Character Sketches

We have noticed that there are lots of birds in our neighborhood. We have Sand hill Cranes, Ruby Throated Humming Birds, Gold Finches, Doves, Robins and Cardinals. Just the other day we had our first Bald Eagle.

Our Bald Eagle is a juvenile bird, he all dark in color and hasn't gotten his adult white plumage yet. He sits in a near by tree and we can hear him calling for food, or to one of his eagle friends who are probably fishing at the nearby lake. We are constantly fascinated by the nature around us, it's so much fun to learn more about it.

The Bald Eagle is an animal we have studied before. It's also the subject of some of our favorite bible verses.

"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31.

Many animals are mentioned in scripture. Why not learn the two subjects together? We can study an animal's character as well, not to mention learning a few new things about human character. We have used the Character Sketches book series for our study for many years and love it!

These wonderful books combine Nature studies with the words of scripture and the study of biblical character. Published by the Institute in Basic Life Principals, we first learned of them from one of the original authors, Larry Gutherie, who was a popular speaker at our favorite Christian camp--Camp Forest Springs.

The large volumes 1-3 are beautifully illustrated. Each character principal has it's own chapter. This one is on Gratefulness. The chapters begin with a Nature Story and scripture references. 

The Bald Eagle for example, exemplifies Gratefulness in the way it shelters it's young from rain and storms by spreading it's wings. There are many other physical features of the animals described on each page.

Everything from where it nests, to when they grow their feathers is described and pictured in detail. My kids love this part. Did you know eagles nests can be as big as 9.5 feet? Or that they co-habituate with other kinds of birds who use the bottom of the stick structure of the eagle's large nest to build their smaller one in? Amazing.

The course is designed to be used daily, it is recommended for reading after the evening meal (preferably by the father of the household). Each session lasts 1/2 to 1 hour long. The chapters are studied for two consecutive days and includes the character definition, nature story, a pop quiz, scripture references, and a scripture story that exemplifies the character trait being studied. This material is suitable for discussion with middle school and high school students, although adults children of any age will be captivated by the beautiful artwork in each volume.

These are over-sized books of heirloom quality volumes that are leather bound. The are available for purchase on the Institute for Life Principals website. The complete set is $105.00. A bargain! The company also makes  Character Sketches materials for younger children, including coloring books, memory verse cards and character study workbooks.

Your family will enjoy these books and the principals that they teach for generations.

Designer Mom