I love MWC, but the only way I could use it was by highlighting the teacher script in yellow, and supplies needed at the top right, in pink. I did it at night, a little everyday until I did all lessons. It so much more smooth like this. Also, instead of cards, we use a free spinner app (spin the wheel) and save the games on it before hand, so that way, we’re not scrambling with cards or 1,000 pieces. Instead of an app, you can also use 10-sided dice from amazon, it’s about $8 for a pack. These tips have made teaching MWC a breeze!
The amount of number cards for MWC K is exhausting. I think I’m going to skip the cards when I can, and just write on a dry erase board. Especially for the addition and subtraction equations.
@@brittany.powell yes!!! That’s exactly what I did in level k, use the white board. 😊now for first grade, I use a spinner app for free (spin the wheel) or 10-sided dice. It’s a game changer!
Thank you for that recommendation!! I will definitely look into the app! Hopefully that will help because it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes lol (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
We tried TGTB math 1 two years ago when my daughter was in first grade and I thought the same thing, that it wasn't deep enough. I also found their work pages too crowded and I thought that was too distracting for my daughter so I stopped using it (even though my daughter seemed to enjoy it). We bounced around with math curriculums which all made her cry every time I pulled math out. Finally landed on MWC 1 and she seemed to enjoy it enough to the point that I bought second grade MWC for grade 2. MWC 2 quickly turned into the same battle. Cue us bouncing around between two more math curriculums and every one resulting in the same thing. She'd cry, become overwhelmed and freeze. To the point where she was retaining nothing being taught. Out of desperation I downloaded the free pdf of TGTB again. I can honestly say after using it for the last 3 weeks, she's like a different kid. She loves math now. Doesn't cry and is actually learning because she's not shutting down during our lessons. I wish I had never stopped it to be honest 😅 I don't even care if it doesn't go as deep as some other curriculums because this is the only time in the last 2 years she's been calm enough to actually retain the information she's being taught! Not saying you should stay with TGTB. I hope MWC continues to work for you guys! I guess I just wanted to share my experience of "don't fix what isn't broken" 😂 just because I thought it wasn't going to be enough.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It can be so hard to know which curriculum to use honestly! We have actually started adding back in TGATB as a supplement because I think their format is really helpful for practice. He seems so much less overwhelmed than in the beginning of the school year so I totally hear you on how things can just change so quickly too haha. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I actually had the exact same experience! I was overwhelmed with TGATB. Took 2 months break trying other things like MWC and Saxon math.. and they were way too dry. It really made them appreciate the good and the beautiful more! We are happily using it again!
We love MWC! We started homeschooling in second grade with our daughter. So we’ve used MWC 2 & 3 with her. She’s currently working her way through MWC 4. Earlier this year we started with Preschool Math at Home for my son, but he is now 3/4 of the way through MWC K. I already have MWC 1 waiting for him too. I find MWC very easy to use, and it gives me 100% confidence (no pun intended) that my kids are learning exactly what they need at the right time developmentally. In the earlier levels there definitely is a lot more manipulative pieces required for lessons, but there are ways to modify to cut down on that (thank goodness lol). We plan to use MWC through level 6 and then transition to Denison in grade 7.
I totally relate to feeling good about the curriculum in the sense that it feels comforting to know that they are really going deep with learning number sense. It's helpful to hear how well it's worked for you guys too! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
@@hannahhensley8497 I swear I responded to this comment! So sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Honestly, All About Reading is the only reading program I’ve used that has a similar feel to MWC. It’s so easy to use and I can see clear progression with lessons. This is something that a lot of other programs lacked in my opinion and experience. I love teacher guides with clear instructions and plans!
MWC does feel like there's so much to keep track of even if make a math kit. I'm homeschool mom to 3, oldest is 6th grade MWC. We're on our 6th yr with it. Whats made me stick with it is how well it works and that my kids love math over everything else becaaue of it. I did read lessons ahead for a few years. I don't now becasue after 5yrs I'm so familiar with the format i know where all the info is and where to look. You also just get better at math when you've taught it for longer. I'm on my 3rd pass throguh 1st grade MWC. One comment about your son seeming to forget everything. I would not worry about it. And consider on holding off on LA for a bit longer. I'm on my 3rd child going through this process and she's 6. My conclusion is kids can start early with math because it's concrete. They don't even need to understand the symbols for math (numbers) for a couple of years to be able to do math. We can represent numbers to 100 on a ten frame and do all sorts of math in our brain without using symbols for quite some time. LA however requires much different skills. You have to be able to attach a sound to a symbol to read. You have to remember a sequence of events to draw a letter. You have to remember where to start and how to form it. These are skills which i think younger brains arent ready to remember. I think their brain is still developing the part of the mind that retains this sort of info. So from a mom who didnt push LA with her first 2 and both of them jumped to grade level reading in just a few months at age 8-9.....dont stress or push. I'm not saying don't try. But you may find it easier, as i did, if you just wait a bit longer. And instead of spending soooo much tims trying to gain retention, his brain will retain it easier when he's older. Spend a lot of time reading books together. And do art for writing readiness. Enjoy! They grow fast.
Thank you for your advice! It's really helpful, I have found this year he is just older and it has come a lot more naturally to him! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
Huge huge fan of MWC! Especially love the support in the parent fb group! We started in K last year, and my son and I are loving grade 1!! I find the teacher guide much easier to use the second year around. I'm finding the "memory work" to be suuuper beneficial for my first grader and he LOVES math (compared to reading 🙃)
Haha it's helpful to hear that the teacher's manual gets easier the second year! I wish we had used this curriculum last year honestly. I feel like he would be a better place right now. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
@@saltandlighthomeschool No worries, you're busy! Yes. I think the biggest con to MWC is the learning curve of the teacher guide. But after a year it's so easy to breeze through. I'm glad you guys found it though!
MWC definitely digs a lot deeper than TGATB math. I haven’t found TGATB to be enough in language arts ether, my kids don’t need a picture study, they need to know grammar and spelling, so it just feels like a waste of time and money to get it only for geography and art when both of those are SO easy to implement in literature books or in other ways like a map page once a week with some fun UA-cam videos of the contents and oceans. I know you like TGATB but there is so much better out there
I actually really enjoy the geography and art lessons thrown in there but I can understand why some wouldn't like it. I also understand why you think that other curriculum definitely go deeper and that's why I also have added more in for my son as well. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I am also a big fan of MWC, we tried leaving it one time because I was dreading prepping the lessons 😂 but I switched my organization around and we are back at it. I am also in the same boat with being in the middle of years. I started my son on kindergarten MWC when he turned 5 in February but now he is 6 and on unit 23 of 1st grade. So we are always a little ahead but it’s by mostly bad during the summer because in the fall he will continue 2nd grade math but he will have already done all the review units of it. 😂
Haha I can totally relate to hating the prep! But I also feel like I can't switch because of that because I feel it really does a good job at helping my son to memorize his facts in a way that TGATB didn't last year. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I would love a side by side. I have mixed feelings about both. I hear the same thing about TGATB, not being enough. We are doing TGATB kindergarten now and it seems short almost like not enough. I think we are only on lesson 11 or 12. I also feel like it’s too easy for my son too. He is enjoying it so far. MWC seems affordable. We are doing TGATB since it’s free and we are on 1 income. So far we are liking the reading with TGATB.
I think if it's working then I wouldn't worry! You will know if it's time to try something else or add something else in! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I love MWC, but the only way I could use it was by highlighting the teacher script in yellow, and supplies needed at the top right, in pink. I did it at night, a little everyday until I did all lessons. It so much more smooth like this. Also, instead of cards, we use a free spinner app (spin the wheel) and save the games on it before hand, so that way, we’re not scrambling with cards or 1,000 pieces. Instead of an app, you can also use 10-sided dice from amazon, it’s about $8 for a pack. These tips have made teaching MWC a breeze!
The amount of number cards for MWC K is exhausting. I think I’m going to skip the cards when I can, and just write on a dry erase board. Especially for the addition and subtraction equations.
@@brittany.powell yes!!! That’s exactly what I did in level k, use the white board. 😊now for first grade, I use a spinner app for free (spin the wheel) or 10-sided dice. It’s a game changer!
Thank you for that recommendation!! I will definitely look into the app! Hopefully that will help because it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes lol (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
We tried TGTB math 1 two years ago when my daughter was in first grade and I thought the same thing, that it wasn't deep enough. I also found their work pages too crowded and I thought that was too distracting for my daughter so I stopped using it (even though my daughter seemed to enjoy it). We bounced around with math curriculums which all made her cry every time I pulled math out. Finally landed on MWC 1 and she seemed to enjoy it enough to the point that I bought second grade MWC for grade 2. MWC 2 quickly turned into the same battle. Cue us bouncing around between two more math curriculums and every one resulting in the same thing. She'd cry, become overwhelmed and freeze. To the point where she was retaining nothing being taught. Out of desperation I downloaded the free pdf of TGTB again. I can honestly say after using it for the last 3 weeks, she's like a different kid. She loves math now. Doesn't cry and is actually learning because she's not shutting down during our lessons. I wish I had never stopped it to be honest 😅 I don't even care if it doesn't go as deep as some other curriculums because this is the only time in the last 2 years she's been calm enough to actually retain the information she's being taught!
Not saying you should stay with TGTB. I hope MWC continues to work for you guys! I guess I just wanted to share my experience of "don't fix what isn't broken" 😂 just because I thought it wasn't going to be enough.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It can be so hard to know which curriculum to use honestly! We have actually started adding back in TGATB as a supplement because I think their format is really helpful for practice. He seems so much less overwhelmed than in the beginning of the school year so I totally hear you on how things can just change so quickly too haha. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I actually had the exact same experience! I was overwhelmed with TGATB. Took 2 months break trying other things like MWC and Saxon math.. and they were way too dry. It really made them appreciate the good and the beautiful more! We are happily using it again!
We love MWC! We started homeschooling in second grade with our daughter. So we’ve used MWC 2 & 3 with her. She’s currently working her way through MWC 4. Earlier this year we started with Preschool Math at Home for my son, but he is now 3/4 of the way through MWC K. I already have MWC 1 waiting for him too. I find MWC very easy to use, and it gives me 100% confidence (no pun intended) that my kids are learning exactly what they need at the right time developmentally. In the earlier levels there definitely is a lot more manipulative pieces required for lessons, but there are ways to modify to cut down on that (thank goodness lol). We plan to use MWC through level 6 and then transition to Denison in grade 7.
Do you have a reading curriculum you love that matches the style of MWC?
@@hannahhensley8497 I use All About Reading. I love the explicit instructions and the consistency in the flow of the program.
@@hannahhensley8497 I use All About Reading. I love the explicit instructions and the consistency with the flow of each lesson.
I totally relate to feeling good about the curriculum in the sense that it feels comforting to know that they are really going deep with learning number sense. It's helpful to hear how well it's worked for you guys too! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
@@hannahhensley8497 I swear I responded to this comment! So sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Honestly, All About Reading is the only reading program I’ve used that has a similar feel to MWC. It’s so easy to use and I can see clear progression with lessons. This is something that a lot of other programs lacked in my opinion and experience. I love teacher guides with clear instructions and plans!
MWC does feel like there's so much to keep track of even if make a math kit. I'm homeschool mom to 3, oldest is 6th grade MWC. We're on our 6th yr with it. Whats made me stick with it is how well it works and that my kids love math over everything else becaaue of it.
I did read lessons ahead for a few years. I don't now becasue after 5yrs I'm so familiar with the format i know where all the info is and where to look. You also just get better at math when you've taught it for longer. I'm on my 3rd pass throguh 1st grade MWC.
One comment about your son seeming to forget everything. I would not worry about it. And consider on holding off on LA for a bit longer. I'm on my 3rd child going through this process and she's 6. My conclusion is kids can start early with math because it's concrete. They don't even need to understand the symbols for math (numbers) for a couple of years to be able to do math. We can represent numbers to 100 on a ten frame and do all sorts of math in our brain without using symbols for quite some time.
LA however requires much different skills. You have to be able to attach a sound to a symbol to read. You have to remember a sequence of events to draw a letter. You have to remember where to start and how to form it. These are skills which i think younger brains arent ready to remember. I think their brain is still developing the part of the mind that retains this sort of info. So from a mom who didnt push LA with her first 2 and both of them jumped to grade level reading in just a few months at age 8-9.....dont stress or push. I'm not saying don't try. But you may find it easier, as i did, if you just wait a bit longer. And instead of spending soooo much tims trying to gain retention, his brain will retain it easier when he's older. Spend a lot of time reading books together. And do art for writing readiness.
Enjoy! They grow fast.
Thank you for your advice! It's really helpful, I have found this year he is just older and it has come a lot more naturally to him! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
Huge huge fan of MWC! Especially love the support in the parent fb group! We started in K last year, and my son and I are loving grade 1!! I find the teacher guide much easier to use the second year around. I'm finding the "memory work" to be suuuper beneficial for my first grader and he LOVES math (compared to reading 🙃)
Haha it's helpful to hear that the teacher's manual gets easier the second year! I wish we had used this curriculum last year honestly. I feel like he would be a better place right now. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
@@saltandlighthomeschool No worries, you're busy! Yes. I think the biggest con to MWC is the learning curve of the teacher guide. But after a year it's so easy to breeze through. I'm glad you guys found it though!
We also switched from TGTB to MWC and loved it! ❤
It's so good! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
MWC definitely digs a lot deeper than TGATB math. I haven’t found TGATB to be enough in language arts ether, my kids don’t need a picture study, they need to know grammar and spelling, so it just feels like a waste of time and money to get it only for geography and art when both of those are SO easy to implement in literature books or in other ways like a map page once a week with some fun UA-cam videos of the contents and oceans. I know you like TGATB but there is so much better out there
I actually really enjoy the geography and art lessons thrown in there but I can understand why some wouldn't like it. I also understand why you think that other curriculum definitely go deeper and that's why I also have added more in for my son as well. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I am also a big fan of MWC, we tried leaving it one time because I was dreading prepping the lessons 😂 but I switched my organization around and we are back at it. I am also in the same boat with being in the middle of years. I started my son on kindergarten MWC when he turned 5 in February but now he is 6 and on unit 23 of 1st grade. So we are always a little ahead but it’s by mostly bad during the summer because in the fall he will continue 2nd grade math but he will have already done all the review units of it. 😂
Haha I can totally relate to hating the prep! But I also feel like I can't switch because of that because I feel it really does a good job at helping my son to memorize his facts in a way that TGATB didn't last year. (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)
I would love a side by side. I have mixed feelings about both. I hear the same thing about TGATB, not being enough. We are doing TGATB kindergarten now and it seems short almost like not enough. I think we are only on lesson 11 or 12. I also feel like it’s too easy for my son too. He is enjoying it so far. MWC seems affordable. We are doing TGATB since it’s free and we are on 1 income. So far we are liking the reading with TGATB.
I think if it's working then I wouldn't worry! You will know if it's time to try something else or add something else in! (So sorry its taken me so long to respond!!)