Why TOG instead of MFW, MOH or other programs?

[Alenee]

Still trying to decide what's best for our family. TOG looks good but I've also used MOH and now that my oldest will be in 4th grade, MOH seems like it could fit even better and be a good thing for my 1st grader.

Would MOH users still consider this to fit into TWTM philosophy?

[Lisawa]

Still trying to decide what's best for our family. TOG looks good but I've also used MOH and now that my oldest will be in 4th grade, MOH seems like it could fit even better and be a good thing for my 1st grader.

Would MOH users still consider this to fit into TWTM philosophy?




Hi Carli, finding what’s best for our family is no easy task... I can’t answer you why tog instead of.... but will ask a few questions....

Did you enjoy MOH? Did it work?? if it did... stick with it...

Do you go to State Conventions? Maybe TOG would be their and you can look, and touch and talk about TOG and how you teach.... Same with MFW……

I have never used MFW and I have only skimmed HOM.... but many folks love it.... I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them.....

I love TOG and will use nothing else for our history, just like many others…. But it also doesn’t work for a lot of people…

Hope you find your answers soon! :001_smile:

[Lisawa]

Hey! I just noticed, you are in SW Washington! Are you going to go to WHO? I am the booth hostess and might give the workshop for TOG this year... just waiting to hear back.... I also know MFW was at WHO last year.... you could get a good look at them... Just a thought!:D

[Beth in SW WA]

Hi Lisa, (sorry for the hijack, Carli)
I'll see you there at WHO for sure! Carli and I just realized we're practically neighbors. Small world! :001_smile:

Thanks again for the D'aulaires...

[Lisawa]

Hi Lisa, (sorry for the hijack, Carli)
I'll see you there at WHO for sure! Carli and I just realized we're practically neighbors. Small world! :001_smile:

Thanks again for the D'aulaires...

Oh! Im so glad you posted! I have been out of town since late afternoon on Friday... my hubby mailed them on Saturday, so hopefully tomorrow you should have them!

Im so glad they found a good home!

Ill look forward to seeing you then at WHO!

[Trivium Academy]

it took the pressure off me in some way. I've looked at MFW and MOH and I ruled them out for these reasons:

MFW
It covers US History alongside World History chronologically, I didn't want to do that. First, I think it's too much history in the younger ages and secondly, I feel there will be enough coverage of US History when studied within World History chronologically.

Two other details that made me look elsewhere is that faith is intertwined into everything, and I couldn't tell if their Biblical Worldview was the same we wanted to provide for our children. The last detail that made me look elsewhere was that when I looked at the books being used, I felt I could do the same thing I was going to pay them for. In fact, I was already using some of the books they had listed for first and second grade so what was the paying for something if I had already created/planned/implemented it on my own?

MOH
The main problem with Mystery of History is that it is not complete. The website says it takes 2-3 years to complete a volume and I can understand that but if I start with a curriculum I want to know it'll be available for the next step, you know? That alone ruled it out for us, but add on that I couldn't get a solid grasp of what "Christian worldview" it entails, the search continued.

TOG
Right away I realized that this was a product that would provide me with something I would have to work very hard to provide on my own. Their statement of faith is that they are Reformed but their materials are very tame until you get into the Rhetoric years, but even then texts are easily substituted with other theological biographies and texts if you wish (like I do).

It had the worldview I was seeking for my children, with a focus on missions and missionaries. It provides the Socratic discussion helps I wanted, Great Books of the Western Civilization, oh my it is the whole she-bang!

This is just my experience and I don't know if it helps you at all. We're United Methodists and unfortunately we do not have any homeschooling materials on the market and trying to pick from materials that promote other doctrines and ideals made it very hard for me to find something that fit us. TOG not only fits us, it fits me perfectly. I can tweak, plan, and still have all the great helps right there in front of me. I've relaxed BIG time since deciding on TOG because I have 1st-12th mapped out in front of me with the rigor and faith formation we want for history, literature, philosophy, apologetics/worldview, government, art and science history, etc.

I feel very blessed to have a product that has done so much work for us and although it's not for everyone, I really can't recommend looking into TOG highly enough.

Egypt 3 weeks free: http://www.lampstandpress.com/egypt/index.htm
Sail to the New World 3 weeks free: http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/newworld/index.htm

Hope this helps! Good luck with your search, I pray it will be fruitful.

[Alenee]

Howdy neighbor!

I've had a chance to get my hands on Y1 but something isn't setting right...I can't put my finger on it yet.

MOH didn't work as well as it can for the target years of this curriculum 4th-8th grades because my oldest dd was in the middle of the younger and older years when it came to the activities. She was either too old for some of them or too young. I felt we could've done more. I've just picked back up where we left off though and it seems like it's working.

The reason TOG looks good to me is that it incorporates the history with lots of reading. I like that! Up til now, we've just been reading random books without a plan...and frankly, not doing enough of it.

I began reading TWTM a year and a half ago and just wasn't in the right place in my life at the time to even bother trying to comprehend it. Now I've bought TWTM and can see all the places I've messed up in trying to create a Classical Homeschool.............:001_huh:

[Sue G in PA]

b/c MOH is classical in its nature. As for not being complete...MOH 1 and 2 are out and MOH is due out any time (before the Fall). Not sure about MOH4. I'm sure if you are starting with MOH1, it would be out by the time you got to it. OR take a year off to do American History while waiting for MOH4. We used MOH 1 this year and I really found it very easy to teach, plan, implement. Even my dc, who weren't really into it at first, are coming around. As for MFW...we are actually starting it next year. I wanted something for all my dc and as I really like MFWK (and can't wait to really start it w/ ds5), I thought we'd all do MFW next year. We are actually taking a break from History to do the MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures. Then we'll go back to either MOH2 or MFW Rome to Reformation (or both!). Dd11 really like MOH1 and asked to do MOH2 as well. So...she could do it on her own. Anyway, can't say anything about TOG b/c I've never even looked at it. No, I have looked at it...and then forgot about it b/c it looked too overwhelming!

[Donna A.]

I can tell you why we chose MFW over TOG.

-- overall cost

-- We already owned several of the resources used in MFW, so apparently we're likeminded with the folks at MFW on that point.

-- MFW is non-denominational specific, but is totally Christ and Bible-focused, showing how biblical history and the church are intertwined with secular history from the beginning of time. (I suppose the others do this too, but I was really wanting something non-denominational with regards to eschatology in particular, AND something that's not simply history with some Bible verses added, like many textbook publishers do.)

-- I printed out all the sample lessons from the website for every year of MFW and laid them out side by side, reading through them in order. I liked what I saw... not just for the current year I was considering, but for future years, and where we'd be headed. It lined up with our long term goals for history and Bible for our family. (The science isn't a deal-breaker for me... I can go either way on science, chronological or not, as long as it's Creation based.)

-- When good friends of mine tried to talk me into joining a TOG co-op, I looked through my friend's TM and read several of the lessons. I decided that it was way too overwhelming for me (the layout of the TM itself -- I like MFW's much better), and it was just too much work for the ages of my kids at the time. I would reconsider TOG for high school, except that now MFW is starting to come out with high school as well, and is writing their h.s. programs to be done mostly independently by the student.

I guess there's more, but just comparing MFW and TOG, that's what it boiled down to for us.