Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Book 1 - Homeschool Curriculum Review

[@Christopher-KaneeshaChappell]

This is the most helpful review I have EVER watched about CM curriculum. I literally JUST researched about every source you mentioned RIGHT before watching your video. I still have tabs open for Singapore Math, Simply Charlotte Mason Arithmetic and Beauty and Truth! Thank you so much for this. I was literally about to be so overwhelmed!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Awww, I'm so glad it was helpful! Did you end up deciding on a curriculum?

[@diamsyal4967]

​@abeautifullywreckedlife so was the books inspiration rays arithmetic? Is it basically the same thing? Instead of buying rays primary arithmetic book PLUS the answer keys book.. cm elementary arithmetic has teaching and answers combined right?

[@YogaNurture]

I agree! I love having this book on my shelf. I found it amazing to see my kids grasping all sorts of math concepts without realizing that they were learning "advanced" concepts. Like practising multiplication and division without really saying "Now we are going to learn multiplication and division!" Instead, they skip counted or told me how many 3's are in 24 using buttons. And they aren't afraid of story problems because we've always done them. Win! And I love that we can use the notebook if we are feeling like it, or I can skip it if I see my kids fading.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

YES to all of this!! We just finished Book 2 and my favorite thing about it is still that they really are learning advanced math without realizing it!!

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Thank you so much for the lovely and thorough review! We are working hard on Book 4 and it is very close to going to print. We don't want to make any release date promises especially with the supply chain craziness right now but we would love to have it ready in time for this coming school year.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Yay! Thank you so much for that update! You guys are awesome, and I cannot imagine trying to orchestrate product releases with the supply chain issues. Thanks for your hard work!

[@nattamused9074]

I completely understand how you felt overwhelmed with how to implement CMs ideas. I have been “homeschooling” for 20 years, and overall we have become an unschooling family with just an appreciation for CM. I have tried and tried to read through her original series, and she has so many good observations, but MAN! She was a schoolteacher. And I’ve been a mom up to my elbows in toddlers and dinner! So much of the CM homeschooling I've attempted through the years was simply too schooly for us. But… this math is looking really good to me. After Abeka, Math-U-See, Christian Liberty, Rod & Staff, Life Of Fred, and Saxon, I think we’ll go ahead and give this one a try too. Ultimately what has worked for us has been leaving the options wide open for the individual kids around here, so it cannot hurt.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

So, this year in particular, I've definitely felt the fact that Charlotte Mason was a teacher and not a mom. I've also wondered how many of those families she was writing to had nannies. I am a HUGE believer in laying the wide feast of ideas, but it feels like a lot right now in this season I'm in. So I definitely get where you're coming from! Hopefully this math works out for you, and you guys have a wonderful school year!

[@TaylorMadeBeauty55]

We landed on it a very similar way! My daughters mental math skills are truly incredible! Going through it a second time around with my son is just as exciting and beautiful! It truly helped me love homeschooling more than I ever thought I would!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

YES!! Isn't it such a wonderful feeling when it all just fits?!? I hope you have a wonderful year!

[@Dreblueskies]

Nice review! 1 year later update would be great 👍

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Thank you! Math has been a whole thing in our homeschool, and I'll be sharing more about our math journey soon!

[@amberwilliams1705]

Thank you for such a heartfelt review! My son loves this program but it's so easy to be pulled in to all the fun or pretty options out there as a mom and every time I hear a genuine review it reminds me that the true beauty is in the simplicity and solid connections it creates!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

YES!! I have to constantly battle the pull toward other curricula out there! But you’re so right, this curriculum really is beautiful.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

YES!! I have to constantly battle the pull toward other curricula out there! But you’re so right, this curriculum really is beautiful.

[@hollydegroot6510]

I can’t thank you enough for this review and your experience with this curriculum. Many blessings and would love continued homeschool related content!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@amandamendoza4181]

Thank you for your time explaining what you loved about this curriculum and why the others were not working. Very helpful!❤

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@BlessingsatHome]

We are diving into a full scope of SCM this year and I am so excited. I have books 1 and 2. My kiddo that will be using book 1, I noticed he could do simple concrete sums like you have one cow and there are two more cows in the field how many are there, but then when asked what's 2 +1 he would guess something completely random so when I found this math I was so excited. My oldest has been using CLE which I really like, but when I got book 1 in the mail and was reading off some of the word problems he was excited about them and I ended up getting book 2 for him this year so I am hoping he enjoys it. By the way I just love your doors! Old five panel doors are what I plan to put in our house as well. So timeless! I just found your channel too :)

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Ahhhh, thank you so much for your comment! We LOVE the word problems, too, especially because most curricula introduce them much later (either in the curriculum or in the lessons). I love that Elementary Arithmetic starts right off with them! I hope you guys love it so much this year! (And thank you for your compliment on the doors. It was definitely one of the things that made me fall in love with this house!)

[@sarahbeth717]

This is a really helpful explanation of the math curriculum, thank you!!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@katiedixon1756]

Hi, do you still love this curriculum a year later? Next year I'll have a 2nd grader and 5th grader coming from Master Books. Would you recommend starting with book 1 for the 2nd grader since we did not learn math "the Charlotte Mason way?" Thanks!

[@melissatrotter7490]

I would love an update as well. Looking at jumping in but a little hesitant.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Yes! We switched to Beauty & Truth Math last year, but we're back to Elementary Arithmetic Book 4 this year!

[@homeschoollifemom]

Thinking about switching my 9 year old twins over to this. We have used the old version TGATB math until now and now we have the Simply version and they hate it. My daughter cries pretty much every day. The lessons are long and almost all worksheets. They took out the hands on multi sensory aspect to the lessons. And it’s progressing too rapidly. They need subtraction and addition concreted better and it’s already moving them onto multiplication. I love the not teaching anything is isolation aspect of the SCM math. They have books 5 and 6 in the works it says on their site so maybe those will be available by time my kids get there. 😊 did your son move through the whole book in 1 year?

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Thank you so much for your comment and questions! Yes, we did all of Book 1 last year, and our pacing worked out perfectly so that we ended the book only a week or two before our school year ended. I cannot rave enough about the solid foundation this book lays! My son is well into Book 2 already this year, and seeing how well he grasps the relationship between numbers and operations is incredible!

[@kelseybogus7354]

we've enjoyed using this math series. this year we are going to jump into simply Charlotte Mason business math for my 9year old this year. it looks to be life application for alot of the basic math he has already learned. if we get stuck we'll stop and work on that idea until we get it. 😊

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Yay! It's always so good to hear from mamas who have gone before me and enjoyed a curriculum, too. I hope Business Math works really well for you guys this year!

[@84AnnieK]

Thank you for sharing! I’m considering all of these curriculums for my almost 6 year old son :) MUS looks amazing, but I’ve heard mixed reviews similar to yours. I think SCM might be a better fit. It’s difficult to know before trying.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

You're welcome! It is super hard to know before you use each curriculum, but I hope that whichever one you land on works well for your family!

[@amberwilliams1705]

We have tried a couple different ones and my six year old always asks to use SCM! It is truly so simple and gentle yet solid and builds a strong foundation.

[@jenniferrush8231]

I’m interested in this math book but we keep school secular. Does the book include religious text?

[@debbibenke2417]

Thank you for this review - I purchased the CM Elem Arithmetic Book 1 (for my first grader and book 3 for my 3rd grader). This is my first Simply CM Homeschool year. LY was my very first homeschool year. I have jumped right in (will start our school year in the middle of August). So question for you - should I start my 3rd grader in book 3, or should I go ahead and start with the foundational Book 1 with my daughter. He will probably advance quite quickly, so I would think we could do more than one lesson in a 20 minute time period. Thoughts on what you would do or would suggest? - My son has used Saxon Math and ACE Math and then we have started grade 3 Good & Beautiful during the summer to keep up with Math so he doesn't "fall" behind. Thank you! Debbi

[@jaclyn7248]

We are thinking about changing from Singapore (level 1) as well and trying Simply Charlotte Mason Arithmetic. When you changed, did you start with arithmetic book 1 or 2 when coming over from singapore 1?

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Thanks so much for your question! We did start with Book 1, because I wanted to make sure my son had a solid number sense AND because the SCM curriculum is so different. I wanted us to just start from the beginning to really get the hang of how the curriculum works. I don't regret that decision, either! I hope Elementary Arithmetic works for you guys if you switch!

[@kaileyd]

Thanks for this review! I saw one homeschool mom use this curriculum in a ‘day in the life’ video and it looked amazing. I’ve seen some mixed reviews but it will be $80 for the book for me (Canadian,including shipping) so I have to be sure 😅 It’s so beautiful though. My 6 year old is a ‘slow’ learner, she really needs short and repetitive lessons and I think this could be a good fit for her!

[@IndiBex86]

Hi, did you end up trying the SCM arithmetic curriculum? If so, how did it work for you?

[@kaileyd]

@@IndiBex86 Yes I did! I really liked it and so did my kids! It really breaks down each number and I think it was easy for my kids to understand.

[@aubriehuntsman499]

I’m so glad I found your review! I’ve been really torn when it comes to math. Did you use book one with your second grader? I have an upcoming 1A lower and upper (2nd/3rd) and I’m not sure if I should start at the beginning with them or not.

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Hi Aubrie! I did start at the beginning of Book 1 with my 2nd grader. While he could already add and subtract, he was a bit shaky on place value and general number sense. I also wanted to lay a solid foundation of mental math. While I did struggle a bit with feeling we were “behind,” I don’t regret that decision at all! Simply Charlotte Mason does have book samples and the Scope and Sequence of each book on their website, though. Hopefully that helps you place your kiddos!

[@aubriehuntsman499]

Thank you! Yeah, I’ve done the placement tests and they have placed a little “behind” on what their grade level should be. It is hard to get past the idea of grade levels and the feeling of them being behind but I would rather them have a solid foundation! Thanks for your response! I’m so glad to have found another Charlotte Mason mama here on KZbin! 🤗

[@lorinpahlau6619]

Are you still using SCM math at this point? Thanks!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Yes! We actually switched to Beauty & Truth Math Year 3 last year, but we're back to Elementary Arithmetic Book 4 this year!

[@lanefurey8676]

Wonderful review! Thank you!!!

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

My pleasure!

[@chrissytucker1025]

We are brand new to homeschooling and the Charlotte Mason way. My daughter will be starting the third grade at home. She is used to public school and hundreds of work sheets. Will this be an easy transition?

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

Hi Chrissy, thanks for your question! First of all, welcome to homeschooling! I hope your journey is incredible! Second, I think you'll find that this math curriculum is very gentle. It's such a multi-sensory approach to math (zero worksheets) that I personally feel like it lays a really solid foundation and makes it really engaging. With that said, it's a VERY different approach from what she's probably used to. Simply Charlotte Mason has some very helpful resources about how to teach math the Charlotte Mason way, and I would highly recommend their companion book and video. As a former public school teacher, I needed those supplemental aids to help me truly understand the CM way. I hope that's helpful!

[@jenniferandra4016]

I am just beginning to implement this math with my youngest. I was wondering if you were going to include some concepts that are usually in math programs but I am no seeing in this one such as the calendar and shapes?

[@abeautifullywreckedlife]

We do a lot with shapes in the early years, and then continue to do a lot informally with geometry. We also do calendar time every morning when we first go up to the homeschool room. Otherwise, I haven't really felt a need to supplement this curriculum, but I can see where people who live in states with stricter requirement might need to in order to make sure they're hitting certain standards.