This guide to the Keepers of the Faith program contains ideas, resources and tips to get you started and keep you going. Plus, the authors have included some common sense chapters pertaining to godly child rearing that will challenge many of us.

About the Keepers of the Faith Program:

Yes! This is the organization that you have heard so many good things about. Dedicated to providing a system for children to record new home and family skills, with an emphasis on Christian values, Keepers of the Faith undertook the grueling task of setting up "yardsticks" for measuring well over 100 skills. Thankfully, Keepers of the Faith is not just relegated to large groups. Individual families can also benefit from the materials.

Contenders for the Faith is for your sons ages 6 to 16. It provides guidelines for 89 different skills, each an important component to preparing our sons to be godly men.

Keepers at Home is typically for daughters 6 - 14, but with guidelines for over 100 different skills, some older daughters will continue to find their handbooks quite useful. Because there are no real age limitations, older children are free to participate.

Each handbook is organized according to topic; Family Life, Nature, Homemaking, Crafts, Leadership, Sports and others, with outlines of what Keepers of the Faith has felt were the minimum requirements to master that skill. You, of course, may wish to modify their list by adding to or removing some of the requirements

There are some how-to's included, although for crafts in particular, you will want to augment the handbook; there is just not enough space to teach it all. Some of the topics for the girls are camping, fire safety, home decorating, organization, sign language and scheduling.

The Contender's manual follows the same format adding additional practical skills, with more scope and complexity for the older boys. Topics include organization, foreign language, fishing and small engine repair.

The skills for each book follow the traditional guidelines of masculine and feminine behavior. We will make no apologies for that, but merely suggest that if you feel your son or daughter should acquire proficiencies not traditionally ascribed to boys or girls, teach them. These handbooks should in no way limit what your children learn, but instead, they will free you up from thinking through the steps of each skill. If you would like to mix and match from both books, you will not be prevented from doing so.

For children that complete the requirements, pins are available. One sample pin is included with each handbook, so that you can see the outstanding quality. To order additional pins you will need to contact Keepers of the Faith. Information on how to do that is included with each handbook. Pins are not a necessary requirement to use this program; you can acknowledge your child's achievement in any other fashion. And yes, boys can earn badges from the girl's handbook and visa versa.

Please note that while many helps are included in each handbook these are not complete how-to books. You may, in some cases, need to find an outside source for teaching some of the subjects. This program is, without question, a valuable addition to your family's curriculum.

From the Author: Are you looking for ideas? You are a good parent. You take the time to love, teach and train your children. You have many more things you want to teach them. You want them to learn all those little useful things that are beyond reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. You have decided to make a list and get started teaching them. You have in mind some things that should be on the list. However, every time you turn around, months, even years, have gone by and you still do not quite know where to start. How do you put it all together? Where do you start? How do you start? With what do you start? Certainly, there are productive things with which to fill children's time.

Do these questions sound familiar? Do you feel a little queasy, sometimes, because the years are racing past, and before you know it your children will be grown? Are you worried that you'll wake up one day, and they'll be grown, and you will have missed the opportunity?

You can find plenty to help you on these pages. There are methods, ideas, resources, tips, ect. There are explanations on how to approach teaching different skills. There is a complete program for you to use as parents, if you wish. You may prefer to handle all that yourself. This book will give the structure and direction. The section on individual skills also contains many added insights into rearing children. Plunge in! Get started! The more you do, the more confident you will feel. You will marvel at what your children are learning. You may be amazed at how you, yourself, are enjoying it.

Savor the sheer fun of being with your children and watching them learn, and being confident that you are filling those fleeting childhood years with productive pursuits and practical skills.

Keepers of the Faith is not affiliated with any specific denomination, but totally affiliated with the Word of God.