will hide the puzzle piece somewhere in the house, and the kids will have to read the clue, discover how it relates to the Bible passage, and use the clue to find the puzzle piece each day. I have also included numerous optional activities and opportunities to engage with the Scripture readings each day, including daily writing and drawing prompts. When the kids find the puzzle piece, they will tape it to the puzzle grid, and at the end of the year, they will have a complete puzzle mosaic showing "the key to heaven."

Since my intent was for this curriculum to be used for the entire family, there are activities for older and younger children alike. Use what works for your family and skip what doesn’t. For the homeschoolers among you, I have labeled many of the activities with the subject they relate to in case that is helpful in planning your school days; every day includes at least one math activity, one writing prompt, one task, one science experiment or research prompt, one history research or learning prompt, and one drawing prompt, with some days including additional activities in the areas of geography, crafts, art, music, language, drama, or physical education. Research could mean anything from asking an older sibling what they know to looking something up in an encyclopedia or other book, on the internet, or at the library; you can tailor everything to your child's grade level and abilities. This is not a comprehensive curriculum for any of the subjects listed, but you can incorporate the listed activities into your regular studies. At the end of each week, there are 7 Detective Questions to help your kids engage more with the text and remember what they learned throughout the week. Last, I have included optional memory verses for each week and Character Profile Sheets at the back of this book that you can copy as many times as desired for recording any interesting characters you meet in your Scripture readings.

You will notice that I did not write commentary or devotions to go along with the Bible passages. That was intentional. Since this is a quest, I didn't want to tell my kids what to think. I wanted them to read the passages as they would a good mystery, seeking out clues and truths that God wants to teach them. The writing prompts, detective questions, and other activities are designed to help them remember the reading and think critically and deeply about the text and how it connects to the other parts of Scripture and God's overall plan. Since this is a family study, kids can discuss any questions they have with their parents and siblings as well. I trust that if they seek Him, they will find Him, if they seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

I hope you will join us on this journey through Scripture. May God bless your family greatly as you seek to follow Him.