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Growing Up Pagan (Book) Review

 
Growing Up Pagan-500x500
Growing Up Pagan-500x500
Growing Up Pagan-500x500

 
At a Glance...
 

Page Count: 64
 
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Final Score
 
 
 
 
 
2.5/ 5


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Offers a learning tool for Wiccan families to share their faith with their children.

Not so much?


The activities aren't as engaging as they could be in a book designed for children.


Final Fiendish Findings?

Growing Up Pagan: A Workbook for Wiccan Families is a solid option for Pagan families looking to expand their children’s understanding of their faith. With a variety of lessons on ancient symbols and significant characters from the Pagan faith, it offers a nice introduction for young Wiccans. Although the book could have been more engaging by offering a wider variety of activities for young learners, it accomplishes its goal of teaching young Pagans about their faith in a familiar manner.

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Posted April 17, 2014 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings...
 
 

A Workbook for Wiccan Families

In Growing Up Pagan, author Raine Hill seeks to bring accessibility to families of various pagan followings. In her words, she hopes to “ensure that children of Pagan homes have access to basic materials about their religion just as children of other faiths have had for generations.” As most people of more conservative religions can attest, there are any number of Christian workbooks, storybooks, activity pages, and more for those of that faith to explore with their children at any age. But that isn’t always the case for people of Pagan faiths. And so, Raine Hill has created a workbook that is similar in style to other religious workbooks, yet contains information and stories that will appeal to families of a variety of pagan faiths (although it is geared more specifically to Wiccans).

In Growing Up Pagan, children will work their way through stories about things like the sun and moon as god and goddess, the tale of Pandora’s box, and the significance of spirals and pentacles to those of Pagan faiths. Each of these stories are accompanied by full color illustrations and graphics to hold the interest of young children, and there are word finds and crossword puzzles galore. Activities include drawing symbols that are important to the faith, and suggestions on how kids can set up their very own Pagan altar in their home. The book ends with an in-depth assessment of all that has been learned, followed by a certificate of achievement to reward children who finish the book.

Growing Up Pagan isn’t fully appropriate for very young children, as many of the activities that make up the book (i.e. word games), are just beyond their skill level. However, the stories are quite simple and short, and are re-written to appeal to children, so that aspect of the book would work for all ages. One thing that stood out to me from the start is that the activities either feel like homework or are overly simplified, without anything really in between. The word finds and crossword puzzles are fun, but they would have worked better as part of a larger range of activities, rather than being the majority of the interaction in the book. The only other real activities in the book are very simple drawing pages. For instance, one asks the kids to draw a spiral, and that’s it. Perhaps having them incorporate a spiral into a drawing of their family, or some similar activity would been more interactive and engaging than what will likely end up as a quick scribble.

Growing Up Pagan: A Workbook for Wiccan Families is a solid option for Pagan families looking to expand their children’s understanding of their faith. With a variety of lessons on ancient symbols and significant characters from the Pagan faith, it offers a nice introduction for young Wiccans. Although the book could have been more engaging by offering a wider variety of activities for young learners, it accomplishes its goal of teaching young Pagans about their faith in a familiar manner.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)


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