Sunday, July 7, 2013

Making the Decision to be a TOG Family

Choosing Tapestry of Grace (TOG)  is a big decision.  Our family had  4 children when we made the switch to TOG. There are six now.  We had decided on a classical education before our oldest began school.  As we added more children I could not see how I could follow the classical path.  There simply were not enough hours in the day.  We prayed and I researched.  Of all the curriculum available I narrowed our choices to three.  Still uncertain I asked my husband exactly what he wanted for our children's education.  His respond (he had not read anything from TOG):  "I want them to see God's hand through out history."  It was decided.  A TOG family we would become. 

 Making the decision on curriculum is a big one.  A couple of things to consider  are:

  1. What kind of education have you and your husband with prayer settled on?  If classical then TOG could be your answer.  Or if unit studies are your preferred method TOG may be a good fit.

  1. Are you willing to customize the material to fit each of your children.  Tapestry is like a buffet, and the author never expected one student to complete all the material listed.

  1. Are you willing to participate in your child's education--discussions and directions

  1. Willing to learn along with your student? The teacher notes are a wonderful blessing for those of us who did not receive a classical education or for those who did but need a refresher!

  1. Do you have a large family?  For large families TOG is perfect.  All family members are on the same page.  Even dad can listen to the pop quizzes /Dad cd's.  For a large family you purchase the books once then your done!  Several years we have had 2 students on 1 level.  Scheduling what day each student has each book took care of who has what when.  No buying two books!  Sounds complicated but its not!  There are several classical programs available which look wonderful.  They are simply not conducive to large families.  Tapestry of Grace is the perfect fit for a large family.  It is designed to be customizable!

TOG is more than a curriculum choice.  It is more like a monster.  A beloved, benign monster, but a monster none the less!    TOG takes over the dinner time discussion. Oh! And lunch and breakfast as well!  Then there is the read alouds and movie times. Crafts, discussions, music, missions and maps TOG is still there-- bringing the family together in a shared experience. 

 So what is your decision going to be?  Will you join us?

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Tapestry of Grace ~ Ancient India Resources

TOG India Resources

 I am collecting resources and ideas to go along with our studies in Tapestry of Grace. We have already covered Ancient Egypt, and as much as I would love to start from the beginning, I don't think the boys will enjoy it. So we are starting with Ancient India for which I have gathered a ton of resources on my Pinterest board.  I am going to narrow them down to a few that we might actually use.

Tapestry of Grace Ancient India Resources

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Use comic strip "Big squares with story line" to illustrate each of the Vedas
 
Use a ladder or up-flowing sheet to show the Caste system
 
 
Use 5th comic strip in second set to draw or paste a picture of Buddha, then write a description and describe the 4 nobel truths in the 4 surrounding boxes
 
 
 
 
Use comic strip #9 in second set to paste pictures & write a description of the Hindu Trinity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Do you have any resources to add to the list? Leave a comment!
 
This post was written by Janeen from www.sproutingtadpoles.com
 
 

Janeen