Grapevine Studies

Grapevine Studies is a Bible curriculum whose publisher describes a teaching method that combines chronological lessons, timelines, stick figures, charts and key biblical facts, taught with a teacher-directed approach that, per its FAQ, leaves doctrine to the parent or teacher. Its shop sells Bible studies, journals, wall timelines, flash cards and games, and its FAQ says the books come in print and as eBooks for printing your own copies. In our assessment, it suits a family that wants a drawing-based, chronological Bible survey that one teacher book can lead for children at several levels.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Chronological lessons, timelines, stick figures, charts and key biblical facts, taught with a teacher-directed approach (our classification: subject-specialist)
Worldview	Christian: the publisher's Statement of Faith is on its About page, its co-op page describes the curriculum as designed for today's Christian co-ops and schools, and its FAQ says the studies are not denominational and are used in a wide variety of denominations
Grades	PreK-K and Grades 1-8 for the Overview studies, Grades 1-8 for the Heroes & Holidays studies (PreK-K versions of two); Bible study journals for PreK to adult; the FAQ lists Grades 9+ as independent learning
Formats	Print books (3-hole punched loose-leaf pages and softbound books) and printable PDF eBooks; the shop also lists wall timelines, flash cards and games
Cost tier	Budget (our classification; at the publisher's selling prices below, retrieved October 2026, the Old Testament Overview for a teacher and one student totals $77.90 as a teacher eBook plus one Grades 1-3 Family-license student eBook, or $99.90 as a teacher print book plus one student print book; each added student print book for Grades 1-3, 4-6 or 7-8 is $34.95)
Parent intensity	2 (our rating)
ESA-common	Not stated: the pages we read on the publisher's site do not mention ESAs (read October 2026)
Accredited	Not stated on the publisher's site
Established	No start year is stated on the publisher's site
Website	grapevinestudies.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

The scores and reasons below are Every Homeschool's own judgment, based on what the publisher describes on its public pages and free materials. We have not read the full teacher or student books.

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	In our judgment, more breadth than depth: the publisher's Getting Started Guides page calls the Overviews full Bible survey studies, and its Start Here Kit page says Grapevine is a full curriculum, not a devotional
Ease of teaching	5	The teacher book includes lesson notes, timeline narratives, stick figure drawings and answers to review questions, and the publisher says no prior Bible training is needed
Content quality	4	In our judgment, the chronological timeline with built-in review gives the Bible narrative a clear order; the publisher states that research has not specifically tested its curriculum
Flexibility	5	The FAQ says one Master Teacher book guides all levels at once; the publisher says each additional child needs only a student book, and the FAQ describes Traceable versions for younger learners or those with special needs
Value for money	4	The publisher's selling prices, retrieved October 2026: teacher print book $64.95, Grades 4-6 student print book $34.95 and a digital family bundle at $145.95; per the FAQ, student eBook licenses are for the immediate family, a small class or a large class
Worldview scope	2	A Christian curriculum with a Statement of Faith and the Bible as its subject; the publisher says it leaves doctrine to the teacher
Visual/design	3	Stick figures are part of the method; the publisher describes its Old Testament wall timeline as colorful and its Old Testament timeline flash cards as full-color; this score reflects those descriptions, not a review of the full books
Support resources	3	Free sample lessons (FAQ), Getting Started Guides and a phone line open Monday to Thursday

Who the publisher is

The publisher's About page has an Authors section that names John and Dianna, by first names only, as the authors of Grapevine Studies and says the studies are now used around the world by families, churches, schools and missionaries. Its contact page lists a PO box mailing address in Glenrock, Wyoming. The shop's collections list Bible studies by grade and topic, journals, wall timelines, flash cards, games and single lessons.

The shop sorts its studies by grade and by topic. The Old Testament Overview (Grades 1-8; 50 weekly or 186 daily lessons) and the New Testament Overview (subtitled "The Life of Jesus and the Early Church"; Grades 1-8; 48 weekly or 180 daily lessons) are the two Overview studies, which the Getting Started Guides page calls full Bible survey studies, and each has a PreK-K version sold separately (Old Testament, New Testament). That page lists the Heroes & Holidays studies for Grades 1-8 as Birth of Jesus, Resurrection, Esther, Ruth, Joseph, Joshua, Moses, Biblical Feasts and Feast of Lights, and lists PreK-K versions of Birth of Jesus and Resurrection. The publisher describes Biblical Feasts & Holy Days as a study of when each feast happens, how it was celebrated in Bible times and where it is mentioned in the New Testament. The Sample Lessons page names the levels PreK-K, Early Elementary (Grades 1-3), Elementary (Grades 4-6) and Middle School (Grades 7-8), plus Bible study journals for PreK to adult. The FAQ says its Traceable versions are designed for younger learners or those with special needs.

On faith, the publisher uses its own words. The Statement of Faith on its About page affirms, among other points, that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative, complete Word of God and accurate in all historical and scientific references, that there is one God in three persons, and that salvation is provided only through faith in Jesus Christ. The first entry of the Statement of Faith is headed "Teacher Directed Doctrine." It says the company provides Bible curriculum to a variety of denominations and puts the approach in one sentence: "We teach the facts, you teach your doctrine." The FAQ answers "Is Grapevine Studies denominational?" with no, and says the curriculum is used in a wide variety of denominations worldwide. The Start Here Kit page calls Grapevine a full curriculum rather than a devotional and says many families use a devotional alongside it.

The core pedagogy

As the publisher describes it, Grapevine teaches by combining chronological lessons, timelines, stick figures and charts. Before the lessons in a section begin, the teacher first teaches that section's timeline: the Quick Start Guide for the Grades 1-8 Overviews says to draw each event on a dry-erase board while students fill in their timelines, and to explain each event briefly. In the lessons, the teacher draws the stick figure on the board, the Scripture passage is read and discussed while the student draws, and the teacher asks review questions that students answer verbally. The teacher book contains, per the Old Testament Overview page, the timeline and narrative, teaching notes, stick figure drawings, lesson pages, maps, memory verses, and review questions and answers.

The publisher's materials describe three features. First, the timeline: in the Old Testament Overview, students build a stick-figure timeline from Creation to the return from Babylon, and the New Testament Overview follows a timeline from the birth of John the Baptist through the book of Revelation. Second, one teacher book for several levels: the FAQ says to use the Master Teacher book to guide all levels simultaneously, with younger students tracing or drawing while older ones go deeper, and the Start Here Kit page says each additional child adds only a student book. Third, guidance for the teacher: the same page says the teacher book guides you step by step and that no prior Bible training is needed, and the publisher's home page promotes the lessons as open-and-go.

The publisher's Getting Started Guides page calls the Overviews full Bible survey studies, and its Start Here Kit page says Grapevine walks a family through the entire Bible chronologically. The Start Here Kit page and the About page both say the studies teach the facts and leave doctrine to the parent or teacher. In our assessment, families who want systematic theology or doctrinal comparison will need other materials, because we found no such component in the publisher's descriptions of its studies.

How a lesson runs

The steps below are the ones the publisher's Quick Start Guide for the Grades 1-8 Overviews lists for the Grades 1-8 Overview studies.

1. Before a section begins, the teacher teaches the timeline for that section: each event is drawn on the dry-erase board, students fill in their timelines, and the teacher explains each event briefly. For younger children this can be split across two lessons.
2. Each lesson after Lesson 2 starts with a Timeline Review, then a Memory Verse Review in which verses from the last few lessons are recited aloud.
3. In the Lesson Pages, the teacher draws the stick figure on the board, and the Scripture passage is read and discussed while the student draws. Older students complete map work if the lesson has any.
4. In the Lesson Review Questions, the teacher asks and the students answer verbally.
5. Each lesson ends with a memory verse for that lesson.
6. Early Elementary and Elementary students also have a Drawing Page on which they draw their favorite part of the lesson. Middle School students have a Quest Page that has them look up a word or phrase in a concordance, topical Bible or dictionary.
7. At the end of a section there is a Final Review, which can be completed verbally or used in a game such as Jeopardy.

The guide also says the book includes a suggested teaching schedule with weekly and daily options for each grade level. The Start Here Kit page says each lesson takes about 10-20 minutes per day, or once a week for 40-50 minutes, depending on schedule and group size, and lists an Old Testament lesson on the Tower of Babel among the contents of its Bible Starter Kit. For mixed ages, that page says younger students draw the basic stick figures while older students write and add to their drawings.

What they do exceptionally well

Chronological structure. In our judgment, the cumulative timeline and the repeated Timeline Review and Memory Verse Review steps keep the order of events in front of the student throughout a study. The publisher's headline promise on its home page is Bible lessons that kids will actually remember, and its blog states that research has not specifically tested the Grapevine curriculum itself. We have not tested retention either.

Several levels from one teacher book. The FAQ describes the Master Teacher book as the guide for all levels at once, and the Overview teacher books are titled for Grades 1-8. In our judgment, one teacher book for children at different levels simplifies planning for a family, since each child needs only a student book at his or her level.

Teacher support. The publisher says the teacher book guides you step by step and that no prior Bible training is needed. In our judgment, the written lesson notes and drawings should reduce preparation for a parent who is new to the material, although the Quick Start Guide still has the teacher draw on a board during the lesson.

What they do poorly

Drawing-centered design. The publisher describes a method that combines stick figures with chronological lessons, timelines and charts (About page), and its Quick Start Guide for the Grades 1-8 Overviews has the teacher draw each stick figure on a board while the student draws. The publisher describes its Old Testament wall timeline as colorful and its Old Testament timeline flash cards as full-color, and we have not reviewed the full books. In our assessment, families who expect an illustrated storybook-style Bible curriculum should look at the free sample lessons before buying.

The teen and adult offering is journals. The Overviews are listed for PreK-K and Grades 1-8, and the Heroes & Holidays studies for Grades 1-8, with PreK-K versions of two of them. For teens and adults, the shop sells Bible study journals, among them the Old Testament Teen to Adult Journal, which the publisher describes as 180 daily lessons built around reading, drawing, writing and prayer. The FAQ lists Grades 9+ as independent learning and deeper application. In our assessment, a high-school student who wants doctrinal or exegetical depth should look at other programs, because we found no such component in the publisher's descriptions.

Doctrinal fit. The publisher's Statement of Faith is on its About page, and the same page says the company leaves doctrine to the teacher. Families should read both to see whether they fit their own beliefs before buying.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Grapevine if (our judgment): you want a chronological Bible survey sold as individual studies; you teach children of different ages together and want one teacher book to lead them; you want a drawing-based method; you want a Bible curriculum that, per the publisher, leaves doctrine to the parent or teacher; the publisher's Statement of Faith matches your family's beliefs.

• Skip Grapevine if (our judgment): you want a program that builds a specific denominational doctrine into the lessons rather than leaving it to the teacher; you want theological depth beyond a narrative survey; your student is a high schooler who wants doctrinal or exegetical depth.

Cost honest assessment

The publisher's own selling prices, retrieved October 2026:

Item	Selling price
Old Testament Grades 1-8 Teacher Print Book	$64.95
Old Testament Grades 4-6 Student Print Book	$34.95
Old Testament Grades 1-8 Teacher eBook	$49.95
Old Testament Grades 1-3 Student eBook, Family	$27.95
Old Testament Bundle, Families (Grades 1-8; 50 weekly or 186 daily lessons)	$199.95
Old Testament Digital Bundle, Families	$145.95
Old Testament Bundle, Small Class (print up to 10 copies of the student eBooks)	$249.95
Old Testament Bundle, Large Class (print up to 30 copies of the student eBooks)	$465.95
Joshua Bible Study teacher eBook (19 weekly or 70 daily lessons)	$22.25
Joshua student eBook, family license	$14.95

The family bundle page lists a physical teacher book, flash cards book and wall timeline plus student eBooks at four levels (Early Elementary Traceable, Early Elementary, Elementary and Middle School) with a family license to print student books for the immediate family; the digital bundle page lists the same four student eBook levels with a teacher eBook, flash cards eBook and digital wall timeline. By our arithmetic, a teacher print book plus one student print book for the Old Testament Overview is $99.90 ($64.95 + $34.95), and a teacher eBook plus one Grades 1-3 family-license student eBook is $77.90 ($49.95 + $27.95); each additional student adds a student book. Per the FAQ, a teacher eBook is licensed for one teacher, and student eBook licenses are Family (copies for the immediate family), Small Class (up to 10 copies) and Large Class (up to 30 copies); eBooks are not transferable. The FAQ also says digital books are non-refundable, though exchanges are allowed.

Compared at the same subject tier: Bible Study Guide for All Ages lists its Intermediate Student Pages at $7.95 per 26-lesson set, one set per student, as of October 2026; Positive Action for Christ lists its Grade 3 Growing with God student manual at $20.95 and its teacher's manual at $54.95 in print or $32.95 as a PDF as of October 2026. These products differ in scope and license terms, so the prices are not directly comparable.

ESA eligibility notes

The pages we read on the publisher's site do not mention ESAs or ESA marketplaces (read October 2026). Its FAQ lists debit and credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay as accepted payment methods. ESA-funded families should confirm with their state program whether Grapevine Studies purchases are reimbursable, and whether digital purchases are, before ordering.

Alternatives

Each line below is Every Homeschool's judgment of when a family might choose another program.

• Bible Study Guide for All Ages, a family would choose BSGFA over Grapevine for a single plan that, per the publisher's Order of Study, studies the Bible in 416 lessons over four years at two lessons per week, with some Old Testament and some New Testament each year.
• Positive Action for Christ, a family would choose Positive Action over Grapevine for a course built around a student manual and a teacher's manual, such as its Grade 3 Growing with God course of 35 lessons, one for each week in an average school year.
• Telling God's Story (Well-Trained Mind Press), a family would choose Telling God's Story over Grapevine for a course that, per the publisher, uses passages from the Gospels to teach elementary-age students; the publisher states that each Instructor Text contains 36 weeks of lessons.