Some help with MFW/TOG?

[LAmom]

I know you don't know me or my children, and the best decision maker here would be me (and my husband!), but I was wanting your thoughts.

 

I have been going back and forth between using MFW Ex-1850 next year or TOG Yr 2, U2,3 and 4.  We tried Unit 1 this year and it was OK.  I threw ourselves into it without much prep or reading, so if I continued with TOG I would better prepare.  

 

My negatives with TOG:  It was disjointed feeling, LG really was just a little reading and not much else.  I know there is more for them but it was hard to pull it all together (having not planned) with the activities, etc. My UG student, who loves reading about history, thought her core book was kind of dry.  Overall, it was a mediocre 9 weeks.  BUT, I want to love TOG, love the way it looks, love the future for D and R years with discussion.  I especially need the teacher's notes since I could not have any meaningful, knowledgeable discussions without them.  The book selections for literature and the SAPs are great!  Church history--LOVE.  A solid Protestant perspective--LOVE.  

 

BUT, I was wondering if maybe, since there is so much planning and not much coming from TOG, that I should use MFW Ex-1850 and then 1850-Mod for the next 2 years.  I like the hands-on, the student pages that encourage notebooking, etc.  I don't know what we would do then when my oldest is in 8th.  I am thinking switch to TOG then.  My fear with MFW is that we are short on time as it is and it looks like a lot of teacher reading aloud.  Which is a great thing....it is just hard to make time for it, juggling little ones, trying to get basics done.  MFW does seem a little light for dd but I know there is a book basket.  I would probably add in a lit. guide.

 

Any input?  I guess I am just thinking aloud and thanks for listening.  I want to just decide NOW.  Another reason to just decide now is that if I go with MFW I have to finish some of the renaissance period (I have library books already) and I may then push through Story of the World Book 2.  Otherwise, if using TOG I just will start Unit 2 in the fall.

 

There really is not rich, deep dicussion questions for MFW?  That hand-holding from TOG I love.  But TOG is overwhelming honestly.  Though, if it will work smoothly and if I can see benefits for all my children, not just my oldest, then TOG it is.  But, for now with so many littles, maybe MFW is a better approach?

 

See my dilemma?  How do I just decide?  I should ask my husband soon, but he won't fully grasp what my problem is, lol.  Just pick that one. There easy.  He loves the looks of TOG discussion questions and may be willing to help with them.

 

I also know that I can guarantee that I will use TOG for highschool.  Seems like a good plan but who knows with me changing my mind all the time.  So, the money issue with MFW and then TOG isn't too important for me.

 

I just want to stop jumping all over every year.  I did use MFW 1st, Adv, and ECC.  I realized it didn't work that well in ECC, but it was mostly my fault, not the curriculum itself.  Then I tried just SOTW 1 and really wanted more hand-holding in the biblical sense, tying Scripture/Church History in, etc.  I tried Mystery of History, and the kids were liking it, HA(!), but then I got a free unit from TOG and jumped ship.  

 

 

 

[LAmom]

Maybe I should ask-- if you decided between TOG and MFW which did you pick and why?

[Momofeat]

I've used MFW K, 1, ECC, CtG, RtR, Exploration to 1850, and 1850s to Modern Times.

 

I've also used TOG Years 1-3 with children at the LG, UG, Dialectic, and Rhetoric Levels.

 

For the younger years, I prefer MFW. I loved the way the children were grouped, and I read their history texts to them. In our case, discussions naturally flowed from the reading. 

 

I also have not been crazy about TOG for LG & UG. Then there is a big jump to the Dialectic level. What I have liked about TOG is that my oldest dd, who began TOG at the Dialectic level, has really become an independent learner. 

 

We chose TOG over MFW simply because TOG was offered in a co-op setting at our church, and we thought that our oldest dd would be inspired to learn if she were learning with her peers. That worked beautifully for us, and I love the way my oldest dd has been challenged academically. However, if left to my own devices, I know that TOG would not work for us. When co-op doesn't meet and we have discussions at home, the discussion fizzles because I only have one kid in each level, and my oldest dd is not inclined to have a lively history discussion with me. I also really miss the times that I could group the kids for our school time.

 

Totally my opinion here: If I were in your shoes, I would hang onto MFW as long as possible.

 

 

[warneral]

I bought 1quarter of TOG and felt that it would be too disjointed and switched to MOH with added paper crafts from HOmeschool in the woods, knowledge quest maps and some reading from the various curriculum lists. We also add summaries onto our ipad timeline app and occasionally notebook. I love this because when life gets busy, we can always read our history lesson, add to the timeline and fill out a map. We also use,a,gospel centered devotional which has us reading scripture. When we have time, we add in other stuff, but at the very least, we are moving through the history cycle and getting a picture of how history occurred.

[bluemongoose]

I am in my 4th year of TOG. I have 2 in LG this year and 1 in UG. Next year my UG student will gradually level into D.

 

I briefly looked into MFW way back then, I dont really remember all of my reasons why I chose TOG over it, but I can tell you why I like TOG and how I make it work for us.

 

In LG we read the books for Lit, History, Worldview/Bible, and Art (not usually the read aloud book though). We do a craft from the art book when we have time. We use clear return address labels preprinted with the names of places as stickers for the maps.  My kids love the geography portion of TOG. If the child is capable, they complete a lapbook. 

 

In UG they read the books for lit, history, worldview/bible, and art independently. If they want to and have extra time, they can also read the read aloud book. They also get clear stickers for Geography and complete lapbooks. 

 

I make a block schedule for the reading, so we are usually able to fit it all in a single week.  This also helps me not procrastinate and end up with too much at the end of a week.

 

We do not use WA.  I may in the future with R as it looks really good, but I dont care for the program with LG/UG students.  I need to look through the D level stuff again and see if I want to use some of that next year or not.

 

For both levels I make a notebook (during the summer while I plan) with the lit worksheet, map, evaluations, and vocabulary words divided up by the week.  So each week they open their notebook to the correct week and work through it.  For the younger children I add pictures from Dover coloring books that apply to that weeks lesson.  They enjoy coloring a picture of what I am reading aloud to them. It helps them with the fidgets.

 

This coming school year we are adding SOTW audiobooks in the car in place of the read alouds.  This should be fun for all.

 

As far as the big workload jump between UG and D...we are taking next school year gradually with DD. I call it a blend year.  I start out with one subject to bump up to D level (lit in our case) at the start of the year...each unit I add another subject to the D level.  I did this between LG and UG and it really helped her adjust to the increase of workload and difficulty.

 

Every once in a while we find a book dry...or a child just really doesn't like it, but for the most part we have enjoyed the reading. I do not look at TOG as just a book list as we find the crafts, maps, and suggestions in the guide very helpful. It can be overwhelming if I try to make it perfect and do it all, but when I relax and do what we can do, we learn so much!

 

 

[Kristie in Florida]

We started out with TOG and just made the switch to MFW. I had lots of the same thoughts and concerns as you. I chose MFW because it seemed like a better fit for us.

[bluemongoose]

Oh and I forgot the big reasons that drew me in at first: keeping them all in the same place in history so we felt "together" and the teachers guide with its discussion questions and helpful information.

[Saddlemomma]

This was our first year doing TOG and we jumped into Y2.  We loved it and never experienced the fog.  My DD is in 5th and a UG student.

 

I think the fog comes in for most people when they try to do too much of the TOG buffet.  I had researched TOG and read so much about the fog, that I was determined not to get mired in it.  Here's what we did.

 

First, I decided ahead of time what we were going to focus on in TOG: history, geography, church history, & Literature. I only bought books for those classes that we would need for 3-4+ weeks.  Anything else I got from the library. If I couldn't get the recommended book, I substituted.  By the way, did you notice that you could use SOTW with TOG?  Its scheduled on the Alternative Reading page.

 

Secondly, I didn't always use their in-depth suggestions.  I own the whole collection of Yesterday's Classics ebooks.  I bought them when they were on sale for $50.  I always used their books for in-depth reading.  They have some fascinating short stories for every historical period.  DD really loved reading these, and they made her history come alive.  Next week I'm incorporating stories from a library book I found entitled, Women of the American Revolution. She also loves the History of US books by Joy Hakim.  I chose to read her main history reading assignments aloud so we could discuss interesting tidbits as we came across them. We never found it disjointed the way we felt MOH was.  Accountability came from discussions, narrations, outlines, and flashcards I made up on http://www.studystack.com  Each class started by her reviewing her Study Stack for history.  They are mostly comprised from the weekly list of important people and evaluation questions from TOG.

 

On Thursdays, I print off just the pages that apply to what I use with TOG.  It ends up being about 4 pages front and back which includes the evaluations page so I can do my Study Stack cards and the teacher's map.  Then I highlight the reading assignments we'll do and write in any substitutions.  I highlight the applicable geography, church history, and lit assignments noting any adjustments in pen.  Then I plug those TOG assignments, along with her other classes, into our weekly schedule which is on Onenote.  On Monday, DD can see all her assignments on her PC and get to work.

 

We schedule history for Thursdays and Fridays for an hour (plus extra time when we didn't have other classes).  All the reading, in-depth & required, gets done with time for applicable BrainPop videos/quizzes/activities or short YouTube videos and a writing prompt. 

 

For geography, we simply do the maps: sometimes a salt map, sometimes transparency maps; but most of the time we use cardstock and just do nicely colored regular maps to place in chronological order in a notebook.  DD has learned and retained so much geography this year just by doing these maps, it truly astounds me.  Geography is done on Mondays and Wednesdays for 30 mins. each.  If we just had one map to do, then Wednesdays we added more history time.

 

Church history simply consists of reading the assigned chapters (usually 2) in Trial & Triumph on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for 30 mins. each, followed by discussion.  If there is no church history that week, then we read extra in history from books we have on hand or finish whatever work hasn't been completed.

 

Literature is scheduled Mon-Fri for 45 mins each day.  DD loves to read so she has plenty of time to complete the assigned chapters and doing the worksheet.  She has enjoyed all the books assigned.  So far there have been about 3 lit books I substituted because she either had read them before, or I knew they would bore her.  When I substituted a book, I would assign graphic organizers I have on hand to study character analysis, plot & setting, story pyramids, etc. instead of the lit sheets from TOG.

 

I never read the teacher's notes because I am reading the main history readings with DD.  That's about it.   The biggest hurdle to TOG is learning to just pick and choose from the buffet.  You don't need to feel like you have to do everything.  I had to drum that into my head before starting the program.  The result has been that year has been our best year of homeschooling.  For now, DD says she wants to continue with TOG through high school

 

[lovinmomma]

Excellent posts!

[Betherina]

I love to read about the different ways you all are using TOG - thank you for the detailed descriptions!

 

I am just finishing my third year of homeschooling, and we have used TOG from day 1. When starting up our hs, I had narrowed down my top two choices to MFW and TOG. Thankfully, a relative had been using MFW so I was able to get my hands on that curriculum and look through it. While MFW did appeal to me, we ended up using TOG for a few different reasons.

 

1) While not necessarily true, I felt that TOG looked more academically rigorous for my dd, who at that time was heading into 6th grade. I was looking for something that would stretch her, and the books assigned at that level in MFW were some she had already read on her own, while the dialectic TOG books were all new.

2) The beauty of keeping all my kids at the same point in history. I have four children, all at least four years apart in age (not the easiest when it comes to combining them for subjects)! I didn't like the idea of needing to purchase a separate curriculum once the oldest reached high school age (which is this year now, eek), and when I had a first grader, also.

3) Money. I buy four years of TOG, and I am done with that major expense. With the wide age range of my kids, this makes me smile. :)

 

Those are the reasons we started with TOG, but I have continued because we love it! I have no qualms about cutting reading assignments, or even an entire week of lessons if I feel that we could benefit from studying a different week for double the time. I only buy a book if we will be reading it for longer than a month, the rest I will check out at the library, borrow, or swap for a similar book. I LOVE the literature selections! As a pp mentioned, SOTW is an alternate book listed for many of the history reading assignments, so we use that if we can't find a book (or if I have slacked and didn't get the book reserved from the library early enough). The discussions we have at the end of the week are wonderful - I am sometimes amazed at the rabbit trails we head down, but am thrilled by the depth of coversation my dd and I have, and the "issues" we discuss. My UG student likes to listen in at times (and loves to show up his sister if he knows more about a topic). I do what we can; each week looks different and I remind myself not to stress about what we aren't doing. I am going to try a lapbook this first quarter of the next school year - we will make one book together as a family and see how that goes.

 

Sorry for the subject-jumping in that paragraph, kids are all talking to me & I wanted to quickly get my thoughts out there as they popped into my head. :) I wish you the best in your decison-making!

 

 

[LAmom]

Thanks for the help! The one thing with TOG is I would read everywhere that it is a buffet, etc. This is where I struggle! How do you pick?! History, Lit, Geography, Church History are important to me. But, so is trying to have some art/hands-on. The lapbook did not work for us. Maybe I could focus on my D and then for the youngers just have them listen to SOTW w/AG and add in the LG lit. One problem with this is that SOTW some weeks was like 3 plus chapters. It seems like MFW would offer me more hands-on and more already planned notebooking, activities, etc. But, not ideal for my dd. Would TOG in 8th be too late for a good start in discussions? Or why wait?! Lol. See ....I can't decide. Another huge factor is juggling 5 kids and a general struggle to get basics done. Hmmmm!

[Momofeat]

 It seems like MFW would offer me more hands-on and more already planned notebooking, activities, etc.  TOG does offer arts/activities. I'm not crafty at all, though, and I found the hands-on activities in MFW to be easier to implement. MFW also often included cooking activities which were always big hits here. 

 

 

Would TOG in 8th be too late for a good start in discussions? You can begin with TOG whenever you're ready. If you decide to use MFW for a couple of years, it will probably be a pretty smooth transition, since both curricula run on the 4-yr. history cycle. Or why wait?! Lol. See ....I can't decide. Another huge factor is juggling 5 kids and a general struggle to get basics done.  I think you answered the "why wait" question yourself! TOG takes a lot of teacher prep, while MFW is pretty much "open & go."

 

[Momofeat]

 

 

1) While not necessarily true, I felt that TOG looked more academically rigorous for my dd, who at that time was heading into 6th grade. I was looking for something that would stretch her, and the books assigned at that level in MFW were some she had already read on her own, while the dialectic TOG books were all new.

 

It's so funny that you had this experience, because we had the opposite experience! My oldest dd read several of the TOG year 1 Dialectic books during our years with MFW. 

 

My now-rising 6th grader will be doing Dialectic literature next year (yr.4) because she read almost all of the UG lit books years ago on her own. She's a voracious reader, though. I definitely wouldn't judge a curriculum's lit. selection by here, lol!

 

 

At the elementary level, I think MFW is more academically rigorous. At the middle school level, they're both rigorous in different ways. TOG requires more "digging," but I always felt that my dc learned the material well from MFW, as evidenced in the way they talked about the material during their every day lives. I'm not sure if it was that the books were more engaging or that the hands-on activities were so worthwhile. However, being able to dig for information is certainly an important academic skill, and my dd definitely learned that in 7th grade with TOG. (The answers to the questions are often not in the required reading.)

 

I cannot compare the high school levels because I have not used MFW high school. I do know that MFW high school literature would not be meaty enough for my dd, but literature is her favorite subject.

[LAmom]

 

I do see the art/activities but I can't easily implement them! I need more hand-holding. TOG will be like....make a castle this week but with no instructions. I know there are some online links and they do have art/activities books they suggest. It isn't a problem with the program--it's me! I won't do it if it takes much extra prep/work. The salt maps are a pain because once they make them, they sit around until they can be painted and then I don't know what to do with them! No extra space. :) I am just trying to see how TOG is more than just a reading list for me if it just gives me the books and I don't do anything else but read it. The parent pages and the discussion in D, worth it.

 

It is interesting to me that you used MFW and liked it, but now use TOG and like that, yet think MFW is a good fit for me now. It is the way my gut is going but I am thinking if I do Ex-1850 then I have to do 1850-Mod because of the continuation with the states, etc. Then I would start TOG Yr 1 in 8th? It is hard to think ahead.

[boscopup]

If you think MFW would be a good fit now, maybe you could pick up a used copy to try now? TOG will still be there if it bombs.

 

We just started using TOG in October with the free unit. I now own all of Year 4. We've enjoyed it, and I didn't experience the fog, BUT... I'm totally relaxed about not using everything. We do history, history in-depth, literature, and geography. We did a salt dough map the very first week, since it was discussing land forms and such that we hadn't previously gone over, but we haven't done one since. I'm not a crafty person, so we haven't done other crafts. I have LG and UG students. The reason I chose not to go with MFW was because I didn't think it would meet the needs of both my advanced oldest student and my not-advanced-in-reading middle student at the same time. They really need completely different books. I just wanted them on the same topics. So my oldest does his TOG readings on his own, and I read aloud the LG readings to my 1st grader. I'm ok with it being "disjointed". He's learning about people and inventions and such at this point, rather than learning the time flow of history. He did remember recently that airplanes were invented shortly before WW1, so he is getting some time flow of history. I find that what makes sense to ME and what makes sense to a first grader is often different. :)

 

I went back and forth and back and forth about MFW vs. TOG. I wanted our Ancient history next year to include Biblical history and be from a YE perspective. TOG just seemed a better fit for my oldest particularly. He's a voracious reader with a love of history. I plan to use D level materials with him next year, but ease him into D level questions and such. MFW has one set of history readings for everyone, which I would need to read aloud for my youngest. I think the TOG LG readings will probably be less and be more appropriate for a 2nd grader. Reading one history book to these two children just does not work, because they are so far apart in understanding. They need separate history, but in the same time period for my sanity. That's what makes TOG work better for us.

 

As far as TOG planning goes... Before I start a unit, I print out the student pages for each child and file them in a binder, along with maps. I tried doing the clear address label stickers, but I did two on one label (needing to cut them in half), and that did not work. I need to try again with one item per label. My oldest can write things in himself now though, so I'll just make the labels for my middle, who isn't ready to label is own yet (this is where I LOVED SOTW mapwork - color xyz, draw an arrow from a to b, etc.). I make lists on my library account of each book used in that unit, so when it comes time to put things on hold, I can go to that list and click what I need very quickly and easily. I put them on hold 2 weeks in advance, giving them a week to come in. I do two weeks' worth at a time. If the library doesn't have a book, I find a similar substitute. That's been pretty easy so far. If I can't find a good substitute, we skip the book and don't worry about it. Each week, I sit with my first grader and read his history one day, literature another day, map work another day. My UG student divides his work on his own. His instructions are to have everything completed by Friday. The reading part is easily done. The literature worksheet sometimes needs reminders. ;) Coming from Sonlight prior to this, I LOVE that the literature in year 4 has been good literature, not just historical fiction. I also LOVE that there is plenty of nonfiction (my oldest loves nonfiction). I am not currently using the writing assignments in TOG, though I will probably use more as my oldest gets better at writing. Right now, he's just getting proficient at writing narrations from our literature that we've been reading.

 

Oh, and I have skipped the read-aloud in TOG this year, as many of the ones for Y4 were a bit over my 1st grader's head. They were interesting and helpful to learning history, but I felt like they'd be more appropriate our next time around. But again, I'm ok with not using everything. It is a buffet. We're supposed to take only what we want, not eat the whole thing. :D

[Momofeat]

I do see the art/activities but I can't easily implement them! I need more hand-holding. TOG will be like....make a castle this week but with no instructions. I know there are some online links and they do have art/activities books they suggest. It isn't a problem with the program--it's me! I won't do it if it takes much extra prep/work. The salt maps are a pain because once they make them, they sit around until they can be painted and then I don't know what to do with them! No extra space. :) I am just trying to see how TOG is more than just a reading list for me if it just gives me the books and I don't do anything else but read it. The parent pages and the discussion in D, worth it.

 

It is interesting to me that you used MFW and liked it, but now use TOG and like that, yet think MFW is a good fit for me now. It is the way my gut is going but I am thinking if I do Ex-1850 then I have to do 1850-Mod because of the continuation with the states, etc. Then I would start TOG Yr 1 in 8th? It is hard to think ahead.

 

 

I think you must be my long-lost sister, lol! Our TOG art/activities are done at co-op with someone else teaching. If they weren't, they wouldn't be done at all. I did manage to do the MFW activities.

 

Someone suggested that you could buy MFW used. That might be a good option for you. If it didn't work, you could probably get your money back out of it. Starting TOG Yr. 1 in 8th grade would be fine. 

 

We switched to TOG because it was offered in a co-op setting at our church, which we had joined only a few months before the co-op began. It gave our children the opportunity to build relationships with home school students at our new church. It has been the best thing in the world for our oldest dd, both socially and academically. However, I am not convinced that it's been the best situation for our younger children. My ds loves co-op and is content with the curriculum, but my middle dd hasn't enjoyed it nearly as much. I do not think the younger children have learned any more with TOG than with MFW, and I know that TOG wouldn't even happen here without the support of the co-op. 

 

One other note about MFW: The book basket is key to covering several grade/ability levels. My dh works at a library, so each week I would request as many books as possible for the book basket, and every time he came home with a big stack of books the kids acted like it was Christmas, lol!

[Amy M]

Maybe I should ask-- if you decided between TOG and MFW which did you pick and why?

Here's why I chose to use MFW vs. TOG and BP, which were my other top choices. Terribly hard decision! :) http://itavitaafrican.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/why-i-chose-my-fathers-world-vs-biblioplan-or-tapestry-of-grace/

 

I haven't actually used MFW yet, so take my comments with a grain of salt. But I have all of the manuals except EX1850, and have read them cover to cover a few times to get a feel for it. And I had more people here in Africa already using TOG and pulling for me to use it too. And I still might someday!

 

I think taking into consideration your personality and time as mom-teacher is important. I feel that MFW fits me better for the lower levels, and TOG for rhetoric. While I might like more lit help in the stage than MFW offers, I have listened to SWB's lectures several times and taken notes on how to handle lit discussions myself in that stage. Without access to a library, I also liked the flexibility that MFW offers with its book basket.

 

At this stage in my homeschooling journey, I am still fairly happy to plan things--like for example, picking out lit to go with SOTW2 (what we're using this year), and making my own copy work from that lit for WWE2. However, I could see how in 3 more years, I wouldn't want to be going through all of the planning for TOG. It just wouldn't get done when I add in more kids into the mix.

 

It's funny--boscopup and I have had similar experiences with BP, but went different directions for now with MFW and TOG; that s just one demonstration of many that they are both great programs, and people will see it differently depending on their circumstances and personalities. For example, as far as bridging the different ages and abilities, I think MFW could easily work for that, especially with lit. For EX1850, it's already set up so that you have two levels built in to the TM. I would probably consider letting the older girls read some or all of her history readings by herself, and doing the younger extension history aloud with the younger set. Or just read SOTW 3 aloud to them all, and let her do the other readings in GW's World...something like that, so that you're not reading it all yourself.

 

Yes, you could start TOG yr 1 in 8th grade, or you could consider doing ECC again with the older extensions before doing the 4-year TOG cycle in 9th-12th grades. Just some thoughts! Hope you are happy with whatever you choose!

[TexasTrue]

I am trying to decide if I should use MFW again as well. I love the curriculum, but don't know if it is challenging enough for our dd. I do, however, enjoy how the topics of MFW create an atmosphere of learning that is focused on God. It seems to have a calming effect and the material can help to refocus sometimes.

 

I do supplement a lot.

[cbollin]

I am trying to decide if I should use MFW again as well. I love the curriculum, but don't know if it is challenging enough for our dd. I do, however, enjoy how the topics of MFW create an atmosphere of learning that is focused on God. It seems to have a calming effect and the material can help to refocus sometimes.

 

I do supplement a lot.

 

I'm not sure what ages you're wondering on challenge.   I've used all of their programs through end of high school.  My oldest did well with MFW and got high ACT scores to be given scholarships she needed for college this fall. plans to major in electrical engineering and compuer science.  I used mfw mostly as written for school.  Our supplementing was in areas of interest, sports, life .. stuff like that.     By end of first semester of her 12th grade year, she had completed all MFW material. so we did a few Cousera classes (advanced physics and computer programming...). 

 

I know that doesn't help with a decision or anything, and mileage will vary, etc.  

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I just went through this decision, and we decided to continue with SOTW through 4th for my oldest, and then we are switching to TOG.  I looked at MFW (as well as Biblioplan), and I wanted to like it, but there were several reasons I turned away.  I was specifically looking for an ancient history program that incorporated more Bible into it.  I had to admit that one of the most appealing things were the Worlds and Cultures year, but I decided to incorporate with my 1st grader while big brother goes through the moderns on SOTW.  Another knock against MFW was the inclusion of science and even Bible, when I really wanted to do different programs for those.  But I was still paying for that science and Bible, and the cost was just for one year.  TOG covers all of my future years through high school for all of my kids (I currently have 3.)  The final nail in the coffin for MFW may be your biggest appeal.  I am a history lover, and I like to plan history.  I also like a lot of flexibility, which is why I chose to homeschool.  MFW's lesson plans are beautiful, and I love beautiful lesson plans, but I knew I would go off course.  As much as I like to plan a whole year out, I never implement things as planned.  I knew things would go awry, and I would constantly feel "behind" or off track, and it would stress me out with their 5 day a week schedule.  Knowing this about myself, I knew MFW would not work for me.  I like the buffet of TOG so that I do not have to review al these books and come up with all these discussion topics and corresponding literature and craft ideas all on my own.  Yet, if I want to substitute, amend, pick and choose, etc., I would have the flexibility to do so with TOG, and it teaches history, church history and literature in the style I want to teach it and empowers me to pick and choose more.  The last major boost to TOG was that it devoted more time to more modern years of history.  I have been chomping at the bit to get to American history as I live on the East Coast now and am soon relocating away from all this history.  I like that TOG goes more in depth into recent history while still highlighting the important things of our ancient past.  

 

Take this with a grain of salt as I haven't started using anything but the samples yet, but those were my reasons for our decision, and my husband also was more impressed with TOG than MFW and supported my reasons.