Bible Quest was built as a ready-to-use resource for parents that can be scaled and fitted to your own family's dynamics and needs. However, it may be beneficial for some parents and leaders to have some structure to work with, especially at first. So, how much time does each section require? Here's an overview:
The week's Equip Phase memory work is mastered over the course of the week on your own time, and works well for ages 5 and up (we've done it with younger, but 5 seems to work well for most kids). This shouldn't take long each day - perhaps 20-30 minutes on the first day of the week and 10-15 minutes a day thereafter. Review games can be added for fun and increased study.
Empower Phase Exercises and Explorations (which are appropriate for older students, perhaps 9-ish years old and up - remembering that every child is different - or for students that are slightly younger but have been through the Bible Quest program before) are also intended to be worked on throughout the week as appropriate for the child. So, if the Empower Phase activities are used for a younger student, they may take less time because they engage it to a lower degree. An older student can go even deeper into the subject matter or add more details to their project, and may thus require more time. Because of the greater degree of concentration and setup required for these projects, it may be beneficial to allocate 40-60 minutes on the first day of the week for them (some may require more time - there are many options parents may choose from), followed by 15 minutes a day of practice by the child thereafter.
The Exploration Phase is intended for students in the rhetoric phase of learning (14-ish years and up) and may be scaled to fit the student's level as well. A half hour a day could be sufficient, and many of the Deeper Questions can also double as writing assignments for English compositions.
The entire program is a resource that can be scaled as you see fit for your students, so there is no specific, required break-down of time in it. A suggested schedule for a week is given below, but bear in mind that this is intended to help you visualize what might be helpful only and is not a hard-and-fast plan (discipleship is a relational process, not a scheduled procedure!):
Monday - 20-30 minutes working on 4 questions together. Older children complete their Exploration with parent help and practice the Exercise with parent modeling (40-60 minutes). Littler children go play or do some review games!
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 10-15 minutes working on 4 questions together, older children continue practicing their Exercise with parent input as needed (15 minutes). Oldest students work on their Expedition. (30 minutes) Littler children go play or do some review games!
Wednesday bonus - Read the "Why" section (either on your own or, if you feel it is helpful, to the children) and discuss the contents it with the family over dinner.
Thursday special - Oldest children (14+ years-ish) - work on Expedition and, if they will be able to finish it, they can share with the family on Friday!
Friday - Fridays could be simply like Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or they could be a bit different. Perhaps do 10 minutes working on 4 questions together, review the Exercise (and perhaps summarize the Exploration) for 10 minutes, allow the presentation of the Expedition* by oldest students (10 minutes), then play review games! (10 minutes, or more!)
* - Remember that Expeditions can take a student longer than a week of work to complete, depending on the subject matter and the ambitiousness of the task they are attempting. It is perfectly acceptable for a child to take longer than a week to finish.