Purpose and Practice of Purity REVIEW

I feel very strongly about the purity message in Sex by Design by Abby Ludvigson that I had the privilege to review over the past month.  I was so excited when I read about this study.  It is endorsed by Josh McDowell.  Abby was, at the time of production, a 33-year-old woman who had retained her virginity till marriage.  She is now happily married to her forever man.
I received a Parent Edition book, a Teen Edition book, and links to stream or download the video curriculum.  The study kit that includes both the parent and teen books and the videos on DVD is available for $55.  The parent and teen books can also be purchased separately if you need additional copies.  The full product consists of the video series (7 topics listed below), Parent and Teen Edition Guidebooks, and an Online Resource Guide.  Each video topic on the DVD runs about 25 minutes.
The online guide is FULL of information!  The online resource hub consists of book suggestions, articles, downloads, media links, and key topics for each of the 7 topics listed below. So much wonderful information to explore and learn from.

Resources from the Online Resource Hub on her website

Don't let the title mislead you.  This is not a sex education curriculum.  As Abby states, it is "a curriculum on how to help teens build a Biblical worldview on God's design for sex and then how to live it out in their personal lives."  It is a profoundly deep and heart touching study that is mainly meant to be used by parents and their teens who are growing up in a one on one type of mentorship and helping them to make right choices.  It is also recommended for use in a youth group, homeschool co-op, or even in a group setting of mothers and daughters or fathers and sons. It is also important to note that Abby does not presuppose to tell you how to work this out with your teen(s).  She simply gives you what God has given her and the tools you can use to develop/design your own personalized convictions.
There are 7 topics covered in the videos that include:

1. Plan Ahead: living pure in a sex-saturated culture
2. Counting the Cost: every decision has a price tag
3. Dating: doing relationships God's way
4. Sex: God's purpose and plan
5. Modesty: God cares what I wear
6. Pornography: its deception and steps to get out or stay out
7. Secondary Virginity: running back to God

The Parent Edition has a lot of extra helps and resources in it that the Teen Edition does not. I like the "helicopter view" section of the curriculum at the beginning of the Parent Guide. It shows the topic segment title, bible verses covered, and then lists the truth statements for each topic.  The Parent Edition also has the Film Script in it (I really like this!).  It is great for review purposes after watching a video segment and before going over the Film Outline with your teen.  In the Parent Edition, each topic section contains:

• A Note from Abby. ..(personalized for parents)
• film script
• film outline (with blanks to fill out)
• follow up (with "discuss it", "personalize it", and "apply it" sections)
• key topics from the segment

Helicopter View section in Parent Edition

After the last topic section there is a section on "The Bible: Your Sword in Battle" that covers each topic again and has your teen review each topic and helps them to use what Abby says and what the Bible says to reinforce what they have learned and how they will apply it to their life (This is simply a copy of what is also in the Teen Edition).  Finally there is a section on "The 1st Peter Principle: Prepare, Rehearse, and Share." In this segment, it asks your teen to be prepared to have an answer for what might come against them or questions that will be asked of them as to why they have their convictions about purity (this is also a copy of what is in the Teen Edition).  I think this is really good for your teen to help them be prepared and not caught off guard in a society that generally does not support the purity principle.

Within each topic, the Teen Guide contains:

• A Note from Abby . . .(that is personalized for them and different from the parent note)
• film outline
• follow up (same break down as the parent guide)

Example of fill in the blank section

My 13 yr old 8th-grade son was of course not the happiest about this study, but it is such an important topic to cover with him.  We have completed a "sex education" course in the past that was also biblically based so this study is a wonderful continuation of dialogue on relationships and how to honor God in them.  I believe very strongly in the message this study conveys.  Abby's passion for purity and for reaching out to our children and us is very evident in her videos.

Our journey has been a slow one (he is not a fast reader, nor does he enjoy reading at all!).  I generally read ahead and review the topic to be covered, then we watch the video, then fill out the "film outline" section together, and then I let him complete the "follow up" section on his own.  I reinforce that I am here to answer any questions he might have.  I have some of the books that she suggests and we will be doing most of them as read alouds (mostly to be sure the topic is covered as he doesn't like to read and would most likely just not do it on his own).

I agree with Abby.  This is NOT something you get done in 7 weeks and put back on the shelf.  There is a lot to consider and work through.  We are taking it slow and I am using the online resources to reinforce what we learn and during our time together to reinforce the message.  At this point I honestly see us covering this through the remainder of the school year.  The maturity of your teen is so critical as to how you choose to approach the subject and use these wonderful resources.  I can't say enough about how much I appreciate this wonderful curriculum.  Thank you, Abby!  Thank you for your stand on purity and being such a Godly example for our teens!!  Thank you for taking the time to work on such a comprehensive and helpful curriculum for us parents to use.

I have personally viewed all the videos and find the content to be very informative and useful for discussion as we go through the guidebooks. I really like how she covered that modesty is not just for the girls but boys as well.  I was also happy that she has a topic on pornography.  It is so prevalent in our society these days and I appreciate her including it in this study.  My favorite is the topic of dating.  It is hard to, even in Christian resources, find a resource that will take such a clear stand on this subject and I am so glad to have it in my toolbox for my son.

The Online Resource Hub is phenomenal.  I love the books that she suggests to reinforce the topics covered and help you to better reach out to your teens and for them to review and understand the topics covered and see that there are others who believe and support the idea of purity.  The article and key topic links are also so very helpful in this section.

I wholeheartedly recommend Sex by Design by Abby Ludvigson if you truly want to teach your child a Biblical worldview when it comes to purity and God's design for sex in our current culture.

You can connect with Abby Ludvigson on FACEBOOK.
Please also take the time to check out what the other Review Crew members think of this curriculum.

Weave Your Word in Me REVIEW

I am always on the lookout for a good bible study so I was excited to have the opportunity to review Weave Your Word in Me -- Part 1 from Kid Niche Christian Books.  Weave Your Word is a consumable set of binder-ready pages (already hole punched).  You will need a 3 ring binder (that is not included) to put your pages in.  It is designed around the Lord's Prayer.

We have been enjoying this Bible study and prayer guide.  This is a prayer curriculum for tweens but my 13 yr old 8th grader has been enjoying this Bible curriculum.  We often talk about the Lord's Prayer and that we should use it as our model prayer but what exactly does that mean?  I love how this study systematically covers and reviews the Lord's Prayer and how it is applicable to our prayer life.  There is a page that compares the Lord's Prayer to a personal prayer that focuses on "My Whole Self Before You."  For example, "Give us this day our daily bread" compares to "Please give me those things, God, you know that I need."

There are 36 lessons in this 72-page study.  "My Whole Self Before You" is a prayer that summarizes the Lord's Prayer in 9 verses.  These 9 verses are then used to structure the study into parts (parts 1 and 2) and then into sections (there are 4 sections, 2 in each part) that include;

• God the Father
• God the Son
• What God Wants and
• God the Holy Spirit.

Each of the 9 verses is placed vertically on the left side of each lesson for reinforcement.  Part 1 of the study covers 4 of these verses.  Verses 1 and 2 deal with God the Father and Verses 3 and 4 deal with God the Son. The lessons are not only broken down into sections but are color coded as well to clarify which verse the lesson relates to.

Example of a lesson page with the verse written vertically on the left side of the page.

Content page with lessons broken down by verse and color coded.
I only received and reviewed Part 1.

The study is compatible with the following 6 bible translations: KJV, ESV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, and NABRE.  There is an answer key included in the back of the packet that includes each one of these translations.  My son really likes that the prayer at the end is a fill in the blank that helps him to structure his prayer and better understand what to pray for.  We have been completing 3-4 lessons per week and each lesson generally only takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.  We read the bible verses, fill in the blanks, and then review the prayer at the end of every lesson.

Structured prayer at the end of every lesson.

Some may not like the structure of this study with all the blanks but it is a perfect fit for us.  It keeps my son on task, helps him to focus on the subject at hand and is helping to guide him in his prayer life.  There are also additional resources and activities on the Activities page of the website. We haven't taken the time yet to use them but plan to (I reviewed several of them and they have fun and interesting content and information).  I did download the Free Outline - Lesson Titles for Teachers that is a nice resource if you like more structure on the breakdown of the lessons and what pages coordinate to the individual topics in the different sections (it is more detailed than the Contents page that is included in the study).

FREE Lesson Outline download

We give Weave Your Word in Me -- Part 1 a thumbs up and also recommend that you check out the extra activities and videos at kidniche.com/activities. Parts 1 and 2 of this study are available for $20 each or you can get the combined set for only $30!

You can connect with Kid Niche Christian Books on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND PINTEREST.

Please also take the time to read other the reviews on this wonderful prayer curriculum for an upper elementary student.

Momma and Babies Field Trip

Momma (Sassy) took her babies on their first field trip.  She would have done it sooner but I wouldn't let her out because of the excessive amount of roosters right now.  Things are a little unstable in the coop right now because of it.  Hopefully things will settle down soon, but for now, I need to be cautious.  They had so much fun running and jumping about.  They REALLY enjoyed the roosting bars.  So much fun to fly up and jump down.  LOL.  Just like a typical bunch of kids.

I was extra proud of one of my new roosters, Olaf, whom I was worried about with the babies but he was a true gentleman and was very good and protective over them.  Afterwards, I realized that their momma was his momma!  She hatched him out earlier this year!  Small world, these babies are his half-siblings.  I've had two moms raise 3 batches of chicks this year.  It's been a busy season, to say the least!