By The CLSP Team
The Culture of Life Studies Program offers two great editions of Life Is Precious, our first unit study for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. But how do you know which option is right for you? Here’s a quick comparison to help you choose which version is best for your students.
If you are a teacher or homeschooling parent eager to teach the culture of life to your kindergarten through 2nd grade students, you’ve probably seen our Life Is Precious unit study. This spring, American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program released a School Edition of Life Is Precious designed specifically for use in a large classroom.
So what’s the difference?
Both editions of Life Is Precious use picture books to teach children in kindergarten through 2nd grade about the beauty of human development, the uniqueness of every human being, and standing up for others.
Each study follows a reading of the picture books with relevant crafts, discussion, and activities which highlight different aspects of the culture of life.
The major difference between the two editions of Life Is Precious is that the School Edition provides more teacher guidance for conducting crafts with an entire classroom of children. Most of the changes we made to the unit study are in the first unit on fetal development, where we simplified the craft and replaced the picture book to make that unit easier to teach in a classroom setting.
Life Is Precious School Edition is specifically designed for use in a large classroom, whereas the Life Is Precious Parent Guide provides parents with tools that promote meaningful conversations about the sacredness of human beings in a family setting.
‘Angel in the Waters’ or ‘The Baby Sister’?
In the Life Is Precious School Edition, Tomie dePaola’s The Baby Sister replaces Angel in the Waters. What’s the difference between these two books? Does it matter which one I use in my homeschool or classroom?
Angel in the Waters focuses on a preborn child’s development in the womb and the relationship with the baby’s guardian angel. Angel in the Waters is a beautiful picture book to share with children of all ages. Families enjoy using the Life Is Precious to treasure the gift of every human being from creation until death.
Parents instruct children about the mystery and beauty of life at its very beginning and instill a sense of wonder in students for the sacredness of the human person. Angel in the Waters and our study of the book allow for some wonderful conversations and tender moments between parents and their children.
The study also allows each family to make its own decisions concerning how much information to share about fetal development. Although all of the information presented is innocent and age-appropriate, doing the study at home gives parents and children the flexibility to connect on a deep level. It is especially wonderful and awe-inspiring, we are told, to complete the unit when the family is expecting a new addition!
The Baby Sister shows how an older brother eagerly awaits and prepares for the birth of his baby sister. In the Life Is Precious School Edition there is more focus on preparing for the birth of a baby in a family and less focus on a preborn baby’s development.
The Baby Sister helps teachers complete the intricate preborn baby project in a more timely manner. The project on a preborn baby’s development project includes fewer stages of development to make it easier to complete the crafts in a structured amount of time with a large classroom of children.
The School Edition also includes take-home sheets for students to show their parents and explain what they are learning each day of the unit study in order to keep parents involved with their child’s education in the culture of life so that they can reinforce key concepts at home and outside of the classroom.
Which should I choose?
If you are a teacher in a school, religious education program, or homeschool co-op, we recommend the School Edition because of the extra instructions and take-home sheets which help parents reinforce those same concepts at home.
If you are a homeschool parent, we recommend the homeschool edition of Life Is Precious because of the more comprehensive lesson on a preborn baby’s development and suggestions for using the study with your entire family.
Whether you’re a classroom teacher or a homeschool parent, give your students the education in the culture of life that they deserve. To purchase either edition of Life Is Precious, visit all.org/store.
American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program stresses the culture of life as an integral part of every academic discipline. CLSP is dedicated to helping students become effective communicators of the pro-life message. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter to see how we can help you foster a culture of life at home and in school.