Math has definitely been our subject that we had the hardest time finding our curriculum with. Jacob and I tried two different math curriculums during his kindergarten year but only lasted 1-2 months with each of them.
WHAT WE TRIED BEFORE
We first started with Math in Focus Grade K {which is a type of Singapore Math} and then we tried Math Lessons for a Living Education Level 1. I don’t feel like we used either of these long enough to do a full review and I wouldn’t say I disliked either of them but Jacob and I both just felt indifferent about them. It just wasn’t meshing. Maybe it’s because everything else we were using was so awesome that we just began to get higher standards for what we wanted.
After several months of trying and not loving these programs it was a total game changer when The Good and the Beautiful announced that they would be coming out with a math program for the elementary grades. I was ecstatic! I had NO DOUBT that we wanted to try it – and call it blind trust if you want to – I felt so sure that we would LOVE it!
So we waited. I remember wondering if I was “ruining” Jacob by not doing any math but I just felt like it wasn’t something I needed to worry about. So I didn’t {which is actually VERY not like me}.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
I preordered the math and prepped everything and we began the Level K at the end of June of 2018. We finished it in March of 2019 and it was amazing! I cannot say anything but good things about this program. I don’t know what magic The Good and the Beautiful does to every subject but they truly make it into something so enjoyable – both for my kids and for me.
{Also, just to give you an idea about a time table for completing this level, here are my thoughts. We definitely took our time with Level K. I knew that Level 1 wasn’t going to be released until this spring (2019) and even though Jacob definitely could have handled us going faster I didn’t see any reason to. We did one lesson a day and just slowly plugged away. Also, we did take longer because of starting in the summer – when we were doing lessons more sporadically – and then my pregnancy kind of put our schedule a little crazy. So this definitely could be completed faster than nine months but that’s just what it ended up for us and our current year.}
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE COURSE?
So let’s dive right in!
What’s included in the Level K math course set? It comes with two course books (Part 1 and Part 2) and a beautiful activity box. Part 1 covers lessons 1 – 60 while Part 2 covers lessons 61 – 117, both including an appendix with any extras you might need. There is also a free PDF download with an answer key and two free MP3 songs you can download that complement the course {“Days of the Week” and “Months of the Year” – THESE ARE SIMPLE AND AMAZING!}.
WHAT ARE THE UNITS?
- Number Sense 0 – 10
- Addition and Subtraction
- Numbers Up To 20
- Exploring Measurement
Each unit ends with a review and an assessment. Then there is a final course assessment at the end of the course.
ACTIVITY BOX – IS IT WORTH IT?
Everything you need is included in the Activity Box. I feel like I have read a lot about people wondering if it is worth it or not – my opinion, GO FOR IT! The box is beautiful {which I realize doesn’t really matter but who doesn’t love beautiful things?!} and all of the manipulatives are so well done. They are helpful AND fun to look at and use. There were a couple things that I laminated just because I plan on using them with other kiddos. I did laminate the pattern block picture cards, the flashcards (numbers, ten frames, shapes, and odd/even cards) and the Part-Part-Whole Mat. These were all printed on really high-quality paper but, again, since I am saving them for other kiddos I went for it!
HOW ARE THE LESSONS SET UP?
DAILY DOSE
Now to the actual lessons! Each lesson begins by doing the “Daily Dose”. This takes about 5 – 10 minutes and I feel is definitely where a lot of the review happens from previous lessons.
It begins with the child checking off the date in their personal calendar {which is darling – Jacob loved coloring a new picture to go with each month and reading the poem}. Then, as the course progresses, it goes from the parent demonstrating how to write the date to the child writing the date.
Next up is the place value chart. I loved how this was something that we just added to every day. It didn’t take hardly any time at all but I think just having that daily repetition really solidified place value for Jacob {which was something he was NOT getting in some of the other math programs we tried}. Then he would count up to whatever number it was for that day. This was a great way to get out some wiggles right at the beginning since it would suggest to hop, clap or do other things while counting.
The calendar, the place value chart, and counting were constants in the “Daily Dose” every lesson. After that, there were other short activities that would usually solidify things that were being learned {shapes, sorting, money, telling time, etc.}.
THE LESSON
Next, you went into the “Lesson-Direct Instruction”. This is where you teach your lesson {usually taking about 10 minutes}. The Good and the Beautiful really makes it so easy to teach. I rarely ever read ahead and you just go with what it says. Easy-peasy.
One of the things I loved the MOST about this program is that I felt like there really were so many different ways of learning happening. Almost every lesson had things presented both auditory, visually, AND kinesthetically. It was such a win! There were also lots of simple games and things that really made things fun and spiced things up. I feel like I can honestly say that Jacob never grumbled about doing math – it was a favorite!
STUDENT WORKSHEET
After the lesson came the “Student Worksheet”. This was so simple and was meant to just reinforce the concepts taught in the lesson and usually took only 5 minutes. I tried to be hands off during this part to make sure Jacob really knew what he was doing. But I was always sitting right there in case he needed me and looked over it with him when he was done.
BONUS ACTIVITY
The last part of every lesson is the “Bonus Independent Activity”. These were lots of fun and the different activities really varied so that you never got burned out of anything. These I completely left to Jacob to do on his own and would only take 5 – 10 minutes depending on the activity.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All-in-all this is such a FANTASTIC program. I have no regrets waiting for this program to come out and know that Jacob and I will “catch up” to where he needs to be. I feel like what he learned this year is absolutely SOLID in his head. It’s laid a great foundation for him to build on and we CANNOT wait for Level 1 to come out!
***The Good and the Beautiful provides SO many sample pages for you to look at. If you are interested in this program I would definitely take the time to flip through the sample pages on their site and soak in all of their gorgeousness.***
