Homeschool Review: Kingdom Files #hsreviews #KingdomFiles #BiographiesForKids

I have the distnct privilege of teaching straight from GOD's Word to children and middle schoolers every week.  What I am seeing as the current trend (moreso this year than ever before in the last 29 years of ministry) is that kids simply do not have a grasp of basic stories from the Bible.  As a result, I am spending more and more time reiterating the facts as presented from the pages of GOD's Word and explaining the applications of each to real life.  It is our heart's desire that characters in the Bible will step off of the pages and become real to those that we love on each week and that means that we are seeking new, creative ways to share the truths of old.  As a result, I welcomed the recent introduction of the Kingdom Files series from Barbour Publishing and have enjoyed incorporating these books into my weekly lessons.

The Kingdom Files series is written by Matt Koceich -- an elementary school teacher who wants to make sure that kids know that GOD has a great plan for their lives.  He writes the series of books with children ages 8 - 12 in mind, but I am using it successfully with children ages 3 - 14 AND I've enjoyed looking at some things in a fresh, new way myself, as I read and prepare to share.  The Kingdom Files series currently contains six biographies covering the lives of JESUS, Daniel, David, Esther, Jonah, and Mary.   So far, I've studied through the pages of the Biblical biographies of both Mary and Jonah and I look forward to reading and sharing the Kingdom Files of the other Bible heroes.  I'm really excited about what these books mean to the spiritual education of those entrusted to our care.


The two books that I have enjoyed spending time with are Who Was Mary, Mother of JESUS? (81-pages) and Who Was Jonah? (87-pages).  They are both softcover, chapter books that offer a quick read, but are filled with interesting facts and follow-up that will turn them into family devotions and help connect Scripture to daily life as you commit Bible verses to memory and plant GOD's truth in the hearts of your family. What I like is that each book is presented as an investigation with the reader acting as the lead detective.  There is so much to learn when we explore GOD's Word.

The books begin with a Fact File that lays out key information about the specific character being shared.  The Action File that follows is the actual reading investigation (chapters) and it walks you through the life of the character.  The final file is the Power File that offers take-away lessons that you can learn from the life of the character studied.  There are 10 mini lessons with memory verses at the end of each book and these are perfect for daily devotions.

This Fact File on Mary really gripped my heart as I read through it.  I have read the account of Mary in the Bible repeatedly through the years, but seeing it here in black and white grabbed me in a new way.  Although I know when and where she appears in the Bible, I had not really thought about her massive impact in such a short amount of time.  Mary, the mother of my JESUS, was an active participant in the pages of GOD's story for only a few years.  We know that she was a young girl when called upon to serve and she raised JESUS and protected HIM as a child.  We know that she obeyed HIS teachings and followed JESUS, but it hit me that she was just a few years younger than me when she saw HIM crucified on the cross.  I cannot even begin to imagine that pain.

Another epiphany that I had while reading through the book was that at the wedding at Cana, Mary knew to send for the help of JESUS.  Although turning water into wine was his first recorded miracle, Mary KNEW what HE was capable of.  Wow! Just WOW!  

Scattered throughout the chapters are Clue Boxes that help children [and adults] apply what they are learning to real life.  It's a great place to write down questions they might want to explore later and the Clues remind us all of the lessons we need to hold dear to our heart.  I especially liked this reminder to act respectfully to your parents and teachers and let your actions show others that you care about doing GOD's will:

The black and white illustrations help draw the eye of the reader and truly do captivate the audience.  I love that GOD can and will use books written for children to touch the hearts of moms and dads, too.  Don't you?

A few weeks ago, I passed out notecards to each of the middle school students in Bible Study and asked them to write down ALL of the Bible stories that they knew.  After a few minutes, they were done -- having written only 5 - 7 story titles down with many of the titles confused. (Nehemiah and the Whale, David in the Lion's Den, Adam and Eve, the girl who was 14 [Esther])  I think what surprised me most is that there is not much difference in the lists of those kids that that we consider "regular" as well as those that are considered "drop-offs".   I've taken those cards and carefully tucked them into the pages of my Bible so that I remember to focus on the basics and present the facts and I'm using the Kingdom Files series to do just that.

We started anew with the children and shared the story of Jonah with them using the facts.  Facts matter.

• Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.  It might have been a whale, but it wasn't necessarily a whale.  
• Jonah tried to run away from GOD.  He didn't just hop on a cruise ship for a quick vacation before heading to minister in Ninevah.  That man was on the run.
• GOD knows where we are -- even when we try to hide from HIM.
• GOD loved Jonah enough that HE prepared an escape plan for him in the form of a monster fish.  LONG before Jonah tried to run away, GOD created a fish that would be in just the right place at just the right time to give Jonah the hope that only GOD can give.
• GOD made sure that the big storm came up while Jonah was in the middle of the watery depths so that when he was thrown overboard, he couldn't swim to safety on his own.  Jonah needed GOD to save him and so do we.
• GOD loves each of us JUST THAT MUCH and HE provided an escape plan for us in HIS SON, JESUS.

And you know what?  The children got it.  They really got it.  They listened to the facts and they grasped just how big our GOD is and were able to illustrate DETAILS of the account of Jonah for our gallery wall:

GOD has opened my eyes to new details as I've read through and studied the pages of these two books.  HE has allowed me to see facts in a new light.  As a result, I'm wanting to expand my library to include the other biographies in the Kingdom Files series.  This series of children's books packs a huge punch.  We would all be served well to read them.

You are definitely going to want to further explore the Kingdom Files series from Barbour Publishing and pick the perfect biography for your family to begin reading.  You'll be able to find out more about these special biographies and how they can bless your home through the following Social Media links:

 Facebook 
Twitter 

YouTube

For further investigation, spend some time checking out the Games and Educator Resources on the Kingdom Files website.  You will find a multitude of resources there to keep your children (or those you minister to) engaged and seeking GOD in a new way.

I was given the opportunity to review these books from the Kingdom Files series and Barbour Publishing as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of these neat books by clicking on the graphic below.

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