All on Red Headed Hostess + Scripture Study
Scripture and gospel study is a big part of our homeschool days. Over the years I have pulled from various resources, but one thing we’ve been very consistent using is The Red Headed Hostess (RHH). Between the study materials in the subscription kits and the guided journals and activity books, we have been using these resources for four years now. Today I’m answering some FAQs I get on RHH (mixed with a little sneak peak of what we’ll be using for our upcoming Doctrine & Covenant studies), and also a look at our basic scripture study routine.
What scripture study materials do you primarily use?
For my kids and our daily study I pull from:
Scriptures: We have a mix of journal edition/wide margin scriptures from Deseret Book and Line Upon Line (we’ll be using LUL for D&C)
Come, Follow Me Manual (CFM): I usually just glance over this to see if there is anything I want to pull out for the week and I especially love utilizing the artwork from it.
The Gospel Media Library & The Gospel Art Book (I have a physical copy): I use the media library all the time for our devotionals and, of course, our more formal studies too. I display the art book on my clipboard in my school room to set the environment of our room and coordinate with what we’re learning about.
RHH’s Subscription Kit and every year I also get the RHH guided journals and activity books: These are the main resources I’m always pulling from. I’m absolutely loving what I am seeing with the D&C books and can’t wait to see how the subscription unfolds after the New Year.
Do the RHH materials align with the Come, Follow Me schedule?
Yes. Once you enroll in the subscription kit you’ll have access to that current week’s CFM aligned materials. Each week a new kit is released and you’ll continue to have access to the previous weeks. If subscriptions aren’t your thing, you can also purchase the weeks individually here: Weekly Kit Archive.
The guided journals and workbooks aren’t organized by week, but they do work progressively from the beginning of the book of scripture to the end which is pretty much the same thing. In year’s past we’ve just used a book mark or keep the spiral book open to where we’re at in our study.
What is the difference between the RHH subscription kits and guided journal and activity books? Which do you recommend?
Currently, in the monthly subscription kits you receive access to four digital resources:
Study Pages for Adults: These digital pages are written by former seminary teacher Shannon Foster (the Red Headed Hostess) and they have verse-by-verse commentary with additional tips, quotes, and insights that align with the weekly reading. The pages show you examples of things to mark in your scriptures and have print-outs you can glue-in. There is usually about 15+ pages in this and it also includes a piece of artwork which I especially love as a visual learner.
Teaching Tools for Parents: This is the resource I use every week with my kids. There are usually 30+ pages in this download and it includes a variety of activities for learning the stories, gospel principles and doctrine, and fun hands-on activity sheets. There are activities for all ages of kids in these and there are a lot to cater to different preferences and learning styles. We don’t use all of the pages, but you can see below for more on how I use the ones I do.
Just For Teen Pages: These pages are pretty self explanatory in that they’re designed exclusively for teens to use. There are scripture marking guides in here and tips and fun trivia for studying.
Access to watch Drawn In: Each week author/illustrator David Bowman releases videos where he teaches the scripture aligned with the CFM schedule. It is geared to be watched as a family.
All of these resources are updated weekly to align with the CFM scripture sections. You pay monthly to have access to them and you’ll have continued access as long as you’re paying for the subscription. Now, that I have nearly all the standard works in here - there has actually been a number of times I’ve gone back to Shannon’s study notes and referenced them when I am trying to understand a certain scripture for my personal studies.
Also, you should know that in the subscription there is a bonus section that has a DIY binder, family council templates, art, Christmas and General Conference activities, and little mini-books on doctrinal topics like the war in heaven and the house of Israel.
The guided journals and activity books are a one time purchase. I always grab these at the beginning of our study to keep on hand (I usually gift them to my kids for Christmas). Over the years I’ve used them in different ways. One year I just pulled them out on weeks where I didn’t get into the subscription. Another, we kept them in our church bags so the kids could utilize them during sacrament. This year I got the Doctrine & Covenant teen books for my girls and I’ll be encouraging more independent study and reading now that they’re going into Young Women’s. I am really excited about the classy graphic style theme for my oldest son and I know my youngest son loves having an activity book just like his older siblings - it’s nice everyone has something that’s on their level.
I recommend both the subscription and the books all the time. If I had to choose one - for our family we pull from the subscription the most, but I know lots of families who just use the books and I just love how aesthetically inviting they are. My kids always gravitate right to these. It’s really a personal preference though. You can’t go wrong either way!
What ages are the RHH resources for?
The subscription has something in it for all ages…toddlers to adults.
The guidebooks are made with specific age ranges in mind (which I LOVE) so you’ll want to pay attention to which one will be best for your child:
Kid’s Activity Book: Pre and early readers - ages 3+
Guided Study Journal for Teens: Ages 12-18
Guided Study Journal for Adults: Ages 18+
How do you use the subscription kit? / Our Study Routine
There are SO many ways you could use the resources in the subscription kits and I know every family is different. For us, I use them as part of our homeschool day and it’s just been really important for me to have something we touch everyday to prioritize the habit of daily gospel study. It’s been so nice because there is no prep on my part and I can just open up the files and have dozens of things ready to go. This year I’ve utilized the RHH app and don’t print nearly as much as I used to, but when I do - I organize everything in our scripture caddy.
As I mentioned I’ve been doing this for years now so I have a default routine I really like and this is usually what it typically looks like:
Monday: Illustrated Stories - These are short 1-3 page stories so that I can give my kids an overview of what’s going on in the scriptures this week. There are pictures and discussion prompts so I often use these during our devotional time. It’s super simple and maybe takes us about 15 minutes to go through. Usually I just pull them up on my computer, but sometimes I print these out and we cut the pictures up so the kids can practice telling the stories back to me. I’ve also printed them out for my older girls to read and study ahead of time and then use the pictures to summarize and teach my younger boys about what’s going on.
Tuesday: Video - At the beginning of the week I am just trying to really familiarize my kids with what’s going on before we dive into scripture reading so on Tuesdays I try to show them a coordinating video. I pull from the Bible/Book of Mormon videos or any of the videos linked in the RHH kits (there are lots) and we’ll also print out any coordinating video trivia pages.
Wednesday: Reading and marking scriptures - In the kits there is a family study marking guide and a kid’s scripture marking guide. My older girls use the kid’s scripture marking guide and there are also scripture stickers and a variety of glue-ins (again, really good for visual learners). Some years we’ve been really good about using all these resources and it is so fun to look back at all the stickers and drawings my kids have done. Others, like this year, I’ve simplified things a bit, but it’s so handy to have so many options available.
Thursday - Sunday: Hands-on activities, table poster, reading, and review - For the last half of the week we finish any reading we didn’t get to and I’ll often print out some of the other fun activities for my kids to do as a review - things like crosswords, word searches, family activities, crafts, or games. Each week I also print out the table posters for kids (this is the frame I use) so we’re always pulling from this at random or for our devotionals.
I think that’s a wrap! We have absolutely loved studying the Book of Mormon this year and can’t wait to dive into the Doctrine & Covenants in January. Between now and December 1, 2024 you can use code CASSIE5 for $5 off anything over at The Red Headed Hostess (excluding the monthly digital subscription.) Let me know if you have any other questions and I am happy to help!
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