I had the opportunity to review the Survey of Astronomy Curriculum set from New Leaf Publishing Group. There were quite a few items included in this set (which I loved), and it immediately felt like Christmas when we opened up the package. My youngest daughter has recently become very interested in astronomy, so this was definitely exciting for her. But don’t let me fool you…if I were to tell you the truth, I was pretty excited to check it all out as well!

Although we were not masters at astronomy when we began using the Survey of Astronomy Curriculum set, it comes with everything you need to begin building a love for it. As a person who has always found solace and peace in nature, I find learning about the universe captivating…and what I found out as we began working our way through this curriculum set is that my daughter is truly passionate about it!

The set includes:

• Survey of Astronomy Curriculum Parent Lesson Planner – Sometimes as a homeschool parent it is difficult to know where to begin. This will take the guesswork out of planning. There are lessons for a 36-week course. Because of the great planning in this course, it is easy to also make adjustments to your schedule as needed.

• The Stargazers Guide to the Night Sky – Written by Dr. Jason Lisle, this is an amazing addition to the astronomy curriculum. There is something wonderful and captivating about the night sky, and The Stargazers Guide to the Night Sky is a great help. Also included in this book is a free Planisphere. This book is designed for everyone from students to amateur astronomers, and included 150 beautiful, full-color star-charts and other easy to use illustrations for success.

• Our Created Moon – In this 94 page book you will concentrate on the topics that directly relate to the moon. Question-answer format is used throughout this book to teach about the moon, and it does a wonderful job of highlighting creation.

• Taking Back Astronomy – “This book is meant to be an introduction only – a starting point to a biblical view of the universe…Who knows what amazing truths are waiting to be discovered if only the shackles of secular thinking are removed.” As you read through this book you will be in awe of God’s creation. Not only is the book interesting, but the pictures are memerizing!

• Our Created Moon DVD – Watch science be brought to life in this illustrated presentation. Part of the Creation Library Series (39 min.)

• Created Cosmos DVD – As you watch this DVD, you will see the awesome power of our Creator revealed. (23 min.)

• Cost - $113.94

We may not all be able to go to the moon, but how wonderful that this curriculum takes you on an educational journey there! You will see your child learn incredible information that puts the universe at their fingertips. As I said before, I am a person that loves spending time in nature because I can easily feel the greatness of God in it all…and vastness of space also helps me realize just how great our God is!

When I opened the parent lesson planner (PLP) I was ecstatic to find that the assignments were laid out for me in an easy to use format. Each week is split into five (5) different days and what you need to have your student work on (in which book) for that given day. That truly saved me so much time executing her lesson plans. There is also a column to place a due date and grade beside each of the assignments. I did not utilize that part of the book (the grade column) because I keep all my grades in another grade book, but I love the fact that it is there for those of you homeschool parents that would need to utilize that!

One of the sweetest moments for me was reading the answer that my daughter put to the very first question. In the short answer section question 1. What are you expecting and hoping to learn from this course? My daughter’s answer was, “I am hoping to learn about how God made the earth.” I know to you this might seem trivial or almost too simplistic…but what I know is that God has made us all with a desire for God. As we look around and find peace in nature it is because all of creation is proclaiming the greatness of a God that creates with His Words. So as my daughter has been excitedly diving into this course, I know that in her heart she is desiring a closer connection with the God of the universe!! And for that my heart leaps for joy!

Because sometimes learning is a little difficult for her, I was so happy that this course contains so many different learning mediums and weaves them together in a way that helped her easily understand the material. I also love that there are so many great pictures! Watching her going through her lesson with a movie playing on her computer and a couple books out around her, really warmed my heart. I know that as she works through this curriculum set, she will be storing knowledge for a lifetime!

Another big thing that I push in our homeschool is vocabulary. I believe that a large and healthy vocabulary is very beneficial to you in the “real world.” I truly appreciated how they included vocabulary in the quizzes.  I also appreciate the way that they base everything on the Truth of the Word of God. Even though I am a Christian mom, I don’t want my kids to be brainwashed…I want them to have a healthy and well-balanced world view, all the while holding to the Truth of God’s Word. This curriculum has found the way to teach a balanced and well-rounded course while keeping God’s Word the main thing!

My bottom line is that this is a great product and a good value. Each book is not only informative and well-written, but contains captivating pictures that adds to the learning process. It is difficult to imagine what something looks like…you know the saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know?” That is definitely the case when we begin talking about the moon, or the stars, or what a nebula is…but the Survey of Astronomy Curriculum set doesn’t hold back, they include incredible pictures that truly do take your breath away. I was just getting ready to write that as a homeschool mom, I really love curriculum that feeds my daughter’s love for learning…but the same can be said of any mom regarding curriculum for their children. We all want our kids to love learning! I really love that this curriculum feeds my daughter’s love for learning!! I know that you will be happy to add this to your homeschool curriculum!

-Product review by Barbette Yingst, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September, 2016