Newbie TOG Year 1 rec's?

[Pookamama]

I have a few questions regarding a newbie homeschooler starting Tapestry of Grace Year one. My kid will be 6 and his younger siblings tagging along with whatever interests them. So we're doing Lower Grammar.

1. Is it easier to have the digital version or print version?

2. Tips for homeschooling planning and organization? Do you use a program, a binder, or a combo? I need to organize TOG, Hooked on Phonics, Singapore, Miquon, and Handwriting Without Tears.

3. Do the Foundational Sessions help? I got a code to get them for free at a HSing conference.

4. Which of the supplemental supplies do I NEED? It sounds like the Evaluations would be helpful. But what about Map Aids? Tabs?

5. What did you buy? What did you use the most? What could you have lived without for the lower grammar stage?

6. Any other tips, tricks, hacks?

 

Thanks in advance! I am so thankful I found this forum, you all have already been so helpful I can't believe it! I don't think I'd be motivated to homeschool without this!

[TheAutumnOak]

I have a few questions regarding a newbie homeschooler starting Tapestry of Grace Year one. My kid will be 6 and his younger siblings tagging along with whatever interests them. So we're doing Lower Grammar.

1. Is it easier to have the digital version or print version?

2. Tips for homeschooling planning and organization? Do you use a program, a binder, or a combo? I need to organize TOG, Hooked on Phonics, Singapore, Miquon, and Handwriting Without Tears.

3. Do the Foundational Sessions help? I got a code to get them for free at a HSing conference.

4. Which of the supplemental supplies do I NEED? It sounds like the Evaluations would be helpful. But what about Map Aids? Tabs?

5. What did you buy? What did you use the most? What could you have lived without for the lower grammar stage?

6. Any other tips, tricks, hacks?

 

Thanks in advance! I am so thankful I found this forum, you all have already been so helpful I can't believe it! I don't think I'd be motivated to homeschool without this!

 

I am also new to TOG, so I don't have too many answers, but I love to print things out so I bought the DE version...The Foundational series will be half off ($25 for all 8) during the month of August, so you may want to wait until then to buy it...I am planning to use a combination of files and binders to store the pages...I will most likely get the tabs...

 

Maybe someone else can chime in :bigear:

[Tracy]

I have a few questions regarding a newbie homeschooler starting Tapestry of Grace Year one. My kid will be 6 and his younger siblings tagging along with whatever interests them. So we're doing Lower Grammar.

1. Is it easier to have the digital version or print version?

I think for LG, it is easier to have DE (though I haven't tried print). It is just that if you only have LG, there is a ton of superfluous stuff. I just print out the reading lists and the activity pages, and that is all I have to go through. I put each week into a file folder.

 

2. Tips for homeschooling planning and organization? Do you use a program, a binder, or a combo? I need to organize TOG, Hooked on Phonics, Singapore, Miquon, and Handwriting Without Tears.

 

For most of my subjects, we decided to go with a file crate system. That way, I can keep everything in the crate, and all finished work just needs to be dropped into a file folder--easier than the binder system we used last year. However, for TOG stuff, I am still using a binder, because it is the sort of thing that my dd will like to look back through.

 

3. Do the Foundational Sessions help? I got a code to get them for free at a HSing conference.

 

No experience here.

 

4. Which of the supplemental supplies do I NEED? It sounds like the Evaluations would be helpful. But what about Map Aids? Tabs?

5. What did you buy? What did you use the most? What could you have lived without for the lower grammar stage?

 

I don't think at the LG level that you need any extras. The only one that we use is MapAids, since my dd6 is hugely into geography. I don't see the point in using Evaluations at this level. I know my dd is learning way more history than she would in school. So for me, it is just extra work. The Tabs would be nice, but I can't bring myself to pay to ship those things here all by themselves. Some people like lapbooks, but my impression is that they work better for UG level, because LG kids don't have the fine motor skills do it without a lot of help.

 

 

 

 

6. Any other tips, tricks, hacks?

 

You will have the most fun with TOG at this level if you just relax and do what you can and skip the rest. There were weeks that we were sick or very busy. On those weeks, we just did some reading or listened to SOTW audio CDs and skipped the mapping and/or activities. For us, it was better to keep moving forward and then be done when we planned to be done rather than spending extra time on the subject and still be doing Year 1 in the summer or at the beginning of next year.

 

The TOG folks keep emphasizing that we should focus on the 3 R's at this age and that TOG is just frosting. There is wisdom in that, though my dd thrives on history and geography. Because of that, I have to really work to keep a proper balance and be willing to let TOG go a bit when something needs to give.

[mhaddon]

Hi! Have a 6 year old starting year one with younger siblings as well :). I dis get the CDs for free from convention and listened to the first and it answered many of the questions you have. I bought print and de and am very please with that decision. I love not being tied to my computer to read the notes and everything the de so I can print and look thinks easier. Beat of both worlds. Best of luck. I already feel confident in starting.

[Random]

I have a few questions regarding a newbie homeschooler starting Tapestry of Grace Year one. My kid will be 6 and his younger siblings tagging along with whatever interests them. So we're doing Lower Grammar.

1. Is it easier to have the digital version or print version?

This is completely up to you. I love to have the paper, and not be tied to the computer. Our computer is off during school time and printing is expensive for me.

 

2. Tips for homeschooling planning and organization? Do you use a program, a binder, or a combo? I need to organize TOG, Hooked on Phonics, Singapore, Miquon, and Handwriting Without Tears.

I have binders to organize my papers and my students' papers. I use tabs numbered from 1-36. I like to have a target number of lessons to complete each week in each subject. That keeps me from not finishing a subject.

 

3. Do the Foundational Sessions help? I got a code to get them for free at a HSing conference.

I don't know! Sorry!

 

4. Which of the supplemental supplies do I NEED? It sounds like the Evaluations would be helpful. But what about Map Aids? Tabs?

For LG, we only read history aloud together and did some map work. There are many free blank map resources online. We didn't do evaluations or anything like that in LG. I bought tabs from WalMart and numbered them 1-36.

 

5. What did you buy? What did you use the most? What could you have lived without for the lower grammar stage?

History became our favorite subject when my oldest was in the LG stage of TOG (still is, and we are still doing TOG). We took a relaxed approach, though; reading, drawing pictures, narration, making crafts and talking about what we were learning made it fun. I suppose I am saying we lived without almost all of it at first. We just read and then ds would do something to reinforce the reading.

 

 

 

 

Have a great year!

[Pookamama]

Ohh, thanks Tracy, Tahara, Melissa, and Random, that really helps! I've got a household full of crazy and the relaxed approach is what will work for us!