I'm mad! How do I use TOG (Ancients year 1) Secularly?

[swainsonshawk]

I have bought this incredibly expensive program based on downloading the free three weeks online available for preview. I felt pretty comfortable because the religion seemed to be separated into its own column and I could just skip it. When I bought the digital edition, though I discovered many weeks where the "main" reading was based only on the old testament.

 

This is not going to work for me. I am disappointed and feel cheated. I have contacted the company with my complaints and they are unwilling to refund my money.

 

So now I am stuck with this program that I can't sell and can't use. Has anyone used this secularly? The only thing I can come up with is to skip those weeks and stretch the other weeks out to make up for time. But then I am not using the incredibly expensive program to its fullest, only as a glorified book list.

[Quiver0f10]

I have bought this incredibly expensive program based on downloading the free three weeks online available for preview. I felt pretty comfortable because the religion seemed to be separated into its own column and I could just skip it. When I bought the digital edition, though I discovered many weeks where the "main" reading was based only on the old testament.

 

This is not going to work for me. I am disappointed and feel cheated. I have contacted the company with my complaints and they are unwilling to refund my money.

 

So now I am stuck with this program that I can't sell and can't use. Has anyone used this secularly? The only thing I can come up with is to skip those weeks and stretch the other weeks out to make up for time. But then I am not using the incredibly expensive program to its fullest, only as a glorified book list.

 

 

On TOG's main page is a link "About Us-> Statement of Faith" http://www.lampstandpress.com/aboutus/index.php which clearly states their beliefs and the fact that it is a Christian program and how it works. I don't think it is fair to say TOG cheated you. The information is there to read before purchasing.

 

However there are people using it secularly and hopefully they will respond.

Edited July 24, 2010 by Quiver0f10

[swainsonshawk]

Okay, I guess I knew their beliefs before I got started. But there just isn't a lot to choose from for Homeschool history OTHER than Christian material. I feel misled in that from what I saw on the three free weeks, the program would work for me. But the rest of the weeks are not the same. In that way I feel misled.

[half-dozenroses]

If you go here:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151928&highlight=question+tapestry+grace

 

this thread that may help you. It looks like someone here created a yahoo group to help with this very thing.

Best of luck to you. TOG is an excellent program (I am going on my 3rd year - not secularly - we have used Year 3 and 4 and they are awesome!!) and I hope you can find a workable way to use it.

Edited July 24, 2010 by half-dozenroses

[melmichigan]

I added Y1U4 to my SL 6 last year and did it secularly. The first three units are much harder to secularize, which is why we used something else. Hopefully someone who was successful with the first three units will chime in. I think the other years are much easier to use secularly from what I've seen, although I only own parts of Y2 right now.

Edited July 24, 2010 by melmichigan

[Melissa in CA]

Personally, if I were not a Christian, I would treat the biblical history in TOG Y1 the same as I do Greek and Roman history/myths. I would teach it as 'this is what historical Christianity believes, teaches, etc.' There is no harm in learning other cultures. :confused: I do not believe in evolution at all, but have taught it to my ds. I do not believe in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman gods, but have taught them to my son...and found them fascinating! TOG delves into many different religions, not just Christianity, and teaches what they believe. Perhaps if you look at the subject matter in a different light it won't be so offensive to learn about?

 

Just a thought. :)

[fairytalemama]

I don't use TOG, but what if you taught the weeks that you find too religious how you would teach a unit on mythology. Another option is that you could explain to your children that this is what some people believe but we don't. Even in college the Bible is often taught as a piece of literature so maybe that's a way you could handle it.

[Hedgehogs4]

It's pretty clear from the title "Tapestry of Grace" that it could be tough to secularize the program. tapestry implies a weaving, grace implies a doctrine and creed that is especially Christian. just from the title i would assume that their intent is to weave the gospel of grace through every academic discipline that they could.

[swainsonshawk]

These are all good suggestions. Thanks everyone. I guess I hate to have spent all this money only to have to majorly tweak yet again. Why do I do this to myself? I KNOW that the only way I will be happy is to design it myself, yet I keep getting sucked into curriculums!

[swainsonshawk]

It's pretty clear from the title "Tapestry of Grace" that it could be tough to secularize the program. tapestry implies a weaving, grace implies a doctrine and creed that is especially Christian. just from the title i would assume that their intent is to weave the gospel of grace through every academic discipline that they could.

 

I agree, I probably was being naive. But wouldn't you think that the explicit samples on their website would be a representation of what is in their curriculum? There are lots of curriculums that secular users can adapt for their use (Winterpromise, Sonlight) which are made by very religious publishers. But, you're right. In the end I can blame no one but myself!

[Night Elf]

In threads that ask what a person's ideal curriculum would be, I often say a secular layout like TOG. I've always been fascinated with TOG because of the amount of work put into it but I guess I've been on this board long enough to know it is a thoroughly Christian program. Personally, I have no problems teaching my children about different religions including Christianity.

 

The problem is with 2 things:

 

1st, I've never seen a religious program other than a Christian one and there are a plethora of them out there. My biggest problem area has been science. If it wasn't for an outside homeschool group, my dd12 wouldn't be taking science until the required high school courses through the long distance accredited school we use.

 

2nd, programs like TOG imply a pervasive Christian theme. I don't want to spend every day in every area of a curriculum refuting the Christian belief by trying to discuss my own or that of other religions as well. That is such a ton of work and can distract from the actual subject itself. This is why I steer clear of Christian programs.

 

Now, I am using Write Shop and it has the very smallest reference to God when in the student checklist the student is reminded to write what is pleasing to the Lord. We all giggle at it and talked about how it's not nice to write mean things. It's okay to disagree and have supporting ideas but if those ideas are merely an attack on a person or an idea, then that a different topic needs to be chosen. This kind of bare mention of God is the only one I'm willing to use in my home.

 

OP: Sorry you made a mistake. It's even a bigger problem with ebooks because those cannot be resold. It definitely sucks. This board is a think tank and you can ask about any curriculum under the sun and find someone who is familiar with it. You'll see threads that ask 'just how religious is ... '.

[simka2]

I agree, I probably was being naive. But wouldn't you think that the explicit samples on their website would be a representation of what is in their curriculum? There are lots of curriculums that secular users can adapt for their use (Winterpromise, Sonlight) which are made by very religious publishers. But, you're right. In the end I can blame no one but myself!

 

I printed the first 3 weeks, and decided it was too "christian reformed" for me...and I am a christian.

 

I'm sorry you are in this position. If you teach it as Christian myth...which you are more than welcome to do, you might want to keep in mind that this is a very specific form of christianity. Not all christians hold the same belifes.

[Osaubi]

I only used the last section of year one as a secular curriculum. My ds was in the young stage so if that week was something I didn't want to read or didn't like I would look at the SOTW suggestions for that/those chapters and pick something from there. Or I would pick a book selection and read it over a couple of weeks as a read aloud.

[TheCoffeeChick]

Out of all the year plans, I think you picked the one that has the most Christianity in it. Once out of the ancients it would be much easier to teach TOG secularly - but year 1 seems like it would be pretty difficult in some weeks.

 

Since selling it is out of the question, can you just modify it by stretching some of the weeks?

 

Scan through each week's overview section and find the ones that are your favorites and the ones that are definitely out of the question. Throw out the ones you couldn't possibly do secularly and stretch the others. I think this is really doable in history, because there are such interesting things to follow as rabbit trails.

 

There are some people who stretch one year of TOG out to two - even if you only use 18 of the 36 weeks you could easily stretch it out to last the school year.

[Skadi]

Personally, if I were not a Christian, I would treat the biblical history in TOG Y1 the same as I do Greek and Roman history/myths. I would teach it as 'this is what historical Christianity believes, teaches, etc.' There is no harm in learning other cultures. :confused: I do not believe in evolution at all, but have taught it to my ds. I do not believe in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman gods, but have taught them to my son...and found them fascinating! TOG delves into many different religions, not just Christianity, and teaches what they believe. Perhaps if you look at the subject matter in a different light it won't be so offensive to learn about?

 

Just a thought. :)

 

I understand that thought, but the predicament seems to be twofold: a) the sheer amount of time given to what a non-Christian deems as mythology instead of history and b) the biblical events that the curriculum treats as fact (e.g. the Exodus) that have no supporting evidence in a historical context. If it was a small part of the greater whole of the curriculum, it wouldn't be so problematic...but from what I've heard, TOG incorporates religion into around 60% of its course of study. Imagine teaching your child from a program that spoke of the Odyssey as if it really happened, witches and all. Unless you subscribe to that belief, it's a bit absurd.

[Melissa in CA]

I understand that thought, but the predicament seems to be twofold: a) the sheer amount of time given to what a non-Christian deems as mythology instead of history and b) the biblical events that the curriculum treats as fact (e.g. the Exodus) that have no supporting evidence in a historical context. If it was a small part of the greater whole of the curriculum, it wouldn't be so problematic...but from what I've heard, TOG incorporates religion into around 60% of its course of study. Imagine teaching your child from a program that spoke of the Odyssey as if it really happened, witches and all. Unless you subscribe to that belief, it's a bit absurd.

 

Fair enough. ;)

 

But, except for Y1, I'm not sure I would say that TOG incorporates 60% religion...unless you are talking about all religions also? We did our fair share of learning other religions in Y1.

 

Also, not wanting to get into any form of debate, but so far the bible has yet to be proven wrong when it comes to historical people and places, in fact it is proven correct time and time again through archaeological finds...so why should we conclude that Israelite/Jewish history is not, also, true? I think you are going in with the assumption that the bible stories are just that, stories...but perhaps they are not. And even if you personally do not believe in God, the Israelites in fact did...that's historical truth. You may find it absurd, but they did not. The Jewish people of today still firmly believe in the God of the Old Testament. That is fact. :D

[Hedgehogs4]

I agree, I probably was being naive. But wouldn't you think that the explicit samples on their website would be a representation of what is in their curriculum? There are lots of curriculums that secular users can adapt for their use (Winterpromise, Sonlight) which are made by very religious publishers. But, you're right. In the end I can blame no one but myself!

 

well, don't beat yourself up too much. :001_smile:

[Snowfall]

Also, not wanting to get into any form of debate, but so far the bible has yet to be proven wrong when it comes to historical people and places, in fact it is proven correct time and time again through archaeological finds...so why should we conclude that Israelite/Jewish history is not, also, true? I think you are going in with the assumption that the bible stories are just that, stories...but perhaps they are not.

 

There is no way to prove that the Red Sea did not part for the Israelites, but there is also no way to prove that the Titans weren't born of Gaia and Uranus to rule the earth before they were overthrown by the Olympian gods. To a Christian who takes the Bible literally, there is no way to prove that Noah did not take the animals 2 by 2 into the Ark. That is the problem - people can't agree on what constitutes "proof". Some believe there is scientific proof that Noah did not take all the species on earth into a boat, 2 by 2, but to some, no amount of science will ever prove it. So, in my opinion, the Bible has been proven wrong on multiple occasions. Your opinion is simply different. If a non-Christian is to go in assuming the Bible stories might be true, it would make just as much sense for a non-Christian to believe any number of other religious traditions are true. People believe because of their faith, not because it has been proven by science and archeology.

Edited July 24, 2010 by Snowfall
Edited to be more general, I hope. :)

[siloam]

(((Hugs)))

 

Were you beyond the 6 week return period? I know people who have returned DE, but it was always before the cut off.

 

I hope you find a way to make it work. I would recommend you skip the weeks where the Bible is the main reading, and instead spend more weeks in the weeks with secular texts. You can do the History portion, in depth, fine arts and literature. If you could stretch them to 1.5 or 2 weeks it could work. You could use alternate lit books to cover the extra weeks. You could still use the writing, just slightly modify the topics in the weeks you won't use to fit those before or after it. Not ideal, but workable.

 

TOG is such a full program I think you could make it work by just using more of the program on the weeks that will work for you. It would be preferable that this didn't happen at all, but now that it has you might still be able to get your money's worth from it.

 

BTW I also agree that year 1 is the one year that is hard to secularize. The rest of the years they don't have you reading out of the Bible as the history text. Though there still would be references throughout the program that I think would become tedious. I have a friend who is Jewish who made year 2 work for her, her kids never knew it wasn't a Jewish program, but it was very draining on her to sift through everything and make it fit her worldview. She didn't continue, even though the next few years would have been easier. If you could just get through this year, you could buy something that would work better next year.

 

Heather

[swainsonshawk]

(((Hugs)))

 

Were you beyond the 6 week return period? I know people who have returned DE, but it was always before the cut off.

 

As far as I can tell, there is no return policy for their DE products. You buy it, you unlock it, you're stuck with it. I even emailed and begged, but no go.

[Wildiris]

Why can't you sell TOG if you don't care for it? You could sell the TOG for a small loss and reinvest in secular curriculum.

 

I find as a secular shopper for home school curriculum I must be very careful before buying, reading everything possible to determine how the religious content is presented. Generally, the religious content enhances most curriculum, but sometimes religion becomes the focus of a curriculum, and I refrain from buying. I've looked at TOG many times and rejected it for being overly religious for my use. If it were more secular, I buy it in a heartbeat.

[siloam]

As far as I can tell, there is no return policy for their DE products. You buy it, you unlock it, you're stuck with it. I even emailed and begged, but no go.

 

Bummer.

 

Well if I were in charge I would have, but that doesn't do you much good, hua?

 

Heather

[siloam]

Why can't you sell TOG if you don't care for it? You could sell the TOG for a small loss and reinvest in secular curriculum.

 

I find as a secular shopper for home school curriculum I must be very careful before buying, reading everything possible to determine how the religious content is presented. Generally, the religious content enhances most curriculum, but sometimes religion becomes the focus of a curriculum, and I refrain from buying. I've looked at TOG many times and rejected it for being overly religious for my use. If it were more secular, I buy it in a heartbeat.

 

She bought the digital product, and it has to be unlocked on TOG's side to be usable. Even if she gave it away, and someone installed it on their computer they couldn't use it until TOG gave them rights to locklizard.

 

Heather

[melmichigan]

As far as I can tell, there is no return policy for their DE products. You buy it, you unlock it, you're stuck with it. I even emailed and begged, but no go.

 

You are correct, there is no return policy now on DE. They are pretty clear about that if you use the buying guide to compare the different formats. I am hoping to get more use out of mine in the rhetoric stage. :) I hope you can make some of it work for you. Maybe you can look at using the few units that are easier to secularize repeatedly through your rotations with your kids being younger? Did you buy all the books too?

Edited July 24, 2010 by melmichigan

[TXMary2]

nm

[Wildiris]

She bought the digital product, and it has to be unlocked on TOG's side to be usable. Even if she gave it away, and someone installed it on their computer they couldn't use it until TOG gave them rights to locklizard.

 

Heather

 

Yikes! I've never bought a digital item before. Siloam, thanks for the mini-lesson. When a person buys this product they do not buy the right to resell it..uumm...I'm going to think twice before I buy a digital item. I suppose Kindle works on the same principle.

[HollyDay]

This thread helps to reinforce why I do not use TOG. I know folks IRL who adore it. I've read glowing reports of it here. But, any program I cannot return or resell, especially one so expensive, is just not in my plans.

[M&M]

((Hugs)) I'm sorry that you have a product that you cannot use as written. Did you by any chance read the scope and sequence of Year 1? You can tell just by the unit titles that it is very Biblically baised http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year1/#2.

 

I have seen people post that they use TOG secularly but most skip Year 1. You could probably pull something together by topic Ancient Egypt, etc. but I know that isn't what you planning to do when you bought TOG. I know that feeling when you have just spent money on something you thought would be great and I just doesn't work out.

 

Hope you find a workable solution.

[M&M]

You can return and re-sell the print version just not the DE. That seems to be a standard for e-products. I choose the print version for this reason. I am old-fashioned that way...I like the feel of real books!

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

If I were in your position, I would go ahead and use TOG *with* SOTW as your spine. Some people criticize SOTW for being too secular, so it seems it would be a good resource for you. You'll see that it is an alternate resource for Upper Grammar students.

 

There is a ton of useful teacher resources to beef up your knowledge of the area, and your kids will get a fantastic geography unit of this part of the world.

 

You'll notice that many weeks deal with the Israelites and (fill in an ancient culture here) -- focus your studies on that culture - SOTW will be helpful here. This is what we did in our history group (for upper/lower grammar) and there were some weeks that I felt we just didn't have enough time to learn about that culture. There will inevitably be some weeks that you just cannot use b/c of the Judeo-Christian content, so you can opt to extent your unit on (for example) the Phoencians for two weeks instead of 1. The internet has some amazing sites to learn about the art and culture of these early civilizations. Seek out art museums in your area to get up close with their artifacts.

 

We just completed Year 1 last year, and had to make tough choices to cut out the unit studies in China, India and the Americas -- you could easily spend two weeks just reading/ learning about these cultures. And using TOG will help you narrow down some great hands on projects for your kids to do (if you are into that sort of thing).

 

Hope some of these suggestions are helpful to you. Feel free to email me privately if you want to brainstorm some more.

[EKS]

I'm not sure what ages you are wanting to use TOG for (I know nothing about it), but these are some secular history programs:

 

History Odyssey (grades 1-12, I think)

SOTW (grades 1-4)

K12's history courses (grades K-8)

K12's Human Odyssey series (without the online course) (grades 5-8)

 

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I was just ranting on the non-secular phonics thread about this. I've pretty much come the the conclusion that I simply can't adapt non-secular resources.

[M&M]

This is a great idea!

[mom31257]

This thread helps to reinforce why I do not use TOG. I know folks IRL who adore it. I've read glowing reports of it here. But, any program I cannot return or resell, especially one so expensive, is just not in my plans.

 

My understanding is that you can resell the print version, just not the digital.

[Tohru]

Oh mama! That really sucks you are upset with your decision, HOWEVER it is a great program and can be secularized. We used TOG Y2 secularized years ago and recently came back to it and are doing Y1 secularized.

 

My suggestion is this:

Skip the weeks that might be offensive or just too much religion. Pick and choose the Egypt and Mesopotamia weeks and then ignore the rest of the Unit 1. Unit 1 is only 9 weeks, so it's really only a few weeks you'll be skipping. Head straight on over to Unit 2, that's where we are and so far it's been fascinating! Ancient India, China, America...fun stuff! It is very easy to ignore the religious selections in the other Units.

 

The book list and worksheets are really good. You can modify and eliminate any questions that pertain directly to religion. Here is a link I found out about today that teaches how to modify the Student worksheets from your DE:

 

http://web.me.com/rivendellpress/Using_TOG_at_Home/Reformatting_TOG_SAPs.html

 

Another bonus - The hands on are a blast if you want to do them. My ds isn't crafty, but he likes the end unit celebrations. Generally we have a themed party and invite other people over to celebrate in style. For Y2, we had a medieval feast and invited friends to come in costume. None of them did the curriculum with us, but it was still fun to have a party.

 

Also remember that the pace of each week is for Rhetoric level work. The author suggests slowing down considerably, maybe take 2-3 weeks per week for lower grade levels. Since your dc are all younger than Rhetoric, Y1 could take you anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete.

 

It is a fabulous program. Don't beat yourself up. ;)

[swimmermom3]

I used TOG Y1 secularly this past year along with another outline. It can be done, but it's not easy and the wonderful TOG board members warned me about that. You can start the program by using either Track 1 or Track 2. The recommended course is to start with Egypt (Lessons 1-3). I chose to start with Lessons 4-6 (Track 2) because this allowed me to work chronologically. We read Genesis for literacy in Unit 4 and did our own prehistory session as well as reading creation myths from around the world. That was a fascinating project especially when looking at timelines involved for the appearances of various myths. As the year progressed, I had to do less tweaking. I won't be using TOG again because it was hard to work around and yet, I still have severe TOG envy. The Somervilles have put together an amazing program that digs deeper than many curricula. You can make it work and I suggest you really pay attention to how the program is put together. Glean from it and use those ideas to create your own program next year.

Edited July 25, 2010 by swimmermom3

[Quiver0f10]

This thread helps to reinforce why I do not use TOG. I know folks IRL who adore it. I've read glowing reports of it here. But, any program I cannot return or resell, especially one so expensive, is just not in my plans.

 

 

You can buy, resell or return the print only version. Only the DE or DE/print combo are not resellable.

Edited July 25, 2010 by Quiver0f10

[woolybear]

Have you tried discussing this on the TOG yahoo groups? There is a general group and then there are groups for each year. There is a TOG secular group, but it is not too active. I would try either the Loose Threads group or the TOG year 1 group. I plan to use year 2 secularly, but I did find some of year one to be more religious.

 

I hope you find some way to work this out.:grouphug:

[Smithie]

"The Jewish people of today still firmly believe in the God of the Old Testament. That is fact."

 

Um. Maybe it's a fact for the Orthodox. More likely just the ultra-Orthodox.

 

The rest of us, the other ninetysomething percent, tend to make a very sharp distinction between verifiable historical and scientific fact and our beloved religious traditions. Guess which one we prefer to see featured in our children's history curricula?

 

Most Jews (not all!) believe in God - though it is very much possible to be a devoted member of K'lal Yisrael and a convinced atheist. But the "guy in the sky" in the "Old Testament" who had the children ripped up by wild animals for being disrespectful to Lot? Not so much. We regard stories like that as an attempt by ancient Jews to come to grips with their experience of the divine and to reconcile the goodness of God with things that happened in their environment.

 

OP, I would not use the curriculum. It sucks to be out so much $$$, but nothing's more important than filling your kid's heads with information that YOU believe to be true, delivered from a perspective that YOU believe to be sound. I have to do such continual on-the-fly editing in SOTW to rinse out the Calvinist taint that I can't imagine doing more - and SOTW is just one book that we read through, not a fully integrated curriculum! It just sounds like an exercise in frustration to me. :(

[cmarango]

I have used TOG in a secular way for my self-education. From what I remember it is the first unit that is somewhat terrible to wade through. However, I also lament the fact that I have no grasp of bible stories since they pop up everywhere in Western literature. So, I am currently reading the bible on my own and will make sure that my children are aware of the bible stories as well. Just like my grasp of the Greek and Roman myths is not that great and will have to be remedied.

 

How do you feel about looking at the bible as literature? I do not think that it is difficult to treat the bible as historical fiction.

[Capt_Uhura]

Til this day, I regret not taking the "Bible as Literature" course at my university. I think it would have been fascinating.

[melmichigan]

Til this day, I regret not taking the "Bible as Literature" course at my university. I think it would have been fascinating.

 

:iagree:It would have been fascinating, and very helpful now... I'd love to find an independent study for myself.

[Smithie]

I love the (Christian) Bible. I've read it through. I am fortunate to have had the chance to study it as literature. I quote the NT frequently. A lot of it is great, great stuff.

 

But a history book, it's not. The appropriate time and manner, IMNSHO, for Biblical material to come into a comprehensive history curriculum is when discussing how JudeoChristian beliefs shaped certain societies that then went on to shape the Western world. I'm pretty sure my kids are going to emerge from their schooling more well-versed in the NT, Church history etc. than their Christian cousins. If I gave the impression earlier that I didn't value Biblical literacy and the study of extrabiblical Christian texts just because the TOG approach gives me hives, then I apologize.

[April in NC]

Oh, Becky, I'm so sorry that you are disappointed in the curriculum. We've been using TOG secularly since the beginning of the year, but we started in mid-Year 2. I've found that material to be pretty much a breeze to secularize. Of course, I may have a different comfort level with skipping, discussing, or working around overly religious references than others. (I don't like having to re-word everything in a curriculum, but I don't mind working around the occasional Bible reference if the program is good enough to justify the effort.) I started the TOG Secular group, to help secular or non-reformed Christian users to support one another, but I do get the impression that there are a number of people who have only recently begun using TOG secularly, and only a few people who have extensive experience with using it that way. That said, you are more than welcome to ask the ladies on that group (no guys yet, that I know of!) for advice.

 

I have pretty much universally heard that Year 1 is The Hardest to approach from a non-Christian (or even non-reformed Christian) viewpoint.

 

I have to say that while the Somervilles may have different religious and political views than our family, I have, over the years, been deeply impressed with the examples I have seen of their integrity and their passion for history and literature and learning in general. The program may be too in-depth for some, but if you are looking for a rich, integrated, creative, and intellectual learning experience, I have found no other program like it.

 

I wouldn't like having to do it, but I would have no problem being able to cut out 1/3 to 1/2 of the material, and still have plenty to do. As it is, we often can't keep up the weekly pace and still get everything done without skipping things.

 

I would suggest to anyone interested in using TOG secularly, that you purchase by the unit, instead of by the year, no matter what year you use. The price for one unit is very reasonable, and the difference in the yearly price isn't all that significant. In fact, if you are using DE I'd recommend that strategy even if you are Christian. Buying a digital curriculum that you can't resell before you have a chance to know if it will work for your family is more of a gamble than I'm anxious to take, no matter what the curriculum.

 

Becky, I hope you can find a way to make this work for your family. I know from past experience that once I have a bad taste in my mouth from a program (and not mention feeling trapped in a bad purchase decision!) it can be miserable. :banghead: I am keeping my fingers crossed that as you have the chance to look more closely into the program, you will be able to find more than enough hidden redeeming qualities to make your year a success after all. :001_wub: Maybe you can brainstorm some workable solutions with some of the other experienced ladies who have offered.

 

If that's not the case, I hate to say it, but I would probably rather ditch the program, even if I had to stick to only using free resources for this year, rather than be miserable with a curriculum that is a truly bad fit. :grouphug:

 

Best of luck!

[gingersmom]

For future grades you might want to check out Oak Meadow.

[ShelliR]

I printed the first 3 weeks, and decided it was too "christian reformed" for me...and I am a christian.

 

I'm sorry you are in this position. If you teach it as Christian myth...which you are more than welcome to do, you might want to keep in mind that this is a very specific form of christianity. Not all christians hold the same belifes.

 

 

Yes, I was just pre-reading "The Church in History" used for dialectic Year 2 and it is SO BIASED toward a reformed theological perspective. I don't even think I can use it. I wouldn't like for secular students to think that that was "THE" christian church history.

[AHASRADA]

I know this isn't any help to you now, but I never buy Christian curriculum new. If I am curious and think I might be able to secularize it, I purchase a used copy. That way, I am not out too much $$, and if I end up not being able to use it, there is usually a good market for reselling.

 

It is also important to look into what causes (if any) the curriculum provider supports. I enjoy Sonlight, for example, but do not want any of my $$ going to the charities they support, and therefore avoid buying directly from them.

 

If it makes you feel any better, we have all made very costly curriculum mistakes. Chalk it up to a learning experience, and salvage what you can of the curriculum. You have received several great suggestions for doing so.

 

In the future, don't hesitate to come to the Hive for advice before making any large purchase sight unseen.

[johnandtinagilbert]

It looks like you have some pretty good recs :) After looking over the scope and sequence, it looks to me like it won't be too difficult to skip a few weeks. Having used TOG for some time now, trust me, it's very easy to stretch out the content --- there is so much to do! Skip the super bible based weeks and enjoy the rest of the curriculum!

 

:iagree: that the ancients are the toughest to remove biblical perspective while using TOG. Just works out that way according to timelines!

 

We also used the Church in History for year 2 (a dialectic suggestion) and although we do not agree with the reformed slant, it did make for great discussions about what we do believe and why. It actually was our best year of church history ever!

 

Take this bad and turn it into something good. Grow from it and as another poster mentioned, glean the "How to do it" from TOG and then go your way if you still feel the need.

 

I also thought the idea to use SOTW was a great one!

[Athome]

It may actually make time for good discussion for you and your child. Explain how you feel and think about what you're reading. See what they're processing of your views and others as you go.