Has anyone tried Tapestry of Grace more than once?

[pjssully]

I am kinda floundering this year in history. Was going to start out with Sonlight but with four kids, quickly decided (o.k. not so quickly) it would be too hard to dothat. Turned to My Father's world, which is o.k. but doesn't cover history as in depth as i would like. I amnow just using SOTW Middle Ages with my 11 year old and 9 year old. My twin 6.5 year olds just started SOTW 1 and will get together with anothe family to do projects. I keep coming back to TOG--I have tried it several times and for whatever reason, i have quit. Yet, as i look at where we are now, my kids will always be studying different time periods, and trying to pick up books and decide which ones to use frmo the resources given in SOTW, i don't know how i will keep up. At least TOG suggests fewer amount of books and also has student activity pages for the books, which i really liked in the past. Anways, just wondering if anyone has tried TOG more than once and was successful.

thanks for "listening"

pam

[5sweeties]

Yes, we are on our second try with TOG. The first time, I had been homeschooling for less than a year, and was totally overwhelmed with schooling 5 children. (This was also my 2 youngest's 1st grade year.) Anyway, I couldn't handle it, and we did just SOTW for the rest of that year. I love SOTW, but felt that my now 5th grader, needed something more directed at her level...and both my 3rd and 5th graders love history too. I also like being able to use the same program for my academically gifted teen. Normally, there is no way that she would be studying the same material as the rest of my children. She is the oldest by 3 years, and way more than 3 years ahead of the rest in academics. I also have elementary aged children with highly varying abilities. My 5th grader strugles with reading, but has an amazing level of comprehension and retention. (She has one eye that is seriously far-sighted due to infections stemming from allergies as a toddler.) My 3rd grader reads several years ahead of grade level. My two youngest are all over the place in abilities and interests too. Anyway, TOG gives me everything I need, to teach to everyone I need to teach to, every week. All in one very neat package...with a nice bow on top. The big thing I had to learn, was to cut out what we don't need. I use it for Lit, History, Geography and Philosophy, and Government, and some arts. I don't use the strictly religious materials, and I am NOT a crafter, so we don't do many of the crafts. I finally gave myself permission not to use the whole thing. I even went out and bought my oldest a "real" copy of the Inferno, rather than making her read it out of the anthology...gasp. I finally realized that I'm homeschooling for goodness sake...hardly following the social rules around here, and I probably don't need to think I have to follow any program like it is a religion either. So, thus freed from my own need to check off boxes, I'm loving TOG with all my heart. I don't see changing anything anymore.

[siloam]

Pam,

 

What was the breaking point last time?

 

How far did you get? Through a whole year then bailed? Though just a few weeks?

 

Right now I am walking a friend through TOG and what strikes me while she knows better, because she is a very smart gal, there is still a temptation to try to do everything.

 

Maybe this is where you are at and maybe not. But right now because of this I have been pondering how with TOG you have to be good at saying NO to perfectly good stuff. Stuff you would do in an ideal world but can't because you want to stay sane.

 

If you know what defeated you last time, and you go in prepared with a different attitude then I think you would have a better chance of making it work this time.

 

Because I love history and would love to dive into the immense depths of TOG I have to continually reminds myself of what our goals right now are and keep TOG within those confines.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Heather

 

[Rhondabee]

I amnow just using SOTW Middle Ages with my 11 year old and 9 year old. My twin 6.5 year olds just started SOTW 1 and will get together with anothe family to do projects. I keep coming back to TOG--I have tried it several times and for whatever reason, i have quit. Yet, as i look at where we are now, my kids will always be studying different time periods, and trying to pick up books and decide which ones to use frmo the resources given in SOTW, i don't know how i will keep up.

thanks for "listening"

pam

 

 

I have 8th ds, 5th ds, and a 3dd. Because we started hs'ing late, we are still enjoying SOTW (year 4 this year). I know my 3yo is much younger than your 6.5yo's - LOL! But, she still loves reading the picture books that correlate to whatever the boys are learning.

 

I (gulp!) don't even need the Activity Guide to find them. They just come up when I do a search at the library. Since there are so many books at our library that aren't in the AG, and so many books in the AG that *aren't* in our library - well, it's just easier to just search by names, events, keywords of the chapter and accept whatever our library has. (Of course, I can check out 75 books per person, and request them online, and have them sent to our local library for pick up.)

 

We use the literature lists from WTM, though that means I do have to read (or at least skim) through the books. I do still get the Activity Guide for the maps

 

Well...sorry, I have diverted from my original thought - that the problem isn't really one of the books taking a long time to find. But, that you are doing two different years at once. (I always find books for all levels with one library search.)

 

I know you probably felt like you *had* to do Year One with the youngers to correlate with your friend. But, couldn't they just get together and do the projects even though they aren't studying Ancients?

 

I just don't see how switching to TOG will solve the problem of doing two different time periods. But, if you can trust yourself, and just use whatever your library has, rather than feeling bound to the Activity Guide, SOTW can definitely work as a spine for all your kids.

 

Blessings,

Rhonda

[angela&4boys]

I have always loved the samples of TOG, but with a very active toddler, I need something less intensive. Maybe when he's a little older??

 

As a result, we use Biblioplan. It incoporates SOTW and so much more. We love it hear.

 

However, it does not have the discussion and commentary like TOG or MFW. I need simplicity and we just discuss what comes naturally at the dinner table with dad and I have them narrate 2x a week. It's also very budget-friendly. :)

 

http://biblioplan.net/

Edited October 11, 2008 by angela&4boys

[paula j]

I purchased 1 unit of TOG to check out while using sonlight core 4 last year. It was the unit that covered the World Wars. It was really interesting and I enjoyed reading the parent notes but we really enjoy our sonlight books and it was just too much work on my part.:tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, I would just have all your dc working on one volume of SOTW. The youngest ones could always do volume 1 on their next cycle through. This way everyone would be studying the middle ages and you could read them all the same read-alouds and plan some fun projects for them out of the AG once or twice a week. This way you would have the maps for everybody, the older dc could do the crossword puzzles and things and they younger ones could do the color pages while you read. There are great books listed in the AG but you could also check out the books sonlight uses for that time period, we love their books for read-alouds. I also agree with the other poster that suggested you could get other books from the library too, like picture books. You could have sort of like a mfw style book basket, picture books for the youngers, chapter books for olders, fun dk or usborne type books, pop up books, and project type books for all to enjoy.:001_smile: Just a thought as it would save you from having to switch to another quite intensive, fairly expensive curriculum.

[herbalgirl]

Pam,

 

What was the breaking point last time?

 

How far did you get? Through a whole year then bailed? Though just a few weeks?

 

Right now I am walking a friend through TOG and what strikes me while she knows better, because she is a very smart gal, there is still a temptation to try to do everything.

 

Maybe this is where you are at and maybe not. But right now because of this I have been pondering how with TOG you have to be good at saying NO to perfectly good stuff. Stuff you would do in an ideal world but can't because you want to stay sane.

 

If you know what defeated you last time, and you go in prepared with a different attitude then I think you would have a better chance of making it work this time.

 

Because I love history and would love to dive into the immense depths of TOG I have to continually reminds myself of what our goals right now are and keep TOG within those confines.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Heather

 

 

:iagree: This is what killed me last year when I tried to do TOG. I last a month, if that, because I was constantly tempted to do everything suggested because, well, it all looked so gooooooood. LOL :D

 

This time around, I am putting things into perspective. I have 4 children ages 6 and under, and I can't do it all. I am having a lot more fun this time around!