Tapestry of Grace... Why We Love It!

I wrote this post quite a while ago, and it's still as relevant today as it was then.  (I did change a few things up, to match my kids' levels.)  This is why we use and love Tapestry of Grace, the philosophy, and the process.  I hope you enjoy it!  ~Kristi

Get a group of homeschooling parents together and one of the first questions that pops into everyone’s mind is, “I wonder what curriculum they use.” Now, whether that question is actually asked is another story, but I’ve found most people at least wonder. I think there’s another question, though, that most people can’t really put into words, and that is somewhere along the lines of, “I wonder which teaching philosophy they use.”

Let me answer that. We’re eclectic classical homeschoolers with a Charlotte Mason twist.

Clear as mud?

What I mean by that is, we school in accordance to the Trivium, toss in some textbooks, and a WHOLE lot of living books. We take a four year cycle for history, and focus mainly on nature for science. Tapestry of Grace works absolutely perfectly for this.

Tapestry is a four year cycle based on history, starting with Creation and the Ancients and going through to the Modern Era. The curriculum itself covers history, geography, worldview/Bible, literature, writing, and arts and crafts. Within the four year cycle there are level breakdowns: Lower Grammar (K-3), Upper Grammar (3-6), Dialectic (6-9), and Rhetoric (9-12). You’ll notice the levels overlap. That’s completely intentional. Kids are individuals, and these are just estimations about when they probably would advance levels. Some will go faster, some slower. And that’s just fine.

Tapestry is designed to cover all styles of learning. If you read my post Introducing… My Clan!, then you’ll notice that I have two very different learners, with four more coming up behind them. I absolutely need something that is going to speak to both of them.

On the other hand, eventually, I will have 6 different students I will be teaching. The very idea of having each one on a different subject of history, literature, geography… Yeah, that scares me to death. I’d have 5 different things going on, JUST for those three subjects. (Assuming that the twins would stay on the same thing.) Oh, and then we’d have to add in math and language arts… It’s overwhelming!!

Tapestry helps me streamline all of that. All of the kids, regardless of level, are on the same subject. For example, we’ll all study Ancient History together for a year. Within that year plan, though, I’ll have different levels. This next year, we’ll be working on to Year 1: The History of Redemption.   I’ll have 3 students. Katie will be in Dialectic, Patrick will be in Upper Grammar, and Sean will be following along in Lower Gramma. At each level, the work gets a little more intense, as is appropriate.

Tapestry works well with every learning style. There are SO many options to choose from in each week plan, you pick and choose just exactly what works for your family. For us:

Katie needs to read. That’s how she learns. She reads, then she writes things down, and that’s what makes things stick for her. Tapestry has an amazing reading list. For Katie, I assign all of the primary readings, plus some of the secondary. (I’d assign more of the secondary, and she’d read them happily, if I could afford to. But, our library is small, and doesn’t have a whole lot. We’re working on building our home library more.)

After she reads, she goes to her history notebook. There, she copies out her vocabulary words and definitions and writes a daily summary of what she’s read. At the end of the week, we discuss it all. (She also helps us with the hands on projects if she feels like it, but it’s not something I push, unless I think it will have a lot of value for her.)

With Patrick, he needs to touch and do things. Luckily, Tapestry has about a gazillion projects to choose from! I’m starting to let him pick one project a week to work on, and he does that. He also must do the reading, vocabulary, and answering questions. For him, though, I know that’s not how he needs to learn, but it is self-discipline for later in life.

Patrick also learns well by watching documentaries. I can’t think of a week where we haven’t been able to find something on Netflix for him to watch if we needed to. YouTube is another great resource for videos. When you buy Tapestry, you have access to The Loom, and there are all types of great supporting links on there, from videos to museums and field trips (another thing he really enjoys). It’s a priceless resource.

Sean, is in Lower Grammar.  He has easier books, mostly picture books, and easier projects than Patrick.  He'll also be watching the documentaries, and listening along to our audiobooks as well.  He'll have his own notebook, his own maps, everything.  

Tapestry also covers audio learners. To help us listen, I read to them from my teacher’s notes (another absolutely invaluable resource!) every week. In addition, Tapestry recommends The Story of the World as a secondary resources for Upper Grammar. SOTW has audiobooks. Works for me! I got the audiobooks, and we listen to the relevant chapter while we’re in the van running our normal errands. I also picked up the Mystery of History audiobooks. I’m a firm believer that you can’t have too many resources!! The kids listen to them both, and really love them. Those are the only textbooks we use (we do have SOTW in text form, too, and we’re saving to buy the complete sets of both SOTW and MOH.) Everything else in Tapestry I would consider a living book.

There’s so much more to love about Tapestry of Grace. The final thing I’ll leave you with though is how thorough it is. My boys are in Grammar this year. I’m not expecting them to actually remember everything, but they are being exposed to SO much, it’s just amazing. And I’m learning just how much my own education was lacking. My kids have learned more about ancient civilizations this year than I’ve forgotten about them in my entire life! And when we cycle back around, even if they don’t realize it, it’s in their memory, and they’ll be able to build on it and learn more in depth. I just love that.

I could go on and on about Tapestry, and you’ll definitely be hearing more about it from me. But this is a good overview about why we love it, and why it works for us. If you haven’t checked it out, Tapestry offers a free three week course to help you decide if the curriculum is right for you and your family. I highly recommend it!

Kristi is the homeschooling mom of 6, from 12 down to 2.  Currently, she's using Year 1, and has a Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar, and Dialectic student.  You can see her blog about the rest of their school days at The Potter's Hand Academy.  You can find Kristi on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and Instagram.  

Welcome to Tapestry of Grace & a Look Inside This Crazy Thing I Call Life

Hello everyone! I am sitting here in western North Carolina enjoying the bright blue skies, the puffy white clouds, & the cooling breeze. I tell you this because yesterday was nothing like this. This is taken from my Facebook status...

"I know many people suffered from the storms that tore not only through North Carolina, but all across the country. I was getting ready to walk out the door headed to town when it started pouring rain. I looked out the back door & I have NEVER seen that much debris flying through the air (except on TV). The sky was filled with limbs, leaves & stuff. We watched several trees snap just over the hill & it looked like the others (very tall skinny trees) were almost touching the ground. These are the same trees that blocked Austin Traphill Rd & our firemen spent all night & part of the morning cutting out of the road. As we went to the front door for a different view, pieces of tin from our building sailed by. The door was almost impossible to open due to the wind. My father in law saw "something" & heard it - call it a small twister, whirling dervish, whatever - spinning over our house. It all happened too fast for me to have processed the fear that probably should have come. I was just in awe at the power. After driving around surveying the path & the damage, I am thankful for those trees down on Austin Traphill Rd. I believe they put up enough block to save my house. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones & suffered more damage than we did. Trees can be replaced, lives cannot."

Now, that I have told you the where, let my tell you the who & why.

My name is Tracie. I am just a county girl with big dreams for the future. I have been married for almost 14 years to my best friend. He is a pastor, EMT, & firefighter. We have 3 (for now - maybe I can talk him into the 4th) of the most beautiful kids in the history of the world. I'm just a little biased. Austin is 11 and entering the 6th grade. He loves football, dirt bikes, & hunting. Makenzie is 7 and entering 2nd grade. She plays soccer, cheer leads, & has the most tender heart I have ever seen (except towards her older brother). Logan is 2. He is loving, mischievous & gets into everything. My family is starting our 4th year on this homeschool journey. It hasn't been easy, but the harvest will be worth it!

We started out in a co-op, but learned very quickly that wasn't for us. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the people, but I didn't like the demands of "their" schedule. One of the joys of homeschool is setting your own pace. It wasn't a waste of time, we made good friends, learned many lessons in a short amount of time, and stumbled onto Tapestry of Grace.

In our short time homeschooling, I have tried, tossed, tried again, hated, loved, & settled into several different curriculum. There are SO MANY to choose from!! Tapestry has been one of the constants. Now while many people use Tapestry of Grace in many different ways, we only use the history & geography. Occasionally, we throw in the art projects. I also use it very loosely. I don't buy every single book that they recommend  I would LOVE to, but we don't have the finances or the room. I do still buy more than I need to, I'm sure! If I can't find a book from their list, I gladly substitute something from the library. I am also an avid Story of the World user. We have the CDs & my kids LOVE them! Hey, it makes my job easier too.

I wanted to homeschool my kids from day 1. I worked at a local credit union and had good hours, but as my  son got closer to Kindergarten, I started to panic. My 2 oldest have always been in day care, so that wasn't the issue. I fast forwarded many years & saw me leaving work, fixing supper, doing homework, baths, & bed. I imagined missing many extracurricular events & never having time for fun. It probably didn't help that I realized day care was raising my daughter. I only saw her 2 hours a day (she went to bed early).

My husband thought I was NUTS! No way did he want his kids to be unsocialized & unaccepted. (He laughs at that now! We are so involved, its crazy at times!)

I started praying desperately! James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Two weeks before my son started kindergarten, I accepted a position with the same school system. God is so good!

Long story short.......My husband announced his call to preach. His attitude toward home school changed. I left my job (Another long story you can read here, but PLEASE don't judge me. God is using my failure to encourage others so I am ok with people knowing. Please start at the beginning of August 2010 so you may understand a little more.) and we brought my 2nd grader home in order to teach him & his siblings the way we wanted to.

I use blogging as part therapy, part diary, part proof, & part ministry. You never know when I'm going to have an epiphany or find something that completely ticks me off. I've never been good at holding my tongue, have been known to eat my foot repeatedly, & will cry at the drop of a hat. If you want to join me in this life that I affectionately refer to as The Insane Asylum, feel free to check out my personal blog at G.R.A.C.E., follow it on Facebook, & drop by my home business.