Likely you have heard of The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum. This homeschool curriculum was developed by Jenny Phillips and focuses on good literature and takes Charlotte Mason’s approach to homeschool. I have been integrating this curriculum into my homeschooling for almost a year. The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum Review will tell you all about my experience with the program after almost a year.
I am not being paid for this post. All opinions are my own.
The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum Review
Does The Good and the Beautiful Follow Common Core Standards?
As the website states, they do not follow Common Core standards, however, they claim to match or exceed national standards. I have found this to be the case.
The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum: Math
We have been using The Good and the Beautiful curriculum in our kindergarten and third-grade math for this entire school year. I am so happy that I made the switch when we started kindergarten this year. We only have experience with the kindergarten and third-grade levels so far.
I really love the spiral method of learning in the math curriculum. The spiral method presents a new concept in a lesson and then moves on to another concept.
For example in kindergarten math, you will cover Matching: Part 1 in lesson 8. Lesson 75 will cover Matching: Part 2. I have found that this keeps the child engaged, and not overwhelmed with a new concept. However, you may at times feel like you are jumping around to different subjects, something to take into consideration. Perhaps your child is having a hard time with a concept that will not be covered again for a while. You can either keep practicing that skill until you see improvement. Or simply take a break from it and allow them to naturally develop that skill. There is no need to worry that they will never master it. There is plenty of time for these things, promise.
Grades K-3 come with an adorable math box. These boxes vary depending on the level, but they all have the manipulatives you will need for that level. In the third-grade book, there are useful punch-outs that are used and then thrown away after one use. (Again I am sure they are in other levels, but I am only familiar with the third grade and kindergarten)
Why I Love The Good and Beautiful Math Curriculum
We have had a blast with this curriculum so far. Throughout the books are many games to play. The games have been exceptional for the times my older son hasn’t understood a concept at first. After we have played the game once or twice he is better able to understand the concept. My boys are both very active and always moving. This was a big factor in choosing a curriculum to switch over to in third grade. Again, this is where the games have been so vital for peace in our homeschool day and year.
When I purchased my books for math levels K and 3 the kindergarten book was spiral bound, and this did cause the front and back cover pages to fall off after a few months of use. I have not found this to be a huge problem, however, the first couple of pages have come off. I believe the company was addressing this concern, however.
Social Studies, Science, and Geography Integrated Into Math
Yet another feature I love about The Good and Beautiful Curriculum is that it integrates a variety of other subjects into math and even Language arts. (More on that later.)
kindergarten
For example with Math Level K there are many basic science concepts, mainly featuring nature. I love this. At times in the program, your child is asked to go outside and collect items in nature to use in the lesson. How fun!
Third-grade
The third-grade math level focuses on social studies and geography. It is done so nicely with the customs, foods, and cultures of people in other countries. My son really loves the riddles that are used as well. The riddles are great for solidifying new concepts.
I have found myself not worrying about doing every little problem in the lesson practice and independent practices. I have seen that they will come back to the concept, and in due time the concept will be grasped.
How Long Can You Expect Math to Take?
In both kindergarten and third-grade levels there are 120 lessons. We are able to do one lesson a day in our year-round schedule.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten lessons are no more than 3 pages, usually only 2 per lesson. The lessons are fun and engaging and keep things interesting for my son and me. One lesson a day will give you more than enough time to finish the book in a typical 180-day year. Depending on the lesson you can spend 10-15 minutes on one lesson.
Third-grade
Thirty minutes is all it usually takes to get through a lesson for my third-grader. (I believe they say between 30-45 min per lesson.) This can vary if there are games or not. Most lessons are 3-4 pages. The first 1 or 2 pages are parent-led, as it is the main part of the lesson. (There is a lot of reading for the parent up until third grade, however, I do know fourth grade is more child-led for the whole lesson.) Then there is 1 page for Lesson Practice, and 1 page for Review and Activities.
I see the benefits of starting with the program from kindergarten on as my son is not very good at doing the child-led pages on his own. Perhaps if he had been using The Good and the Beautiful math from day one he would be more willing. Time will tell if this is the case with my kindergartner.
What Can I Expect My Child to Learn With The Good and the Beautiful Math?
As I stated before the curriculum meets and exceeds national standards, in their math. I can not speak so much from experience for the standards in third grade, but I believe they exceed the math standards for kindergarten. For instance, my kindergartner is learning how to tell time to the hour and has mastered it. Also, he is learning how to count by 5’s and how to recognize the Penny, Nickle, and Dime. I do not think my son learned these things in public school when he was in kindergarten, that is why I say they exceed the standards here.
What About The Religious Aspect of the Curriculum?
As far as the math curriculum goes, religious doctrines do not find their way into the lessons. If you believe in the basics of God and Jesus then you will not find anything controversial here. I take great care in making sure that what we read and the study doesn’t conflict with our beliefs, and have yet to find this in The Good and the Beautiful.
There are many things I love about The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum and one of those things is also their Language Arts Curriculum. Let me tell you about it.
The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Curriculum
I will preface this by saying that again, I am fairly new to The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum. We have only been using the Language Arts curriculum for a few months, and only with my third-grader. I will base my review on what I know so far.
Level 2 language arts
Yes, you read that right, level 2. Prior to starting level 2 Language Arts, we had tried only a couple of different reading curriculums. The first one we tried was Reading Street from kindergarten through second grade. (Reading Street is not a homeschooling curriculum.) Also, we went through one book from Memoria Press (at the beginning of third grade) This was based more on reading and comprehension more than anything else. These both were fine, and Reading Street is what I am currently using for my kindergartner in conjunction with Hooked on Phonics.
Why is your third grader doing LOWER-LEVEL language art?
It is not because he was behind in reading or any language skills. I did this mainly because of his lack of desire to write. Every child will learn at their own rate. When I first started homeschooling, I would not have wanted to put my child in a lower level of anything. However, I have relaxed quite a bit in my homeschooling style.
However, I did know I wanted to switch my son over to a more comprehensive Language Arts curriculum. Looking into the level 4 Language Arts I found it included a lot of writing workshops. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this idea. Everything included looked like something I would want for him. I worried that he would revolt though. This much writing for him seemed like we would be doing nothing but fighting. I decided to start him off at a slightly lower level to prepare him for the higher levels. Our writing had been lacking quite a bit. We were doing handwriting, but as far as other things went, I wanted to be doing a bit more.
Previously, geography, writing, spelling, and more were divided between several books…I wanted everything to be condensed into one book, and that is what I got by switching to The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts!
Reading that Keeps My Son Interested!
The feature that sold me on the Level 2 Language Arts was the reading books that came along with it. I love the side-by-side reading. The parent has a section to read, and the child has a part to read. This has been a game-changer! My son knows how to read, but he isn’t an avid reader. He doesn’t get too excited about books, especially chapter books. That being said, he was begging to read the books included in the curriculum! One book that has really caught his attention is “Wesley and the Wolves”.
The chapter books that come with the curriculum are designed to go along with the “Booster Cards” or daily practice cards. Instead of chapter titles, the chapters focus on the reading skill the child is learning. The story has been full of adventure, curiosity, and a bit of mystery that has kept my son interested.
Art Appreciation, Writing Practice, Geography, and Spelling
If you are looking for a comprehensive Language Arts Curriculum, I really can recommend The Good and the Beautiful! Included subjects are art appreciation, writing practice, geography, and spelling, just to name a few!
Did you know all of that can be yours for FREE?
Jenny Phillips definitely knows what value her curriculum has, but she is kind enough to provide it for free! I know for sure the Language Arts and Math are free, but I haven’t looked into other subjects. They are available for free download. I find having physical copies of the books works best for me. Right now you can get the whole Language Arts curriculum for less than eighty dollars!
I certainly plan to stick with this curriculum for the foreseeable future. I am eager to start Level 1 with my kindergartner, but I am in no rush to get kindergarten over with. (It has gone too quickly!) I would love to come back and give my review of the next levels as we progress!
But before I go, let me tell you about Science for Little Hearts and Hands.
Science for Little Hearts and Hands
This Science unit has been so fun for us so far! It is certainly nature-based, with lots of trees, flowers, and insects. The description for the curriculum states it is perfect for preschool to second grade, but I would venture to say it can go beyond that! The lessons are short and engaging, with videos! I hope we get to enjoy it even more with the warm weather now here!
In conclusion, this curriculum has been such a thrill to find! It has everything I could ask for, and at a price that I know I can’t beat! My wiggly boys have been able to learn so much with the interactive activities that were lacking prior to our switch! I can’t wait to come back and let you know what we think of the next levels!
Until next time! Remember, keep things simple, and have fun!
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