Tapestry of Grace or Sonlight HELP!

[newhsmommy]

I have 2 children and I like both programs very much. My older is a strong reader so I was leaning towards Sonlight since it is reading intensive. My younger one likes the unit study approach. I have made a pros and cons list and I am equally split down the middle.

 

Please let me know what you like or dislike about either one.

 

Thanks! :confused:

[mamato4girls]

:lurk5:

[MerryAtHope]

I haven't used TOG, but I've always appreciated that SL has the book selections done for you. We really like the lit & readers. Merry :-)

[CroppinIt]

I haven't used TOG, but I've always appreciated that SL has the book selections done for you. We really like the lit & readers. Merry :-)

 

:iagree:

 

I use Sonlight as well, with no experience with TOG. (Hi Merry!)

 

One of the things I like best about it is the instructor's guide. All the lessons planned out, plenty of writing space, extensive notes, easy to adjust if you don't like one of the selections... and the 18 week Love to Learn Guarantee. If you use your core and don't like it, you can return the whole thing for a full refund. (This is only for full cores, not ala carte stuff.) Check it out at the website -- you really have nothing to lose by trying it out but a little time.

[SewLittleTime]

I've done 4 SL cores and have just ordered my first TOG unit to try. I'm also torn between the two. There is so much to love about each one! My reasoning for switching is in another thread that you can read. Let's see if I can find it:

 

Here

[sandra in va]

I've used a little of TOG (18 weeks of year 1) and several years of SL. I've seen so many families do really well with TOG. You could focus on reading with the oldest and hands-on with the younger. TOG gives you that flexibility. If you want to keep your kids on the same topic, then TOG will allow you to do that.

 

One caveat - it is a wonderful program, but it requires a lot of planning on your part. (which if you enjoy, won't be a problem!) If you prefer a curriculum that comes with a schedule - another option could keep your oldest in SL and try HOD for the younger. I've heard that it is a balanced program with good lit, hands-on, written work. Winter Promise (which I've also used) could be a good fit for both kids - literature based with hands-on ideas.

 

Best to you in your decision making!

[laurad1125]

I've used both and prefer TOG for several reasons.

 

1. I don't like some of Sonlight's book selections. One of my children and I are both very tender hearted and Sonlight has some pretty tough books, even early on.

2. With Sonlight, I felt like we read about something and then just moved on. I prefer the focus TOG has on a particular topic for a week. We really get into it, though each at our own level.

3. We enjoy, even need, the hands-on stuff that TOG suggests.

4. I like knowing that the time I'm putting in now will benefit me when we reach this unit again at a higher level. I'm currently answering the Dialectic questions for each week even though I don't have a child at that level. But I'm learning more that will help me be an effective teacher later.

5. Mine are 4.5 years apart. There really wasn't a way to put them both in one core and feel good about it. I know some people might be able to, but it just didn't work for us.

6. I really like the chronological aspects of TOG. Sonlight has some of that but it's not as chronological as TOG.

7. The sheer amount of stuff TOG has forces me to accept that we can't do it all. With Sonlight, I kept trying to fit it all in.

8. I enjoy planning the weeks out myself. I really adjusted the Sonlight schedule so much that the planning TOG requires (which takes me about 1 hour a week) is not a downside that it might be for others.

[siloam]

I have 2 children and I like both programs very much. My older is a strong reader so I was leaning towards Sonlight since it is reading intensive. My younger one likes the unit study approach. I have made a pros and cons list and I am equally split down the middle.

 

Please let me know what you like or dislike about either one.

 

Thanks! :confused:

 

Hmmm....

 

The advantage of SL is having the schedule. Would, could you use it as an open and go thing? If you could without tweaking it then that would be a strong argument for SL.

 

The advantage of TOG is the ability to make it your own. If you like to mess with schedules, tweak them, and have a good idea of what you want then TOG would probably work better.

 

Option number 3, which you didn't list is to do Winter Promise. They have a unit study approach like TOG, have lots of hands on (if you need that, we do), but has a schedule line SL. You can still add SL readers.

 

I really think it depends more on your style of hsing.

 

Heather

[Kipling]

Last summer, I went back and forth between SL and TOG. My daughter was starting first grade, and my son was starting k4. I wanted to pick a program that I felt comfortable sticking with for the long haul. I agree that both have their benefits, but I ended up choosing TOG for the following reasons:

 

1. It is much better suited to multi-age teaching. I really wanted something that allowed me to keep my kids studying the same core material. My 4 year old and 6 year old have both studied the ancients and really enjoyed the whole year. It is nice to know that when my littlest one (now 1) is ready for school, she will be studying the same material as her big siblings, but at an age-appropriate level.

 

2. I like TOG's approach to history (traditional classical, with 3 rotations through all of world history). SL seemed less organized in its approach.

 

3. With TOG, you can reuse so much of the material. You only have to buy 1 set of each year plan, so after the first four years, you have all the core curriculum you need for the rest of your children's schooling and just need to add the books (and math & science).

 

I have really liked TOG, and I'm very glad I picked it. The lesson planning has not been too onerous for us, and I like having so much say over the kids' lessons. I feel like I probably would have "tweaked" sonlight so much that lesson planning would have taken twice as much time as it did with TOG.