s/o TOG thread

[StephanieF]

I had decided on HOD bigger for the fall with PR2. However since Tina's thread I've been back to the TOG site and looked again!

 

Ds7 will only be at home for grades 2 and 3 and after that will probably go to school. So, do I need to start TOG at year 1 even though we've done SOTW1 this year? I'd rather start at year 2 and do yr 2 and yr 3 before he goes to school, but would that mess up the writing section? Would we be out of sync? Is it a program that you can just jump into at any point?

Thanks

Stephanie

[johnandtinagilbert]

I had decided on HOD bigger for the fall with PR2. However since Tina's thread I've been back to the TOG site and looked again!

 

Ds7 will only be at home for grades 2 and 3 and after that will probably go to school. So, do I need to start TOG at year 1 even though we've done SOTW1 this year? I'd rather start at year 2 and do yr 2 and yr 3 before he goes to school, but would that mess up the writing section? Would we be out of sync? Is it a program that you can just jump into at any point?

Thanks

Stephanie

Jumping in anywhere works fine. We started in Year 1, Unit 4..how 'bout that for jumping in.

 

It will not mess up the writing at all.

 

Enjoy it...it rocks :)

[MelissaMinNC]

The writing assignments are divided into 12 grade levels so each week you just have him do the assignment for whatever grade he is in. If you find that those are too easy or too difficult, it is very easy to just go one level up or down.

 

HTH,

Melissa

[1bassoon]

I had decided on HOD bigger for the fall with PR2. However since Tina's thread I've been back to the TOG site and looked again!

 

Ds7 will only be at home for grades 2 and 3 and after that will probably go to school. So, do I need to start TOG at year 1 even though we've done SOTW1 this year? I'd rather start at year 2 and do yr 2 and yr 3 before he goes to school, but would that mess up the writing section? Would we be out of sync? Is it a program that you can just jump into at any point?

Thanks

Stephanie

 

Hey Stephanie -

 

You're going to be surprised to hear me say this . . . .

 

TOG is an awful lot for a 7 year old. The benefit of doing it with a 7-year old would be, imho, to educate yourself in order to be ready to dive in for the next level go-around.

 

If your 7yo is definitely going back into school in 2 years, I would think there would be other history programs that are less work and just as appropriate for a 7yo.

 

Don't shoot me! I'm a BIG BIG TOG lover - really, I am - but for *most* families with younger children, it's overkill unless you're really committed to TOG for the long haul.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Feel free to jump in at any year. If I were putting my child into a school I would check the local requirements for history. Some areas do different things different years. Choose the units that will allow him to fit back into the program. Perhaps he needs colonial history or civil war or vikings...the local district should be able to tell you what to do, many have this info on their website.

[AuntPol]

I wouldn't do it with just one lower grammar age child who is going back into the school system. I think the strength of the program is in the dialectic and rhetoric ages and in the ability to include younger kids in what the older ones are studying.

[1bassoon]

I wouldn't do it with just one lower grammar age child who is going back into the school system. I think the strength of the program is in the dialectic and rhetoric ages and in the ability to include younger kids in what the older ones are studying.

 

:iagree: That's what I was trying to say, Aunt Pol - you did it better than I!

[HSMom2One]

I would agree with Tina, in that you don't have to begin with Yr 1. You honestly can jump in at Yr 2, or at any point. But saying all that, if I had one LG student that was not going to remain at home long term I don't think I would go with TOG either. I absolutely love TOG, and I'm using it for one child, but we are in it for the long haul or at least through middle school. We began last year at UG level and it was perfect for my 5th grader. If she had been at LG level, I believe I would have waited until 5th grade. In fact, Lampstand Press recommends that families begin using the curriculum when the oldest child is in 5th grade. The younger students simply get exposed to the subjects and concepts as the family gets the cycles and rhythms down and the older students go more in-depth.

 

Do keep in mind that when you buy TOG, you are buying lesson plans that cover all grades from K-12. Most people buy it to build upon over a period of time, acquiring the resource books that will be used at each grade level as they amass a great library. Of course with one student, that is not necessary, but I guess what I'm getting at is that when you purchase TOG you are buying a very structured teacher's manual that is not used in its entirety in one year . It just may be overkill for your situation.

 

One thought came to mind as I was writing this. Why don't you just get all the resource books for LG and use the along with SOTW YR 2? Unless you want the whole lesson plan w/teacher's notes for your own education, that is really all that you would need. I think if I were in your shoes, that is exactly what I would do.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Guest]

I had decided on HOD bigger for the fall with PR2. However since Tina's thread I've been back to the TOG site and looked again!

 

Ds7 will only be at home for grades 2 and 3 and after that will probably go to school. So, do I need to start TOG at year 1 even though we've done SOTW1 this year? I'd rather start at year 2 and do yr 2 and yr 3 before he goes to school, but would that mess up the writing section? Would we be out of sync? Is it a program that you can just jump into at any point?

Thanks

Stephanie

 

Stephanie, I am going to be starting TOG with an almost 7 year old and he will be the only one using it for now since my other boy is too young . I have just started planning our year (just reviewing materials in the Loom for now and setting things up on HST+) and I have to admit I am getting more and more excited the more I see of what TOG has to offer. However, I find that TOG for someone in your situation that will only be homeschooling for a couple of years, it just may not be worth the investment. Like the other ladies have already shared the most benefits of TOG can be seen in the higher levels so if you were to start now, like we are, with the goal of educating yourself while giving your child a hands-on program that will build an educational foundation for his future then great. Since however you will only be homeschooling for two years you will be taking on an expense for the higher levels and especially if you get the DE you cannot resell it. I feel you should take the time to download the samples and check them out and spend lots of time on their site (I spent a week before I got a clearer picture) before you commit to such an investment. I hate to sound like a party pooper (it is just my personality, I am very straightforward and outspoked, for better of for worse :tongue_smilie:) but I just feel bad when someone spends money on something they won't be getting the most of.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Guest

[Guest]

I would agree with Tina, in that you don't have to begin with Yr 1. You honestly can jump in at Yr 2, or at any point. But saying all that, if I had one LG student that was not going to remain at home long term I don't think I would go with TOG either. I absolutely love TOG, and I'm using it for one child, but we are in it for the long haul or at least through middle school. We began last year at UG level and it was perfect for my 5th grader. If she had been at LG level, I believe I would have waited until 5th grade. In fact, Lampstand Press recommends that families begin using the curriculum when the oldest child is in 5th grade. The younger students simply get exposed to the subjects and concepts as the family gets the cycles and rhythms down and the older students go more in-depth.

 

Do keep in mind that when you buy TOG, you are buying lesson plans that cover all grades from K-12. Most people buy it to build upon over a period of time, acquiring the resource books that will be used at each grade level as they amass a great library. Of course with one student, that is not necessary, but I guess what I'm getting at is that when you purchase TOG you are buying a very structured teacher's manual that is not used in its entirety in one year . It just may be overkill for your situation.

 

One thought came to mind as I was writing this. Why don't you just get all the resource books for LG and use the along with SOTW YR 2? Unless you want the whole lesson plan w/teacher's notes for your own education, that is really all that you would need. I think if I were in your shoes, that is exactly what I would do.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

That was what I was trying to say. You said it so much better than I ;).

[StephanieF]

Many thanks for your replies. I agree with those of you who are discouraging me which is why I haven't jumped before now!

I like the idea of using their resources and the SOTW2 AG. Shame I don't know exactly what the future will bring or if I will continue to home school beyond 3rd grade!

It may be that I try one unit and see if I love it.

 

Part of me thinks that I also need to be excited about teaching him which is why I want to be inspired and enthused! I'm a little bored right now just doing the last days of school before we break up and I want to get back that excitement and enjoy the last 2 years I have with ds before he goes to school.

Thanks for your help!

Stephanie

[Guest]

Many thanks for your replies. I agree with those of you who are discouraging me which is why I haven't jumped before now!

I like the idea of using their resources and the SOTW2 AG. Shame I don't know exactly what the future will bring or if I will continue to home school beyond 3rd grade!

It may be that I try one unit and see if I love it.

 

Part of me thinks that I also need to be excited about teaching him which is why I want to be inspired and enthused! I'm a little bored right now just doing the last days of school before we break up and I want to get back that excitement and enjoy the last 2 years I have with ds before he goes to school.

Thanks for your help!

Stephanie

 

Stephanie, situations change and you never know what the future holds. You could try a unit and see how it goes. At the same time if you do end up getting the full year later it will just cost you a little more since you will not get the savings of buying the full year plan or possibly a bundle. If you are comfortable financially then you don't really have to worry about it. I don't know why you won't be homeschooling after two years and of course I don't want to be nosy by asking but it seems to me that you enjoy it so why not address whatever issue you have there first and then perhaps you can get TOG for now and the future :).

[Jen S in Va]

Hey Stephanie -

 

You're going to be surprised to hear me say this . . . .

 

TOG is an awful lot for a 7 year old. The benefit of doing it with a 7-year old would be, imho, to educate yourself in order to be ready to dive in for the next level go-around.

 

If your 7yo is definitely going back into school in 2 years, I would think there would be other history programs that are less work and just as appropriate for a 7yo.

 

Don't shoot me! I'm a BIG BIG TOG lover - really, I am - but for *most* families with younger children, it's overkill unless you're really committed to TOG for the long haul.

 

I would have to agree. I used TOG for 5 years starting with year 2 and ending after our 2nd pass through year 2 when my eldest graduated, and when I started I had one UG and one dialectic child. For us TOG is at its finest with older kids for lots of juicy discussion. If my oldest were only 7, I'd go with HOD, which I have used with my youngest, and only home school student now :sad: But ymmv.

[Guest aquiverfull]

Stephanie,

I have an 11 year old plus little ones, and I'm getting TOG mostly for the older one and my own self education. I'm not sure I would have picked TOG if it was just for my younger girls. However, I think you could easily do TOG light at that young age by just reading the scheduled history readings and do an activity here or there. That would make it closer to something like SL or WP. So I do think that it can be very do-able with younger children.

I plan to try just a unit first. I've tried lots of various history programs already and end up tweaking them so much that buying those teacher guides has been a waste of my money. That is one reason why I think TOG might actually work for us. It will give me the flexibility I crave. The cost of the program always put me off, but after talking with my husband and seeing he liked it too, I knew I had to at least give it a try. If it doesn't work out that's fine too. So I don't see any harm in trying a unit, if you like it you could continue. If not, you could easily jump into HOD and since it's a 4 day schedule you could probably work 5 days/week and still finish it on time.

[StephanieF]

Trouble is that I keep on looking at the samples and love how it is all integrated. All I'd need to do is add my math and continue with phonics road.

 

We'd probably do a mix of LG and UG and it may be that I can use it to help my ds11 who will be studying the same period at school.

I may end up buying a unit to see whether I can really make good use of it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Stephanie