Will I regret ordering Biblioplan over TOG?

[arlingbound]

Hello, I am seriously torn between TOG and Biblioplan and would be grateful for any help.

 

I will be teaching a 6th grader and Kindergartner this year. We have used SOTW as a spine in the past with supplemental books, but history has been light and I'd like to offer my kids more than I have in the past -- especially the 6th grader, who is a voracious reader and history lover. We've never used a set curriculum before, and the idea of starting something new is also appealing to us given the significant transition our home school will experience this year (our 9th grader will be going to school -- we will miss him! -- and our K-er will be joining our home school).

 

I have perused samples of both programs and read as much as I can, on these boards and elsewhere. I know some families who use TOG and like it a lot, and some who have used it and disliked it. I don't know anyone personally who has used Biblioplan (which I heard of only a few months ago).

 

I believe TOG has a great many more users than Biblioplan, and this also makes me wonder: If Biblioplan offers much of the best of TOG without the overcomplication and excess, why aren't more people using it? (Or are they?) (Is there safety in numbers? :))

 

I don't want to overdo history or spend all my time planning, but I definitely want to offer my daughter (who would be dialectic in TOG) the most I can.

 

My main concerns about TOG are: Will it overwhelm and burn us out (as it seems to do to so many people), so that we do not get the benefit of it? Or will it take more time than we want to devote to history, so we end up using only a small fraction of what is offered? Either would be a very disappointing result, especially given its (to me) exhorbitant price tag.

 

My main concerns about Biblioplan are: Does it offer fewer resources and less analysis and insight than TOG (both for parent and child), so that I will regret not having gone for more?

 

Many thanks for any insights you can provide!

[Tracy]

I don't want to overdo history or spend all my time planning, but I definitely want to offer my daughter (who would be dialectic in TOG) the most I can.

 

My main concerns about TOG are: Will it overwhelm and burn us out (as it seems to do to so many people), so that we do not get the benefit of it? Or will it take more time than we want to devote to history, so we end up using only a small fraction of what is offered? Either would be a very disappointing result, especially given its (to me) exhorbitant price tag.

 

I don't know anything about Biblioplan, so I cannot comment on the comparision. As for TOG, it will only overwhelm you if you do not or cannot pick and choose the topics and resources that will be sufficient for your family. A lot of people go into it thinking that you have to use as much as possible to get the most bang out of your buck. But TOG intentionally has more in it than you can possibly teach so that you can tailor it to your family. If you cannot help feeling like you have to use as much as possible, then you will be both overwhelmed and disappointed. But if you are good at tailoring what you have to suit your needs, I can't see how you could be disappointed, especially at the D and R levels.

[sandra in va]

I'm not familiar with Biblioplan beyond looking at the samples online. I will say that the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels in TOG history are great (we've used it for almost 3 years). I love the questions the kids have to answer and the helpful discussion outlines. I don't think I saw the equivalent in Biblioplan. However, that's not the whole picture! TOG is expensive and it takes time - to plan and to have discussions. Ultimately, it was the expense and lack of flexibility that led us to go in a different direction. Biblioplan might be simpler, but that could work in your favor. After looking at their website, I have been impressed with the new materials Biblioplan has added in - it looks really good and well rounded.

 

It is hard to answer your very well thought out concerns for both programs. So much depends on your personality, the personality of your homeschool, etc. I guess you have to decide whether you want to go for rigor (and expense both time and $) or *perhaps* less rigor and more flexibility. Pick one, try it, and I hate to say this - but you could always switch the next year. Your daughter is young (6th grade), you have plenty of time yet to try something else. :)

Edited August 28, 2012 by sandra in va