Pre-ordering OT book??

[Deborah Gillespie]

Hi Donna and Paul,

Is it possible to pre-order the Grade three Old Testament stories book so that I can receive it when it is "hot off the presses?" I was told (!) to expect it sometime in the New Year... (read "anxious")

Debbie

[Lauri B]

I thought the OT book was on temporary hold? Did I get the wrong end of the stick?

[Donna]

Oh dear - I wonder what I said that gave you that impression, Lauri....? Maybe I said that they would be available a bit later in January than we'd originally planned...

Anyway, Debbie, the Old Testament materials will be available in a couple of weeks - they should be going to the printers on Friday and there's usually a 2 week turn around period. As soon as we send the things off to the printers, we'll be able to figure out a price and put all the information onto the website and let people order - pre-order!

So, you might have noticed I'm saying "they" - we have decided to make the Old Testament stories a bit different from our other publications. We are preparing a 2 volume set (which will not be available separately). Volume 1 are the stories themselves, which I have carefully compiled from several sources. The stories go from the Creation to the arrival in the Promised Land. This seems to be the real core of the stories for the essence of this main lesson. Click here to read more on the background to this main lesson and how I have worked with it in the preparation of these materials.
http://christopherushomeschool.typepad.com/blog/2007/11/old-testament-s.html

We decided to put the stories in their own specially bound volume to underline that they should be read, not told - that the Biblical language and imagery is actually quite important. We felt that parents might be more comfortable doing this if what they were reading from was attractive - and they didn't have to flip back and forth between stories and "how to teach" section like in our other publications!

So all the how-to stuff is in Volume 2. There are 10 full color wet on wet paintings with full step by step directions; a full puppet play with directions and script; guidance for a main lesson book and other activities; and a schedule and plan for 1 six week main lesson.

These books can also be used by people working with children in this age range in church, temple or other youth organizations.

I'll let you all know as soon as the details are on our website!

[Deborah Gillespie]

Thanks Donna, it sounds great. I too am really looking forward to having clear guidelines for the paintings. My "love/hate" relationship with watercolour painting also has a bit of "awe" mixed in with it....

I am also especially looking forward to this block because I MYSELF have NEVER learned the Old Testament stories. Still don't know them. Except of course the creation story which is pretty unavoidable if you grow up in North America. I remember that when my older son was in grade three in a Waldorf school (four years ago) I heard that he was learning about the OT stories and I thought, "That's great...now he won't grow up like me, never understanding basic references to the Old Testament." But I still never took it upon myself to read them!!! So this block will be like a double bonus to me.

Something funny, Donna, that I think a lot of the rest of you will get a chuckle out of, after there was so much talk on the forum about Anita Diamant's book "The Red Tent" awhile ago--because I was never taught the Old Testament stories, I didn't know about any of the characters, did not know the famous story about Jacob and his sons etc. So when I read that book, I was just like Dinah. I was totally living the story from her perspective, because I was just going along living her life with her, having no idea of what was to come. I thought that the book was just about womanhood, sisterhood, motherhood etc. and did not see that coming at all. When I read the part where all of the men, including Dinah's husband, are slaughtered, I ran to my partner, who was raised Catholic, and screamed at him, shaking the book in my hand, "Why didn't you tell me about this??? YOU knew the story! Why didn't you tell me that this was going to happen?!!" He laughed his head off....and then read the book after I was finished with it.

Debbie

[Lauri B]

None of my replies are showing up in the Christopherus News forum and I receive a "will be posted when when a moderator approves your message" message when I do post. Just thought I'd let you know.

I'm glad to hear the Old Testament WILL be available soon - that's the one I've been waiting for! :) :)

[elizamars]

Hi Donna and Paul -

Nag, nag, nag, can you please allow us to pre-order the Old Testament book? I want to make sure I've ordered it so that I make sure I get the block done right away before it gets too beautiful here to bother with being indoors.

Thanks guys!

Lisa

[Donna]

No problem - people nagging to buy our books really isn't something I resent!!:D

However, we can't let anyone pre-order until we've figured out the price of the books and we can't do that until they're at the printers - which should be tomorrow morning. A lousy chest cold has slowed me down a bit....

I'll let you all know as soon as we have a quote and have set up our website to receive orders. Plan for a February Old Testament block!

[Deborah Gillespie]

Thanks for the update Donna. February is usually a good month here to be inside watercolour painting rather than outside building a tree house for grade three!!

Debbie