Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation (Review)

We recently had the opportunity to review a wonderful book explaining creation and our “purposeful designers” work in creating our beautiful world from Purposeful Design.

Purposeful Design: Understanding The Creation is an award winning book by Jay Schamacker. The book is written for all ages but written with the intention of bringing the wonder of God’s creation to children. The book discusses who much thought and purpose was put into the design of the world.

Throughout the book, each day of Creation is discussed in detail including beautiful pictures and diagrams demonstrating and revealing the beauty created each day by God. The author includes scientific explanations and details about our beautiful Earth including the earth’s rotation, the rain cycle, and bird migration. Additionally, each day of creation is supported with the words of Genesis and other Bible passages.

Just like you would think with 7 days of Creation, there are 7 chapters of the book:
Chapter 1 – The First Day: Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, the Foundation of it All
Chapter 2 – The Second Day: Creation of the Atmosphere and Water
Chapter 3 – The Third Day: Creation of the Dry Land and Vegetation
Chapter 4 – The Fourth Day: Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars
Chapter 5 – The Fifth Day: Creation of the Birds and Fish
Chapter 6 – Creation Day Six: Creation of Land Creatures and Humans
Chapter 7 – The Seventh Day

A wonderful compliment to the book is the Purposeful Design: Young Explorer’s Club. The Purposeful Design: Young Explorer’s Club is a 30 page downloadable and printable workbook that compliments book each chapter in Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation. There is also a downloadable and printable teachers manual and even a fun completion certificate to print off for your kids when they have completed the Creation study with Purposeful Design. All these materials can be downloaded FREE of charge on the Purposeful Design website.

The workbook breaks down each chapter with question, bible verses for reflection, and exercises like drawing and writing opinions about what was covered in the corresponding chapter. The addition of the Purposeful Design: Young Explorer’s Club workbook take this beautiful book to a complete science and Bible study for you and your students.

The book is a beautiful work to include in your home whether you choose to use it as a Bible and science study or just a book to read as a family. We began our journey with Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation by reading a chapter (or most of a chapter) each night before bedtime. The kids looked forward to it each night. The pictures, illustration, Bible verses and scientific support make the book so fun and engaging your kids will barely know they are learning. My kids loved the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to them. We look forward to reading it again and again as we explore God’s creation and His “Purposeful Design.”