QUITTING THE GOOD & THE BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE ARTS | Why we stopped using The Good & The Beautiful

In this video, I'm sharing why we're quitting The Good & The Beautiful Language Arts curriculum and what we're going to be using instead. We were using level K of The Good & The Beautiful Language Arts homeschool curriculum, but we stopped it about a month ago and have decided to use a different curriculum with a more streamlined and hands-on approach.
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[@themoncriefs6731]

We experienced the fast pace feeling as well. Instead of plowing ahead through it anyway, we would take a break for a few weeks from the workbook and just focus on the beginning reader boxes. This helped so much! Each time we went back to the notebook after mastering the beginning reader box she was fully ready to move on. This curriculum works very well if you use all the reader books that go along with it, and take your time. Don’t fee like you have to get through the book in a 9 month segment of time. It took my daughter 12 months.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

It is a beautiful curriculum. :) We actually took several breaks just as you described but in the end, it just wasn't the right fit for us. I'm so glad that we have so many different curriculums to choose from so we can cater so well to our children. I certainly have plans to revisit TGTB LA in the future but will be using something else for a little bit. :)

[@SimplyLivingIt]

We used and LOVED AAR! I hope it is a good fit in your home for your little guy! Mama, I am so proud of you for realizing and noticing this! As homeschooling mamas...sometimes we want to hold on to things regardless of how it fits in our home. I am excited to see how this transition helps! 💜

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I think it can be difficult to pivot when we love a curriculum but it doesn't fit for our kids, right? I'm so looking forward to trying something new! :)

[@SimplyLivingIt]

ABSOLUTELY!

[@AwesomeDaysAhead]

We are going for it. Pandemic forced us into this decision. Pulled our daughter out of Christian (not religious or catholic) School because in Illinois there is a mask mandate. I’m the teacher (dad). We’ve always loved teaching at home even out of school. Starting first grade. I appreciate this but I’m going for it. Very helpful.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

It is still an awesome program and works for SO many kids. I'm sure we'll look into using it again in the future. :)

[@peachy_reina]

How did it go?

[@mrswahl219]

I really needed to see this video. I've been struggling so hard with my 6yo with the kinder cirriculum. He loved and flew through the primer k stuff. And so far we also love the math. But man. There are some serious flaws with the language. I feel like I've done him such a disservice by trying to push through. But I'm going to look into other options and see if I can find something else in our budget.

[@jessh3092]

I’m in the same place. I used this with my oldest and we have gone slowly with it this year, and it’s still been a thing. The worst is that she is so frustrated with herself. I finally realized the curriculum needs to go and I do feel guilty I didn’t switch it sooner. I’m switching to Logic of English and we are starting from the beginning in hopes of strengthening areas of weakness as she can read simple beginner books. But I definitely relate to feeling like you’ve done him a disservice because I feel the same.

[@themasonjarlife2357]

We are going through this EXACT thing right now with TGTB level K! We went through the Pre-K and K Primer levels, and then in the K level, we got through lesson 34 (we homeschool through the summer) and my 6 year old was in tears by the end. It was moving WAY too fast! We plan on stopping for awhile, using something else to really get the foundations of reading, and then perhaps going back to TGTB when he is older. My 8 year old, who is a very strong reader, is using TGTB level 3 and we love it for her. So you may decide to go back to it one day! But thank you SO much for this video! It encouraged me to look into All About Reading for my son.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

So glad that it was relatable! My son is doing really well with All About Reading. I'm planning on adding Language Lessons for a Living Education alongside it in the future as it is super gentle.

[@jetsquared]

Same here. When we started learning about nouns and stuff I was like 🤯 He was NOT ready for that. He was still learning how to read! The idea of “noun” was just TOO much right now. I threw in the towel around the same lesson.

[@dominique573n9]

Same exact thing happened with mine we also made it to lesson 34 and have now stopped. I ordered all about reading and we will do that for a bit and go back to TGTB K in a few weeks or so

[@vintageplans5217]

I'm in the exact same spot, we used TGTB K primer and it worked SO WELL. Now that we're in Level K, it's become a MASSIVE struggle. My son is also on the early side for reading (not quite 5) and I feel like the lessons are just way above his comprehension. I've heard wonderful things about All About Reading, but wasn't sure how it compared, so I really appreciate your review.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Glad it helped! We've really enjoyed AAR.

[@nicolentwiga7049]

I felt your issues with level k while using the prek primer. There were so many topics in each lesson (even though simple). The capital and lower case, plus sound, plus writing, plus other lesson for the day. My daughter was just getting overwhelmed and frustrated. We moved to the all about reading prereading. We love it! So much more focused. We still cover simple counting and the other lovely things in TGATB curriculum, but separately.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes! AAR is a wonderful and very solid resource. We've really enjoyed it. :)

[@Sdewebb]

I used TGTB Level K with my daughter. She was just out of kindergarten when we started. She learned a lot and advanced her reading significantly over the summer. I encourage you to try again after your son completes kindergarten and see how you like it after that. The extra components didn't bother us because my daughter already knew how to read and was just increasing speed with the program. 😊 That being said with my 4 year old I did prek and primer. I'm switching to Masterbooks for their phonics program for my incoming kindergartener because I do agree it's a lot for a new reader.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes, this is quite an old video now. :) We've gone back and forth between the two curriculums a bit and should finish them both by the end of the school year.

[@stoltzmama10]

I did the same thing with my kindergartener this year. I love the good and beautiful for my older son we have used it for 3rd and 4th grade. The jump from Pre-K to K in TGTG is huge! We use explode the code and just read books together.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

We’ve just been reading together while we’ve been waiting for AAR to arrive and it’s been great!

[@intoalivinghope]

Have you heard of Alpha-Phonics? It uses magnetic tiles of letters and pictures. My daughter is a kinesthetic learner and she was super excited and ready to do every lesson. There are 2 levels, it's affordable. It's good for reinforcement of other curriculums. The teachers guide is very minimal, it just gives you ideas on spelling games.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I haven't! It sounds good. So many amazing phonics programs out there.

[@jenniferfranklin9960]

This was very good information to know. I also I’m using the good and the beautiful but I’m at levels 1, 2 and 3 with my three kids. I have so far really enjoyed the curriculum as I feel it is not too rushed but I have not looked at the younger, lower levels yet and I will be having a kid in a few years that will need that. This is good to know that I might want to look elsewhere at least at the beginning. Thank you! 😊

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Glad you found it helpful! :)

[@PursuingPeace]

This happened to us too...but the other way around! 😂 YES! Teaching your child is all about learning how your child learns. ❤ It can be so hard to switch curriculums mid year but it's necessary and totally OK sometimes! Great job mama! ❤👍

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

It's amazing how each child learns so differently! I'm also so grateful how easily accessible curriculum is. I can just download a PDF and print it off in many cases. Makes homeschooling that much easier. :)

[@PursuingPeace]

@@ThisHomeschoolHouse RIGHT?! Super easy!!!

[@katiacleroux7376]

My kiddo is a mix of everything, and relies on kinesthetic as well. For the Primer K, we're adding letter manipulatives to help her with it, even if they aren't recommended with the lessons!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes! Supplementing to make it work for your kiddo is essential. :)

[@amberwhite8914]

I totally get it, my oldest daughter is opposite tho. She's in love with TGTB LA but couldn't quite grasp their math, all the games & manipulatives seemed to overwhelm her. I love that there are so many options out there for us mamas to choose from!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes, such a blessing that we get to choose!

[@PiningOverHome]

Ugh we also loved preK and primer K...level K just seems so dry in comparison!! We’re in the same position. My son learns very quickly and isn’t having a problem learning with it, but he’s not really enjoying it like he did with the prior levels. He ASKED for those, he doesn’t ask for this 😭😭 struggling with what to do next..glad I’m not in the boat alone! (New to your channel and loving it! ❤️)

[@PiningOverHome]

Also I agree with the speed..I find myself skipping over some sections of a lesson because I’m thinking “does he really need to learn all of this in two sentences lol because he will not retain that 😂”

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes! It seems like they took a lot of the kinaesthetic learning out of it which is such a shame. It was really hard to consider dropping it but I'm so at peace with the decision now. I'm sure we'll go back to TGTB once he's more fluent with reading. :)

[@laurenscotto2074]

I looked into AAR as well, then happened upon True North Reading which is fairly new (as a widely available program). It is very thorough in auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, etc and a nice pace. They are still building their website, so the buy in is still very reasonable while they still get their content loaded up. So far we've really enjoyed it and I love that it's printable games, hands on, and not crazy priced!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Good to know about!

[@sleepdeprivedmomma5888]

I am a momma of 4 and have been homeschooling my oldest since she was 2. I have a 6,5,3 and 1 y/o. I like to make my own curriculum and have been doing it in the past. I taught my 2 oldest girls to read and both started reading at 3. This year, I'd like to test out some curriculum out there and see how my kids like them. I'd like to take advantage of the TGTB free course download so I went ahead and did the placement test to see what level my 2 oldest girls would be. Both aced level 1, but struggled a bit on level 3. So my 6 and 5 year old will both be starting on level 2 in a week or 2. Yay! Let's hope they like them! If not, at least my only cost was ink, paper, laminating sheets, electricity, and my oodles of my time organizing our lessons for the year! :D

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes! It's a wonderful free curriculum for parents. Amazing that the offer it. Have fun!

[@ziggyc9104]

I love both programs. One suggestion is to copy the pages from the activity book since you have more than one kid. If I knew you were interested I would have sent you PDFs of what i have so you could see if your little guy liked it or not.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Thanks. :) I've got a good printer/photocopier at home so I've been copying all of the activities so we can use it in the future again.

[@colinp6231]

We tried using TGTB level K. It moved way to fast. We switched to Christian Light Education-Learn to Read. It is so much better and has a lot of review. We will eventually go back to TGTB because we love it so much. The earlier levels just didnt have enough review for my 5 year old.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes to the lack of review. It was definitely just too fast paced for us. I'm sure we'll go back to it in the future though because it really is good and beautiful.

[@RootedinRest]

It’s so hard to stop a curriculum midway through, so happy to hear you recognized his feelings toward it and were able to step back and make a clear decision. We love AAR! Sounds like it’ll be a great fit for you guys!!!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I've got my fingers crossed that it'll arrive soon! Your videos were so helpful in coming to a decision. :)

[@MyCathedralGarden]

agreed! Your videos are what pushed me towards AAR

[@SevenInAll]

It can be so hard to stop using a curriculum that you loved at first, but wasn't working for your kids. Kids learn so differently and so individually, and that's why I'm glad that we do have a variety of curriculum options available...but you're right, sometimes it's hard to know what else is out there when you've been using one curriculum.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Very true! So thankful we have so much available to us.

[@rrichards1210]

Good decision. I don't think AAR was around when my girl was learning to read. I did buy 100 Easy Lessons but one look and I knew we would both be in tears so quickly sold it on. Although I have not used AAR, I think it is what I would have chosen if I could have. I see Amazon is now willing to post to NZ, but at $US30 a book! One of the few cons about living in NZ - postage!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yes! Shipping is always so expensive, but I've taken to using Youshop whenever I can and that helps a lot. Plus, many curriculums are available in PDF format these days.

[@jessicacreamer6209]

Ah! We're set to start TGTB Level K in a few weeks! I hope it works for my little one! Hopefully AAR will work great for your guy! 🤗

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

It works well for so many! I'm still glad we gave it a go and I wouldn't be surprised if we go back to it for supplemental purposes.

[@briannconn2552]

Bju press english is great!

[@cidfamily]

TGTB K was moving too fast for my daughter as well. I almost bought AAR, but for now we are working through BOB Books that she reads for free through a digital library, and then we do the BOB workbooks. She’s really enjoying those. Hoping we can go back and continue with Level K eventually. The rest of the levels are great!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

So nice to be able to take it at their pace, right?

[@monadouc9368]

We use All About Reading and TGAB a grade level below when needed and it works better for us that way and reinforces our reading lessons

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Sounds like a good plan!

[@sarab210]

I had the same exact experience with my daughter. We did 100 Easy Lessons and then about 35 lessons from TGATB K. We switched to AAR 1 for the same reasons you stated. We are about 3/4 of the way through and I am now using TGATB K as a supplement. It is going very well. AAR is a great program. My older son just completed the program: levels 1-4.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

This is great to know! We started with 100 Easy Lessons as well and found it great. :)

[@tramseyplanter2]

Sara b how many years did it take you to finish all 4 levels?

[@sarab210]

@@tramseyplanter2 about 5 years. I went at his pace so he didn't get frustrated, but didn't take any long breaks, such as a whole summer. Some lessons took 4 days to complete, some 1.

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

TGTB language arts is above grade level. We started on level 1. Education is essential!!! We’ve paused on different Curriculums wen needed.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Yep! Definitely above grade level.

[@kimmuraco2272]

My son was 6 in Kindergarten and he was struggling with reading. I had to really slow things down with him and used a curriculum called ABeCeDarian Reading Program. Which was really inexpensive and affordable. Ordered from Amazon. Loved it. This year he is 7 in his 1st grade year. I ordered TGATB to try it out. He has taken off with reading and loving TGATB. I feel he just wasn't ready developmentally. It's totally ok to slow down. The beauty of homeschooling ❤️

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Absolutely! Being able to cater to the pace of your child's development is such a wonderful part of homeschooling.

[@MyCathedralGarden]

We did this exact same thing with TGATB Math level 1! Literally didn't even make it half way! I disliked it so much I made my first KZbin video on it lol. I was looking at using AAR for my 2nd and kindergartener next year so this may have just put me over the edge!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

We've LOVED the math but found the LA was lacking in kinaesthetic learning. My little guy loves being able to use manipulatives to figure things out so I think AAR will be perfect for that. :)

[@Mahagony1985]

I to use TGATB level K language arts and I did feel that it jumped quite fast so we've been at a pause for about 3 or 4 weeks now of supplement to work for my daughter to get her to a place to continue on. I'm happy to know I'm not the only one that has had this experience. And I'm sure I will just skip the art appreciation parts I don't feel it's necessary at this age.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

You're definitely not alone!

[@ashleynix200]

Thank you for this video. This video actually makes me feel much better about ditching what we had been using (Logic of English) and switching TO The Good and the Beautiful (Don't you love how individual homeschooling is?). My son gets bored with just focusing on only reading, so throwing in little lessons about other things helps him stay engaged. He also gets super bogged down by a bunch of manipulatives with reading lessons. I especially appreciate your comments about giving yourself permission to set aside a curriculum you love and switch to something else based on what is or is not working for you child. I love Logic of English, but every time I pull out the book lately, my son shuts down. I'm giving myself permission to set it aside. Thank you!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

You're so welcome and I'm very happy you found my experience helpful!

[@faithfullyinfertile]

I taught my oldest to learn to read with All About Reading....and then it didn't work for my second! :) It is a FANTASTIC program.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

We're so looking forward to using it! :)

[@AlwaysBooked]

I’m in this exact same boat!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I hope this helped then! Their new LA is so much better.

[@jenniferjones8384]

I just threw my TGTB Language Arts K book in the trash today. We were halfway through and it felt like the book moved ridiculously quickly. My daughter and I were both frustrated and feeling like failures! She's 6 and she can read above what I would expect from a child her age. We just weren't enjoying it.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

It definitely does move fast. We took a break and did AAR for a while and have picked it back up now. :)

[@mil8903]

I’m a new homeschool mom to my first son :) We are about to star kindergarten and I was planning on doing the good and beautiful. Are you able to share what subjects you do with your son in kindergarten?

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I do have a video about this on my channel if you want to check it out. This year we're covering math, reading, nature study, history, handwriting, and habit training. :)

[@rubyhaskell1325]

I’m still on the fence whether I want to use TG&TB for my kindergartener in the fall. I have heard that their curriculums tend to be a bit more advanced. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I love their Math and Handwriting! I'm also planning on doing a couple of their science units next year. It's just the Language Arts that hasn't been working for us in this season.

[@ashleyallen6479]

We aren’t enjoying it either. We loved PreK and Primer, but K is killing us. It’s the lack of hands on here too. I’m not sure where to go from here. I might go Simply Charlotte Mason.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Simply Charlotte Mason is definitely a program I've considered. Gentle is a great option!

[@zanosaurus]

Logic of English Foundation is what we use and it sounds like exactly what you want if you want manipulatives/kinesthetic learning!

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I'v heard good things about Logic of English!

[@audreymcnair350]

I'm struggling with the same issue. We are using TGTB with my 6 year old. It's not really moving to fast for him, but I really dislike the focus on sight words. They use so many words as "sight words" that can follow a phonics rule. I worry I'm going to mess him up. I'm considering switching to AAR, but the cost is holding me back.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I know that there are many kids who are fluent readers after using TGTB, however, for us personally it's just not the right reading program. I hope you can find what works for you. :)

[@kayleighjohnson3612]

Thank you for the videos you have put out! They’ve been really helpful in researching my options. I’ve seen other people talk about the Level K being difficult, and somebody mentioned that there is a third edition now which is better than the previous editions. I’m curious, which edition were you using?

[@efficientfuture1336]

I just bought the preK book from TGTB

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Enjoy!

[@janerhee37]

I just ordered All About Reading as well. My daughter is 6 and supposed to be going into 1st grade equivalent level. She went to a regular preschool where she learned the alphabet and sounds but not to read. Last year for Kindergarten homeschooling, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just used Bob Books and had her read those with me. She enjoyed initially but after a couple of months found it torturous. SO we are trying All About Reading this year, but recently I stumbled upon Logic of English and am struggling whether to incorporate that. I do like that it has writing, also very interactive and goes over all the vowel sounds. Did you take a look at Logic of English? vs All About Reading?

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I haven't looked much into Logic of English but I've heard really good things about it. :)

[@deannasahm645]

I had to quit this same program. I thought I could use this to teach my kid to read, but that didn't work at all.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

I'm so thankful there are so many options available to us! :)

[@xKellogsx]

sounds like a muddled accent. Australian and US?

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Definitely muddled! South African, New Zealand and with a US influence. :P

[@xKellogsx]

@@ThisHomeschoolHouse i wasnt too far off! I was going to say Australia/NZ but didnt want to offend by combining the two lol

[@clairegray_]

Crazy question, are you a kiwi originally? Feel like I can’t pin point your accent.

[@ThisHomeschoolHouse]

Nope! I'm from South Africa but also had an American influence in my life so it is a real mixed bag. Haha!

[@clairegray_]

@@ThisHomeschoolHouse aahh it all makes sense now 🙂 love it! Keeps life interesting when we are all different 🤗