mama2cntrykids Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Ok, I'm trying to HS on a budget as dh is laid-off, but he's really encouraging me to "just get what you need...used" lol. We've been using MFW since my ds11 was in 1st grade, so obvious it's been ok for us. My dillemma is that I'm looking at the TOG 3 week sample and LOVE it for my ds11...not so much for my ds9. I love the book selections for the dialetic stage. I love the questions in the teacher's section for the dialetic stage. It would give ds more options as to what *he* wants to do for reading and hand-on. I must say, I REALLY, REALLY like the questions from the teachers notes for the dialetic student, but I'm afraid that if we stuck with MFW I would be hard pressed to come up with them on my own. My ds9 has learning issues. He's bright, but I have to tweek some of the stuff in MFW for him and I'm afraid with TOG, it would be MORE so. What can I do ladies. I really think ds11 would excel with TOG, but ds9 would be hating it. I can't afford to get TWO seperate curriculums and implement them too. Heeeeelp!! (please) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Well what do you think would be the issues with your 9yo? That would help decide. Maybe if we knew more about your younger one's issues us TOgers could help you see how to modify easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Well what do you think would be the issues with your 9yo? That would help decide. Maybe if we knew more about your younger one's issues us TOgers could help you see how to modify easily. He hates any type of hands-on stuff. He doesn't like map labeling, or should I say it's more the actual act of writing he struggles with. His letters are very ackward and it stresses him out to write very much. I have a suspicion that he's dysgraphic, but I've never had him tested, so I can't be sure. I was also realizing how many books I'd have to track down and "keep track" of. I would have three kiddos doing the same thing (Middle Ages), LG, UG and Dialetic. That's a lot of books to order through ILL and keep track of in the house so they're not late (we can only check out for two weeks at a time:glare:). :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 We do little to no hands on TOG stuff. The only hands on thing I do for that age is I get the lapbooks that are preprinted for my 8yo. It would be very easy to do everything orally. The questions are designed IMO for that age to be part of oral discussion. My 8yo just does oral narrations, reads and does oral questions with me for his TOG. I did three levels via the library for over a year now. You get in a routine. Get books, put next two weeks on hold if they are out. I have mine do all their more "history" type books at the table or on the couch during class time. Only literature books leave my sight to be read at night and they are to be returnd when we first start school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 We do little to no hands on TOG stuff. The only hands on thing I do for that age is I get the lapbooks that are preprinted for my 8yo. It would be very easy to do everything orally. The questions are designed IMO for that age to be part of oral discussion. My 8yo just does oral narrations, reads and does oral questions with me for his TOG. I did three levels via the library for over a year now. You get in a routine. Get books, put next two weeks on hold if they are out. I have mine do all their more "history" type books at the table or on the couch during class time. Only literature books leave my sight to be read at night and they are to be returnd when we first start school. I had typed out a reply last night, but lost it:confused:. I wish that I could be as organized as you with the library:001_smile:. I start out good, but by 1/4 of the way through the year, I dive bomb! I guess it doesn't matter if I use MFW or TOG. If I'm going to save money, I need to utilize the library better. Any other thoughs anyone? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I finally chose TOG for the first time, and have only tried MFW and SL in the past 12 years with not much success. I used BJU K 11 years ago with 1 child, then found the Classical method to be the most appealing when I started researching methods. IEW is my favorite Writing after FLL. So after wrenching my brain to say the least and counting the cost, I finally settled on TOG instead of Omnibus this year. I am not doing the Lap booking, it is just too much money and time for me ( too many children) but am going to supplement with MOH 2 and Craft Cd as well as make a time line. Narration and Socratic discussion ( love the guide) is going to be easier with all of the material and I do feel a bit overwhelmed, and that was part of my problem. It really doesn't matter which path I choose, it will not be easy, I just think TOG will be easier in the Long run to keep everyone on track, including me. I like the idea now of having too much and being able to choose what we do and what we don't do. I am sure it will be difficult to start, but we are on Monday. The past few weeks have been full of researching, making mistakes trying to be frugal, and finally taking the plunge. I think it will be less costly if I can sell alot of the materials we have not used, and just stick to the core for TOG. Time will tell, but I feel like this is the right path for us as we have High School to plan, and a baby on the way.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 TOG is the best thing I have come across HANDS DOWN. It really is just a whole lot of things to pick and choose from! I tend to flow back and forth through the levels depending on the week we are having. There is a lot of reading in there but you are right; the questions are fabulous! Would your 9 year old get into the discussion portion? I have found that my 8 yr old really likes that stuff. You can pace out the purchase by doing digital units one at a time. That way you do not have to pay upfront a bunch of money. There are SO many books in there you can utilize you library easily. Many of the books are available on here for sale as well as TOG itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'etudie Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 We're are on our third year of TOG after doing MFW K and MFW Adventures. Once I had my first TOG year plan in hand I realized it had everything I liked about MFW plus more. I love this because I feel like anything I might want to do is at my fingertips, and I enjoy having the choice. For some people, this is overwhelming and that makes it a bad choice--totally understandable. Could you try the three-week sample with your 11yo to be sure he loves it as much as you think he will? If he does, TOG can be customized for your 9yo. If he doesn't want to label maps, find places on an atlas and globe instead. Skip the crafts. Maybe think about what your 9yo would get from MFW and see if you can still find it in TOG. All this, of course, assuming that it really is the best choice for your older one. :) We have mainly used the library for LG and UG during Y1, Y2, and Y3 of Tapestry. If you go to BookshelfCentral.com you can see what books your 11yo would be using and check if your library system has them. I keep our TOG books in a separate cupboard from the other 70+ books we have checked out of the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 He hates any type of hands-on stuff. He doesn't like map labeling, or should I say it's more the actual act of writing he struggles with. His letters are very ackward and it stresses him out to write very much. I have a suspicion that he's dysgraphic, but I've never had him tested, so I can't be sure. I was also realizing how many books I'd have to track down and "keep track" of. I would have three kiddos doing the same thing (Middle Ages), LG, UG and Dialetic. That's a lot of books to order through ILL and keep track of in the house so they're not late (we can only check out for two weeks at a time:glare:). :bigear: The great thing about TOG is that you can choose what you are going to do. I am not a "hands-on" mom. I do those things with my co-op (because the kids like them), but at home we read, discuss, do the student activity pages, narrate. You can completely tailor the program to suit your son's needs. The "system" as you mentioned is not that hard. There was a learning curve at first, so I think you have to plan for that, but I have fallen into a groove. I have my "stacks" of books and a way that I keep track of them. It has all fallen into place. TOG is hands-down the best curriculum I have used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I heavily utilize the library for TOG books, and I have kids at all 4 levels this year. I have discovered that my library's online system will not only let you request books, but postdate the request. I can have several weeks' worth of request already entered in, and it automatically submits the request on the date that I provide. It has made a world of difference! And I just stumbled on that feature....it's somewhat easy to miss, and it's not "announced" anywhere that I can find on the library's website. You might look and see if you can do something like that. I also made a list of the books that I would need to request for the whole unit for each week and which ones I need to keep from the week before. That way I don't miss books when I request them from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thanks for all the replys ladies. I'm really tired right now, so I will come back to this when my mind is fresher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 TOG is the best thing I have come across HANDS DOWN. It really is just a whole lot of things to pick and choose from! I tend to flow back and forth through the levels depending on the week we are having. There is a lot of reading in there but you are right; the questions are fabulous! Would your 9 year old get into the discussion portion? I have found that my 8 yr old really likes that stuff. You can pace out the purchase by doing digital units one at a time. That way you do not have to pay upfront a bunch of money. There are SO many books in there you can utilize you library easily. Many of the books are available on here for sale as well as TOG itself. Yes, it looks like a lot to pick/choose from. It also might be difficult for me to schedule stuff on my own. I'm still back/forth. We're are on our third year of TOG after doing MFW K and MFW Adventures. Once I had my first TOG year plan in hand I realized it had everything I liked about MFW plus more. I love this because I feel like anything I might want to do is at my fingertips, and I enjoy having the choice. For some people, this is overwhelming and that makes it a bad choice--totally understandable. Could you try the three-week sample with your 11yo to be sure he loves it as much as you think he will? If he does, TOG can be customized for your 9yo. If he doesn't want to label maps, find places on an atlas and globe instead. Skip the crafts. Maybe think about what your 9yo would get from MFW and see if you can still find it in TOG. All this, of course, assuming that it really is the best choice for your older one. :) We have mainly used the library for LG and UG during Y1, Y2, and Y3 of Tapestry. If you go to BookshelfCentral.com you can see what books your 11yo would be using and check if your library system has them. I keep our TOG books in a separate cupboard from the other 70+ books we have checked out of the library. That's a great idea you had about the alternative to labeling maps. I had not thought about that! I went through my ILL and I *might* be able to get about half (maybe a little less) of the books that are listed in book central. So, that will add to the cost as well. I'm not good about searching for used resources usually:glare:. I heavily utilize the library for TOG books, and I have kids at all 4 levels this year. I have discovered that my library's online system will not only let you request books, but postdate the request. I can have several weeks' worth of request already entered in, and it automatically submits the request on the date that I provide. It has made a world of difference! And I just stumbled on that feature....it's somewhat easy to miss, and it's not "announced" anywhere that I can find on the library's website. You might look and see if you can do something like that. I also made a list of the books that I would need to request for the whole unit for each week and which ones I need to keep from the week before. That way I don't miss books when I request them from the library. Thank you. I will check with our librarian to see if we might have this feature. It would help tremendously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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