Creation to the Fall of Rome (Middle School Students): For I Know the Plans I Have For You (The Artios Home Companion Series (Middle School))

Welcome to The Artios Home Companion Series! The curriculum and resources in The Artios Home Companion Series are the same as those we use in our academic program at our Artios Academies locations. Thus, you can be assured that it is a quality curriculum. However, The Artios Home Companion Series goes far beyond the normal tendency to promote the retention of facts and random pieces of information. The developers of this series know that a child is not educated simply because he or she has completed a particular curriculum or logged a certain number of hours. From God’s viewpoint, “educated” is something you become. As home educators, many of us desire to give our children a Biblical education grounded on Biblical principles. Many home educators apply Biblical principles to WHAT is taught, but it is also important to apply Biblical principles to HOW it is taught. My goal with each of my children has been to graduate a well-rounded, heart-instructed student who knows where real knowledge and wisdom come from. The study of history based on the lives and characters of individuals provides a superb means by which one focuses on God’s character, discerning how the lives of significant historical figures did or did not portray true reflections of their Creator. It has been said that the study of history should prevent us from repeating the mistakes of the past. However, it is one thing to study history. It is an entirely different approach to studying history through the study of individuals, to study the arts through the lens of historical events and their influences, and to study literature as a reflection of the time in which it was written. By studying these subjects and others in an integrative method, not only are the subjects themselves given new meaning in the lives and minds of our children, but these individuals, events, actions, and products are all shown to be related. “No man is an island,” and nothing could show this fact to be more true than studying subjects in an integrative and creative format. It is all too common to study subjects in isolated and mindless file folders of information, never showing our students how life and LIVES interact with one another. As children of the Most High God, we are to be a reflection of God to the world around us. But we often think that our actions and choices make little difference in the grand scheme of things. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our lives can influence for good or for evil, for positive action or negative apathy. Studying history, literature, the arts, and other subjects as they relate to each other helps students develop an integrated way of thinking and reasoning. On a spiritual level, it helps them see their lives as a reflection of God in their unique spheres of influence. This curriculum was developed with specific core values in mind. 1. God’s Word reigns supreme and is the guiding force behind our thoughts and actions in every area of life. 2. The heart is the focus of spiritual growth. 3. God created man as a multi-faceted and unique individual. 4. God’s Word “equips” the children of God. 5. Our lives and choices should reflect God’s character to those around us. 6. The family is a God-ordained institution through which the next generation is nurtured and discipled.