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Is Tapestry of Grace worth the $$ and work involved?


chocoholic
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I'm planning for fall - 7th & 5th grades. Toying around with the idea of using Tapestry of Grace for the 1st time. I've got what we'd need in my shopping cart and the cost is $582! This is with NO BOOKS in my cart. Then you're looking at the weekly planning that goes into it.

 

ugh

 

Is it worth it?

 

What are my other alternatives? I need to plan well for my dd's middle school history. I want to prepare her for high school studies, but I'm feeling completely overwhelmed right now.

 

Someone, please either talk me out of this or talk me into it. On paper, it looks insane.

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It was a no-go for me. I used it back in the "classic" format. I just didn't have the focus and motivation to deal with all of the choices provided and pages and pages for each week to work with. After that I decided that I had to have something scripted for history and literature. We used Sonlight for four years, and of late have been using the Veritas Press programs. Either would be fine for middle school and are more reasonable if you need something more pared down to manage.

 

Obviously YMMV....

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I wanted to use it, but ended up not homeschooling. I didn't agree with all the commentary, too.

 

I really, really like k12's history, and it'd be easy to coordinate some readers and read alouds (if you still do them) with it. What segment of history are you going to tackle? Are the kiddos combined?

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I love it I used it for my oldest, and will use it for my youngest. I love to play around and have choices in curriculum, so the choices were a good thing for me. I also love that I bought it once and can use it over and over. I will be starting my youngest in it during second grade and will use it for two cycles. When I consider that, plus what I already used it for with my oldest, I felt it was / is a good investment. I didn't agree with all the commentary either, but that was easy enough to alter. If you want someone to sell you on it, I can keep typing.

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TOG has been worth it for me and my family. The initial investment is pricey, but I now own all year plans and the investment has been worth it. I now have children in all levels and with varied interests and I can find something for everyone without having to purchase or research more curriculum. It has helped me to be better prepared for teaching at the Rhetoric level.

 

Planning is really not an issue for me anymore, because if I wish to follow a classical model of education, I need to be able to discuss these subjects with my student. I don't have time to pre-read everything my children are reading and TOG gives me enough support to dig deeply some weeks and to be able to keep my children learning when life gets in the way and I have no time to read the books or even sometimes the teacher's notes.

 

What are you buying that you are over $500? You don't need all the bells and whistles to start.

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I can't talk you into it or out of it as I am in the same valley of decision myself! But I can say I am leaning heavily towards it. I feel it's financially attainable because you can buy the ebooks by unit and that's only $45! If I plan right, I can order books from amazon, eBay and request from the library as we go. I know for a fact I can't buy the whole shebang up front. I'm ok with that though because I wouldn't want to sink that much money into something and then realize its not exactly what we needed. I found some really great TOG planning/notebooking tutorials and ideas on YouTube and I'm really inspired to get started on it and its not even fall yet. ;)

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I love TOG. I like the flexibility if offers. Every week, I can choose to focus on history, literature or activities and I can vary the level my kids are working at. I love, love the teacher notes and discussion outlines. I have a picture in my head of all of us sitting around the table having wonderful discussions, with all of our subjects integrated and spanning all of grade levels. TOG is the easiest program I have found for making that picture reasonably possible.

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We don't use it, but my sister does and loves it so I have spent a good bit of time with it. Many do find it worth it, and I think it is ... if you will use it. ;) it is a bit of planning, and there is a lot there. If you can decide how you want to do it and walk through the muddy waters to find it, it is a great program. Some just can't get used to walking in mud.

 

Also, I think you would have to be ok with using the library to do it. Honestly, that is probably one of the main things that has kept me from jumping in. My kids are just spread out enough that they would never hit each year at the right level to be able to reuse the books. One would do year one at lg the next at d and the third at ug. I would have to buy 3-4 sets of books for each year over the course of time. It seems baffling to me how much I would spend long term on books due to that. I like to own all of the books we use. If I was more responsible with the library it might be a better fit for me. ;)

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I can't talk you into it or out of it as I am in the same valley of decision myself! But I can say I am leaning heavily towards it. I feel it's financially attainable because you can buy the ebooks by unit and that's only $45! If I plan right, I can order books from amazon, eBay and request from the library as we go. I know for a fact I can't buy the whole shebang up front. I'm ok with that though because I wouldn't want to sink that much money into something and then realize its not exactly what we needed. I found some really great TOG planning/notebooking tutorials and ideas on YouTube and I'm really inspired to get started on it and its not even fall yet. ;)

 

do you mind sharing them? We will be starting Yr. 3 in August so I would love to start taking a look at them. Thanks!

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I love TOG. I like the flexibility if offers. Every week, I can choose to focus on history, literature or activities and I can vary the level my kids are working at. I love, love the teacher notes and discussion outlines. I have a picture in my head of all of us sitting around the table having wonderful discussions, with all of our subjects integrated and spanning all of grade levels. TOG is the easiest program I have found for making that picture reasonably possible.

 

:iagree: I have this same vision!

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Katie Jean,

 

I've just been searching youtube and haven't found what you described. If you could post a few links or search words for me I'd truly appreciate it.

 

I've always bee curious about TOG, but I don't feel their website really explains it and the sound in their videos is awful.

 

Thanks!

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Do YOU love it???? Seriously. What if...say...the kids went into hibernation for a year, and...you had to homeschool yourself--would you pick this curriculum for YOU?

 

I sometimes toy around with Students of the Word, which has a similar reputation for people bailing. The thing is though, that I PERSONALLY am attached to it. It's sometimes fun for me to wallow in it, even when I'm failing to make progress through it. Other times I do make progress through it, despite it being a lot of work, because I PERSONALLY love it. I usually drop it because I don't think it's serving my current students well while I play, but..if I didn't like and just thought I SHOULD use it, well...that would be a disaster all around.

 

Over the decades watching myself and an untold number of other moms/tutors, I've noticed that "should's" for junior and senior high seldom get accomplished. The use of "should" usually means we are stretching out of our ability zone, often because we are scared or ashamed. Be careful getting in over your head because you think you "should" or "have" to do something.

 

Be realistic about all your resources. Better to accomplish smaller goals than accomplish nothing. I know grade 7 is scary! I cried so many tears over junior and senior high. Fear is information, but not something that ALWAYS needs to be acted upon. Your best WILL be good enough. Your best is what you do BEFORE pain sets in. Pain is self-neglect, not doing your best, and all forms of neglect are wrong.

 

You asked for a curriculum review and I'm starting to get preachy and I'm not sure whether you want that or not, so...ignore me as being a crazy has-been if this is unwelcome. :grouphug:

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It was a no-go for me. I used it back in the "classic" format. I just didn't have the focus and motivation to deal with all of the choices provided and pages and pages for each week to work with. After that I decided that I had to have something scripted for history and literature. We used Sonlight for four years, and of late have been using the Veritas Press programs. Either would be fine for middle school and are more reasonable if you need something more pared down to manage.

 

Obviously YMMV....

 

Just curious: what is YMMV?

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Just curious: what is YMMV?

 

 

Your mileage may vary = everyone is different.

 

I've learned that I am not a planner when it comes to history and literature. I can break a single book into lessons, but not something where you pick-and-choose and put it all together with multiple books and such. For whatever reason, that is hard for me, and I don't enjoy it. When we used TOG, I did a quarter at a time, and I dreaded the planning and feeling like I hated what I planned when we were doing it. Sometimes I'd get behind on the planning, and we'd limp by until I could sit down and work it out. We did finish it, but I sold it and never looked back.

 

I have friends who love TOG and love the planning. Not me.

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I really wanted to love TOG. I tried, but I just didn't, and it's difficult to pin-point exactly what didn't work for me. I guess that it made me feel constantly overwhelmed and guilty. There was so much there, it made me feel like I was drowning. If I would have had lots of time (like several months) to get used to the format and do the planning, it might have been better. As it was the planning video by the author made me want to thrown things at my computer screen. She talks about how her husband and kids would clean the house every Saturday morning so that she could go to the library and do her planning. Ok, lovely for her, but so far from my reality. Also, it was a huge investment so I felt like I should be utilizing it fully and I wasn't. We also weren't too excited about the book selections -- most of them fell a little flat around here. My .02.

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I love it. We are 3/4 done with year one and I've already bought year two. I've actually already sat down and planned year two. I just spend a week upfront planning and printing and I have no planning during the year. Each weekend I read through the following week's notes. My son does both lower and upper grammar and does all the reading himself besides my reading Story of the World to him. We discuss and map together and I've already picked an activity for each week.

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I love TOG. I like the flexibility if offers. Every week, I can choose to focus on history, literature or activities and I can vary the level my kids are working at. I love, love the teacher notes and discussion outlines. I have a picture in my head of all of us sitting around the table having wonderful discussions, with all of our subjects integrated and spanning all of grade levels. TOG is the easiest program I have found for making that picture reasonably possible.

:iagree: The more I use TOG, the more I love TOG. :001_wub: It's increased the quality of our homeschool while reducing my stress load. What more can I say? :001_rolleyes:

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Do YOU love it???? Seriously. What if...say...the kids went into hibernation for a year, and...you had to homeschool yourself--would you pick this curriculum for YOU?

 

I sometimes toy around with Students of the Word, which has a similar reputation for people bailing. The thing is though, that I PERSONALLY am attached to it. It's sometimes fun for me to wallow in it, even when I'm failing to make progress through it. Other times I do make progress through it, despite it being a lot of work, because I PERSONALLY love it. I usually drop it because I don't think it's serving my current students well while I play, but..if I didn't like and just thought I SHOULD use it, well...that would be a disaster all around.

 

Over the decades watching myself and an untold number of other moms/tutors, I've noticed that "should's" for junior and senior high seldom get accomplished. The use of "should" usually means we are stretching out of our ability zone, often because we are scared or ashamed. Be careful getting in over your head because you think you "should" or "have" to do something.

 

Be realistic about all your resources. Better to accomplish smaller goals than accomplish nothing. I know grade 7 is scary! I cried so many tears over junior and senior high. Fear is information, but not something that ALWAYS needs to be acted upon. Your best WILL be good enough. Your best is what you do BEFORE pain sets in. Pain is self-neglect, not doing your best, and all forms of neglect are wrong.

 

You asked for a curriculum review and I'm starting to get preachy and I'm not sure whether you want that or not, so...ignore me as being a crazy has-been if this is unwelcome. :grouphug:

 

I cannot "like" this post enough. I agree with having to like it and I agree that *shoulds* will do you in. TOG *should* have been perfect for us - the worldview, multi-age friendly, teacher supports, love of history, etc. But it's just not the way my mind works for getting things done. (I'm also agreeing with G5052's comments!!)

 

Have you ever bought a great outfit, stylish, but maybe it was a little tight and you were hoping you'd lose the few pounds you needed to lose to wear it? How many times did you actually wear the outfit.... or did you go to your closet thinking you would, but in the end you grabbed something more comfortable? That's how it has been for me and TOG.

 

All this to say - it doesn't matter how many of us loved it and how many of us didn't. It has to work for *you.* Go print out the three week sample and give it a go. If you still think you'll like it I also agree with pp who suggested purchasing one unit at a time.... you'll be out a lot less and you'll definitely know after 9 weeks whether you want to stay with it or not. Plus, 9 weeks doesn't seem terribly long to endure if it doesn't go well and you haven't blown so much of your homeschool budget if it doesn't work out.

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We looked at TOP as well, but there was just too much work needed to pull everything together. I started checking out My Fathers World. Sort of similar in that it's a unit study type and multi-level, but way less work involved for the teacher and they include all the books you need....we're in the midst of trying to choose :0)

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She talks about how her husband and kids would clean the house every Saturday morning so that she could go to the library and do her planning.

 

Yes, that is a biggie. Many of my local friends who use TOG do something similar with a big annual planning session with few responsibilities or one night a week where they can do that.

 

Not going to happen here with family needs and my work schedule.

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I think that one thing that is overwhelming me is that we have too many outside activities/commitments right now - and are left with a 2.5 day school week. I've shot myself in the foot this year. I'm ALWAYS stressed out and the thought of long planning sessions (which I usually love, I'm a planner) - for HISTORY steress me out more.

 

Right now I just want a plan that I can open & go. We've been using SWB's WTM history model since Christmas and it's been working very well so far! My kids are learning to outline & they aren't even crying about it. I may just stick with this plan through 8th grade. It won't cost me any additional $ - just the legwork of getitng library books.

 

I love the outfit analogy - but right now I just need an "outfit" that I feel good in, is my color, washes easily & is not terribly expensive. :) Not something that I have to WORK to HOPEFULLY fit into - in the right season. And that's just what I need our middle school history plan to be.

 

Thank you everyone who chimed in.

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Tapestry of Grace would have been the ideal education for me as a highschooler. I loved reading the great books and enthusiastically read many of them on my own during those year, even though I had no one to discuss them with and internet was not around so there were no chat boards, etc.

 

I tried it with my crew this year after longingly looking at it for a few years. It just didn't work for my oldest. He is a math/science minded kid. He is a great reader but not of the type of lit books they were recommending. We did it for 1 quarter (that is all I bought) and I gave it up. He disliked it and it stressed me out trying to have a discussion with him as directed by the curriculum. It was fine for my other 2 and I liked having the worksheets to go along with the lit books recommended for them but their favorites are also science and math. It just didn't work for us. THough I wish it had!

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Has anyone ordered from the TOG recommended site BookshelfCentral.com? Or does everyone get the books elsewhere?

 

The books are always more expensive at BC. So I only order things that I cannot find elsewhere. (For example, there was very nice South American mapping book that they published for the lower grammar level, so it was not available anywhere else but BC. I did not mind that having to buy it from them, because I thought it was really well done). I order most things from Amazon, because it is cheaper, shipping is free, and I can use my points from my Amazon Visa card. Lampstand press always tries to lay a guilt trip on you, as if you ought to support BC, but the program is already pricey enough. I have to save money where I can.

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I really wanted to love TOG. I tried, but I just didn't, and it's difficult to pin-point exactly what didn't work for me. I guess that it made me feel constantly overwhelmed and guilty. There was so much there, it made me feel like I was drowning. If I would have had lots of time (like several months) to get used to the format and do the planning, it might have been better. As it was the planning video by the author made me want to thrown things at my computer screen. She talks about how her husband and kids would clean the house every Saturday morning so that she could go to the library and do her planning. Ok, lovely for her, but so far from my reality. Also, it was a huge investment so I felt like I should be utilizing it fully and I wasn't. We also weren't too excited about the book selections -- most of them fell a little flat around here. My .02.

 

 

Yeah, this is us, too. Honestly, for LG, I've been quite disappointed with the book selections.

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Just wanted to chime in on the "wanted to love it, but didn't" group! I bought Y3 this past year for my 6th and 4th grader, so I'm about where you are. But I think you have to think about what type of person you are before you make a decision about TOG. As others have mentioned, this takes a lot of planning. It's really not hard to plan it, it just has to be done! I am NOT that person. I knew that going in, but I thought I could manage because I loved the concept of what they were doing. We've been limping along all year because I, as another poster put it, hate the planning and I hated what I had planned when we got there.

 

The other thing you should think about is whether you like following a spine and taking off on that OR taking taking a topic and gathering a bunch of materials for the topic. I know that sounds very similar, but they're just different ways of organizing the information and TOG is the latter--more like a unit study. Which is great, if you like things like that.

 

I do think that it's a nice program and very helpful, IF you're the kind of teacher who likes planning and more of a unit study curriculum. Think about the materials you've used in the past and what you've liked and disliked about them and that should give you some clue about whether you'd like TOG (and then try their sample pages and see what you think).

 

But I do think that the best curriculum for a family is one that the teacher enjoys (especially in a subject like history where there should be a lot of discussion and interaction).

 

HTH!

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I can't talk you into it or out of it as I am in the same valley of decision myself! But I can say I am leaning heavily towards it. I feel it's financially attainable because you can buy the ebooks by unit and that's only $45! If I plan right, I can order books from amazon, eBay and request from the library as we go. I know for a fact I can't buy the whole shebang up front. I'm ok with that though because I wouldn't want to sink that much money into something and then realize its not exactly what we needed. I found some really great TOG planning/notebooking tutorials and ideas on YouTube and I'm really inspired to get started on it and its not even fall yet. ;)

 

I bought (and received in the mail on Saturday) TOG Year 2, unit 4 (I know, odd place to start, but I want to try it out for 9 weeks, and dive in at Year 3, U1 next fall if I like it).

 

My question to you: is there a You Tube channel that is only accessible to TOG customers? If so, can you please message me with it? I searched on You Tube and can't find any tutorials on there. Thanks a bunch.

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Gosh, I have been thinking about TOG lately because Rebecca's headed into 5th grade, so she could complete two cycles. It looks so good for high school, with all the teacher helps and great books. I wouldn't really want to buy it just for high school though, because it's so expensive. But it's SO expensive! MFW has been working for us and it includes science and 95% of the books we need. I just have to stop trying to fix what isn't broken.

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I love it but not for my oldest. She hates to read. I will be using it(not level 1 due to too much biblical content) for my younger DD for upper levels. She loves to read and write. Not sure if I will use it with the younger boys but I will try to pull them in when she uses it beginning in 6th grade. Planning is my joy and my down time. I love the depth of the discussions even though we take a secular approach.

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We have used TOG for 4 years now. It is wonderful for our family. My oldest son is not crazy about it, but he is just not crazy about most aspects of school. He loves science, but not so much history and literature. My middle son loves reading, so he reads all his own assignments, and sometimes some of his brothers' as well. My youngest son also loves. He is still in upper grammar and loves the books he reads, and the hands-on projects. We are working through Year 4 this year. The past few years have been pricey.I think Years 2 and 4 have been the worst for us, as far as how much we shelled out for books . We have been looking forward to getting back to Year 1 so that we are only buying one level of books.It is great that they update everything. All the pages that coincide with a particular book that has had to be replaced are available to their customers.

 

I love the books chosen for it. I can not decide which level is my favorite. I love them all for different reasons. The lower levels have some really sweet and endearing books with beautiful pictures. The upper levels have well-written, meaningful books that are perfect for the topic at hand.I love that each week-plan has a glance ahead with a warning of anything that might be disturbing, risque, or whatnot. I love that it is from a very biblical worldview. My kids are learning things about church history that I did not know until I was an adult. Actually, there are many things in TOG that I did learn in school. If you are unsure, perhaps instead of buying the whole kit and caboodle, you should just try one unit.

 

We were buying most of our books from Amazon, but since they have stopped the 4-for-3 promotion, we will really not save much. Sometimes Bookshelf Central is higher than Amazon, bu sometimes they are lower.

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If you are interested in or researching TOG, be sure to sign up for their newsletter. Helps, discounts, and information are sent monthly that have been a blessing for our family.

 

 

I second that the newsletter is very helpful, even if you're just in the researching phase. There are monthly discounts and helps on various products for newsletter readers!

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I'm in our second year of using it. We love it!! I "get it" more this year than I did our first year, and I expect to only get more efficient with it as time goes on. It has been the thing that has made school do-able for us, and it has helped my oldest dialectic son immensely. I cannot say how much he has grown from using it. His reading level has improved as well as his efficiency and confidence.

 

Now, if I had an oldest child who was in 2nd or lower, other than for the purpose of me growing used to it and learning myself, I wouldn't choose TOG. I've gotten the same information/education for youngers using different sources through the years as I have using TOG: MFW, SOTW, VP all, to me, gave as good of an education for youngers as TOG (MFW being the best of those choices). BUT that outlay of money is probably better done early on since you're able to cycle through it 3 times per child. I thoroughly enjoy TOG with my younger kids, but the beauty of it comes in at the upper grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric ages.

 

The money spent on books is an issue, though. If my husband were not completely on board, I don't know that I could handle that stress. We use the library when we can, the internet when we can, and purchase used when we can. We use Writing Aids and like it, we utilize their evaluations and like those, and we really appreciate MapAids. The lapbooks were fun, but I felt an extreme obligation to complete them because of the money we spent purchasing them, so they wound up being kind of a burden. Fun stuff with the right mind set. :)

 

Co-op makes TOG easier to implement because it keeps you from camping out too long on a topic and it helped me so much in learning how to use TOG. If I had not used it in a co-op, I really doubt I would have jumped on TOG, even after looking at it longingly for 7 years before that. I'm wimpy like that. Just the website could send me running in fear!!

 

Also, my Biblical worldview has just been cemented through using this. Working through the government portion has opened my eyes so much. God's Word starts flowing through my mind as I read about history, church history, and government because those subjects just speak to me continually about the truth of God's Word in regards to the true character of man and the fact that God's sovereignty WILL prevail...He's awesome like that!! :hurray: I sometimes wonder how I didn't see it before and then I remember my own pitiful education and remember why!! :laugh: :cursing:

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Ă°Å¸â€˜â€ Ă°Å¸â€˜â€ Ă°Å¸â€˜â€ Ă°Å¸â€˜â€ Ă°Å¸â€˜â€  is a great review/post. Thank you!!!! I am delving in for next year but I'm so worried about the expense. I'm wondering how I can start now and spread the cost out a bit as dh is not fond of my curriculum fetish LOL

 

So many say its such an expense, and I know the literature suggestions are probably most of that cost, but is it reasonable for me to think that buying the DE unit by unit and using the library/eBay as much as possible that I can get by with not too much out of pocket all at once? Compared to WP and MFW it seems much less expensive. I cannot shell out $400+ per kid. Especially when that doesn't cover all subjects. I definitely do not want to miss out on lap books, mapping and anything else that makes the program complete. I do not want to do it "halfway" but I must make it work for my budget which is very small unless I spread it out like I said.

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I'm considering TOG for next year too. As a previous poster suggested, I bought Unit 4 for the year we're currently doing, so we'll finish history this year with a 9 week trial of TOG. I love the idea of it, but what really matters is whether it will work for my dds. Good luck with your decision!

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  • 1 month later...

Do YOU love it???? Seriously. What if...say...the kids went into hibernation for a year, and...you had to homeschool yourself--would you pick this curriculum for YOU?

 

Oh yeah, THIS is the reason I've used Tapestry for 7 years now ... I do homeschool myself while I homeschool my kids. I've learned an incredible amount, learned not only HOW to think about what I read and what it really says, but how to connect that thinking together, and then how to compare it all to Scripture.

 

Sure, it can be frustrating when I hit patches that just don't seem as intuitive for me to muddle through. Even now I still hit a week or couple of weeks that just seem harder to teach at a higher level than I did the last time through. But I do what I can to understand it myself, confidently make assignments to my kids (knowing that I won't assign everything listed), and dive in. Some weeks we have incredible discussions and follow rabbit trails off into all sorts of interesting places. Other weeks, we hit the highlights, or maybe a few of them, or maybe even none of them, and call it good.

 

I am not at all capable of pulling this level of thinking, selecting, assigning, parsing, etc. together myself. Some people can. Not me. But I see the beauty of it and appreciate that Tapestry has done it for me.

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To the OP, it sounds to me like your kids are just the right age for it. I started TOG with my son in 5th grade (last year) and my dd in 1st. Next year we will be covering y1 with him in 7th and her in 3rd. (is that possible? wow.) I am looking at it as a long-term investment. It is somewhat planning intensive, but there is so much flexibility. If nothing else it will keep your kids reading, reading, reading, and you can have some great discussions. If there is time for it there are wonderful projects, but by no means have you failed if you choose not to do them. Those are for those other super-moms, which I have not yet learned how to be, but I'm okay with that.

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