TOG users - when would you begin??

[abrightmom]

Not sure we're going this route but it's a front runner and I can't find an answer to these questions!! Would you begin . . .

 

. . . in grammar stage to give yourself time to become familiar with TOG while there is no pressure :D?

 

Or wait until the oldest child is ???? (age/grade)

 

If you'd wait what would you use/do? Perhaps SOTW?

 

If you'd start right away what year plan would you begin with? Is one year an easier *entry* for newbies? My oldest is going into 2nd so we are not "on track" for 3 rotations through. However, I suspect Tapestry might take us longer than 4 years to go through one cycle. Perhaps we'd cycle through two complete times with one or two years of flex built in for something *different*.

Edited April 23, 2010 by abrightmom
to correct my typos!

[Hedgehogs4]

:lurk5:

[Tracy]

I have repeatedly read that you should teach to the oldest child. So regardless of what program you use, you should determine where the oldest needs to be and then teach that stretch of history/literature to all of the children at the same time.

 

As for when to start with TOG, you are going to get a whole range of responses. We are just starting with TOG with my oldest, who is 5yo, so you know where I stand on that one. I decided to do this because I consider myself to be the oldest student. My history and literature background is almost nil. If I want to teach these to my children, I need a bit of a head start. As I have been preparing for next year, there is so much in the lower grammar lesson plans that I am unfamiliar with. I am so glad we are starting with TOG from the beginning.

 

Tracy

[johnandtinagilbert]

As for when to start with TOG, you are going to get a whole range of responses. We are just starting with TOG with my oldest, who is 5yo, so you know where I stand on that one. I decided to do this because I consider myself to be the oldest student. My history and literature background is almost nil. If I want to teach these to my children, I need a bit of a head start. As I have been preparing for next year, there is so much in the lower grammar lesson plans that I am unfamiliar with. I am so glad we are starting with TOG from the beginning.

 

Tracy

While I would say I truly enjoyed a MOH/SOTW combo for the Elders, the ease of use with TOG has been wonderful. They don't use SOTW for LG, but rather a variety of spines and great literature. I am enjoying teaching with TOG.

 

Also, tracymirko brings up a very valid point. There is great benefit to getting to read ahead with TOG. You not only learn, but you also learn where your teaching should lead, which is a great benefit for your dc.

 

If money is not an issue...buy it. If you need to spend elsewhere, then I suggest MOH/SOTW combo.

 

As for where to start, I believe Y2 is the hardest, so anywhere but there, even though its a very exciting time.

 

And yes...it's very easy to spend more than one school year on one TOG year. Very easy :)

[abrightmom]

I have repeatedly read that you should teach to the oldest child. So regardless of what program you use, you should determine where the oldest needs to be and then teach that stretch of history/literature to all of the children at the same time.

 

As for when to start with TOG, you are going to get a whole range of responses. We are just starting with TOG with my oldest, who is 5yo, so you know where I stand on that one. I decided to do this because I consider myself to be the oldest student. My history and literature background is almost nil. If I want to teach these to my children, I need a bit of a head start. As I have been preparing for next year, there is so much in the lower grammar lesson plans that I am unfamiliar with. I am so glad we are starting with TOG from the beginning.

 

Tracy

 

YES! I love the comment " . . . I consider myself to be the oldest student." I THINK this might be why Tapestry appeals to me (well, there are more reasons than this but this is a strong one). You have put it into words for me!

[abrightmom]

While I would say I truly enjoyed a MOH/SOTW combo for the Elders, the ease of use with TOG has been wonderful. They don't use SOTW for LG, but rather a variety of spines and great literature. I am enjoying teaching with TOG.

 

Also, tracymirko brings up a very valid point. There is great benefit to getting to read ahead with TOG. You not only learn, but you also learn where your teaching should lead, which is a great benefit for your dc.

 

If money is not an issue...buy it. If you need to spend elsewhere, then I suggest MOH/SOTW combo.

 

As for where to start, I believe Y2 is the hardest, so anywhere but there, even though its a very exciting time.

 

And yes...it's very easy to spend more than one school year on one TOG year. Very easy :)

Thanks for the heads up on Y2. :D Hmmmmmm.

 

By "reading ahead" do you mean the teacher's notes or do you look at the book list for the upper levels? I would really love that!

 

TOG calls to me (connects with my heart). I am looking at some VP stuff IRL (purchased some used Scholars plans for really really cheap) but I confess that TOG has always been more "me" and might fit our family dynamics better! Will know very soon, Lord willing! :D

[johnandtinagilbert]

Thanks for the heads up on Y2. :D Hmmmmmm.

 

By "reading ahead" do you mean the teacher's notes or do you look at the book list for the upper levels? I would really love that!

 

TOG calls to me (connects with my heart). I am looking at some VP stuff IRL (purchased some used Scholars plans for really really cheap) but I confess that TOG has always been more "me" and might fit our family dynamics better! Will know very soon, Lord willing! :D

Actually, I read look at the booklist, but I also read the Teacher's notes. It makes me look really smart when we have D level discussions :)

I have 2 dc entering Rhetoric next year, so I've been reading the Rh teacher's notes for a bit. I actually just gave them a copy of the R discussion outline (teacher's notes) so they can read and start getting an idea of what we're shooting for next year. I'll let them read the discussion notes for the next 6 weeks, just to gain some insight!

 

TOG called to me too. :) It is everything I used to do on my own, spending 6-8 hours a week lesson planning.....now, more like 2-3 getting ready for lecture and about 10 min/wk printing maps, student pages, etc. Keep in mind, if I were just planning for LG, I'd spend about 30 min. a week :) TOG is FANTASTIC for large families!

[Tracy]

By "reading ahead" do you mean the teacher's notes or do you look at the book list for the upper levels? I would really love that!

 

TOG calls to me (connects with my heart). :D

 

For the history, I will read the teacher's notes. I hope to actually read some of the rhetoric literature. I am not fooling myself to think that I can get through all or even most of it. But I want to read at least some of it, especially the more familiar titles. (I can count on one hand how many books of literature I read in high school and college combined. So anything I get to will be frosting on the cake!)

 

TOG called to me, too! And now that I bought it, I am seeing even more about it that I like. There is so much wisdom in it.

 

Tracy

[SEGway]

Okay, just reading this thread is getting me excited to start when our oldest is in 1st grade. We can't swing it this coming year (K), but I bought a used copy of the Y1 U1 already to make sure it worked how I dreamed it would; hearing everyone else enthusiastic for the same reasons I am just makes me happy! :)

 

So, thanks!

[Tracy]

I decided to do this because I consider myself to be the oldest student.

 

YES! I love the comment " . . . I consider myself to be the oldest student." I THINK this might be why Tapestry appeals to me (well, there are more reasons than this but this is a strong one). You have put it into words for me!

 

I wish I could take credit for this. If you like this idea, then read this post from the Tapestry forum, which is what got me thinking about me being the oldest student.

 

Tracy

[SewLittleTime]

I wish I could take credit for this. If you like this idea, then read this post from the Tapestry forum, which is what got me thinking about me being the oldest student.

 

Tracy

This was a great post. Thanks for linking it. That may have helped me make my decision as to where we are headed next year. I have been worrying over it for months now.

[FordFamily]

I haven't read every reply so please forgive me if I am repeating anything...it is late, but I felt like I'd like to share what I have learned with TOG.

Marcia (the author) says, 'not to use it to early and burn out'. Now, that said, you know your style, do you like planning how many children will you eventually plan for etc.

I would start in Ancients, for sure, no matter when I started. We had so much fun and children are so drawn into the familar stories of the Old Testament and to see the redemption plan weaved through the OT and all of the Ancient World is, I believe, important. It is hard to understand history without even a small amount of understanding of the Greco-Roman world, not to mention the foundations of Christianity with creation and the cross.

I agree that Year 2 is a harder year, I breezed through year one, in a year (even with an International move and a baby), HOWEVER, year two is dragging...along ssslllooowwly! Don't get me wrong, it is amazing, but, beause, it is less familar to me as a teacher/mother I have to make sure I have done my homework to have he discussions.

I would start in Upper Grammer, for a couple of reasons. 1. If you have used another curriculum that you did the majority of the reading to them and they listened, it might take an adjustment to read for understanding, non-fiction books. 2. Upper Grammar is also the time when they have the skills they need to work more ind. on the worksheets, writting assignments and the geography.

I have a D. and an UG in TOG now. I am using something else for my Grammar students (three boys). I'll tell you why...

We are at the begining of American History. Although, I want my older children to be able to see what was happening around the world during our founding years as a nation it is important to me that my younger children simply understand about America's founding fathers. I think it is hard to jump around the globe and focus on American history.

I am certainly not an expert. But, we have used TOG and I love it. I just want to see families use what God has for them and enjoy the opportunity to teach our little ones.

I hope this was helpful, sorry it was so lengthy.

[abrightmom]

For the history, I will read the teacher's notes. I hope to actually read some of the rhetoric literature. I am not fooling myself to think that I can get through all or even most of it. But I want to read at least some of it, especially the more familiar titles. (I can count on one hand how many books of literature I read in high school and college combined. So anything I get to will be frosting on the cake!)

 

TOG called to me, too! And now that I bought it, I am seeing even more about it that I like. There is so much wisdom in it.

 

Tracy

 

We sound like two peas in a pod with our experiences! Ditto on the high school experience. :D

[HappyCrazyMama]

I wish I could take credit for this. If you like this idea, then read this post from the Tapestry forum, which is what got me thinking about me being the oldest student.

 

Tracy

:iagree: That is my all time favorite TOG post, I have read it a few times. I didn't start until my oldest two were D / R. I would start before then for sure.;) If I had to do it over I would start in 1st grade.

[HSMom2One]

TOG really called to me too! I have so enjoyed using this wonderful curriculum to teach my dd. We started out with Yr. 1 for her at 5th grade level and it has been great for us. I know that Yr. 2 is more involved, and she will be moving up to D level, so I'm glad we've had a year to figure out how TOG is put together and how it all works before taking on bigger challenges. We've been able to process through our own little kinks and set up a system before we have to hunker down and work harder next year.

 

Our situation is a bit different than the rest of you in that I only have one child to hs, but I would choose TOG in a heart beat for any sized family. And I, too, consider myself to be the oldest student. I've been learning right along side my dd this past year. I love it!

 

I think that the recommendation from TOG is that you start Yr. 1 when your oldest is in 5th grade, and then add the younger children in at the G levels. This totally makes sense to me....but surely you could start when your oldest is in G level if you want to.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[bethben]

I started TOG this year with a 3rd grader doing UG work. He is a good reader and is able to do it independently. I will be adding a LG for K and will only start with the literature adding in some history later on. I thought it worked just fine. But, I knew how much to schedule and what to keep out without feeling guilt. I had some Sonlight and MFW under my belt that scheduled for me. I don't think the scheduling takes that much time, but you need to not feel guilt if you leave some things out.

We started in year 3 because I co-op with other families doing the same year.

Beth

[Karenciavo]

We are finishing our 7th year of TOG and I have used it with grades pre-K to 11th. For *us* it has been a wonderful experience at every level. Every family is different and it's hard to say how TOG will work in each individual family since it's so adaptable. My 11th grader works pretty much on his own with weekly discussion for accountability. I add a lot to the grammar level: copy work, coloring pages, lap books, memory work, etc. We follow the 36 week TOG plan, but I know quite a few families with younger children that take two years to do at least some of the year plans. In the past we've stretched weeks here and combined weeks there to suit our family. Bottom line is that it is very helpful to become acquainted with TOG before the dialectic and rhetoric levels, but, as someone else mentioned, if you think it will burn you out hold off because as fun as TOG is for the lower levels it really shines at the rhetoric level. I would say the most difficult level to begin with is unit 1 or 2 of Year 2, if you wanted to start with colonial America (Year 2 unit 3) you should be fine.

[ChemMommy]

We moved to TOG when the oldest was in 9th and the next was in 7th grade. BOTH of this kids have greatly benefited from the organization and planning that TOG gives the hsing mom!

 

I really did not care for the LG level of TOG, though, last year when I had a 2nd and 3rd grader using it. I missed the good books that you read aloud in SL and am sorry that the younger to didn't get the snuggle time.

 

I do like TOG at the UG level a lot better this year.

 

If your kids are young, I would reconsider using SL cores 1-4 and just enjoy an introduction to good books and a nice, but less systematic, survey of history. (I didn't like SL's language arts program, though, and would not recommend using it.)

 

TOG has completely allowed me to tackle high school, junior high, and upper elementary while working part-time. I can pick up the teacher notes and have discussion at the high school level. The books are meaty.

 

TOG year two has been a definitely jump in the amount of reading everyone does. I don't think I'd encourage anyone to start TOG at year 2! LOL

[HSMom2One]

I really did not care for the LG level of TOG, though, last year when I had a 2nd and 3rd grader using it. I missed the good books that you read aloud in SL and am sorry that the younger to didn't get the snuggle time.

 

There is no reason why SL read alouds (or any other read alouds) can't be supplemented to the TOG materials. Somewhere on the boards is reference to a thread with SL readers corresponding to each history level used for TOG, SOTW, etc. Those kiddos don't have to miss out on snuggle time with TOG! :)

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[mrsrevmeg]

I say go ahead and start year one and start early. My kids have had so much fun with it! If I had known about it when the oldest was younger, he'd have made mummies out of stuffed animals and ziggurats out of cereal boxes, too. It has given me a chance to get ready for high school, which is coming soon here. There are so many things I never knew I never knew. That looks weird in print, but my point is, I never realized how advanced so many ancient civilizations were. I never knew how certain worldviews have shaped whole nations into what they are, for good or bad. TOG is great for the kids, but it is also great for us parents who did not receive a classical education.

 

***eta*** We do a lot of snuggle time reading. Sometimes it is our Tapestry books, sometimes it is something unrelated. There is no reason why they should not get snuggle time just because of one curriculum or another, imo.

Edited April 24, 2010 by mrsrevmeg

[TracyP]

Not sure we're going this route but it's a front runner and I can't find an answer to these questions!! Would you begin . . .

 

. . . in grammar stage to give yourself time to become familiar with TOG while there is no pressure :D?

 

Or wait until the oldest child is ???? (age/grade)

 

If you'd wait what would you use/do? Perhaps SOTW?

 

If you'd start right away what year plan would you begin with? Is one year an easier *entry* for newbies? My oldest is going into 2nd so we are not "on track" for 3 rotations through. However, I suspect Tapestry might take us longer than 4 years to go through one cycle. Perhaps we'd cycle through two complete times with one or two years of flex built in for something *different*.

 

I chose to start in first grade. See Tracy's post for reason 1. Reason 2 is financial. I cannot afford to buy SL, HOD, or MFW to use now and then buy TOG in four years. Now all I have to buy is books for each cycle through. Reason 3: I guess you could say TOG had me at hello.:D Waiting was not an option.

 

I didn't know TOG was known as such a bear to plan when I started. I guess I can see why but having used it now, I don't think it will be a problem later. There really is something to be said about getting a feel for it.

 

As for when to start with TOG, you are going to get a whole range of responses. We are just starting with TOG with my oldest, who is 5yo, so you know where I stand on that one. I decided to do this because I consider myself to be the oldest student. My history and literature background is almost nil. If I want to teach these to my children, I need a bit of a head start. As I have been preparing for next year, there is so much in the lower grammar lesson plans that I am unfamiliar with. I am so glad we are starting with TOG from the beginning.

 

Tracy

 

We are finishing our 7th year of TOG and I have used it with grades pre-K to 11th. For *us* it has been a wonderful experience at every level. Every family is different and it's hard to say how TOG will work in each individual family since it's so adaptable. My 11th grader works pretty much on his own with weekly discussion for accountability. I add a lot to the grammar level: copy work, coloring pages, lap books, memory work, etc. We follow the 36 week TOG plan, but I know quite a few families with younger children that take two years to do at least some of the year plans. In the past we've stretched weeks here and combined weeks there to suit our family. Bottom line is that it is very helpful to become acquainted with TOG before the dialectic and rhetoric levels, but, as someone else mentioned, if you think it will burn you out hold off because as fun as TOG is for the lower levels it really shines at the rhetoric level. I would say the most difficult level to begin with is unit 1 or 2 of Year 2, if you wanted to start with colonial America (Year 2 unit 3) you should be fine.

 

The bolded part of this post is absolutely the bottom line. DO NOT DO IT if you think it will just burn you out. You would miss out on way too much later.

 

BTW, if I didn't use TOG for grammar stage, it would be either SOTW or just real books delving into their interests until logic stage.

[abrightmom]

Can you define "burn out" with starting TOG early on? Do you mean boredom with it? Hmmmmm. I guess I don't know. I would love to buy TOG just for me :D and I've always wanted to. I would love someone to assign Rhetoric level work to me!! Hee hee. I don't *think* I'd burn out but I'm just not sure . . . I'll think on that.

[TracyP]

I *think* burn out means that you buy it with unrealistic expectations. You have young kids but think that you will spend 6 hours per week on TOG. You plan to do two hands on activities each week. You read every reading assignment offered to read to them. You get upset because last week you didn't have time to read Teacher Notes and now feel like a failure. You get the point.

 

There is A TON of wonderful stuff with TOG but you don't get to do it all your first time through. I never read the TN (they are for d, r and self ed). We only read the core history readings and bible readings (same thing most weeks in year 1). We do projects when we have time. I read the lit selections when my library carries the books. It is sooooooooo easy - IF you allow it to be. I plan to beef it up a little more in 3rd grade, 5th or 6th will start dialect, 9th or 10th rhetoric, I have a long road and am just taking it easy.:001_smile:

[abrightmom]

I *think* burn out means that you buy it with unrealistic expectations. You have young kids but think that you will spend 6 hours per week on TOG. You plan to do two hands on activities each week. You read every reading assignment offered to read to them. You get upset because last week you didn't have time to read Teacher Notes and now feel like a failure. You get the point.

 

There is A TON of wonderful stuff with TOG but you don't get to do it all your first time through. I never read the TN (they are for d, r and self ed). We only read the core history readings and bible readings (same thing most weeks in year 1). We do projects when we have time. I read the lit selections when my library carries the books. It is sooooooooo easy - IF you allow it to be. I plan to beef it up a little more in 3rd grade, 5th or 6th will start dialect, 9th or 10th rhetoric, I have a long road and am just taking it easy.:001_smile:

Now that I can handle :D. I would enjoy reading the TNs at my leisure and chewing on the *meat* in there without any pressure to teach it. No sadness here in leaving things out for now!

[lovinmomma]

I KNOW that I've seen the link that coordinates SL books with TOG, but would someone mind posting it again? Pretty please?

[frankcassiesmom]

I KNOW that I've seen the link that coordinates SL books with TOG, but would someone mind posting it again? Pretty please?

 

:lurk5:

[ALB]

Just another eager starter here who's planning on buying TOG for first grade! Although I know SOTW would work just fine, I just don't see the point of doing something different, knowing I want to use TOG for the next cycles anyway. I'm excited to "ease" our way into it over the first few years, and I want to get some time with the TN to educate myself in the meantime.

[Janice in NJ]

I'm familiar with the gal who posted over on the TOG boards. I know a lot about her background! :001_smile:

 

She started homeschooling with TWTM BEFORE SOTW was written. Her year 1 and year 2 history didn't go so well. She was CLUELESS! An ivy-league sheepskin hangs on the wall, and she didn't know that the American Revolution and the French Revolution were connected in any meaningful way. Pathetic really. :001_smile:

 

Anyway. For years 3 and 4, she decided to purchase Sonlight cores. What wonderful years! That gal learned how to teach with literature. Reading aloud was a joy. She would find picture books at her library to go along with the events and people that she and her kids were reading about. They looked things up in the encyclopedia. They studied maps and timelines. The kids learned how to narrate. When she got her first laptop, she would read aloud pausing to look up additional information/pictures/etc during their read aloud time. Wonderful experience. And an important building block in their homeschool. Those skills are still used every single week. In fact that momma went on to purchase every single SL guide over the years. She didn't have the time to read all of those terrific books and those SL notes coupled with a discerning eye can really give a momma a leg up. (You can pick out a TON of information and actually hold a decent conversation with a kid about a book that you haven't even read. shhhhhh!) As you'll see, she didn't use SL for her spine but those book notes saved a TON of time. :001_smile:

 

When her oldest arrive at the 5th grade mark, SOTW was out. Yeah! Study guide and the book. The momma? She was ALL set. She knew how to use a book and a library card to generate a terrific education - skills AND content - for 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade. A great year. Notebooks. Timelines. Globes and maps. Read Aloud time with coloring pages. Narration pages. Projects. Terrific history curriculum - building skills and hanging content pegs in the brain!

 

Then her oldest moved into 6th grade. It was time to seriously start thinking about high school. She thought that she wanted to give her kids a Great Books education. She had been talking about doing it for years. But she knew that she really didn't have the first clue about what that was going to be like. Maybe she should start by READING one of these books!!??! She tried. She tried countless times to read Don Quixote. Ugh! So She tried to read Herodotus. DOUBLE Ugh! Scrambling! These books made little sense to her. She needed help.

 

Enter TOG Year 2. She spent A TON of time with TOG 2 trying to figure out how to do the program in one year without doing the program in one year! What a waste. She should have just picked up some of the literature and started reading. She should have just done some of the work instead of spending all of her time in front of a spreadsheet moving titles around - trying to fit too many things into too few boxes. Mastering content instead of endlessly planning to master content would have produced a better return on the investment of time spent. A HUGE difference!!! :001_smile:

 

The rest is history. :001_smile: My oldest is finishing up 11th grade. I recently purchased a DE of Year 3 to replace my print edition. I really like DE. (I purchased a laser printer that duplexes. I can print four pages of TOG on one sheet of paper and scribble on them to my hearts content for less than a buck a week. Yeah! And then I drop 'em in the trash. :001_smile: I'll be a new me on the next go-around with TOG. A new and smarter me!) And even though I use TOG Redesign, I've become more like a classic user. I use ALL kinds of different resources depending on the skills that I'm covering. We have oodles of lecture-sets from the Teaching Company; LOVE them! And I even have a *gasp* textbook that I love for American History. There are some "regular" non-homeschool-beloved titles (Pulitzers etc.) that are my favorites that we make time for. And I don't co-op so we work through the literature on a daily schedule. So while we use some of the literature questions, I add (and subtract) a lot. We try to meet for a few minutes everyday to discuss their reading before they head off to read the next few chapters. I prefer more of a daily feel with the TOG objectives instead of a weekly feel. I like it better, and I enjoy reading these works with my teens.

 

I've love to chat more about TOG, but I've got to dash. I purchased a copy of year 4 DE this month. We're going to enjoy a terrific ride through the 20th century next year. I recently picked up a copy of Susan's lecture on middle school and high school writing along with the literary analysis lecture. Great stuff. Pretty close to what I shoot for on a regular basis. My printer, comb binder, and I have been developing my own personal TOG 4 overview packet (I've become quite good at planning an entire year of work for three kids. I've got my system down pat. Finally!) AND I'm happy to report that once again TOG has managed to squeeze an enormous amount of incredibly helpful stuff into their framework. The beginnings of almost every form of every literary analysis discussion and paper that I want my 8th grader to write are imbedded in those TOG worksheets and discussion scripts. It's all there - perfectly meshed within titles that march right along with the history we will be studying. And the WA assignments mesh almost perfectly with the outlining book that he will be working through. (Study a form. Practice in isolation. Practice in context. And write. Viola!) Most of the lit that I want to cover with my high schoolers is there too. I'm subtracting a bit; I'm adding a short-story paperback that I want to work through once a week, and I'm even reading The House of Mirth - can't decide which one I want to use - either HoM or Ethan Frome. They're both favorites so far. So I add and subtract. After all, I have learned a lot! I know how to educate my kids; I'm actually pretty good at it. Who would have thought that was possible? :001_smile: So I'm in a position to tailor an education to fit my family. It's a GREAT feeling. Very cool! I'm rambling....

 

As I said, I've got to dash. TOG is a huge, terrific buffet. TONS of helps for a busy Mom. Tons! Please read my post over on the TOG board with the understanding that while I am confident that TOG is great for the younger years, I believe that it especially shines for the momma who wants to jump start her own education. A huge boost for the momma who wants to take this project through high-school and wants to begin to explore the biggie stuff before she gets there. (Just my experience. It was all just bigger than I thought. Not necessarily harder. Just bigger. More of it. Lots. And more connectivity. More to think about. More to sort and wonder about. More to discover about myself and others. And I like it better than I thought I would! I am glad that I got started before my kids stepped into high school. And I am sure that we would have been even better off if I had started earlier. Less time fretting over and planning the perfect history program when they were little. There really are so many that are so great! I should have just picked one and used it without spending so much time reading about and wondering about what we might be missing. I should have spent more time reading and studying on my own.) The difference with TOG is that there is so much there to help you do that. So, so much! I used SL and SOTW when my kids were younger. I didn't discover TOG until later. I did learned a TON about how to teach with SL and SOTW. A TON! Great programs. So I can't say what life would have been like with just TOG with little ones. I didn't use it with little ones; I didn't know about it. BUT I can say for certain that it helped me immensely when I was ready for it. When I was ready to start looking ahead and start seriously considering what it was going to be like to educate using the great books at the high school level, it was a life-saver for me. A perfect fit for my entry point. An immensely important part of my journey!

 

Peace to you and yours,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[HappyCrazyMama]

Janice, I love your posts! The spreadsheet thing, yeah, that's gotta stop.:001_huh:

[abrightmom]

Please read my post over on the TOG board with the understanding that while I am confident that TOG is great for the younger years, I believe that it especially shines for the momma who wants to jump start her own education. A huge boost for the momma who wants to take this project through high-school and wants to begin to explore the biggie stuff before she gets there. (Just my experience. It was all just bigger than I thought. Not necessarily harder. Just bigger. More of it. Lots. And more connectivity. More to think about. More to sort and wonder about. More to discover about myself and others. And I like it better than I thought I would! I am glad that I got started before my kids stepped into high school. And I am sure that we would have been even better off if I had started earlier. Less time fretting over and planning the perfect history program when they were little. There really are so many that are so great! I should have just picked one and used it without spending so much time reading about and wondering about what we might be missing. I should have spent more time reading and studying on my own.) The difference with TOG is that there is so much there to help you do that. So, so much! I used SL and SOTW when my kids were younger. I didn't discover TOG until later. I did learned a TON about how to teach with SL and SOTW. A TON! Great programs. So I can't say what life would have been like with just TOG with little ones. I didn't use it with little ones; I didn't know about it. BUT I can say for certain that it helped me immensely when I was ready for it. When I was ready to start looking ahead and start seriously considering what it was going to be like to educate using the great books at the high school level, it was a life-saver for me. A perfect fit for my entry point. An immensely important part of my journey!

 

Peace to you and yours,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

:001_smile: Janice, I am SO SO SO SO glad you shared your heart!! You are one of my favorite WTM posters! I almost emailed you because you've been so helpful in the past. The things you share as you look back over your journey do mirror how I want to be able to reflect on our journey in this family! God has been gracious in giving me the burden to slow down and enjoy the children rather than pushing so hard for *goals* and trampling the joy of learning! Your signature line "Enjoy your little people, enjoy your journey" resonates!!! I think of it often. It's perfect!

 

Thank-you for sharing and for continuing to mentor up and coming Moms who are trying to set their feet on a good path!

 

A couple of questions for Janice or for anyone else who might be able to share:

 

Teaching Company lectures? I'm intrigued. Are these for kids or Moms or . . . . ? Any particular recs. to write down for *future reference*? This is the second time I've heard the Teaching Co. mentioned this week. I'd like to invest some more in training me so if these would help I need to know about it!

 

Also, I'm curious about how a TOG Mom learns to pull together a notebook. Is there a *go to* place for getting a heads up on the different ways TOG Moms organize themselves/their kids work? Perhaps it will come with time. I'm a slow learner and so any advance preparations do really help me. :D

 

** Excellent recommendation for how to print DE on the laser. We're going to get one of those because I spend so much $$ on ink and paper! The laser is an excellent investment for the long haul!

[abrightmom]

:grouphug: I appreciate Janice!! She is so wise and encouraging! :D

[johnandtinagilbert]

:grouphug: I appreciate Janice!! She is so wise and encouraging! :D

Amen. I forwarded her TOG encouragement to all my friends who use or are thinking about TOG. Such wisdom is greatly relished.

 

I am so inspired for this summer of TOG preparation. I want to enjoy Rhetoric so much, it's so important we have a meaningful last few years. I keep telling myself that this is the last hurrah. We want and need to love each other above all, yet still provide richness in education at every turn.

 

Fantastic post.

[Tracy]

** Excellent recommendation for how to print DE on the laser. We're going to get one of those because I spend so much $$ on ink and paper! The laser is an excellent investment for the long haul!

 

I have been researching laser printers for TOG DE and other online programs. I have read that a color laser printer is not less expensive per page than an inkjet printer (although a b&w is cheaper). We were going to buy the color laser printer with duplexing ability, and I was dreaming blissfully of the fast printing until I read this. Now I don't know if I can justify it just for the faster pace.

 

Tracy

[abrightmom]

Really? Well. now I'm going to look into it further! I've heard glowing reports about how much less expensive the laser is in the long run but perhaps it was the b&w. I'm going to look into it some more as well. I was totally convinced that laser is the way to go . . . . :D Thanks for sharing that . . .

[Tracy]

Really? Well. now I'm going to look into it further! I've heard glowing reports about how much less expensive the laser is in the long run but perhaps it was the b&w. I'm going to look into it some more as well. I was totally convinced that laser is the way to go . . . . :D Thanks for sharing that . . .

 

I can't say that I have done a lot of research. I looked at Consumers Reports for a general idea of cost per page. Then I figured out cost per page on my own inkjet, which is about average, I think. It would cost about the same per page, plus the cost of the printer, of course. The cheapest ones were $300, without duplexing. If you find additional or better information, please share, because I really, really want to find a way to justify a new printer.:drool5:

[Janice in NJ]

Janice, I am SO SO SO SO glad you shared your heart!! You are one of my favorite WTM posters! I almost emailed you because you've been so helpful in the past.

 

Aw. Thanks for the kind, kind words. :001_smile:

 

A couple of questions for Janice or for anyone else who might be able to share:

 

Teaching Company lectures? I'm intrigued. Are these for kids or Moms or . . . . ? Any particular recs. to write down for *future reference*? This is the second time I've heard the Teaching Co. mentioned this week. I'd like to invest some more in training me so if these would help I need to know about it!

 

http://www.teach12.com A dangerous place for the pocketbook. :001_smile: Actually everything goes on sale at least once a year at 70% off. Still a dangerous place. But anyway. I don't remember when I discover TTC, but they are awesome. Really awesome. I discovered that even though I LOVE to read, I am an auditory learner. I've accumulated tons of these lectures over the years. And I've learned SO much. Hmmmm... thinking back here. I guess I discovered them somewhere between 2004 - 05. So my oldest would have been between 5th and 6th grade. So you have time. I started out with sets from my library and slowly started purchasing sets - my library only ILL's these for two weeks at a time. Two weeks just wasn't enough time for me to absorb some of these lectures. I watch. Read. Re-watch. Read some more before I move on. Anyway - I started including sets in our school budget.

 

But there's no HURRY there. They'll be there when you need them. And they are constantly adding new subjects and new lecturers. They'll be there when you need them. No rush! :001_smile:

 

Also, I'm curious about how a TOG Mom learns to pull together a notebook. Is there a *go to* place for getting a heads up on the different ways TOG Moms organize themselves/their kids work? Perhaps it will come with time. I'm a slow learner and so any advance preparations do really help me. :D

 

There are some good helps on the TOG website for setting up the program. According to their April newsletter, it also looks like they have some great webinars planned starting in May. You might find them helpful:

http://www.lampstandpress.com/newsletter.htm

 

My notebooks? Locally a group of gals used to get together last year to discuss curriculum. When I could attend, I would. One month everyone was encouraged to bring their suggestions on planning. I brought my planning notebook - my brain - my central control. My degree is in engineering, so it's a concrete, sequential, inter-related series of tabbed sections. The whole is really bigger than the sum of the parts, and it works incredibly well for me. BUT I really think that the general feeling in the group was that I was nuts. They were kind. But no one wanted to emulate our plan. :001_smile: So I doubt that it would do any good for me to try to explain how I do it with words. I had visuals - the actual pages - and I still don't think anyone found it valuable. I suspect that it just seemed like a huge pile of complicated pages. It makes perfect sense to me though, and that's what matters.

 

So how does that help you? You'll grow into your plan for your gang. Really. It happens. Trust the process. Work the process, but trust it. You'll set up a plan. It works. Mostly. But there are things that you don't like about it. So you try something a little different. Success or failure dictates the next step. You tweak. Try something different. It's all part of this home-educating thing. It builds wisdom into you. You'll learn so much about who you are, who your family is, and where you are headed in order to fulfill your gang's callings in life. It's exciting. And HUMBLING. Inspiring and discouraging. What a marvelous journey. :001_smile:

 

So start with what you know to do. Do that. And trust that when you need to do something else, the ideas for that something else will be dotting your path. They'll be there when you need them.

 

** Excellent recommendation for how to print DE on the laser. We're going to get one of those because I spend so much $$ on ink and paper! The laser is an excellent investment for the long haul!

 

I actually bought a duplexing brother laser printer from Amazon for $170. We were spending close to forty bucks a month on ink. With three high schoolers, this laser printer will pay for itself before the school year is out. When I went back to recommend it to a friend though, it was MUCH more expensive. Weird. But there it is. When I needed it and the time was right, there it was. Cool huh? I just love it when stuff like that happens.

 

Peace again to you and yours!

Janice

[johnandtinagilbert]

I have been researching laser printers for TOG DE and other online programs. I have read that a color laser printer is not less expensive per page than an inkjet printer (although a b&w is cheaper). We were going to buy the color laser printer with duplexing ability, and I was dreaming blissfully of the fast printing until I read this. Now I don't know if I can justify it just for the faster pace.

 

Tracy

 

Really? Well. now I'm going to look into it further! I've heard glowing reports about how much less expensive the laser is in the long run but perhaps it was the b&w. I'm going to look into it some more as well. I was totally convinced that laser is the way to go . . . . :D Thanks for sharing that . . .

b&w lasers save a ton :) I dropped my printing expenses drastically when I got a b&w laser printer.

 

have you seen the recent commercials for inkjet printers with $5 refills for 500 pages? Work checking out...I'm thinkin' there is a Kodak and a Lexmark now that I've seen?