Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Considering Tapestry

November has barely begun and already I am thinking about next fall and beyond. This year will complete our first rotation through the Classical cycle as outlined in The Well Trained Mind: Year One - ancient history & biology, Year Two - medieval history & astronomy/earth science, Year Three - early modern history & chemistry, Year Four - modern history & physics.

I have always assumed I would use Tapestry of Grace as the next step in our homeschool journey. I love what moms have to say about TOG. I hear things time and again like this, "Challenging reading. Thought-provoking questions/answers and activities, and LOTS of great discussions." They operate from a Christian world-view and one of the main goals of Tapestry is to educate kids in a way that they grow in their love for God and His world. Because so much of my own education was lacking, my hope for TOG is that it will support me as I endeavor to provide for my boys the education I never had all within a Christian context.

I spent time this afternoon watching the informational videos on their site. I have also printed off the 3 week Egypt sample and plan to spend time this week looking over it and learning more. I devoted a chunk of time over at the WTM forums seeing what others have had to say about TOG as well as over at the Tapestry forums. So far I love all that I see. No curriculum is, or ever will be, perfect. But TOG aligns with my goals better than any other program/curriculum I have seen so far.

7 comments:

Mary said...

I made the leap to TOG this school year and I have no regrets. I love that it is laid out like a buffet and I can pick and choose. Also, the topics and themes are so clearly laid out it is easy to substitute and add it other resources.

It is so rich and full that I can honestly say it is my dream curriculum.

Mary

Paula said...

I feel fortunate that someone introduced me to TOG early in my homeschool journey. My oldest is 7, so we do as the author recommends and make TOG our "icing"--but I love the fact that I am getting acquainted with what it has to offer so next time around I will be ready to make full use of it. I do a lot of tweaking, but I'll always tweak anything I use!

Carrie said...

I am also planning on using TOG when we start our next rotation! I can't wait!! ;)

Kash said...

I'm already thinking about next year, too – and angsting horribly over history/social sciences for my oldest, lol!

Tiffany said...

I love TOG! We used it for Year 2 & have wonderful memories. I planned to use it longer, but found that I liked it more than my kids. I had an age range from PK-6& needed something that brought them together more. I know it is described as a buffet & I too follow the History cycle, but it was just a bit much & not enough in other areas. I have only good things to say about it & have to recommend the TOG loose threads yahoo group - wonderful women!! For now we are using Winter Promise & loving it - It is similar to TOG but with a Charlotte Mason twist & includes Science & Bible.

Butterfly said...

TOG has been a dream come true for us. I can pick and chose and the depth of reading, learning and our discussions is incredible! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

Erica said...

I too am considering TOG for our next go around and will be anxious to hear what you think.