I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
If you're like us, trying to find a great tween Bible study curriculm can be hard- either the course is too 'babyish' and your kids have already covered the material 18 times, OR it is too advanced, and they aren;t ready for the theological debates included. Sigh.... So when I heard our friends over at David C Cook had added another book to their Case Makers Academy series for kids ages 8-12, I knew we needed to check it out!
The Case Makers Academy series already includes 2 great books for tweens, Cold Case Christianity and God's Crime Scene for Kids, which we reviewed and Miss Grace loved, and now the third book, Forensic Faith for Kids, takes a look at Apologetics, but in a kid friendly way:
Forensic Faith for Kids aims at helping kids understand how Apologetics works- how they can use reasonable 'evidence' to share their "Forensic faith' with others, and it teaches them HOW to share their faith, so that they aren't zealots, but honest and true to the evidence of their faith that DOES exist.
As you know we started Miss Grace out this school year, with a quick study of Genesis Apologetics, while working with a different apologetics video program. That program really helped to cement in Miss Grace a need to understand the 'science' behind her faith, and a mantra to prove that God DOES exist, so I knew she would be quite ready for this third book in the series.
Once again, parents and kids can work through the book together, as it ties in with the adult Apologetics book from the authors, and the material online from the Case Makers Academy website, which once again includes videos, activity pages, and and a case notebook for kids to complete. As you can see, each chapater has it's own section to click into, as your kids reach each one.
The videos from J. Warner and Susie are REALLY helpful for kids to understand the material, on an Apologetics and world view level. The initial video introduces their adorable corgi, who was the basis for the lost puppy in the book, and helps kids to understand how the process of using the book and the website together. Miss Grace really loves their teaching and would gladly take any class they taught! As you get to each chapter, you can download applicable activity and notebook pages, for your kids to complete. As you can see above, the activity pages can be simple, but they tie into the book, and give kids a fun break.
You start out with a cover page that kids can color for the Forensic Faith investigation 'case book'. Miss Grace LOVES casebooks, so she eagerly grabbed a binder and started her notebook without any help! She loves doing 'detective' work, and I love how these pages not only help to reinforce what she has already learned, but provide me with a 'quiz grade', as I am using her work as part of her bible curriculum for the year!
As you can see, the pages follow the book, with similar illustrations This is great, as if kids can't remember the answers, the illustrations can help them find the answers in the book! Additionally, all the writing is helping Miss Grace with her penmanship, and that is ALWAYS a helpful benefit of any course! LOL
Something else that I love, as a teacher, are the Adult Leader Guides that you can download. these aren't lengthy, just one page, but they offer really great suggestions for working through the info in each chapter with your kids, and offer questions like the ones above, to truly help your kids get more from the readings, and understand how it can help them share their faith!
Miss Grace loved the story of finding the true owner of the lost puppy, and how the team of the Case Maker Academy kids took what they learned about detective work to share their proof of God's existence with Marco in the book. I'm always happy when a book gets her to actualyl WANT to read, and I found her reading ahead quite often, and forgetting to do the notebook pages, as she was so caught up in the story! LOL. She loves these books, and your tweens will too!
Depending on how you make use of the book and the additional materials, you COULD stretch the book out for a semester of biblical teaching, but I would probably recommend all 3 books in the series for most kids for the school year, along with additional materials, to complete one year of bible study. the book would also work well for a tween church bible study class, or to work through as a family. Check out how my fellow reviewers used the book with their families, by clicking on the picture below:
Be sure to follow the Case Makers Academy on their Facebook group, for more great teaching posts, videos AND news on future books in the series!
About the Authors:
J. Warner and Susie Wallace have been training young people in the church setting for over a decade. J. Warner is a cold-case homicide detective who has been featured on Dateline, FOX News, Court TV and other crime-related television shows. A former atheist, he is the author of Cold-CaseChristianity God's Crime Scene and Forensic Faith. He has a master's degree in theology and is the founder of ColdCaseChristianity.com. Susie has a master's degree in speech pathology and co-writes (and edits) all the kids books in this series. J. Warner and Susie have four children and live in southern California.
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