UNBOXING & REACTING to The Good And The Beautiful Handwriting Level 1 - A Former Teacher's Response!

UNBOXING & REACTING to The Good And The Beautiful Handwriting Level 1 - A Former Teacher's Response!
I recently won a copy of the Good and The Beautiful Handwriting Level 1, for my youngest daughter. I have never used TGATB before and I have, honestly, been very hesitant. But thanks to Christie at One Blessed Mess, I get to try it.
In this video, I will unbox it, give you my first impressions and thoughts as a former teacher and homeschool evaluator.... and MOM!!! Hopefully this helps you decide if you want to entertain the idea of using TGATB in your home.
Thank you guys for visiting my channel.
Don't forget to leave me a comment, subscribe and give me a thumbs up so I know you found this helpful.
**UNBOXING & REACTING to The Good And The Beautiful Handwriting Level 1 - A Former Teacher's Response!
THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL CURRICULUM: www.thegoodandt...
Here are my SUMMER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CHOICES: • **NEW** Summer School ...
Here is an HONEST REVIEW OF MY 2020 CURRICULUM: • ** HONEST ** Homeschoo...
Here is some BIBLE CURRICULUM SUGGESTIONS: • Homeschool Bible Curri...
And for FUN! Check out these:
Visiting my former self to give homeschool advice: • BEGINNING HOMESCHOOL T...
DOWN SYNDROME Q&A: • Q&A Down Syndrome | Ca...
#thegoodandthebeautiful #curriculumunboxing #homeschool
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[@AbidingHomeschool]

We used TGTB before it was "trendy". We absolutely LOVE it!! We have been homeschooling for 9 years and have tried every curriculum under the sun and I am so thankful we found TGTB. It has been a total game changer and I don't see us ever changing again.

[@LivingWithEve]

That is awesome!

[@wanderingravens-arlene4108]

It’s a fantastic curriculum! We are going on our third year with it. I believe it’s a great faith based curriculum that focuses on character and good morals throughout.

[@OneBlessedMess]

My kids did 2 different levels of TGTB handwriting last year because they loved it so much! 🤣 I'm so glad your first impression of it was a good one! I know some people have their reservations about it, but it really is a great curriculum. I hope your daughter enjoys it this year!! Her reaction was adorable! ❤❤

[@LivingWithEve]

Thank you again!

[@orozco80]

Finally someone who proved me wrong. Thank you so much for your review I'll be ordering asap for my little one.

[@PenniesAndSalt]

I have avoided TGTB as well but we just recently switched my oldest to their language arts and I am LOVING it so far! It’s been super thorough so far!

[@LivingWithEve]

I can’t wait to hear and see how it goes.

[@faithmomlife1504]

I totally feel you on not wanting to jump on the G&B trend. I was so hesitant but decided to try out the language arts for the first time this year... honestly, I REALLY like it. (So much so that I ordered it for my daughter too) the language arts is definitely teacher led though!

[@amielawson8344]

We are a pagan family and use TGTB. I can say it is not overly religious. It is incredibly easy to skip over the religious aspects. My daughter is an 8th grader this year and using their levels 6 language arts. It has been phenomenal! My best friend is a 6th grade ELA public school teacher and her kiddos are homeschooled and they also use TGTB. She loves the curriculum as well. Definitely give it a shot! It is trendy because it is amazing!

[@nalanihamby3710]

I grew up LDS (and still am) and had I not done a little digging I would never have realized Jenny was LDS, I’ve never seen anything even remotely close to LDS gospel doctrine in any of TGTB curriculum we have used. Absolutely can’t complain about the results of it either, even my oldest who has a really hard time with handwriting will happily do these handwriting books without complaining.

[@PursuingPeace]

This is a great video friend! ❤

[@TheJocelynrae]

The Good and The Beautiful is done by a Mormon, but is not a Mormon curriculum. It is generic Christian; they have a lot of denominations looking over it to make sure of that. Even for their history, if you want the Mormon stuff, you have specifically buy the add-on for it.

[@vuyokaziyawa2468]

We love the good and the beautiful, my girls also advance them through, 🙂

[@destinationdero]

Nice unboxing friend. Be well👍

[@ourthriftyhomeschool]

We are using TGTB this year too. I held off for a while after hearing negative things too, but did my research and so glad I did! It's such a great curriculum so far! ❤

[@LivingWithEve]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@amberspencer1613]

We use TGTB. Absolutely no Mormon influence. We are not LDS. So, I watch EVERY curriculum. Handwriting was our "gateway " to TGTB. I didn't know it was trendy. 🤷‍♀️ A friend of my son told me how much he loved it. ❤ Cursive starts in level 3. He loves getting to draw in each lesson. We can do a few levels per year, simply because he loves it so much. 😊

[@amberspencer1613]

@Faith Through Arrows , I have not found anything unscriptual in the curriculum. Honestly, as Christians, I watch EVERY curriculum we use to assure that it lines up with the Bible. I have found things in other curriculum that are definitely out of line with what the Bible teaches. Not TGTB. I don't believe in discrimination against a company simply due to the founder's religion. I don't have the time or energy to research everyone's background. 🤷‍♀️ If you do that for TGTB, you would have to do it for everything to make that argument valid. As long as I can look in my Bible & agree with what they are saying, I am cool with that.

[@amberspencer1613]

@Faith Through Arrows , I can appreciate your problem with that. I am ok with it, but I can understand. You have a great day, too.

[@liztefft5312]

Love your daughter's reaction 💗

[@PursuingPeace]

Ha! A bonus to getting a package from TGTB is you're always guaranteed a good bubble wrap party. LOL!

[@everydayimmotherin1393]

I know a lot of other families who use TGTB but I hadn't really looked into it. This was neat getting to actually see one of the workbooks!

[@lovely4833]

I wanted to skip initially bc it was trendy but then I decided after seeing their free 4 weeks of lessons and we’ve been working with it every since. So nice and easy to follow.

[@juliaallen1367]

My boys love this handwriting curriculum. They beg to do one more page. We start our day with it.

[@heather6911]

How old are your kids?

[@Danionna]

I've have only four boys and heard so much about boys not liking it. My boys LOVE it. One really takes his time and does such a wonderful job, one hates all handwriting practice, but doesn't mind this, another just likes the coloring/drawing. 😉 I'm glad we tried it for ourselves.

[@EverydayBlessings]

Love one blessed mess. I have often wondered with your teaching background what is your opinion on the teacher’s point of view of teaching during covid? If you were still in the industry as a teacher how would you feel? I have been thinking about the teachers a lot lately.

[@dominique573n9]

We love TGTB I could care less that Jenny is LDS. That shouldn’t matter at all. Christians are no better than someone of the LDS religion, or Jews or catholics. She is not the only one that writes the curriculum they have a team of people of all different backgrounds and religions and TGTB is non denominational. People claim that some pictures they use are LDS and poems that’s just ridiculous to me. I don’t agree and if there was you can skip it 🙄 or make it a teaching moment it’s not that serious lol

[@aliciasoul]

Totally agree! When I chose a curriculum, my choice is based on the content and the fit for my child and not the author's personal/ religious beliefs. I like tgtb curriculum because it's one of the most inclusive and well-rounded. My daughter has many interests and is easily bored; tgtb has been great for her.

[@peggyk.738]

I totally agree! I watch every curriculum like a hawk...for anything that goes against what our family believes whether it be religion or our values. What I find very telling is that the person whom was the most outspoken against TGTB wrote her own curriculum at the same time she was denouncing TGTB. Was she opposed to Mormonism? Or was she opposed to the competition?

[@TheJocelynrae]

@@peggyk.738 I wasn't even homeschooling yet when all that went down, but my best friend was because her kids are older, so I heard about it. Since looking up curriculum stuff online, and coming across the KZbin channel that denounced Jenny, I definitely think she was just running down the competition. I am very careful about my curriculum choices and their worldviews, and TGATB is the most neutral and benign generic Christian one I've come across. I'm Catholic, so I even just have to watch out for most non-denominational curriculum. I've seen secular homeschoolers being more objective about Christian curriculum than I have seen Rebecca be about TGATB. As far as I've seen, she never identifies specific Mormon theology in the curriculum, she just poisons the well with her tone and "Jenny is a Mormon." Just watching how her entire demeanor changes when she mentions TGATB triggers my B.S. alarm.

[@maisieliberty1319]

I totally agree! :)

[@belindagarza3958]

@@aliciasoul LDS people are Christian. The full name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It just gets shortened to LDS because it is such a long name.

[@simplejoyfilledliving]

We love TG&TB handwriting for Sophie. But one thing to keep in mind is that their levels are not grade levels. So many kids are in a higher handwriting level than their grade.

[@mommyonthemove25]

Yay! thanks for the flp through

[@MB-mn4jw]

I choose "A Reason for Handwriting" for printing and cursive practice, which involves copying out letters, then words, and then sentences (to write out Bible verses). And, then students can write out the verse nicely and colour the sheet, even to give away. It's great! So you can hit two birds with one stone (e.g. scripture memory + handwriting practice, even 3 birds--with potential for evangelism of unbelievers or encouragement of believers). Choosing a Christian curriculum also means less time spent screening lessons or resources to see if they fit into a Biblical worldview (e.g. is it works based? is there anti-Biblical content? will it cause spiritual harm? etc.) If there is no Biblical worldview, it is good to know...what is the worldview of the author of the story or quotes in the curriculum? And, how could that worldview impact a child's development? Personally, I want to saturate students in God's word, so they can more easly discern a counterfeit. We don't have a lot of time before they fly the roost. Let's use our time wisely. Deut. 6:6,7 "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." I know how easy it is to step into a cult, because I did. I went to a Christian school for 8 years and a Christian university for 5 years, but I fell into a cult. I was drawn in by their kindness and their excitement for God. But, I knew something was off. I just didn't have enough Bible knowledge to be able to point out why they were wrong. Our children are with us for maybe 18 years, and then gone. Let's use those years to saturate our children in God's word (the sword of the Spirit) so they are ready for battles of various kinds. It is good to remember that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. Yes, Mormons are incredibly kind, sweet people, but, they are sadly deceived, and we need to guard against deceptive teaching. Do you know what Mormons believe? www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/the-8-beliefs-you-should-know-about-mormons-when-they-knock-at-the-door/

[@MB-mn4jw]

Perspective from a Mormon who got saved. Neat story. He talks about the works based religious perspective of Mormonism. Galatians 5:1 says: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." kzbin.info/www/bejne/emaZaqtridanjM0

[@MB-mn4jw]

Wondering...can you spot a "works based" perspective in TGATB? (vs. grace...saved by faith in Jesus Christ who died to save us from our sins).

[@LivingWithEve]

Yes, thank you. We also had a friend who was Mormon and that brought up a lot of discussions. And my husband and I are very much into apologetics. I do tend to stay away from these topics on my channel. i usually do dictation and copywork straight from the bible. Especially with my older kids, it's pretty much free and simple.

[@LivingWithEve]

I actually don't know that much about the curriculum to answer that.

[@TheseDays]

This is a great review! Thank you for sharing! I downloaded the free PDF for level 1 on TGTB website just to check it out! I have heard the whole Christian/Mormon argument, but I have also heard that it is very non denominational. I have many friends that use it and love it. I might incorporate the pdf! I have looked into thier nature journals too! Thanks Eve!

[@agamble1126]

Thanks for sharing. I ordered level 3 for my second grade son. It reviews print while introducing cursive. I've been told its about 80% cursive. Maybe an idea if your daughter flies through the level 1 print.

[@LivingWithEve]

Cool, thanks!

[@jennyo82]

The handwriting is not teacher intensive at all, but the LA program is what some people think as being more “teacher intensive”. Which the old editions were. The new editions released over the last year or so, are much more user friendly thankfully 😅 I’ve used both old and new editions with all 4 of my kids...I was concerned about the mormon issue...but in all honesty I haven’t seen ANY issues yet. We’ve used levels k-6 so far🙌🏼

[@StaceyYoder]

We just started this level of handwriting. My boys are enjoying it

[@creatingcommunity7022]

Very thorough review. I have a free science unit from TGTB that I still haven't decided whether I am going to use or not.

[@HomeSweetHomeschoolLife]

Their handwriting looks fabulous.

[@simones7854]

Were you at the homeschooling day at the Zoo in FL a few weeks ago. That was a lady that looked just like you 😂

[@LivingWithEve]

No, it would of been nice to go though.

[@cynthiag1557]

I'm a Messianic Jew, and I stay away from really overt and heavily Christian based curriculum because it doesn't always align with my beliefs despite us believing in Yeshua, and have tried other curriculum, but switched completely over to TGTB for science, langauge arts, and History this year and it is so simple, and the Christianity especially in the Science is not heavily overt. Like I know we're doing geology right now and there was a scripture, and it wasn't an integral part of the lesson but just added a nice little add on and it's not disrespectful to other beliefs or religions. I've met another homeschool parent that also happens to be Muslim and she loves TGTB as well as I know some fellow Jews, not Messianic that use TGTB because it is respectful to other cultures.

[@ourserenelife4321]

I have 2 boys and they love it and they love nature so flowers are great!

[@oneblessedmommy4024]

I didn't jump on TGATB trend either I researched for 2 or maybe it was 3 years 😂 So this year will be our first using them in LA and Science 😁

[@Joyfulmamaof2]

That looks good! I've never really looked into TGaTB before(our kids are in 1st and preschool)but I like how this looks!

[@adrianabarrios9834]

I’m amaze about this curriculum 💓I just love it 💓

[@SevenInAll]

I'm also not the biggest fan of when some curricula do a lot of holiday-centric activities. It can be cute...but especially because we don't live in the USA, a lot of the smaller holidays require a lot of explanation. This looks like a good level for "first grade." It's definitely true that some kids love handwriting and others...not so much.

[@AtHomeWithJill]

Wow! I loved hearing your teacher perspective on this!!!! We have been using it for 4 years 😆😆

[@heidi6544]

I am using tgtb with my 7th grader level 5 and we love the grammar, art, handwriting and geography. Not loving the writing part of it though:( I want to try iew writing next year.

[@likethecolorgreen]

Former public school teacher. Bless your soul 😰. Hopefully you didn’t suffer with the disrespect the students show.

[@oursweetiebirdshome]

We are looking at doing this curriculum next semester for our 1st grader! We do a lot of Charlotte Mason inspired schooling, and this would be a perfect fit for that!

[@TheParentTeacherBridge]

I'm like you. I am not trendy either. It looks grab-and-go which is good. We love HWT and journal writing. I agree with the 2-3 times a week. If a child does it well very quickly, then they probably didn't need it to begin with. lol

[@LivingWithEve]

That is a very good point... at that point... it's busy work.

[@BrazenBrits]

Great video, very informative!

[@MB-mn4jw]

Here's a perspective to consider on the TGATB curriculum: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqrJlqSAh5yVepY

[@LivingWithEve]

Yes, I have seen this video. But I also see the other side of it too. After talking with several people and doing some searching I found that the staff who writes it, is not completely Mormon, but a mix of Christians from different denominations. I do challenge you to find otherwise because I would like to know. I don't think TGATB would ever be our curriculum of choice because I just don't really like it, for many reason including my hesitancy in this area. This writing curriculum showed no signs of Mormonism and it was very simple. I was not afraid to use it with my daughter. The entire TGATB thing is a very sticky topic because there are so many strong feelings on both sides.

[@RussellsLovingLife]

This looks like a fun handwriting curriculum.

[@EricaLucasLoves]

This is one of my fave videos from you. Your energy from the intro through it got me excited! Since you are a former teacher, I trust your reviews’

[@LivingWithEve]

Thank you !

[@biblegirl]

My daughter was just playing with bubble wrap from a tgtb box lol

[@MommaonMission]

I don’t do trendy either, lol, but that looked like a well thought out curriculum!

[@animegirl2245]

I'm familiar with the LDS religion, and in my opinion, it's more of general references to God, not particular to LDS. We ended up not using TGATB because my 4th grader has ADHD and it was just tears every day.

[@katisoto796]

That is where we are right now What did you switch to? Have you found something that works?

[@EducationalRoots]

I used TGTB for kindergarten and it was actually great, but then I kind of felt convicted about using it. But I tell ya what, TGTB is so darn beautiful! I wish there was another curriculum company who made such pretty things. I still own a few things from TGTB that I bought as downloads but never used (safety and maturation). I’m so conflicted. Gah. I’m glad you actually said it out loud about both the controversy and the trendiness. Now there’s another trendy curriculum I won’t touch with a 10 foot pole. And that’s by a Christian. But it makes me also reconsider how much that even means as far as curriculum. Anyway, I’m rambling...

[@LivingWithEve]

See now i wonder what that is?

[@LivingWithEve]

What!?! Do you have a link, please send that to me. We were going to try the American Government this summer.

[@LivingWithEve]

I would be curious if he’s okay with it now.

[@SusanEvans]

Teacher-intensive is bad, I agree. And I didn't know about a Mormon being one of the writers of the curriculum. I've never used the Good and the Beautiful. It looks like the books themselves are really nice, so maybe there's a reason they're trendy.

[@lovemakesfamilygrow2978]

Just a little correction, “mormons” is not a church or religion. They are call members of “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” it’s a very Christian religion. Yes TGATB do have some free resources for the members of The Church of Jesus Christ which is what some people are offering about.

[@merhag766]

god bless you

[@carebearb2007]

I agree with boys having a harder time with handwriting. both of my boys have a hard time with it.

[@ninagonzalez2442]

So u can help me hopefully ima mom of 3 special needs children n want to homeschool them according to Gods will. Can u please get back to me plz????

[@LivingWithEve]

What do you need help with? You can also email me... [e-mail]