Creation Illustrated Review

There are some days when I’m really discouraged about our homeschool. I feel like we’ve not accomplished any of the goals we set for our family. On other days I know that I’ve allowed doubt to creep in. I’ve allowed myself to listen to Satan’s lies.

But on those days when I feel like I’ve done nothing, there is one thing that I can remind myself.

We are a family that loves exploring God’s creation.

Yes, we may not always enjoy doing it the same way. And no, my children have not made beautifully illustrated nature journals. But we all like being outside. We all like learning about animals and plants, and we all believe in God who created them all. That’s something to celebrate.

How have we accomplished this?

We have taken all of our children on many hikes starting even before they could walk. Our child carrier backpack has gotten a lot of use!

We have our own collection of books and magazines about nature topics. These books are always accessible to the children. They look interesting. (I know that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but an enticing cover does wonders in drawing someone to open a book. I like it when my children learn things without me having to ask them to read.)

We encourage wild life in our yard by having several bird feeders and plants to attract birds and butterflies. (And I’m really bad at weeding. I can tell myself that having a “wild” yard is good for the wildlife, right?)

I’ve found something else to add to our collection of enticing nature materials.

It’s called Creation Illustration.

Creation Illustrated is a gorgeous quarterly magazine. The beautiful glossy cover of each issue has a photograph that begs people to pick it up.

Inside are informative articles on a variety of nature topics. I received 4 issues to review. Contained in those issues are articles on Aspen, Saguaro National Park, hummingbirds, Yellowstone National Park, fragrance (in flowers and fruit), stars, insects, and more. Scripture is woven into each of the articles.

Another interesting feature of each issue is Genesis Cuisine. There are 3 recipes in each issue. They are all natural/healthy/vegetarian recipes and  pertain to a particular theme. The themes in the 4 issues that I received are Cupcake Craze, Smooth Smoothies, Grapefruit Greats, and Hazelnuts. I have unfortunately not tried any of the recipes yet. They do often contain an ingredient or two that is somewhat unusual, or at least not a typical item that I purchase. For example, coconut milk is found in several of the recipes that sound appealing to me.

Each issue also contains an Instructional Guide. The guide is “designed to help students of all ages integrate and embrace the practical spiritual lessons available through the study of God’s handiwork”. The guides include recommended devotional readings from each issue. There are also questions about the articles to encourage deeper study. Some of the issues also include a word search and creation activities .

Do you have a budding photographer in the family? Creation Illustrated publishes photos submitted by young photographers ages 5 to 15. The top 3 entrees each quarter are awarded cash prizes. Along with each photo, the student submits a poem, Bible verse, or statement about what the photo says about God the Creator.

A yearly subscription to Creation Illustrated is available for $19.95, but there is a $5 discount if you pay with credit card. You can also request a free issue.

Disclosure: I received 4 free issues of Creation Illustrated in order to write this review. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.