Our culture is shifting in the basic definition of words that are foundational to the Christian faith. This word-smithing makes it very frustrating to have conversations with those who do not have a christian worldview. We use the same words, but we seem to talk past each other. How we define words like truth, judgment, and tolerance makes a difference in how we view the world. And if we as adults are having trouble, imagine how confusing this is for our children! That’s why it’s time to introduce you to Elizabeth Urbanowicz and Foundation Worldview.
Meet Elizabeth Urbanowicz
Elizabeth Urbanowicz is a Christian and an educator. One day in her classroom, a student responded to Elizabeth’s correction by saying, “Don’t judge me!” The role of a teacher is to help students learn. Part of that includes correcting children when they give an incorrect answer. But this child felt ANY kind of correction was equivalent to judgement! The teacher’s correction made this student FEEL bad. This child wanted to feel good rather than know what is true. You have likely run into similar circumstances. The desire to feel good becomes more important than what is true or what is real. This is dangerous territory and it is very confusing for children. We know that our feelings can’t be trusted. Sometimes our feelings are wrong! It’s important to give children tools to evaluate the difference between feelings/preferences and what is true/real. This is what Foundation Worldview is all about.
Ages 4-7
Training children to think carefully, critically and independently must start early. Foundation Worldview offers three levels of curriculum. Each level is appropriately tailored for children at different developmental levels. The first level targets younger children, ages 4-7. The Early Childhood Series is very basic, giving children a solid foundation before entering school. Be sure to repeat this particular curriculum as your child grows and learns. You will find this early foundation will make a critical difference in the way that your child is able to process the world.
Ages 8-12
The Comparative Worldview Curriculum, the next step in the series, is for ages 8-12. This year-long curriculum helps your child learn the differences between popular world views (Christianity, Islam, Naturalism, New Spirituality and Post-Modernism). The units tackle the questions: What is Truth?, What Should I Worship?, How Did Life Begin?, Who Am I?, and How Can I Know Right from Wrong?. Each unit establishes the Christian Worldview as our foundation of truth. Early lessons teach the difference between feelings and truth. Truth is what is real and matches reality. Your child will learn that the God of Christianity is our source of truth. The lessons also teach that God loves us, is eternal, is all knowing and has designed the world for His glory. Children will learn how to distinguish between feeling statements and truth statements.
Ages 10-14
The Careful Thinking curriculum builds on the principles of Comparative Worldview and targets ages 10-14. The Careful Thinking Curriculum (also a year long), will help your child distinguish between subjective statements (based on feelings) vs. objective statements (based on truth). This curriculum uses the illustration of a bridge to help your child walk through the steps of evaluating the truth claims. Some claims will be true and other will be false. The units include: Foundations of Careful Thinking, Rules for Careful Thinking, Mistakes in Careful Thinking, Evaluating Careful Thinking, and Communicating Careful Thinking. All of the lessons are solidly grounded in scripture. Even though the Careful Thinking Curriculum builds upon the lessons from the Comparative Worldview Curriculum, there is enough review to launch it as a stand-alone curriculum if your children are older.
For the Homeschooler
What is great about the curriculum is that it is designed to work in a variety of settings. It can be used at home with your family, in a homeschooling setting, a church or even a homeschool co-op! It’s flexible! And Elizabeth has created teaching videos for each lesson. For those of you who are homeschooling, make sure to read through how the curriculum meets the Common Core Standards by State. This will enable you to use the curriculum as part of your homeschooling. Some of you are already using this curriculum. I would love to hear how it’s working for your family! Click the link below to leave a comment!
I have more ideas!
If you’d like to receive weekly notifications of the my blog posts and my monthly newsletter, be sure to sign up by following this link. You’ll get great resources sent straight to your inbox!
Newsletter
There are 2 comments on this post
I am currently using the 8-12 series with my daughter and another young lady. As I am teaching what is truth, worship, and worldview, I am encouraged with how well laid out each lesson is biblically and how each lesson stacks so well upon the others. The time and money invested in this series has been absolutely worth it!
Thanks for your feedback Brandi! I agree that this is an excellent program and well worth the investment. I know these young ladies will be equipped to discern TRUTH as they enter the critical teen and college years!