I’d never seen it before. As I scrolled through the Australian Answers in Genesis flash sale site, it jumped out at me. A curriculum for John Bunyan’s treasured Christian allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress. I had to order it, along with a regular sized copy of the story, and the audio book. When it arrived, and I started going through it, I was amazed at the amount of content. If you’ve not heard of the Pilgrim’s Progress, I’ll give a bit of a background. Then, let me show you what’s so great about this curriculum.
What is The Pilgrim’s Progress?
The Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory featuring a man named Christian. The story presents a vision of Christian’s salvation and religious pilgrimage through life. It was written in the 17th century by a Puritan preacher named John Bunyan, who was imprisoned for his faith while writing this famous work. It is a truly encouraging read for all Christians, and opens up many meaningful conversations about what it looks like to follow Christ in a world full of obstacles and distractions. Now, onto the curriculum!
Why Is This Curriculum So Great?
User Friendly Curriculum Structure
The curriculum is packaged as a really large hard cover book. The Pilgrim’s Progress book is contained within this book, and activities and reflections are imbedded into each chapter. This makes it really easy to use.
Not only that, but the curriculum comes with a CD full of PDF printables. You can keep your curriculum in excellent condition, and print multiple copies of worksheets and reflections for everyone in your family easily.
Published In Original English
The curriculum is based on the original 17th century language. At first I was worried that 17th century English might be a bit too much for our children. They love it! As we began to read the story, there were lots of giggles about how funny the language sounded, but they could totally follow the plot without any troubles. I’m glad it was released in original English so the children could be exposed to it at a young age. It will make it a lot easier when we read texts for high school literature later on.
Go As Deep Or As Shallow As You Like
You could use this curriculum only for English, going through the story and completing the worksheets. However, the curriculum is designed to cross over into science, history and broader language arts study too! It. Is. Amazing. The recommended time frame for completing the curriculum is twelve weeks. The curriculum is broken up into weekly lesson plans and suggested further materials. Take a look at the sample below.
You can abide by that and keep it really simple. Or you can dive deeper and spend more time looking at the many historical figures, scientists and other historical texts and authors presented in the curriculum. There are so many possibilities, for all ages and interests.
Whole Family Curriculum
The really nice part about this curriculum is that it has ‘Truths to Ponder’ section for younger children, and a ‘Digging Deeper’ section for older children to discuss and complete as well. It has been designed as a whole family curriculum. If you purchase the dramatized audio CD of the story, you can listen to it as a family during quiet time, or while on the move.
It is good to note though, that some characters that symbolize various Christian struggles might frighten really little or sensitive children. Each child is so different.
Where To Purchase In Australia?
If you are just as excited as me after reading this review and would like to purchase The Pilgrim’s Progress curriculum yourself, you can buy it in Australia from the following retailers. As of September 2024, you can still buy it on sale for just $20 at the Answers in Genesis Australian store, plus postage. What a deal!
Answers In Genesis Australia – https://store.answersingenesis.com.au/product/pilgrim-s-progress-curriculum/524?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true
The Reformers Bookshop – https://reformers.com.au/products/9781893345775-all-in-one-curriculum-for-the-pilgrims-progress-john-bunyan?srsltid=AfmBOoo4WijQ2syPp0pI-1Q6hO1dvdVWLCO46w7Klb5wVXvXjaTWCklo
So there you have it. I hope this review was helpful. If you have already completed The Pilgrim’s Progress curriculum with your family, we’d love to hear about your thoughts in the comments.
