willtheycallmeblessed Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I'm wanting to teach all my kids at the same time...girls ages 13, 6, and 6. TOG looks like it fits the bill, but it's pricey. I'm considering throwing my own curric together based strictly on WTM resources, but dread lesson planning. Therefore, TOG is appealing. Any insight is much appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I can only answer, "it depends." It's worth it for me, because we didn't do as well when I threw my own curric. together. I do much better starting with someone else's program and modifying it, than with building my own from scratch. Think of it this way - how much is a year plan, something like $280 for the basic units? So that's pricey. But you have three kids you can use it with, so that's like spending $93 on each for the year of curriculum. Then, you can use that same year two more times wtih your younger kids, and probably one more time with your oldest. If you stick with TOG, it's certainly worth the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hello! I went all out and bought Year 1 of TOG and all almost all the resources. I bought most all of the upper grammar books as well. I was really excited about it. But we did it last year for about two units and it was not for us. My dislike was that it was a lot of hands on activities which I just never really found the time or interest for amidst all of our other stuff. Then there was also all of the background history and encyclopedia stuff listed in the guide for me and I felt that was important for my ds to be learning and he was not that into listening to it in that format. From my brief experience I think that it would be worth the price if you had a bunch of kids to be teaching it to, because it really lays all of it out for you for each age group. And if you are a hands on and crafty person it would probably produce amazing projects from what I have seen from others blogs. The amount of material for the logic and dialectic ages to lead to wonderful discussions and debates was the only thing that I felt torn about giving up. TOG is really an amazing resource for that style of study! If you do consider using it I have Year 1 up for sale on the forum here. I wasn't sure if I should keep it up for upper grades, but ultimately I thought why hold on to it. Hope I helped some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Depends what your goals are and how you teach. I use it with one child (dd 10) and it IS worth it for us. To me, the end result meets my goals: a classical education with a Christian worldview. I like that I don't have to read all the classics, there are wonderful Teacher Notes which tell me the gist of the book and outlines are provided so I could lead intellegent socratic discussions. Who has time to read all the books? TOG makes it possible to give your child that depth and those socratic discussions without mom pulling her hair out. I manned a Tapestry booth the year before last, and what I told the parents at the presentation, was that if they are the kind of people who feel they must check off every single thing on the lists, then TOG was not for them. Yes, there are a lot of activities suggested, but it is up to you to pick and choose which to do. You will not have time to do everything. So if you're the kind of teacher who can pick and choose, tweak and modify to suit your family and your week, then it is worth it. Each family has their own idea of what outcomes they would like to see, so I suggest investigating it further, do the free 3-week samples, and pray about it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 It is expensive. If you buy supplements, books and craft supplies, it gets REALLY expensive. Is it worth it? For us, it has proved to be well worth the cost. We have all learned so much. The kids are thriving, we have made lots of crafts (some that turned out really well and some..... not so well) They are reading things that I would have never picked on my own, but they are enjoying. There are things that can be done to cut done on the cost. Tapestry has recommendations for budget-saving ideas for many of the year-plans. You can choose not to do the history in-depth. I really like the way that Bible study is such a huge part of year one. Two of the reasons I wanted to homeschool were that our local school is very low academically and to have more time for Bible study, so Tapestry was the perfect fit for us on both accounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I'm thinking it's worth it. We are doing TOG light this year and last week, ds learned about the Supreme Court and wrote a paragraph paper on it (with TOG suggestions), learned what role Thomas Jefferson played in the start of the supreme court, and learned rhyme scheme (from an Upper Grammer book). I would have NEVER thought to pull all that together on my own. Looking at the higher levels, I can see that they will get a good liberal arts education focuing on the Great Books. The nice part is that it also teaches me how to teach them and have great discussions. That is a small price to pay for MY education as a teacher. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 This is only our first year using TOG but I think it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmommaof4 Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 We are using TOG for the second time this year. We tried to 2 years ago, and circumstances of life kept us from really sticking to it (I was pregnant and very tired). Now we are going through it again with some important changes from the first time we used it: Ive realized just how important it is to use TOG as a loose plan and not feel like we need to do every little suggestion, We are doing this year half pace. Meaning we will complete Year 1 Units 1-2 this year, and units 3-4 next year. this gives us about 2 weeks to complete each Tapestry Week plan, so we can do more without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. We are taking a very relaxed, date-free approach. If it takes us more than 2 weeks to cover a unit because we decide to study one aspect more in depth, or because my kids don't grasp a certain concept, no big deal! We are using the library almost exclusively. I am finding the great majority of either the recommended materials or alternate resources on ILL. If I cant find a certain book, I pull out my WTM and find what they recommend for that topic and sub as needed. Haven't had an issue doing that yet! We are taking advantage of the new Digital Edition. It's cheaper, up-datable, and I don't have to worry about marking up my pages! I can make all the hard copies I need to! We are doing the writing component loosely, but we are not using writing aids. I am starting Writing With Ease next week with my oldest. (Writing Aids is $50) Just some suggestions that might put your options in perspective! Just remember, this is not a one time, one year use curriculum! You will use it at least one more year! It is soooo worth the investment for us. We have tried soooo many other programs, and here we are back with TOG. It's a fun way to learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 It is worth it to me and I am only using it with one student. What helps me with cost is that I use the Library...a lot. ;) I also do something of a TOG light version. We do NOT do the activities. My ds is not crafty and finds making crafts a complete waste of his time. He gets that from me I fear. We also do not do some of the extras like the timeline work, the people, the vocab. The only "extra" we use is the geography (mapping). I am not currently using Writing Aids, but I do have it onhand. I don't always get to history discussions either. We are often hit and miss with that. But I know my ds is learning because I do have him answer some of the discussion & thinking questions, and because he talks to me about what he is learning. So, mainly what I use TOG for is the History (both the primary books and the indepth), Literature, Worldview, and Geography. The other stuff is just gravy, and we often don't have time for that. TOG is great because they have everything scheduled FOR me, and great books chosen FOR my ds along with questions to be answered, Lit pages to complete, etc. I have used many different history curricula: SL, Abeka, Winter Promise...but TOG is the best fit. It's almost like a Classical Education with a CM flair. ;) I like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I finally decided that the only way I would know for certain was to buy a unit of the digital edition and try it. I loved it and we are using it again this year. The digital edition is less than the printed and a good way to figure out if it's for you. I get books from the used bookstore and the library. I've only bought a few books new, so that hasn't been a big cost. The only supplement I've bought from TOG is MapAids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I'm wanting to teach all my kids at the same time...girls ages 13, 6, and 6. TOG looks like it fits the bill, but it's pricey. I'm considering throwing my own curric together based strictly on WTM resources, but dread lesson planning. Therefore, TOG is appealing. Any insight is much appreciated!!! If you dread lesson planning, I would try the sample weeks first. I think there are still a lot of decisions to make, so it may or may not be a good fit for you. Try the sample weeks and see what you think. (In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not using TOG - I have it and keep looking at it, but just can't make myself use it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I can only answer, "it depends." It's worth it for me, because we didn't do as well when I threw my own curric. together. I do much better starting with someone else's program and modifying it, than with building my own from scratch. Think of it this way - how much is a year plan, something like $280 for the basic units? So that's pricey. But you have three kids you can use it with, so that's like spending $93 on each for the year of curriculum. Then, you can use that same year two more times wtih your younger kids, and probably one more time with your oldest. If you stick with TOG, it's certainly worth the cost. We are the same in that way. I used to modify SL, then I did WP and modified it. Now I do TOG and modify it. TOG just gives me more to work with to begin with and the pieces I tweak are my favorite part to mess with. For example I thought the levels of WP and SL I used were light on mapping. Mapping is not something I am good at coming up with on my own, so this is one of the key aspects of TOG for me. On the other hand my kids decided they love Mike Venezia books, so I substitute those where ever I can. I love messing with the books, for me that is fun. Because TOG gives me that strong foundation with integration of multiple topics I just love it and find it worth every penny even through I still mess around with it in the end. That would take me endless hours to do on my own. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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