Tera Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hi I want a history curriculum with real books. I have used TOG and would like something similar but not TOG. Has anyone used any of these and could comment or compare to TOG? THANKS!! By the way, I have a K, 7th, and 10th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 the only one I've used is TOG, so I can't compare...do any of the others have a generous return policy? Maybe you could purchase the 2 you are most interested in and then once you have them in your hands, look them over and imagine using them- then send back one you don't want? sorry I can't be more helpful... good luck on your decision, let us know what you choose and how you like it.:lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I'll try to point out a few differences. I hope others can chime in & elaborate more too. TOG is a 'complete' program -- schedule that includes reading, crafts, discussion questions, etc.... It is very detailed, has lots of teacher notes, additional info, etc.... Biblioplan is a simplified plan -- it has a weekly schedule w/ readers & a few minimal activities (reminder to do timelines, one question or project idea, but no details as to how to flesh it out or what type of info you should expect from your child). Each week of work is covered on one page (per the samples on their website). That's pretty much the level of info you get. Truthquest is an awesome book list, but there is no weekly reading plan of any sort. You would choose what topics you want from the many, many topics listed, then start searching for those books. There are overall discussion questions (Think Writes) inserted once in awhile, but you'd only use them if you happened to be working on one of the sections to which it applied. There are some overall summary sections you can use to read out loud/summarize the time period. (Again, you can see these in the sample pages on their website.) Beautiful Feet -- has a weekly schedule w/ readings & a few additional activities (discussion questions, maps). I think it's similar to Biblioplan in that it's more of the schedule & a few minimal things to do, but not a lot of additional detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 They're all wonderful programs. I looked into some of them thoroughly last year. You can't decide between them because you haven't clarified...something...at least that's what I find when I'm undecided. This was sort of the process I went through last year when I was evaluating them. I didn't actually change course but I defined more clearly what I wanted from homeschooling and where we were going. What do you want? What are your goals? Why do you want this type of curriculum? What will you do with it (or, what do you want your kids to do with it?) Write out what you think each program offers...try and figure out if your assumptions are correct (like coming here and asking users, just like you are doing, lol!) -- Try and find the differences between them. It will be in the details, in the world view, in the approach. hth. I'm really tired, so I hope that made sense and didn't sound terse or rude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 We use Biblioplan and enjoy it quite a lot. I have not seen the other three, so I can't comment from personal experience, but I can share a few things that I have gleaned from here. Biblioplan is history only. TOG ties in a lot of other subjects too (I think Lit, geography, etc.--you would know better than I). If all that you want is history, TOG might be overkill. Biblioplan consists of an awesome book list separated into 3 age categories: K-2, 3+, and 5+. There is also a high school supplement that I haven't seen. In addition to the book list, you get a 36 week schedule that shows all of the resources--class time "reference" or "text" type books (SOTW, Usborne Encyclopedia, Kingfisher, etc), readers for each age category, a family read-aloud, timeline and mapwork suggestions, and writing topics. You pick and choose from this schedule. I don't think you are intended to use all of the class time resources. I personally don't use the writing yet because I'm teaching younger kids. You can see samples of the Biblioplan schedule pages at Biblioplan.net. Biblioplan does not have discussion questions or teacher notes. I believe that Truthquest does and TOG does. I do not know about Beautiful Feet. If you feel like you need guidance here, you may want one of the other choices. Biblioplan itself is pretty cheap--I think about $30 per year. I buy enough books that my history tab is several hundred dollars, but that's all books. I'm thinking about TOG for logic years, but it's a couple of hundred before you buy any books. Ouch. I think Truthquest adds up too because you have to buy a couple of them to do a full year--not completely sure about that. Enjoy researching! Hope you find a good fit for you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto7 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I spent a good couple of months hauling around TOG a friend had loaned me. I loved the idea, but couldn't justify the cost if I couldn't commit to all of it. Biblioplan was a more economical way for me to approach the literature-based history I wanted and still keep everyone in the same general time period. With 5 "official" students this year, that was a MUST! Our local library has most of the books on the list, and what they didn't have is generally available through intra-library loan. So, I think the reading list is quite accessible. I notice your oldest is 10th grade. Did you know they have a HS supplement available, too? Overall, I'm very pleased with what I've gotten. It's a concise reading list with good selections. (I don't do well with too many choices. I tend to be very indecisive. :confused1: ) This has kept us on track without feeling like I'm not getting to everything. Good luck with the decision-making. The best part about homeschooling is that you're not bound to anything that isn't working for you. Isn't that great?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 We use Biblioplan, this is our 4th year. It really works for us but the key thing is during the younger years do not try to do everything listed unless your dc are just eating it up. If you feel overwhelmed using this program (as some of my friends have) you are trying to do too much. It is meant to be your slave, not the other way around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staci in MO Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Biblioplan is a similar to TOG, but it's very simplified. Think of it as just the reading assignments in TOG, without the notes, accountability questions, geography, or projects. Biblioplan gives writing ideas, but not specific writing assignments like TOG. I don't know the ages of your children, but Biblioplan is just for grammar and logic age. The last time I looked at it (which was four years ago, so this might have changed), the rhetoric level had to be purchased as a separate program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 They're all wonderful programs. I looked into some of them thoroughly last year. You can't decide between them because you haven't clarified...something...at least that's what I find when I'm undecided. This was sort of the process I went through last year when I was evaluating them. I didn't actually change course but I defined more clearly what I wanted from homeschooling and where we were going. What do you want? What are your goals? Why do you want this type of curriculum? What will you do with it (or, what do you want your kids to do with it?) Write out what you think each program offers...try and figure out if your assumptions are correct (like coming here and asking users, just like you are doing, lol!) -- Try and find the differences between them. It will be in the details, in the world view, in the approach. hth. I'm really tired, so I hope that made sense and didn't sound terse or rude! I think Alana is right about trying to identify what you want to help you make a decision. I've used BF, TQ, and Biblioplan. They are all good programs. They all suggest great books. I like TQ the best because I found that with the varied ages of my children, it's better for me do a lot of the planning on my own. That way, I get exactly what I want out of history for each child, and we stay together. I had to tweak Biblioplan too much to suit our needs. BF I used when my oldest was the only one doing history---we loved it that year, it was a perfect fit for that time in our homeschooling journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tera Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 I wanted to thank everyone for their input. I am praying and figuring out what it is I really want. I think I am trying to find something like TOG but not. I do like TOG but my children wanted to try something different and with a tighter budget this year I really did not want to spend all that money on the curriculum without any of the books. THANKS AGAIN! Back to doing research I go while on my knees! : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashmac Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 We use Beautiful Feet and LOVE it, because we are Five In a Row people and used it that way. The lesson plan book we sort of used as a guideline, but we didn't follow it exactly at all. I tell ya, some of these publishers act like little kids are senior citizens! My son has Asperger also, so we just adjusted Beautiful Feet's plans to fit our lives or just went off of the plans altogether. For example, we have all of the Liberty's Kids history episodes on DVD and we used that along with Beautiful Feet last year. It really brought history alive for my son (and even me)! Beautiful Feet's book selection was wonderful for us. We didn't read them straight, but allotted a certain number of pages (as much as we could handle) each day. We also combined this with videos we could get at the library. My son fell in absolute LOVE with the settlement/settlers at Jamestown. Who falls in love with Jamestown and early American settler life at 8 years old?! We also listened to free, related music on the Web and found historical and regional recipes and crafts for each point of our timeline. Beautiful Feet's books are the big plus. The Story Hour CDs we didn't like so well. The American providence book for parents is OK if YOU have time and want to read an adult textbook on the subject, but if not, it's "meh" and unnecessary. If your budget is tight, just get the children's books and then "Five In a Row" them! You might also get the planning book just to make sure you're following the timeline properly. You might also buy the coordinating timeline, because it's a nice visual of history's progression, and it helps the kids to see their progress too. Sorry this was so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 All Through the Ages by Christine Miller is a great resource for pulling together books about different time periods at different grade levels. It is not a curriculum--just a list of books. If you have an opportunity to look at a copy, do. But don't buy it until you have a chance to see if the books recommended are still in print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 We like WinterPromise for history... it's sometimes described as Sonlight with hands-on but not quite so intense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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