As we searched for months for the perfect books that we will use to teach the Catholic faith to our kids as we homeschool, we finally found the books that we were looking for. I came across the website of St. Augustine Academy Press as I explored an FB group dedicated for Catholic families that use Charlotte Mason education.

The reason why it took us months before we found the books is because we want to make sure that the teachings are easily readable for kids and they are aligned with the Catholic teachings. Luckily, the books from St. Augustine are with Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, which means that the books were read by priests and bishops and certified that the words are correct and in line with the Catholic teachings.

So there are two series: teachers’ manual and textbook. The teachers’ manual is called Religion in Life Curriculum. The textbook series is called Highway to Heaven. They are hand-in-hand so you need to buy both for each level. Information about each series are discussed below.

An overview of these two series is also available. So if you want to know what your kids will learn in this curriculum from Year 1 to 8, you may want to buy this overview book called Curriculum in Religion.

Religion in Life Curriculum

Religion in Life Curriculum gives an overview of what the children will learn for the whole year. It is the plan book for teachers and parent-teachers. This book is very useful because it contains instructions and suggestions on how to teach every topic. At the beginning of the book, resources such as quotations for memory work, activities, suggestions for picture study, vocabulary, poems, prayers, hymns, liturgy, practical life, doctrine, and religious practice are given. Supplementary books are also listed in case the teacher wants to have deeper discussion about the topics.

The book also tells the teachers how to teach each topic and the importance of every part in the Highway to Heaven book. There are stories, questions, topics for discussion, Scripture texts, problems in everyday life, interesting things to do (to reinforce the lesson), good things to read, and doctrine.

There is also a weekly plan before the start of the units. This makes it easy for teachers and parents to schedule their lessons and guide them on specific topics that will be covered per week.

Aside from the weekly plan, each Unit has “Feasts to Remember” so the teachers can integrate them in their lessons.

For each lesson, a lesson plan is detailed on how to teach the topics. Each lesson has suggested activities or questions to reinforce the teaching. The lesson plan also has explanations of the topics to be given to the students. The teachers can just read them after discussing the story in Highway to Heaven.

Highway to Heaven Series

Highway to Heaven series is the textbook of the curriculum. It contains the stories to be read for each lesson. As you can see here, the words are suitable for Grade Schoolers. The stories/topics are easy to understand. They are also illustrated to help the students visualize the lessons.

These are the parts for each lesson: Story, Questions to Answer, Using Good Judgement, and activities to do. Some lessons also have Good Things to Read. Using Good Judgement tests the kids on what they would do on certain scenarios that will reflect their morals.

At the end of the each story, questions are provided to check understanding of the kids. There are also activities that the kids can do in support to the topics. The activities have instructions on how to do them like the Character Book in Lesson 2 of this book.

Conclusion

For Catholic families who are looking for books or curriculum in religious studies, these are perfect and highly recommended. Words are easy to understand and the teachers’ manual are very easy to use. Aside from this, suggested supplementary books and activities are provided in order to reinforce each lesson. Some of these books are also available on their online store.

Note that St. Augustine can ship to the Philippines with DHL or other international couriers. International shipping fee applies. It took only a week before we received the books that we ordered. They also accept online payment. It was a hassle-free transaction for us. That’s a plus for them!

Where to buy the series:

Religion in Life Curriculum: http://www.staugustineacademypress.com/the-religion-in-life-curriculum-series/

Sample pages of Religion in Life: https://issuu.com/staugustineacademypress/docs/ril_manual_4th_grade_sample/2

Highway to Heaven: http://www.staugustineacademypress.com/the-highway-to-heaven-series/

Sample pages of Highway to Heaven: https://issuu.com/staugustineacademypress/docs/bcc_sample_pages

Curriculum in Religion: http://www.staugustineacademypress.com/a-curriculum-in-religion/

Sample pages of Curriculum in Religion: https://issuu.com/staugustineacademypress/docs/curriculum_sample_pages/20