TXmomof3 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hello, Our family has been homeschooling for 2 years now. We just started using TOG with my 3rd graders and 1st grader. We are doing both LG and UG with all 3 kids. We are doing the activities and using the geo, lit, history and church history of the TOG. We also have separate grammar, science, math, bible, spelling and vocabulary. My question is-- am I missing something? We seem to be ahead in the TOG and able to finish everything up in 3 days (with all our school subjects). I heard that with TOG there is no way to complete everything. I am wondering if I am missing something with the TOG or should be adding something else. Thanks for any help. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMOm Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Which year of Tapestry are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 We use year one and he reads both grammar stages' book selections, both primary and alternate. I also add in SOTW book suggestions usually. We do the mapping and timeline. We pick one activity/craft per week. We don't do other activities or vocabulary words. I don't use Writing Aids. Most weeks we have plenty of time. A few weeks, he hasn't finished his readings until Friday. For instance, this week was Ancient China so there was a lot to cover. Anyway, no, we haven't found it hard at this level. But my son loves to read and is reading most everything on his own (I read SOTW to him). If I had to read it all to him, we definitely wouldn't have time to read as much as he's getting done on his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulmomSDG Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Your curriculum situation sounds similar to ours (see signature lines) and I agree that it seems like most of TOG is do-able at the LG and UG levels. Especially since history is their favorite subject this year! Now that said, I have also done TOG with a R level student for 9th grade and I definitely had to drop some of the planned readings & activities. Maybe it's a level thing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXmomof3 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 We are starting with TOG yr 3. We were using SOTW and finished vol 1 and 2. We are reading all books and supplement books that we can find at our libraries in the 3 area cities. So we are able to check out most of all books recommended and extras. Also we bought a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Your curriculum situation sounds similar to ours (see signature lines) and I agree that it seems like most of TOG is do-able at the LG and UG levels. Especially since history is their favorite subject this year! Now that said, I have also done TOG with a R level student for 9th grade and I definitely had to drop some of the planned readings & activities. Maybe it's a level thing?? Exactly. If you have one or two Dc in D or R level it becomes more difficult to fit in everything. I'll point out too, that in lower TOG levels there are no time consuming end of the week discussions to be done, and evaluating assignments becomes much more time consuming in the upper levels. A lot also depends on your other curriculum--if it is teacher intesive, has a lot of extra activities scheduled, requires outside researching, planning, etc....and then you also have to consider how many extracurriculars a family has too, and many other factors like if the mom is trying to work part time, or is caring for an elderly parent, or dealing with her own health problems. There really are a lot of variables, and for most of us, as our children grow older, health issues of our own, or for close relatives seem to become issues. I've never done only LG or UG, but I imagine I wouldn't have too much trouble getting it done, though there would probably still be activities I wouldn't bother with b/c I have my own ideas of what I want to do with Dc and there really is only so much time in a day. Even Dd in UG, has some serious extracurriculars that are time consuming, and at times they might require that we trim our TOG weeks. I've also got 2 elderly relatives I keep tabs on and could be required to help on a moments notice, so that would affect my ability to fit in everything from TOG. (And I won't go into my own health issues.) It really becomes a choice for each family about which direction they want their Dc's education to go and what they can realistically accomplish within their family's circumstances. If Dd has a heavy week of practices then we might cut some TOG activities, b/c, again, there is only so much time. I'm also going to add that some may have trouble getting done everything in TOG even for the lower levels if they are trying to do activities they or Dc don't really enjoy. It becomes a drag to try to manage projects no one really cares about. Not everyone wants to do lots of hand on activities or end of the unit celebrations. We have never done a unit celebration beyond having some special meals. Once or twice the kids made some easy costumes way back when. We have other things we celebrate now that are more specific to our family's interests and educational path. When I started I had one in D, one in LG/UG. Most of it was doable, but some things did need cutting. Now, with Ds in R level there is no way I could have him follow church history, geography, government, philosophy, history, and literature threads unless I cut way back in other subjects and cut down on the extracurriculars, which I am not going to do. We are following the threads for history and literature this year, and including some of the geography. I take a peak at the notes for church history and just throw out what I can. Op, sounds like you and Dc are having a great experience with TOG! I don't really think you are missing anything. Some families might be just like yours and fit in everything and enjoy it too. But, there are other families with different circumstances who just aren't able to, or don't choose to fit in all that TOG offers. You might read them lamenting in their posts about how difficult it is to fit in all of TOG, but they may not provide any background info about what else they are trying to accomplish. Then without knowing the circumstances, it might be hard to understand why your own experience is so much different. It always bothers me when I read posts where people start recommending curriculum without knowing anything at all about the parent/teacher, student's strengths and weakness, and family circumstances. But that's a completely diferent post and not at all what the OP asked about.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I have trouble fitting everything in with my LG student because I have to still read her all the books, as well as work with my D student on non-TOG stuff, so there are variables involved here. If she could do her own reading, I would have no problem getting it all done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I also have year 1 and find it very doable in the LG area. I do one activity every other week because I add in an art/music appreciation into the mix. I too have a D student, so my days are pretty full. I have also done year 3 and 4 with an UG student and those plans have quite a bit more to them. Glad you're enjoying it! Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 .... I heard that with TOG there is no way to complete everything. I am wondering if I am missing something with the TOG or should be adding something else.Thanks for any help. :bigear: I also find TOG doable with younger kids, but I have to wonder how you define completing everything. I will just randomly look at week 4. You did the majority of the reading on both the primary pages and alternative resource page? :svengo:OK, I suppose I could see that if your kids are avid readers and do most of the reading to themselves. Vocab is easy to knock out. But now I have to start to wonder, you added a state card and president card to the cumulative card projects, continued working on the invention project, did the geography assignment, made soup, and a potato dish, made a compass and moccasins and the 7 other things that are listed???? in three days????? So, that was a little snarky, and I don't mean to be rude. It sounds like TOG is working great. Yeah!!! But are you literally doing everything? I have never heard of anyone able to complete everything. If you are, WOW! Good for you. And if you are do you have any tips?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I also find TOG doable with younger kids, but I have to wonder how you define completing everything. I will just randomly look at week 4. You did the majority of the reading on both the primary pages and alternative resource page? :svengo:OK, I suppose I could see that if your kids are avid readers and do most of the reading to themselves. Vocab is easy to knock out. But now I have to start to wonder, you added a state card and president card to the cumulative card projects, continued working on the invention project, did the geography assignment, made soup, and a potato dish, made a compass and moccasins and the 7 other things that are listed???? in three days????? So, that was a little snarky, and I don't mean to be rude. It sounds like TOG is working great. Yeah!!! But are you literally doing everything? I have never heard of anyone able to complete everything. If you are, WOW! Good for you. And if you are do you have any tips?:D Well, I was actually having the same thoughts, but didn't post them b/c I didn't want to sound snarky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXmomof3 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 God bless you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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