I've "decided" on next year's curriculum about 3 times...

[Sue G in PA]

:glare: Why can't I just choose once and for all? I MUST stop reading the boards and seeing such great choices! I had "decided" on MFW Rome to Ref. b/c we are completing MOH1 this year. THEN, I had the great idea to take a year off our "rotation" and do Exploring Countries and Cultures. That's where I am right now...before looking at TOG thanks to all the recent threads about this great curriculum. :glare: TOG looks overwhelming...WAY overwhelming to me, BUT it is also somehow intriguing. Why? I must have already lost my marbles. :001_huh:

As for TOG, I see that Geography is included...is it enough? My kids don't really have a "great" grasp of World Geography. The website makes my head spin when trying to plan ahead to when each of my dc would "hit" the rotation if we started w/ Year 2 next year. I'm also thinking it would make me crazy to do TOG AND take care of an infant. Whatya'll think?

[GVA]

Assuming the choice of something that's overall decent, the best curriculum is the one that gets done. If you stick with something consistently, you'll generally get better results than someone who jumps around to the "best" each year. Honestly assessing your own situation and priorities is hard to do, but will bring about better results than diving into something that really isn't right for you.

Circumstances have made Sonlight a sanity-saver for me, and history and literature is getting done on a daily basis. That's worth something!

[Michelle My Bell]

I have recently changed to TOG from MFW ( I used ECC, RTR, EX-1850). Let me just say MFW is a good curriculum. It is all laid out and you really don't have to do much to teach it. It is just right for elementary kids. However, what I really like about TOG is the planning each week and typing up a lesson plan. I also LOVE the teachers notes each week that educate ME on what were learning about. MFW doesn't have that feature. So I guess that you have to decide which is more what you want. If you go with MFW this year, you can always change to TOG later. It is a pretty easy switch.

I would say the geography in TOG is pretty good. I haven't used it too much yet as we are still new, but I think it is as good as MFW. ECC is designed for the younger crowd (6th and under) but TOG has geography for each age level. Less for the younger students and more for the older. So it is what you make of it.

As far as taking care of an infant and doing TOG, I say it is no different than with any curriculum. Homeschooling is a challenge with babies around no matter what, unless your completely hands off and your kids are doing paces or lifepacks. Either way if you go with TOG or MFW you will be reading aloud and doing projects.

I hope that helps some.
Michelle

[ilovemy4kids]

We had done years one and two of Tapestry and switched to MFW taking a year off of history to do Exploring Coutries and Cultures. We are almost finished with it and it is great! We actually decided to do Exploration to 1850 when we finish ECC. TOG served us very well and we had an awesome experience. I had brain surgery mid year on year 2 so I couldn't continue with it due to the amount of reading (LOTS) required of the mom in the TM and all of the prep work. MFW is already scheduled and so easy just to pick up and go. My hildren enjoyed both TOG and MFW immensely. Overall, TOG is a bit "heavier" and more in depth, but MFW is more than adequate by any means. My 11th grader sits in on ECC just because it is so interesting and she wishes she could do it herself! Just my 2 cents worth, but with an infant in the house, I'd choose MFW for our family simply because infants exhaust me! You however may find TOG easier to study and prepare than I did.
Blessings
Sandra

[susie in tx]

We switched from Sonlight to TOG this year. I was doing a lot of extra work with Sonlight, so TOG has been a welcome relief. We started out doing 1 TOG week in two, but lately, it's been even longer. If I was more with it, then it would be going more smoothly. I love that the children are all on the same page in the history. I find that the geography is plenty, especially compared to the Sonlight. We'll have a newborn in the Fall and I don't expect that doing TOG will be a problem.

[one l michele]

I was there in December and decided to toss my catalogs, stop reading tempting posts, delete some bookmarks and follow my gut. Use whichever "connects" with you in some way. If what you are using is working, do the next level and don't fix something that isn't broken. IMO with a newborn coming, it's not the time to learn a new system of teaching that may or may not work. And for Sonlight, their geography is what you make it, you need to take the time to explore the new area when you read about it.

[sadhna]

I love to read the comments but do not understand all the acronyms. Are they listed somewhere on the website? As you can tell, I am new user.

[sadhna]

I love to read the postings/comments but do not understand all the acronyms. Are they listed somewhere on the website? As you can tell, I am a new user.

[Sue G in PA]

at the beginning of the Curriculum board. But, as for what you asked:

dd - dear daughter
ds - dear son
TOG - Tapestry of Grace
MFW - My Fathers World
ECC - Exploring Countries and Cultures (part of My Fathers World)
RTR - Rome to Reformation (another part of My Father World)

HTH...you'll start figuring it out soon. :D

[Calming Tea]

I say do the one that you think you'll actually do...whether it's "the best" or not really doesn't matter. The questions is, "Will I do it?" If you'll do it, then it's the best for you.

[Janice in NJ]

GO WITH YOUR GUT!!!!!!

sorry...i don't mean to shout... much... (Tee Hee :D)

follow your gut.
The best program is the one that feeds your goals.

Board-envy results when I take snap-shots of someone else's life and try to photo-shop myself in. It's been my experience that it makes for an awkward life-experience for me. I always feel like I'm wearing someone else's wig - "looking good" doesn't make up for feeling like a goof. It makes me cranky.

Follow your gut!
Enjoy your little people!
Enjoy your journey!

Peace,
Janice

[Mom2boys]

I always feel like I'm wearing someone else's wig - "looking good" doesn't make up for feeling like a goof. It makes me cranky.



I thought that was someone else's boots. ;)

[MommyInTraining]

Our experience:

We have used MFWK and Adventures. I don't think I want to continue with MFW at this point.

I am feeling overwhelmed taking care of an infant. I am thinking of going with HOD (Heart of Dakota). Actually, we are going to use Little Hands To Heaven for sure. But, I haven't discarded TOG totally yet. It seems so meaty, but I just don't know if I could handle it at this point. I mean, I do good to get time to stop and go to the bathroom:001_smile:. But, I do keep wondering about TOG.

So, I know where you are :001_smile:.

[Another Lynn]

:glare: Why can't I just choose once and for all?

Me too! I feel your pain, LOL. My problem has more to do with whether or not I want to fold a 1st, and K-er into my 4th graders modern history next year. My latest decision has been to keep everyone separate and loosely follow AmblesideOnline for one year. As soon as our Classical Conversations year is over (2 more weeks!) we are going to do a 1 term trial (finishing end of June just a week or so before my due date). I have learned that I'm not very good at evaluating a choice until I try it - so that's what we're going to do. (CC looked great "on paper," but it about killed the spirit of our homeschool this year).

So I have no advice about TOG, but maybe you could use their 3 week trials (maybe both of them?) just to see how it goes?

BTW, I do have a friend who uses TOG and she says the geography has been great. She herself has better recall of where things are and their importance, etc. FWIW....

Good luck!

[profmom]

Sue, I don't know the ages of your children, but if they are 5th grade and under, I'd say use MFW for the coming year, especially with a new baby.

I started the year with MFW and chose it partly because I had had a rough year last year (unrelated to school) and felt I needed something planned out for this year. I didn't think I would tweak it, but I realized in January that I was barely using MFW any more -- pretty much just their topic for the week (with a different spine) and their memory verse passages. That's when I started looking at TOG again. (I also wanted assigned reading per level instead of the book basket.)

I spent a lot of time looking at TOG last summer. I loved the philosophy, but when I sat down with the samples, it seemed like too much. I decided that what MFW would give me for my upper grammar children would match TOG's philosophy for that age -- reading and activities! So, I went with MFW.

Now that my oldest is going into 6th, I'm wanting to transition into more discussion with her. I also realized that I'll be going through the 4-year cycle 4 more times (which will include all levels) before my youngest graduates! I like the teacher's notes, discussion helps, and worldview training included in TOG, and I'm planning to use TOG next year. (I'm incorporating parts of it into our studies now -- very gradually.) This time it doesn't seem as overwhelming, even though I don't have a new (full) routine for it yet. I think it's just the right time for us.

If I were having a new baby, I might stick with MFW for next year. I plan to use the library as much as feasible with TOG and spend some time studying the notes and maybe even some of the rhetoric level materials in preparation for high school discussions (we'll see!), but all that will take time and wouldn't be my priority if I were having a new baby. (Not that *you* wouldn't be able to handle a new baby and TOG, but I wouldn't be brave enough to try unless I felt strongly that it was the direction God was leading us for that specific year.)

Hope something there helps!

[koko]

I like to look at catalogs and mentally see if the program would fit the educational needs of my different kids. Sometimes I will add something in here and there, and usually it's worked.

This year I've felt a leading to switch major curriculum...I've looked at the website, been on the forums, read reviews, talked to other h/s-ers...but the most important thing I've done is to pray. I know that God knows what's best for us and what my kids need...and though I'm not even unhappy with what we're currently using, I feel so strongly like this switch is led by Him and so off we go!

So, yeah I'm chuckling b/c I've had to do the same thing...get off the computer and just go get on my knees and ask for HIS wisdom LOL!!