Another ?? about TOG

[buttercup]

What subjects does this cover besides history? Is there writing instruction included or do many of you use an outside course for that? How difficult would it be for the students and mom to transition over from using a more traditional textbook kind of program?

[KellyT01]

There is a writing program included with TOG but the book is sold separately - the name escapes me at the moment. We chose to use IEW instead because dd was in a coop that used that. It also includes vocabulary or spelling, depending on how you choose to use the list provided, and geography. For the geography component you can purchase MapAids as an add-on which works in conjunction with TOG but you probably can get away with just using a regular atlas and studying the areas covered for that unit. Many other enrichment types of activities are included depending on the required and supplemental materials recommended for that week (art, cooking, etc). It is a very full program - by that I mean MANY choices available to customize it they way you want.

[FlyingMOm]

What subjects does this cover besides history? Is there writing instruction included or do many of you use an outside course for that? How difficult would it be for the students and mom to transition over from using a more traditional textbook kind of program?

 

-World history is covered- includes secular and Christian history

-Geography

-Fine Arts

-Vocabulary

-Literature

-There are philosophy and government electives in the upper levels

 

There is a writing program that goes with Tapestry. It is called Writing Aids- I have not used it yet as my kids are young but I have heard good things about it.

 

I think the level of difficulty you will face will be determined by your natural teaching bent and your child's natural learning style. If you & your children are already naturally inclined towards living books & reading out loud, you will probably have an easier transition. Also, I think it is critical to understand that you cannot do it all- this program is *designed* as a buffet- they are giving you many options to pick & choose from- most people who I see burn out on TOG do so because they try to do it all. You really must be comfortable with cherry picking! I think this article is a must read in order to understand Tapestry, how it was designed, where it is coming from, etc.

 

http://tapestryofgrace.com/blog/2011/03/homeschooling-in-hard-times-money-and-books-part-i/

 

Here is a quote from that article:

What does this history lesson about Tapestry mean to you? Well, understanding how we got to the current organizational framework for Redesigned Tapestry of Grace should give you an “ah ha” moment! It should say to you, “Oh! I guess I don’t really need every book listed on page 4 after all! I have real choices, and they’re all good ones!” You can buy new all of the Primary Books for all learning levels and ride in a Cadillac on your homeschooling road, but you don’t need to feel like you’re sacrificing quality if you don’t. Using used books, or library Alternates will get you just as far, and often with richer scenery along the way! Taking the by-roads that unlisted books afford your family, and teaching students to do Internet research when answers are “not in the book” can develop important skills and self confidence to tackle upper-level assignments in college.

Edited February 19, 2012 by FlyingMOm

[heart'sjoy]

There's a free 3 week sample at the site.

If your kids are older it also includes government, philosophy, art apprec, music apprec.

Literature studies and Bible/ church history also.

 

The main things it doesn't cover:

reading and handwriting instruction

Math

Science

Foreign language

Formal logic

 

For us we use:

IEW

Sequential Spelling

Easy Grammar

Science and Math (although some units have a lot of science reading Archimedes, Pascal, Curie, etc)

[heart'sjoy]

Hmm? I haven't done this.

 

But in general, BTDT mom's have recommended slowly ramping up TOG by adding one area at a time. We often did this after a long break too. We'd add literature on week, then history the next week, then Geography/ or art activities the next.

 

I'm not sure the age(s) of yours. The younger crowd would transition pretty easily if they love reading or being read to. The older would transition easier if they are familiar with working off a weekly schedule of what to read and what to prepare for discussion with mom. There's also specific intructions and time needed to set up a notebook to organize everything.

 

The harder transition may be for mom to wait and see how connections develop between events and themes of history. It may feel like you're spinning wheels but not sure if any real learning is happening, at least not measureable. For younger k-2 it may take 2-3 years to see it all coming together. 4th-5th a year or two? 6th + a year? The end of unit celebrations and timelines for the 4th grade+ have been crucial for us.:grouphug:

[Hedgehogs4]

We have not used Writing Aids. We tried it, but were seeing great success with WWE, so we decided not to switch.

[buttercup]

Thanks ladies for all of the information you shared. :001_smile:

[purduemeche]

I think it's important to re-inforce that you should not try to do everything TOG offers. Most of the burned-out TOG alums make this mistake. Choosing 50-75% of what they offer will aid your sanity and your kids' fun!

[Georgiana Daniels]

I think it's important to re-inforce that you should not try to do everything TOG offers. Most of the burned-out TOG alums make this mistake. Choosing 50-75% of what they offer will aid your sanity and your kids' fun!

 

I'd say my LG kids are 50% right now, and we're really happy. The bigger advantage (for me) is re-learning, or in some cases learning for the first time, the material to present to the kids. This will be beneficial for our next go-around.