A new series of books will make it easier to teach Bible stories to children.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — In Brazil there are approximately 47 million children in infant and basic education schools (i.e. aged from 5 to 14).
What can be done to help these children and young people to understand reality
and to behave constructively with regard to nature, to their neighbours and
to society? How will they come to know the love of God, to see the world through
different eyes, and to act lovingly in this world, as God does?
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These were the kinds of question which prompted the Bible Society of Brazil (BSB) Publications Commission, four years ago, to initiate a project entitled Studying with the Bible.
The Bible, they reasoned, is part of the cultural heritage of the Brazilian people. Knowing its stories and its teachings helps everyone to have a better relationship with the environment, with oneself, with one’s neighbours and with God. If people know what the Bible teaches, they carry something of great value with them throughout their lives. If they believe what the Bible teaches, they possess something of eternal worth.
The BSB encouraged people concerned with education to prepare a religious education curriculum which would cover both Infant School Education (for children up to the age of five) and the whole Basic Education (up to the age of 13 or 14).
Teachers were asked to prepare a basic curriculum which, for pupils following it through from beginning to end, would make them familiar with the main stories and teachings of the Bible.
Those in charge of the project sought to involve in preparing the lessons teachers who actually worked in religious teaching in schools. The texts were then delivered to a teaching supervisory body charged with standardising the language used.
When final adjustments had been made, illustrators gave each lesson an appropriate and attractive presentation. Material at each level was illustrated in a manner appropriate to the ages of the pupils.
Step by step, the project moved forward. The technical teams worked on the
layout, the films were prepared, and, finally, the books and leaflets were
ready.
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Nine books have been published – one for infants and one for each of the eight grades – and the whole program is now a reality.
An added title is the Teacher’s Book, containing suggestions and guidelines for teaching at each grade. With the help of this, religious teaching classes can become more dynamic and interesting for pupils.
In Proverbs 22:6 the Bible says, “Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right” (CEV).
To educate children in the Word of God is to educate them in the path they should follow. The responsibility for this lies essentially with parents; they are aided in the task by churches and schools. With the BSB’s religious education materials, children and young people can learn the Word of God more readily, both in church and at school. (WR 356/19 - 12.00)