HappyGrace Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 It just seems SO history centered! I'm wondering how others manage to do this and still cover math, Latin, etc. It is a big expenditure to just use piecemeal. It's just so well done, I know I'd want to use a good portion of it, but I think it would leave us out of balance at an age when they're branching out with other things-ballet lessons will get more intense, math is getting harder, they may be getting other interests like a big 4h project or something. It has everything I'm looking for, but I'm just worried it will put us out of balance, and maybe I should pick something lighter, like Biblioplan, where we get the lit, the Biblical focus, etc. but history isn't the bulk of our lives. (BTW: Dd loves the humanities and would love TOG, which makes me fear it even more-she'd do it all day to the exclusion of all else.) Any comments about your experience-is TOG taking over your life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omma Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 My dc are only in 3rd and 2nd and we just started TOG this year. I guess I look at history (and TOG) as an avenue in which to get other coursework accomplished, too, and have a cohesive theme and fun at the same time. So we do the lapbooking pages which gets them to learn how to do research and compose and write out their thoughts about a particular history topic. Then they happily read lots and lots of books set in a particular time in history, which piques their interest to read even more. Then they do a literature worksheet which is learning new skills about identifying character traits, working with grammatical concepts, detailing the events or plot of the story, etc. Yes, TOG does involve a lot of time, depending on how much of the buffet you dip into at a given time (which you get to choose!), but I feel that it accomplishes much more than just fulfilling the history requirement for our family. But, then again, I feel that way about history, in general! :D Interesting thread, BTW, and I look forward to hearing what others have to say! :lurk5: Brenda Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 We spend a good two hours, sometimes more, on TOG a day. I have no expectations of completing school by noon so I'm fine with the balance. We fit in Latin, logic, math, science, music, sports, plays, etc. I wouldn't say it has taken over our life, but it has led to a number of excellent dinner conversations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I'm new to TOG, so you may get other, better opinions. :) We are using the upper grammar level for the most part. I occasionally dip into the dialectic level, but try to stay focused on UG. I also only use the primary resources (the first page of the reading assignment). I could get really bogged down with all the extra books, but I'm consciously trying to limit it and not get overwhelmed. We are covering history, geography, worldview, and literature. I really don't feel like it has taken over our days at all. I'm very pleased with how it's all flowing so well. We've done Sonlight and Ambleside Online in the past, so I'm coming from a heavy-reading schedule. I don't know if that makes a difference or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Here's how we do it. My 5th grader is doing Upper Grammar, with some Dialectic. Every Friday, I give him the reading assignments for the next week. He reads some every day. One day a week, usually Friday, we do the geography. On Friday mornings, he sits in on his brother's Dialectic discussion, and we discuss what he has read, as well. Lit discussions we fit in anywhere. I give him a couple of the Dialectic questions to have answered by Friday - just a couple. We read just the core and in-depth reading, and the literature; my 5th grader is not that into history, so I don't give him many supplemental readings at all. We do not do the church history. Every day, my 5th grader does math, Latin, and Classical Writing. The TOG is mainly reading, and it's easy to fit into our day. Friday is our only intensive day. We probably use TOG in a lighter way than many people, but we have found it easy to fit into our schedule without having an overbearing amount of work. HTH, and I'm happy to answer other questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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