We’re talking about the Bible this morning. That’s a good thing, right? Being Christian homeschoolers and all.
We’re talking about the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New.
We’re thinking we’d like to memorize them.
Do any of you know of a good song or mnemonic for memorizing the books of Scripture? I know that there are many fine Protestant versions out there and seem to recall a tune that was included on our Wee Sings Bible Songs.
I’m just wondering if there’s a Catholic version.
Thanks! My would-be Bible scholars are grateful. : )
How about this:
http://www.hedgeschool.com/Web_pages/BibleBallad.html
That looks great, Wendy! Thank you very much.
Ah, someone beat me to it. Have fun! 🙂
If it were me, I'd take one of the Protestant songs and write a cheeky little extra verse about the missing books.
And then I'd add something equally cheeky about the Orthodox Christians and how they don't know when to stop. 🙂
If I were a better poet I'd make a stab at it right here.
Sing Bible Prayer Songs has a wonderful little song that just lists the titles of the books and it is totally Catholic. I actually sing it quietly to myself when I am looking up a verse for Bible study. It is sung to the tune of "1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians"…
Tony has a song that he teaches all of his religion students. Ask him to sing it for you! 🙂
My 10 year old is learning them in appologetics this year at our co-op.
The 8 yo is "coming along for the ride"…I love that. I don't know where our teacher got the song, but I'll ask.
Pax.
Our church's religious ed program is all learning them together this year as we focus in a particular way on the Bible. We do it every three years and everyone in the parish is invited to learn along with us. We've had kids as young as 4 meet the challenge! One of my daughters once impressed her college friends by reciting all 73 in under 30 seconds. 🙂 You can find the program at http://www.familyformation.net
I echo Shivaun's recommendation. He taught it to Matthew, who taught it to his sisters. By absorption, Cecilia can sing you about 70% of the books in the Bible.
A while back you posted about Church of St. Paul in Hamline, MN. They have a CD with a catchy little tune for memorizing the books of the Bible. It came with the religious ed materials one year.
I can still sing the protestant version. Haven't learned the True Version yet. (blush) And so, neither have my children. (more blushing.)
Hi! I go to St. Paul's in Ham Lake (not Hamline), where they use Family Formation. My dad actually wrote the song they use for the books of the bible! It's been used for the past 10-15 years now, and everyone still gets in stuck in their heads! 🙂
Girls everywhere love Notre Dame.
Just Jump Right Said Kitty Cat.
These are the mnemonic devices that my students made up for the OT books from Genesis to Chronicles.
Psalty the singing song book was how I learned a lot of my Bible verses. The songs stick and they are really solid theology.
You can get the whole series, including DVD's, for like $250.
The website is http://www.psalty.com
Blessings!
Hannah
Wow! Thank you, everyone! I was gone all day and came home to such a wealth of information. This is very appreciated.
Gee, I wish I had known there were songs out there!
We just broke the books down into their categories — Pentateuch, Historical books, Wisdom, Major Prophetc, Minor Prophets, etc and the kids and I developed a sing-song chanting sort of way to belt 'em out. (you always have to shout, "1st and 2nd Maccabbees", by the way…. *grin*)
But I'm off to check out some of these great references that others sent in…
We get lots of requests for our "Singing the Books of the Bible" audio CD available through the Family Formation program (mentioned several times above). Since it is a part of the curriculum, it is not posted separately on our website, however, if you wish to purchase a copy, contact me at 763-757-1148 and I'll make it happen! Deb