Contact Us

By phone: call us toll-free at 877.492.8081. Our office hours are Monday—Friday. 8:30—5:00 EST.

By email: direct general inquiries to Contact (at) BrightIdeasPress.com or use our online contact form. Technical Questions may be addressed to TechSupport (at) BrightIdeasPress.com after reading our Troubleshooting Guide.

By post: Bright Ideas Press PO Box 333 Cheswold, DE 19936

Wholesale and international inquiries: Click Here

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I photocopy my book for my co-op? Do you offer discounts for co-ops or schools?

Most of our products are intended and licensed for single family use only, however we do offer co-op discounts and licenses. Click here to read more about them or call our office for details.

I have a problem with my download/cd/digital product – what should I do?

First, read this Troubleshooting Guide (it’s short and simple). If you still have problems, give us a call at 877.492.8081.

What are your shipping rates?

We offer several shipping options for your convenience. Shipping charges are based on the total weight of your order and will be calculated during the checkout process after your shipping address is provided and before payment information is required. Please be sure to choose your preferred method at check-out: Media, Priority Mail, or UPS.

What is your return policy?

Our policy is simple: we want you to be satisfied. If for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, just return the new, unused item to us, in the original shipping box or one of similar quality, within 60 days. Please allow 4 weeks to process your return. Thank you!
Note: Shipping costs are not refundable. Please follow these directions carefully:

1. Item must be in new & re-saleable condition.
2. Item must be one that we still carry.
3. Pack and wrap boxes securely. (Do not use newspaper as “stuffing” as it often leaves ink on the books.)
4. Include a copy of the receipt in the box.
5. Mark the outside of the box: RETURN
6. UPS or Fed Ex or send via USPS insured mail. We are not responsible for damage incurred in returning an item to us.
7. If you want credit to a credit card, please include card # & exp. date.

Ship to:
Bright Ideas Press
539 Blue Heron Road
Dover, DE 19904

Please note that downloadable products are non-returnable and non-refundable. Products on CD may be returned or exchanged if they are damaged, defective, or otherwise unusable.

What is your privacy policy?

Our complete privacy policy can be found here.

How can I pay for my order?

We accept MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, and personal checks. (We collect payment through PayPal. Your order will automatically be routed to PayPal for payment processing.You may then pay with a debit card, electronic check, existing PayPal account balance or a major credit card through the PayPal service.) Checks should be mailed, with your ordering information, to:
Bright Ideas Press
P.O. Box 333
Cheswold DE 19936

What if I don’t find my question/answer here?

Please contact us with any other questions you have or if the answers provided here do not answer your question fully.

How can I contact you with other questions or concerns?

Please use the form on our contact us page so that we may assist you.

Mystery of History FAQ

How many volumes of The Mystery of History will there be?

Four. Currently, Volumes 1 — 3 are complete.

The planned scope of the series is as follows:

Volume I: Creation to the Resurrection: Creation-AD 29
Volume II: The Early Church and the Middle Ages: AD 30-1460
Volume III: The Renaissance and Growth of Empires: 1461-1707
Volume IV: Revolutions, Rising Nations, and the Present day: 1708-Present Day

When will MOH Volume IV be available?

In order for Linda Hobar, the author, to maintain the excellent quality you see in the first three volumes, it will take a minimum of three years for each volume to be published. Watch our website for details as upcoming releases approach. We do not have an estimated release date at this time. We recommend you subscribe to the E-Zine (see left), so that you will be alerted when it comes out.

Help! I love MOH, but I’ve finished Volume III, what should I do?

We would suggest taking a couple of years off from world history and switching to American History. Try our All-American History program. The feel is very similar to MOH: short lessons, map work, and hands-on projects. All from a Christian perspective.

I’ve heard of a lot of people who supplement MOH with other curricula. This makes me nervous. Is MOH not enough?MOH is plenty on its own, it is a complete curriculum. There are several reasons people supplement. Some parents supplement to meet the needs of their children’s extreme interest levels. Others are striving to meet different learning styles of their children. Some homeschoolers are simply “curriculum junkies” (we have some on our staff!) who have trouble stopping at just one and not using everything that’s out there.

If you love MOH and wish you had a full curriculum that centers around your history study and uses MOH as a spine, take a look at our Illuminations curriculum.

I’m having trouble with Week 17 on the MOH 1 Reproducibles CD. How can I get it?

You can download Week 17 here.

Are the MOH 1 &2 Reproducibles CDs Mac compatible?

Yes and no.

Yes: All the files are in PDF format, which is completely Mac compatible.
No: The interface used to find the files is Windows Only, which means if you want to find a file, you’ll have to do so in Finder by looking at the filenames on the CD.

Note: This does not apply to the MOH 3 Companion Guide on CD. That product is completely Mac compatible.
Note: The new MOH 1, 2nd edition Reproducible CD, is completely Mac compatible.

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Christian Kids Explore… FAQ

Why do you say that Christian Kids Explore Biology and Christian Kids Explore Earth & Space can be scaled down for younger users, but you don’t suggest that for Christian Kids Explore Chemistry or Christian Kids Explore Physics?

This is because of the subject matter. Biology can be simplified so that it can be understandable for younger students. Chemistry and Physics do not have this same kind of flexibility. It is difficult to simplify chemistry so that it can be accessible to early elementary students. We would suggest that you use Christian Kids Explore Biology and Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space with younger students, and saving Christian Kids Explore Chemistry and Christian Kids Explore Physics for upper elementary and middle school students when they will be able to understand it more fully.

How do I use Christian Kids Explore…with multiple ages?

Read it out loud and discuss it, while little ones busy their hands with a coloring page, which we include in the books.
OR
You can let older ones read for themselves, write out the vocabulary and complete a daily reading sheet, reviewing what they read. With the younger ones, you can read the information first (to yourself) and explain the topic while doing a hands-on activity.

The Christian Kids Explore… program seems simple, will it be enough for my older ones?

The material is there. It really depends on what you do with it. For instance, if all you do is have them read the teaching lesson and then later in the week complete a hands-on activity, they won’t retain as much as they would if you spend more time on it. For example, if you go over the teaching lesson (or have them read it), ask questions, have them complete the vocabulary and the daily reading sheets (which are intended to get them to focus and review the material), then follow through with the hands-on activity later that week and give a verbal review, it would be a meaty program for older students.

In addition, you can add in some daily work (some people prefer this method)…review vocabulary each day; memorize the scriptures that are given, and/or the memory lists in the back of the book. If you still want more, you can add in additional books on the topic. My kids did not do the memory work, but they really liked the additional books. If they read from other sources, I have them complete a daily reading sheet and add it to their notebook. I try not to be overly strict on this, however, because I don’t want it to become drudgery. The main thing to remember is you can make it as full as you desire, or keep it simple. We’ve provided plenty of meat and plenty to build on. Additional sources ARE NOT necessary, but they can be quite interesting. Especially when they have color photographs! One of our favorite resources that works well with ALL the Christian Kids Explore… books is the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. (We carry this title for your convenience.)

Is there a good resource list?

There is an incredible resource list in the back of each book. It is already organized according to the units of the book (not by age). The ISBNs are even listed to make ordering a breeze. We did the best we could to weed through all the books out there, but of course in science, many of the books are secular in nature and refer to evolution. Each family will have to decide for themselves how to deal with that issue. One family may choose to skip it altogether; another family may choose to read it and discuss the information from a Christian perspective. You will also find a cross in front of the books that are specifically Christian in nature.

Can I use the material out of order?

YES! Sometimes later units build upon earlier units, but with a little reading, you can rearrange to make it work. It would make more sense to do mammals before humans, since humans are mammals, but it would not be essential.

The activity shown in the sample lesson of Christian Kids Explore Biology is for young children? Are they all this way?

No. Off and on throughout the book, I added in some extra activities for younger children, but not always. Most of the suggestions are for 4th – 6th graders, but can easily be tailored for the younger grades.

We study according to the classical model. How does the Christian Kids Explore series fit in with that?First of all, as recommended in The Well Trained Mind, Christian Kids Explore Biology is a full year of just biology. We also offer a full year of earth science in Christian Kids Explore Earth & Space. Biology and Earth & Space are best suited for grades 3 — 6 although they are adaptable. For 6th — 8th graders we offer Christian Kids Explore Chemistry and Christian Kids Explore Physics. These two books were written by college professors and creation scientists — Robert and Elizabeth Ridlon. These books are all set up to be taught twice weekly. They are creative with a reasonable amount of research and memory work required. We worked to keep them usable for classical families and still practical for busy families. One major goal was to keep it creation based and God-centered.

All American History FAQ

How much teacher prep time is involved in All American History?

On a day-to-day basis, very little teacher prep time is involved. You can sit down with them and read the lesson aloud as they are working in their Student Activity Books answering questions as you read. However, you would want to spend some time at the beginning of each of the four, eight week quarters preparing. This kind of prep would include:

• Determining how much you expect to read aloud, or have them read, per day. The reading is broken down into weeks but not days.
• Making the Review Games (Simple, index-card “Memory” type games).
• Choosing any extra reading, if desired. There is a book list included but it is optional.
• For younger children you may wish to cut out the figures from their Student Activity Books ahead of time so all they need to do is paste them into the appropriate spaces.
• Looking over the “Family Activity Suggestions” and choosing which ones you will do and determining what, if any, supplies you will need. (For example, Lesson One is on the Vikings and the two “Family Activity” options are to: watch Veggie Tales Lyle the Kindly Viking and compare and contrast the movie with what you now know to be true about Vikings or to make “silver” jewelry (this ties in with the lesson as well).
• Lastly, I would suggest looking over the “For Further Study” questions each week and determining which, if any, you will assign. The older the student the more I would assign. (High school – 3 out of 4 of them.) Remember, the synopsis of what info they should find for each question is in the Teacher’s Guide!

How do the daily lesson plans work? Do you teach a lesson on one day, and then the students do independent work the rest of the week, or do you teach more frequently than that?

This so much depends on your family and your preferences. The way I taught was to:

1. Spend one day a week on any reading aloud and discussion.
2. Spend the second day doing maps/timeline and perhaps some written work.
3. Then my boys would have reading to do (either re-reading the lesson if I read it aloud or reading either historical fiction or non-fiction books with great pictures) on one of the other days. We generally spent no more than 3 days a week on history.
4. At the high school level, they also had research questions to answer — in the case of All American History; these would be the “For Further Study” questions at the end of each lesson in the Student Activity Book.

I purchased two Student Readers to be shared among four children…is this sufficient?

It should be plenty. A large family might choose to have just one Student Reader for reading aloud but if I had older students I would want them to read or re-read the lessons on their own as well. In addition, since they need the Student Reader in order to complete the map work in their Student Activity Book I think that two Student Readers with four students is a good ratio.

I purchased four Student Activity Books, one for each child. Is this correct?

Yes. If you have one younger than 3rd/4th grade though, they might not really need it. There are reproducible photos in the back of the Teacher’s Guide which could be copied and used to make a simplified notebook for the younger children.

Last Thoughts – READ the Teacher’s Guide! It is the Heart & Soul of this curriculum!!!