What home-school curriculum are we using this year??
When I initially decided to home-school Ethan, I was SUPER overwhelmed by all of the curriculum options swirling around the internet. It seemed that EVERY one had good reviews and bad reviews, pluses and minuses. SOOOO when we first started, I chose to just patchwork a curriculum together to get us started. BUT soon I realized that winging it was NOT the answer. SO I jumped into researching again, and that is when I discovered THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. I downloaded the free Language Arts files and after the FIRST lesson I knew that I had found the answer to WHAT HOME-SCHOOL CURRICULUM will work best for my family?!?
First off, I just have to say that I am getting zero kickbacks from this post. This is not a paid review. Actually THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL doesn’t even know who I am…haha. I just love this beautiful home-school curriculum and wanted to share my WHY in case anyone else (like me) is out there searching through the HUNDREDS of options for the PERFECT one!!
Why do we love THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Language Arts?
- As the teacher, I love that the lessons are completely grab and go. They are scripted lessons, so the work is all done for me. I rarely even have to read ahead, I just open to that day’s lesson and go. Plus they include geography, art, grammar, spelling, and reading. Adding in the geography is PERFECT…like SNEAKING a little bit of extra learning every day.
- I also loved the Level Assessment available on the website. It was a very accurate assessment of what Ethan KNEW and what he still needed to work on. I actually placed him slightly below where he tested because of his dyslexia, and he has made VAST improvements. We used level 1 instead of level 3 for him for 3rd grade, and it was perfect for helping him to build that foundational knowledge that he had missed in school. And it was NEVER babyish or FLUFF…each day was a VERY thorough lesson and his reading level has improved dramatically in only a few months. We were able to complete multiple lessons each day in a lower level, but the knowledge he gained will help him as we move up to the higher levels next year.
- Ok…I cannot post about this home-school curriculum without acknowledging the beauty. The book is FULL of gorgeous paintings and wonderful poetry. At first, Ethan had a hard time stopping to discuss the artwork, but now he jumps right in noticing the details and shading. MY 9 YEAR OLD BOY…talking about beautiful artwork!!! In a world full of fast paced youtube videos and video games, I love that Ethan is being exposed to beauty EVERY SINGLE DAY!!
- The readers…I LOVE THE READERS!! It is not easy to get Ethan to read. It is a frustration for him. But he loves the stories in the readers. They are fun and not TOO long and such cute little stories. He has even asked to read MORE out of the readers…I cannot argue with that.
- The spelling rules and grammar cards. For a child with dyslexia and dysgraphia, these spelling rules are like gold. Being able to see WHY a word is spelled that way has been HUGE for Ethan. His spelling is not great by a LONG SHOT, but I can see him using the spelling rules he has learned to TRY to spell words correctly. In the past he would just guess.
- As a student, Ethan loves that the activities are NOT the same every day. Each day the lessons build on the previous knowledge, but the lessons and activities are NEVER the same. He loves the variety. PLUS, the lessons are not TOO long. We get enough teaching, practice, spelling, and reading, but NOT overkill.
- Ethan also loves the art projects that are included in the lessons. It is a fun way to break up the day to have him water coloring or drawing a picture. But the art is simple enough that he doesn’t feel overwhelmed or bogged down by perfection. I cannot wait to see the art projects progress as he jumps into the higher level books.
- I could go on and on. Honestly, we both look forward to learning each day. Last year I used the free downloads and printed the books on my own. For the coming year, I went ahead and purchased the complete home-school curriculum from THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL because it was a bit time consuming to print and punch and bind. BUT the price for their curriculum is sooooo reasonable…especially compared to other home-school curriculum out there…that I had no problem purchasing the pre-printed books. It was honestly like teacher/mom Christmas when the boxes arrived with next year’s books.
Why do we love THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Math curriculum??
- As much as I adore the LA curriculum…and I do…I am obsessed with the math curriculum!! It was BEYOND amazing. Ethan was in 3rd grade last year, but since there was not a level 3 curriculum released yet, I downloaded the Level 2 to help him review. IT WAS HIS FAVORITE PART OF OUR SCHOOL DAY!! And although some of it was a review, there were MANY new skills that he learned along the way like reading maps, graphing, shapes, the metric system, time, money, etc. There was SOOOOO much included in level 2, that I am SUPER glad we reviewed. We were able to do multiple lessons each day and finished both level 2 books in just a few months, but he learned SOOOOO much!!
- As a teacher, I love the LAYOUT of the curriculum. For example, the first section in level 2 started with a boy who delivered newspapers. Then for that ENTIRE section, every lesson was about him and his paper route. The lessons were about MANY different topics, maps, addition, measuring, parallel vs. perpendicular lines, etc., but they ALL tied into his paper route. It made each day fun and exciting and new, but also allllll tied in together in a cohesive format. For Ethan, the REAL LIFE examples were perfect for helping him retain the knowledge taught.
- Another favorite part for me as the teacher is the DAILY DOSE. Each day there is a section where the student writes the date and does a few independent review problems. THIS IS GOLDEN!! I could not believe that at 8 years old, Ethan didn’t REALLY know how to correctly write the date on his paper. PLUS, this little review helps me to see what he needs a little more help with and what he is excelling at. It is the perfect little warm up each day!!!
- As a student, Ethan loves the games. LOVES THEM!! He thinks we are playing and doesn’t even know that some MAJOR learning is happening. And not just with the games, the manipulatives are FANTASTIC. For example, using “real” fake money helped him with his money skills A LOT!!! One assignment had him ordering from a menu, filling out the order form, and then counting out the fake money to pay for his order. IT WAS AMAZING to see the light-bulb click on as he counted out the money to “pay” for his order. There are some extra pieces to account for and keep organized, but the payoff is TOTALLY worth it!!
- As with the LA curriculum, the math curriculum is GORGEOUS. Lovely pictures and graphs and worksheets…everything is in full color. PLUS, the assignments are so fun. Each day is a different TYPE of assignment and they are all pretty fun and NEVER just a dull list of problems to solve.
What do we love about THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL science??
Let me just start off by saying that WE ARE A SCIENCE FAMILY!! We love experiments, non-fiction books, documentaries, you name it. So for us, Science is a VERY big and important part of our home-school curriculum. We completed THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Arthropod unit last year and half of the Botany unit (we will complete botany in the fall) and LOVED them both. You can see how we used the Arthropod unit in THIS post.
- We LOVE THE EXPERIMENTS and hands on activities!!! I love them because nothing requires a TON of time and money to set up. Most of the experiments use items we already have in our home. PLUS it tells you RIGHT at the top of each unit what supplies you will need. If I have not had time to grab the supplies, we just wait for another day. It is so simple and easy!!
- We love the family style learning. Each lesson has an extension for older kiddos that was perfect for Emersyn (12 years old). Even though these science units are simple enough for smaller kids, they are NOT watered down. The information is there, you just choose how in depth to go for your kiddos. This would be perfect for families with a large variety of ages. For us, 3rd and 6th grade, it was just right.
- All of the extensions and additional optional items are JUST WHAT WE NEED. Each lesson has additional videos and books listed that can supplement the information. We REALLY enjoy watching the additional videos. AND I just saw that TGATB now has a bunch of their own videos to use that go along with the lessons. Vidoes of the experiments, in case you do not feel like doing it on your own. But also educational videos. I am SUPER excited for this coming year because we will be studying ENERGY and it is jam packed with fun experiments and LOTS of videos!!
- The price. To download of the arthropod unit was only $12!! So we got an entire science unit for just a few bucks!! Plus, they have a free Marine Biology unit that you can download and print FOR FREE to try out. We have been waiting until we can ACTUALLY go to the beach to study that one…and sadly covid has changed our summer plans. BUT maybe next year we can plan to head to the beach for a home-school field trip!!
What ELSE we love about The Good And The Beautiful home-school curriculum!!
- The book library and book list. TGATB has their own book library where you can purchase good wholesome family books and KNOW that you are getting kid friendly books with educational merit. PLUS they have a wonderful list of books that are quality and lovely to read AND a list of books to stay away from…and WHY. I do not use the list religiously, it tends to be a little TOO conservative for me, but it is nice to know what you are getting into. For example, many books are not recommended because they have swear words in them. That is a good reason for me to withhold those titles. BUT some books are not recommended because they contain magic OR because they have no educational value. I am ok with simple magic books, and I allow my reluctant reader to read fluff books…I JUST WANT HIM READING!!
- The values. I would classify this curriculum as lightly Christian. It is obvious the creators are Christian and the lovely values of kindness, service, honesty, sharing, etc are a very central part of the message in the lessons, but it is not overly preachy and certainly holds no religious doctrine specific to any particular religion. The first week we were home-schooling, Ethan would pause when the MATH assignment would mention God as creating the Earth or the Language Arts story would mention Daniel in the lion’s den. He finally said “We never read about Jesus at regular school mom.” I felt it in my heart RIGHT THERE DURING MATH CLASS…THIS was how I wanted my children to learn!! I WANTED to talk about Jesus during our math assignments.
- And I am SOOOO excited to start THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL History Unit 1 this year with my kiddos. We did not do an organized History unit last year, and I am DYING to get started with this BEAUTIFUL curriculum. I know my kids will like the History game, but I think I mostly ordered it for myself…I’m a nerd:)
I am actually SOOOO beyond excited to start this school year. Things are going to look VERY different, and the thought of having both of my kids home all day is a LITTLE overwhelming, but I’m ready. Come what may and LOVE IT…right?!?! Among all of the chaos and unknowns for this upcoming fall, it is SO nice to know that I have chosen a wonderful curriculum for my kids that will give them a solid education AND help reinforce high moral character and Christlike attributes. I actually think I might start school a little early because the LAZYS hit our home HARD lately. I will keep you posted on the ups and downs of our first full home-school year…let’s chat about it soon. JESS
pin for later!!
