Have you ever shocked yourself by purchasing something...

[PollyOR]

you NEVER thought you would? I'm there.

 

Over the years I've generally skipped the TOG threads. Oh, I visited the website a few times but quickly determined that it was not a good fit for my family. I never had an interest in it and was sure that I never would.

 

What happened? I'm not sure. :001_huh: I now own year one.

[Annabel Lee]

Well, for those of us that have read the TOG threads, visited the site, and ordered samples, but still weren't sure, please answer this: What pushed you over the edge? What made you want to jump in? What is there about it that you can see in person but not online? (Other than the idea of a beautifully scheduled day).

[tonya in sc]

I bought because I wanted all of my kids (5) on the same topic. Nothing else did that as seamlessly for the various ages, IMHO. Also, I liked all the teacher notes. There was no way I could keep up with the reading of all 5 children, so that was HUGE for me.

Just fyi, I ordered the classic version once and sold it. A year of trying to make Sonlight work for us (AGAIN) showed me I needed something more cohesive as my oldest started high school. I got the Redsign, and LIVED with that material over the summer. I mean it rarely left my hands. I even took it to church in the evenings to work on. It took a while for me to figure out how to implement the program. All that wonderful information was there, but I couldn't for the life of me decide how to get it done. We are now in year 3, and I am glad I went through with buying ToG. I feel my children really grasp the inter-connectedness of the humanities, have a good sense of the flow of history, and have learned to see God in circumstances.

Maybe more than you wanted, but that's kind of how ToG goes...

 

tonya

[Sunshine State Sue]

When ds was 5, I remember a lady in our park group who hs'ed classically. I thought she was weird! 2 years later, we had moved and a small hs group I got interested in had several little history groups going using SOTW. That led to reading TWTM, and now I'm a weird classical hs'er. :D

[Mama Lynx]

you NEVER thought you would? I'm there.

 

Over the years I've generally skipped the TOG threads. Oh, I visited the website a few times but quickly determined that it was not a good fit for my family. I never had an interest in it and was sure that I never would.

 

What happened? I'm not sure. :001_huh: I now own year one.

 

Same here. I never, ever, ever thought we'd be TOG users. That's just weird. :D

[Mama Lynx]

Well, for those of us that have read the TOG threads, visited the site, and ordered samples, but still weren't sure, please answer this: What pushed you over the edge? What made you want to jump in? What is there about it that you can see in person but not online? (Other than the idea of a beautifully scheduled day).

 

We were trying to do logic-stage science the WTM way, and it just wasn't doing much for us.

 

What tipped me over the edge was the Dialectic discussion questions.

[Marie in Oh]

MFW and Singapore Math.

 

I just never even looked onto MFW so when I got a catalogue right before our convention, I started to look at it briefly and liked what I saw. I am now in deep, doing Ex-1850 with my olders and A-Z K with my soon to be 5 yo.

 

Singapore wa the last Math program I thought I would use. I looked at it when we started hs'ing 7 years ago before I think there was a US edition and I didn't like it. But, dh thought we needed a change and he is mathy, so I am starting my 1st grader out in 1a this summer, and switched my rising 3rd grade dd and rising 5th grade dd to it as well. Ds is a rising 6th grader and we are switching him to TT7 and LOF Fractions and Decimals and %. He isn't as mathy as the girls so we thought this would be better for him.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I, too, had looked at TOG about 7 years ago and couldn't fathom using it. Three years ago I tried to teach a 9th grade composition and literature class by putting together my own program. It was a lot of work and I still wasn't satisfied with piecing things together from several sources. When I had a look at TOG Redesign I realized their Literature program was exactly what I had been trying to create on my own...and more! Writing Aids made my instruction and grading easier. It was also very frustrating teaching literature when all of the students weren't studying the same things in history. Having the history and literature work together increases the retention in both subjects. I was doing this at home, but because history was not a co-op class, the other students were studying different time periods.

 

I proposed to our co-op that we start TOG year 1 together. Most people were for it because we wanted our various children studying the same topics. TOG brought our co-op together and also allowed us to be less dependent on the co-op if our children missed a class due to weather or illness. We could keep moving through the program at home and not have to catch-up or call the co-op teacher for make-up work. Our co-op is now a unified group with a purpose rather than a conglomeration of various unrelated classes.

[plansrme]

Before I homeschooled, I'd visit the HS conventions and cut a wide path around their booth. I spent 10 years in a Christian school that was largely an academic wasteland, and though we are practicing Christians, I wanted nothing so overtly religious in my homeschool.

I don't know what made me actually look at the materials (probably TWTM), but now I wouldn't dream of teaching grammar without them. I still won't touch Abeka or BJU, though, as my high school used a lot of their materials. I know it's irrational, but I'm the boss and that's my rule.:)

 

Also, freshly-ground wheat. And I'm considering buying my own grain mill.

 

Terri

[Catwoman]

I did it, too. :blush:

 

I was all set on Oak Meadow for next year, possibly with some BJU DVDs thrown into the mix for variety, and then I went to a curriculum fair...

 

(insert scary music here)

 

and there was TOG Year One Redesigned. The binders were so attractive and colorful, and there were brochures (nice ones!) and a couple of CDs and a color-coordinated Writing Aids book and... well... I bought it. I was actually picturing how pretty it would all look on the bookcase. How pathetic is that?

 

I still don't know what I'm going to do with it.

 

I think I have set some sort of personal record with my curriculum purchases for the fall. If I could have just been happy sticking with the BJU DVDs and not decided we needed a break from them, I would now be thousands of dollars richer, and far less confused.

 

(Did I mention that, at the same curriculum fair, I bought 5 different writing programs? I don't need 5. I need one. ONE. But I couldn't make up my mind so I bought everything. I am such an idiot.)

 

Cat

[Melissa B]

IEW

 

I never would have considered myself an IEW type person. I always considered it way too structured and was sure everyone that claimed you could spot an IEW essay a mile away was absolutely correct. But, we were bogged down in CW and I felt MCT wasn't giving me enough structure. We were certainly floundering. So I purchased TWSS used and decided that wasn't so bad. I implemented a few things and purchased a couple of theme books - I love them! I am happier, the kids are happier and I see them applying what they have learned to their own writing. My dd9 is a true writer. She writes pages and pages a day. It was so fun to see her rereading her old writings and changing her verbs and adjectives to make her stories more interesting. And she is also going through to make sure she has a setting, good character descriptions and a plot that works toward a climax. All things she learned this year - amazingly the program has been best for her. For my older dd, she is just happy to have clear direction on what needs to get done so she can get back to her reading (without two hours of writing ahead of her.) For now, that is OK too. The paragraphs of both girls have improved this year and I am getting actual essays with structure from dd11. I still think CW will get the kids there in the end, but we are going to save the progym for later, and focus more on standard paragraph and essay structure for now. Since I do NOT require the entire list of quality adjectives, strong verbs, no banned words, etc., etc. in their papers outside the actual theme books - I do not feel they stand out as "IEW essays" the way I thought they would. They are simply more descriptive and better structured than they would have been last year. :)

[happygrrl]

Same here. I never, ever, ever thought we'd be TOG users. That's just weird. :D

 

That sound like me! I am now using curriculum I thought was too difficult to teach, too boring, too religious, to rigorous.... and now I am a difficult, boring, religious, rigorous homeschooler. Who knew??

 

~ Lisa, currently doing it the LCC way and using TOG, R&S, CW, and Singapore. Oh yes, and Latin. CRAZY!!!!

[mama25angels]

That sound like me! I am now using curriculum I thought was too difficult to teach, too boring, too religious, to rigorous.... and now I am a difficult, boring, religious, rigorous homeschooler. Who knew??

 

~ Lisa, currently doing it the LCC way and using TOG, R&S, CW, and Singapore. Oh yes, and Latin. CRAZY!!!!

 

 

 

Lisa, if you don't mind me asking, would you please tell me how you're adapting TOG to the LCC model? Thanks

[Melissa in CA]

I did it, too. :blush:

 

I was all set on Oak Meadow for next year, possibly with some BJU DVDs thrown into the mix for variety, and then I went to a curriculum fair...

 

(insert scary music here)

 

and there was TOG Year One Redesigned. The binders were so attractive and colorful, and there were brochures (nice ones!) and a couple of CDs and a color-coordinated Writing Aids book and... well... I bought it. I was actually picturing how pretty it would all look on the bookcase. How pathetic is that?

 

I still don't know what I'm going to do with it.

 

I think I have set some sort of personal record with my curriculum purchases for the fall. If I could have just been happy sticking with the BJU DVDs and not decided we needed a break from them, I would now be thousands of dollars richer, and far less confused.

 

(Did I mention that, at the same curriculum fair, I bought 5 different writing programs? I don't need 5. I need one. ONE. But I couldn't make up my mind so I bought everything. I am such an idiot.)

 

Cat

 

:lol: Cat, your posts never fail to make me laugh. Probably because I can sooo relate to them! :lol:

[Mama Lynx]

Lisa, if you don't mind me asking, would you please tell me how you're adapting TOG to the LCC model? Thanks

 

I'm not Lisa, and I look forward to seeing her answer, 'cause I'm sure we all do this differently :)

 

But we are LCC as well. This is what we do: Our core subjects are Latin, math, and Classical Writing. At the beginning of each week I give my 5th and 7th grader a reading list from TOG history. They read it whenever they want to, throughout the week. They are expected to be finished by Friday, and we have our history discussion on Friday. They are expected to type out answers to the Dialectic history questions (the 5th grader just does one or two questions, the 7th grader is expected to do all of them), on their own schedule, as long as they have them to me by Friday.

 

We usually take one day a week to do the geography together.

 

We sometimes use TOG lit, but often not (and I may use most/all of TOG lit for Rhetoric stage, but I'm still deciding).

 

We don't do the church history, or the projects, generally.

 

I also have two Lower Grammar students. I read to them TOG picture books, along with the LCC literature and history. I don't usually do TOG's worksheets.

 

We don't do the LCC history, although we do keep a Classical Studies thread, running. For instance, along with the TOG history and the time-period-related lit they're doing, they take one day to read something from classical studies. For my 5th grader, right now, it's The Children's Homer. For my 7th grader, right now, it's The Odyssey.

[Catwoman]

:lol: Cat, your posts never fail to make me laugh. Probably because I can sooo relate to them! :lol:

 

I often think we might have been separated at birth, Melissa, because I feel the same way about your posts! :001_smile:

 

Cat

[happygrrl]

Lisa, if you don't mind me asking, would you please tell me how you're adapting TOG to the LCC model? Thanks

 

My answer would be "not too well!' :lol:

Actually, it works fine for us. I already had TOG on hand when I "went" LCC, so I decided to use it in a modified fashion. We then read the LCC history books as evening read-alouds.

 

My kids are just reaching Dialectic abilities, so we will do things more like Mama Lynx, but here is a sketch of what we do for now:

 

ON Friday I put all of the TOG books for the week in a book basket, and they pull from this to fill their required time of reading per day for the weekend and the next week. I let them pick and choose what looks interesting form the basket, and if there is something particularly important I will read it out loud. We also listen to the appropriate SOTW CD in the car. We only do formal history one day a week, and so I have to be very economical with our plan.

 

I made notebooks for the kids (prior to the semester) similar to those made by Karenciavo. It lists the main threads for the week, as well as the poeple to know and the vocabulary. Then comes the teacher version of the maps, so that we can see where that action is going on (without having to do it ourselves;)). Next would be coloring pages or notebooking pages for them to fill out during our discussion time or during their reading, as well as the re-formatted questions for the week. Last would be a quizzes from the Evaluations CD, that we use at the end to make sure we covered all the points we wnated to (my kids love quizzes!)

 

So, during our history hour we look at their notebook, and then I set the stage by explaing the major themes (I have already read the teacher's notes at this point). We then talk about the questions, using our book basket as a resource. We are Eastern Orthodox so our religion resources differ slightly after year 1. My dd may also do an project during her free time, but usually that's it. It is amazing how much they retain.

 

I know that TOG is expensive and that I am using it very shallowly, but I had a very history-poor education so the benefit comes for *me*. During the week discussions will come up about what we are reading, and I am able to guide and reinforce major points during them.... this is worth every penny for me!

 

I know this was a long and rambling post, so forgive me all my typos and do ask if somethign doesn't make sense!:)

[dsacco]

I never thought I would buy Saxon Math and today I ordered it. It seems too much like "school at home" for me but I'm done "playing" with my kids and the frustration I've been having with them.

[Mama Lynx]

You know, I am really enjoying TOG. And we are using it very "shallowly," too. I never feel like I can recommend it to other LCCers, because of that. For *me* it's worth the money ... but for others, it would not be worth the money unless they were using it much more fully.

 

My history-crazy 13 year old just loves it. Finally, a curriculum that focuses on discussion! LOL Now, WTM logic-stage history is also supposed to focus on discussion; however, I don't know enough history in enough depth to come up with the discussion questions myself. TOG fixes that for me.

 

My next task is to see if I can reconcile the literature wtih the LCC mantra of "not many, but much." ;-)

[Melissa in CA]

OK, I'll play...

 

I never in a million years thought I would buy TOG. Never. Yet, I purchased it last year and love it. It...completes me. :D

 

I never in a million years thought I would buy a bathing suit with a skirt attached. A SKIRT! :blink: I can remember a time in my life when those screamed "old lady!" Yet, I just purchased one last week. It...compliments my 44 yo backside and thighs. ;)

[Denainms]

I NEVER thought I would be a "text-book" homeschooler, but its what my kids want and what they do best with, I feel like I went backwards, schooling for 7 yrs, and now doing textbooks..and Abeka at that, I swore I would never purchase Abeka!:glare:

[Kareni]

Did I mention that, at the same curriculum fair, I bought 5 different writing programs? I don't need 5. I need one. ONE. But I couldn't make up my mind so I bought everything.

 

So, enquiring minds wish to know ... what were the five? and what do you plan to use?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[happygrrl]

You know, I am really enjoying TOG. And we are using it very "shallowly," too. I never feel like I can recommend it to other LCCers, because of that. For *me* it's worth the money ... but for others, it would not be worth the money unless they were using it much more fully.

 

My history-crazy 13 year old just loves it. Finally, a curriculum that focuses on discussion! LOL Now, WTM logic-stage history is also supposed to focus on discussion; however, I don't know enough history in enough depth to come up with the discussion questions myself. TOG fixes that for me.

 

My next task is to see if I can reconcile the literature wtih the LCC mantra of "not many, but much." ;-)

 

I agree with this entirely! You said what I wanted to say very well (and much more succinctly!). I do wonder what is going to happen as we move towards rhetoric stage... there is certainly "much" to read...

[Malenki]

Yes, definitely! Heart of Dakota for us. I always thought we'd end up with Sonlight at some point and maybe we still will. But I never thought HOD would end up as our curriculum. But for this year, it fits. After having a panic attack when it arrived I've spent some time with it and think it's going to be a great year for us.

 

TOG is still on my radar...

[Catwoman]

So, enquiring minds wish to know ... what were the five? and what do you plan to use?

 

 

Ok, Kareni, because you were wondering...

 

 

1. Writing Strands 3 (and the teacher manual)

 

2. Wordsmith Apprentice

 

3. Wordsmith (yes, I bought both versions... I bought Wordsmith first and then I went to another table and saw Wordsmith Apprentice, and the cover was so shiny... ;))

 

4. The Five-Finger Paragraph

 

5. Writing Aids (to go with the TOG I bought -- color-coordinated, too!)

 

6. Creative Writing (from Abeka)

 

 

Ok, so it was 6. I was thinking it was 5. So, basically, I'm even more of an idiot than I originally believed myself to be.

 

I guess I should also mention that I recently bought another writing program called, "Understanding Writing," (because it came in a big binder with lots and lots of pages, and who can really resist big binders with lots and lots of pages...) and I also bought, "Easy Grammar Plus," which is writing-ish but since it has the word "grammar" in the title, I don't count that one.

 

I also have a few other writing programs that I bought in past fits of stupidity, but they're in the bookcases out in the garage, so they don't count. :tongue_smilie:

 

Don't you wish you'd never asked? ;)

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

FWIW, count me in the group that plans to use TOG shallowly.

 

I may not actually do it intentionally, but being inherently shallow myself, it's pretty much bound to happen. ;)

 

Cat

[5sons]

Melissa in CA,

 

Don't have a clue how to quote on this thing, but your bathing suit comment made my night. You are too funny!!

 

This whole thread has been great! Yall are so funny. (yes in Texas it's a word, not a contraction)

 

Kristen

Edited May 27, 2009 by 5sons
forgot to say

[mama25angels]

mamalynx and happygrl, thank you so much for letting me peak into your day!!

[Melissa in CA]

Ok, Kareni, because you were wondering...

 

 

1. Writing Strands 3 (and the teacher manual)

 

2. Wordsmith Apprentice

 

3. Wordsmith (yes, I bought both versions... I bought Wordsmith first and then I went to another table and saw Wordsmith Apprentice, and the cover was so shiny... ;))

 

4. The Five-Finger Paragraph

 

5. Writing Aids (to go with the TOG I bought -- color-coordinated, too!)

 

6. Creative Writing (from Abeka)

 

 

Ok, so it was 6. I was thinking it was 5. So, basically, I'm even more of an idiot than I originally believed myself to be.

 

I guess I should also mention that I recently bought another writing program called, "Understanding Writing," (because it came in a big binder with lots and lots of pages, and who can really resist big binders with lots and lots of pages...) and I also bought, "Easy Grammar Plus," which is writing-ish but since it has the word "grammar" in the title, I don't count that one.

 

I also have a few other writing programs that I bought in past fits of stupidity, but they're in the bookcases out in the garage, so they don't count. :tongue_smilie:

 

Don't you wish you'd never asked? ;)

 

Cat

 

:lol::lol: Do you mean to tell me that you don't yet own Classical Writing? Write Shop?? IEW??? Meaningful Composition????

 

Oh, wait...they're in the garage aren't they? ;)

 

You're too, too funny! I remember my last convention. I came home with all sorts of things I never even knew I needed, but oh my did I think I needed them! Of course when the daze lifted, days after getting home, I realized that no, I really didn't need ANOTHER recorder, another Spanish program I wouldn't use, another art program my son would turn his nose up at, another, another, another! Conventions sap all the money right outta your pocket...it's like being in a homeschool Twilight Zone. :blink:

 

I haven't been to convention in years, I can't go, I just can't. I lose complete control of my faculties. I might come home with SIX new writing programs! :lol:

Edited May 27, 2009 by Melissa in CA

[Catwoman]

Do you mean to tell me that you don't yet own Classical Writing? Write Shop?? IEW??? Meaningful Composition????

 

Oh, wait...they're in the garage aren't they? ;)

 

I have no idea. I'm getting a little scared to go out there.

 

Conventions sap all the money right outta your pocket...it's like being in a homeschool Twilight Zone. :blink:

 

:lol: I know!!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is lured into buying all of the art programs. Yesterday, I was trying to figure out our schedule for the fall and to try to incorporate some of the "elective-type" stuff I've been buying, and I realized that even if I scheduled a different art program every single day for 2 weeks, I'd still have stuff left over that we couldn't use. And the worst part of it is this -- ds could care less about it. I'm the one who loves the art stuff, so I just keep buying more of it.

 

I haven't been to convention in years, I can't go, I just can't. I lose complete control of my faculties. I might come home with SIX new writing programs! :lol:

 

Oh, come on now. Only a complete idiot would do something like that! (Oh... wait... :tongue_smilie:)

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

I never in a million years thought I would buy TOG. Never. Yet, I purchased it last year and love it. It...completes me. :D

 

Tell the truth. It's all about the color-coordinated binders, isn't it? ;)

 

I never in a million years thought I would buy a bathing suit with a skirt attached. A SKIRT! :blink: I can remember a time in my life when those screamed "old lady!" Yet, I just purchased one last week. It...compliments my 44 yo backside and thighs. ;)

 

Truth be told, my 45 year old body would still look pretty hot in a thong bikini... as long as it was completely dark outside with no moonlight and nobody remembered to bring a flashlight. Otherwise, all bets are off.

 

Cat

[HeatherLynn]

This thread rocks. I cannot confess to anything as I am a new homeschooler. Only confession I really have is now after reading this thread I am re-investigating TOG. I had decided on Winter Promise, but now I am not so sure. UGH!

[mom2agang]

When I started hs'ing I thaught who ever didn't use a box curriculum were destroying their childs education. Well after switching a million times from one box curriculum to the next and then back again I relized we just are not a box curriculum family and we were poor and had to find a cheaper way to HS with only 5 of our 10 kids in school. So I came here and read and asked about everything. I put together our own curriculum and my kids are enjoying school and so is mom.

We are using:

Son 6th: Saxon 76 and lof

Easy Grammar

Mcguffey Speller

Stack the deck writing

Apologia physical science

Moh&sotw v1

And english from the roots up

 

2DD 2nd:

Saxon 2

Easy Grammar

Spectrum spelling

Mcguffey spelling

Moh &sotwV1

Christian kids explore earth and space

Phonics Pathways

All 3 kids are doing geography songs for geography

4&6 year old are both doing saxon 1 and phonics pathways. They are also going to be doing interlocks history and science. But my 4 year old will be doing all interlock and phonics pathways.

 

And a lesson plan book its nice remembering what lesson we are on and what needs to be done.

[alegnab]

Y'all are cracking me up -- especially Catwoman.

 

quote=Catwoman;974218]...

 

 

2. Wordsmith Apprentice

 

3. Wordsmith

 

...Ok, so it was 6. I was thinking it was 5. So, basically, I'm even more of an idiot than I originally believed myself to be.

 

I'll let you count Wordsmith and Wordsmith Apprentice as one curriculum, since they're just two different levels of the same curriculum. There, now you're not such an idiot. :lol:

 

Thanks to this thread, I don't feel quite so bad about all the unused and partially-used curricula in my closet and on my bookshelves. :laugh: Being in my 12th year of homeschooling, I've tried quite a lot of curricula, but I usually only bought one per year per subject (I did use SOTW 1 & MOH 1 together all year one year). Most of the time, if we didn't like the curricula, I'd drop it and just wait until the next year to use a different curriculum for that subject, or if it wasn't too bad, we kept on with it for the rest of the year. However, four years ago I bought TOG, used it for nine weeks, and ditched it. I then borrowed TruthQuest from a friend, and I immediately ordered a couple of levels of that and am still using it somewhat. One year we did switch math curricula several times for dc#1, but we tried one for a while each time before I purchased another.

 

I don't remember buying any curriculum that I never thought I would. I was always attracted to the various methods of homeschooling, seeing the good in most methods, so I wanted to use many things. I found that my curricula wants decreased immensely when I stopped reading homeschool magazines and visiting homeschooling boards. I went on about a 3-year break from the boards. I've spent a lot less money on curricula since then. I'm not quite as tempted anymore, because I know more what I like and what works. Also, I've found curricula that I love that wasn't published when I first started homeschooling, so I now don't need to look for products for those subjects. My homeschool convention shopping list is very short this year. I have found a couple of new products since coming back to the boards recently, but one I'm sure I'll like because I've read the samples and recognize that it uses the CM method that I love best (and surprisingly, I don't own any curricula on that subject). The other one is a Latin curriculum, Lively Latin, that I'm fairly sure I'll like, but I don't know if dd could do it. She struggles with R&S English 3, and she's almost 10yo (she just finished lesson 11; we started it once before and stopped it because she couldn't understand it; she did fine with Primary Language Lessons and was doing okay with Intermediate), so I'm wondering whether I should wait longer to put her in Latin or whether Latin would help her with R&S. Perhaps I should stop R&S and go back to Intermediate Language Lessons and also start Latin in the fall. :001_unsure: BTW, I already have Latina Christiana I & II, Henle Latin, Wheelock's Latin, Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Latin, Cambridge Latin textbooks, Familia Romana, and extra Latin materials from Bolchazy-Carducci. :001_rolleyes:

[Susu]

Sonlight.

 

I have homeschooled for 11 years. When I discoverd WTM I found my "philosophy" for the most part. And I reread the book every summer. But implementation bogs me down.

 

I have heard of Sonlight from the beginning, but I always thought I could never "do that". So I never looked into it.

 

Then I met one, and then two, and then three people that used it. And I started investigating.

 

I bought Core 1 + 2 this past year. And it has been great. I have loved all the literature. And though I know it does not dovetail with WTM exactly, it feels close enough for me. And I love having it all planned out...and all my books purchased for the year. (We only go to the library for FUN...not to get needed school books!)

 

I incorporate WTM suggestions where it feels best. I do not like the Sonlight LA...so I will be using FLL3 and WWE this coming year. But the Cores are fun...and I have learned so much...not to mention the kids.

 

It is not for everyone...but it truly is the way I wish I'd been taught!

 

Susu

[Amber in AUS]

You ladies crack me up. So glad we don't have HSing conventions here because i don't have any will power either!!

[profmom]

I'm already a TOG user :) , but I never thought I would seriously consider switching from SM. Dd has finished the Primary series, but, sadly, it doesn't seem to be a good fit for ds.

[4wildberrys]

ANYTHING Ace!! I truly believed every bad review at how stupid, boring, non-educational and behind it was---but got a catalog and intrigued one year and got a subject or 2---and LOVE all that we have tried!! I could never use just 1 curriculum from 1 provider, and I have been SUCH a Curriculum Jack of All Trades the last 2 years, but have finally found a nice 'home' with WP/SL/Ace mixture :D My 'guilty little secret' though, is that I NEVER mention out of fear of judgement and embarrassment that we use Ace to my IRL homeschool friends :glare:

[4wildberrys]

(Did I mention that, at the same curriculum fair, I bought 5 different writing programs? I don't need 5. I need one. ONE. But I couldn't make up my mind so I bought everything. I am such an idiot.)

 

Cat

 

I think it is a very good thing we live SO far away from the whole Curriculum Fair thing---never been to one but KNOW 100% for a fact it would be very dangerous................:tongue_smilie:

 

And ONLY 5 writing programs???

 

Hmmm....let's see, we've been through..........Wordsmith Apprentice, Wordsmith, Write With the Best (bought both 1 and 2), Writing Strands (bought the ENTIRE series), Apologia Jump In, Jensen's Format (didn't use), Wordsmith Craftsman (didn't use) Write Source, Writers Inc, IEW Ancient, American 1, Powerful Paragraphs AND SWI B,C-----------used a few with good results, sold most after trying and not liking:glare: IEW has been the winner........:D

[mama25angels]

ANYTHING Ace!! I truly believed every bad review at how stupid, boring, non-educational and behind it was---but got a catalog and intrigued one year and got a subject or 2---and LOVE all that we have tried!! I could never use just 1 curriculum from 1 provider, and I have been SUCH a Curriculum Jack of All Trades the last 2 years, but have finally found a nice 'home' with WP/SL/Ace mixture :D My 'guilty little secret' though, is that I NEVER mention out of fear of judgement and embarrassment that we use Ace to my IRL homeschool friends :glare:

 

 

 

:lol: you know i'm that way as well, we use and love LLATL and it's not very popular.

[trisharog]

Happygirl (and anyone else who is willing to chime in) I see that you have a 10 and 12 year old that you are using with TOG. For your 10 yr old, are you using Dialectic or UG? DS10 will be 11 in November. He is a very strong reader but I dont want to crush him with too much. I noticed you said you gave quizzes weekly. I know my son would like that as well. However, in looking over TOG it looks like I am going to ping pong btw UG and Dialectic. If he reads UG will he be able to answer any of the discussion questions from the Dialectic History ? Any thoughts on how to best use TOG with this child who is

really in btw UG and Dialectic? He has been in a very strong classical Christian school and his 4th grade teacher provided strong discussions that he thrived on. I bring one child home a year and the others are at this school. This is his first year to be HS and I want it to be strong without being burdensome. Any feedback is sooo appreciated.

 

BTW , I have found that ankle length bathing suit sarongs work miracles over 43 year old legs.:lol:

 

Trisha

[PeterPan]

No, but I've cut crazy deals with myself, like the time I decided if I could convince myself to use Saxon, I'd buy the VP scholars lessons. I didn't do either, but it was sure walking up to the brink to think about it! :)

[Staci in MO]

I have both of my dc in dialectic.

 

If you visit the TOG forums, this is not the norm. Most people wait until 7th grade to move their dc from UG to dialectic. I had my oldest in dialectic most of 5th and all of sixth, and I put my dd in dialectic for the last two units of this year (4th). My oldest does have some struggles with writing and spelling, he is a very strong reader with excellent reading comprehension. I want to play to that strength. My dd is the eager-beaver overachiever that flies through her schoolwork. I moved her up to dialectic in order to give her more to do. She's done fine.

 

When dd was doing UG, she didn't always know the answers to the discussion questions, and that did frustrate her, but mostly just because she hates being outdone by her big brother. It was a personality thing. She did know some of the answers (I'm guessing about half?)

 

After reading Mama Lynx's responses, I do TOG a lot like she does. Most weeks I feel like I barely scratch the surface of TOG, but I'm okay with that. We mostly just do the primary readings and the church history. We also do geography and timeline (when we have time). I don't have my dc write out the answers to the accountability questions, but we discuss them all on Friday. I always have grand plans of doing the literature worksheets, but sometimes we do that orally, too.

 

The nice thing about TOG is that you can mix and match. Looking ahead to year three, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the lit selections for D level. I really don't think my ten-year-old dd is ready for that. The UG selection is an abridged Little Women. She'll be reading the unabridged version.

 

My reasons for using TOG were the same as the others. I wanted my dc to stay together in history, and I wanted a little more help pulling it all together than WTM offered. I also needed the accountability. Something about having it all printed out on those official-looking pages is more incentive to get going than a list that I pull together. It's way too easy for me to abandon plans if they're of my own making.

 

I also don't think I could pull of rhetoric-level history and lit on my own. I'm glad I'm getting the feel of TOG now, so I'll be ready to go when we get to rhetoric.

[Staci in MO]

When we started TOG, I was having my ds do all the core readings AND all the in-depth readings, and he was getting bogged down. Part of the problem is that year 2 covers SUCH a wide timespan, there's a lot to it. We tried doing the textbook readings for awhile, but he thought they were dull and told me he'd rather do twenty pages of interesting reading than 5 pages of a textbook. So, I cut out the in-depth history readings. If we get to the discussion and he doesn't know the answer from the readings, I tell them, since I have it in the teacher's notes. It works fine and we're all much happier.

[Kareni]

Ok, Kareni, because you were wondering...

 

1. Writing Strands 3 (and the teacher manual)

 

2. Wordsmith Apprentice

 

3. Wordsmith (yes, I bought both versions... I bought Wordsmith first and then I went to another table and saw Wordsmith Apprentice, and the cover was so shiny... ;))

 

4. The Five-Finger Paragraph

 

5. Writing Aids (to go with the TOG I bought -- color-coordinated, too!)

 

6. Creative Writing (from Abeka)

 

...

 

Thanks for sharing, Cat. (and for the laughs!)

 

I admit to having a great weakness for books and curriculum dealing with writing. Even though I'm a good writer myself, I have a tendency to be critical rather than constructively critical. I figure more ideas can only help. That's my story and I'm sticking with it ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[swimmermom3]

The server keeps cutting out while I'm reading this thread. I'm beginning to feel like Chief Inspector Dreyfus in The Pink Panther Strikes Again. The twitch over my right eye is most pronounced.

:lurk5:

 

Just curious. How many history curricula can you combine before it's considered "wasteful"? The number can go on two hands...right? And would you ever buy a writing program that you don't really like just because the subject material matches this year's history theme?

Edited May 27, 2009 by swimmermom3
typo

[elegantlion]

I felt that way about CW. I swore I would never buy it, it was expensive and seemed hard to implement. I read all of these posts about people torturing themselves through Homer and I thought "why?" I bought Aesop used and now love it. We start Homer next fall. :D

[happygrrl]

 

The nice thing about TOG is that you can mix and match. Looking ahead to year three, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the lit selections for D level. I really don't think my ten-year-old dd is ready for that. The UG selection is an abridged Little Women. She'll be reading the unabridged version.

 

My reasons for using TOG were the same as the others. I wanted my dc to stay together in history, and I wanted a little more help pulling it all together than WTM offered. I also needed the accountability. Something about having it all printed out on those official-looking pages is more incentive to get going than a list that I pull together. It's way too easy for me to abandon plans if they're of my own making.

 

 

This is a great answer.

 

Both of mine are currently in UG, but that is because the oldest has some pretty severe learning challenges. DD *could* do the D level this fall I think (she'll be a quick 11 yr. old by then). I will do as Staci and make a level decision based on the book in question. Most likely I will have oldest read the UG selections and read the D selections out loud. Then he can do UG questions on paper and D questions in converstion. To make it easy I will pull younger squarely into UG territory, though that opens the can of worms as to why older is on the same level as youngest.....

 

Got it! I'll have my oldest read to my youngest, and that way there will be a distinction. I am off to think about this a bit more. (sorry to include y'all into the planning discussion that is currently absorbing all my thoughts!)

[Mommyfaithe]

Oh YEAH!!! I purchased CLE ...ME!!! With a reader...and GASP WORKBOOKS>>>>

 

:svengo:

 

AND not only that...they are aesthetically boring....

 

BUT...oh...the content is wonderful.

 

I also bought and sold TOG 3 times because I thought it was me to a tee...and it is...just not my kids to a tee...kwim??

 

Next year we will be using CLE for reading instruction, math and LA...and I am pleased as punch that I bought something I NEVER in a miliion...million ...years thought I would buy.

 

~~Faithe

[asta]

Yeah, a Didache book.

 

I want to see what the tenets are.

 

(my mother would be having a heart attack if she knew I'd bought it...)

 

 

asta