I haven't actually started w/Tapestry yet! I'm in the process of deciding what to do for next year (and hopefully the years to follow.) My oldest is just finishing Sonlight Core K w/Readers 1. She is about to turn 6. I am considering switching to TOG for many reasons, but there are things I love about SL too, so I'm having a tough time w/this decision!

If you have used SL in the past, what made you switch? Have any of you gone back and forth between them? What do your kids think? Did you choose it because it was classical, or because you loved the unit study approach, or for other reasons?

Also, does TOG have many read-alouds, or did you fill in with your own choices? That is actually one of our favorite parts of SL. I have considered doing TOG and then just checking out the SL read-alouds from the library but wonder if I'll have the time.

By the way, I am past my addiction to daily schedules ... after only a year, I've realized that I always re-work them for the week anyway!

One thing I have considered is that it would be easier to try TOG and then if it doesn't work go back to SL, than to do the reverse, because if we don't start TOG this year we'll be a little off schedule for the 4-year cycle. Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

Hi! They are both great curriculums and I've used both. Sonlight is great is you like open and go. I love TOG for all of its choices and its hands on options.

Now, I chose to go with TOG because I have an 8th grader, 6th grader and 1st grader and so we can all study the same time period. But I'll be honest, I did very little of TOG with my youngest. I mainly did math, reading (struggling), violin and now vision therapy stuff with her. I did a few books for each unit with her but that was it. We did a co-op and they did a continent study, so I thought it was good. That said, she picks up so much from just the discussions and movies and field trips around here. We did make a cookie map of Italy and so when they studied it in co-op they were so impressed with what she knew about Michaelangelo and other artists and then when she got to Columbus she told them all about him and the ships we visited. It is an awful lot of stuff in TOG for a 6yo, and you won't really use it as intended. That said, it would give you a chance to read the dialectic material or maybe even rhetoric if you are ambitious and learn all of this yourself so that when you go through the cycle again, you have some familiarity with the subject. They have readalouds starting in year 2.

I like both curriculums and btw, I don't think they like us discussing other curriculums here, so I might ask this question over at well trained mind or homeschool library or some place like that.

Christine

Hi momishome,

We used Sonlight for 3 years before switching to TOG 4 years ago. Both are excellent programs.

How many children do you have? With our 4 girls, I found that I really wanted them to be studying the same subject matter - TOG has helped us have more meaningful conversations as a family because everyone's on the same topic.
That is only one reason we love TOG!

I still read the SL catalog from cover-to-cover and we add approximately 6 read-alouds from SL per year. My oldest reads many of the SL books from our shelves throughout the year as well. But you could also choose some of the TOG titles for RAs. Just our preference.

As for your intention to get started now so you won't "be a little off schedule for the 4 year cycle," I have to say that even with UG kids (one almost D now), we have done about 3 units per year. In other words, as we complete our 4th year with TOG, we have done 2 1/2 year plans. It is a great pace for us, and we have the chance to dig deeper as the kids interests or the calendar warrant.

There are many other times this question has been addressed on the forum, so you might click on "find" and enter Sonlight or SL in the search tab to read other people's prior responses.

May God guide you to the best choice for your family,
wendy

We have just recently switched. We love both, too. We have 10 children ages 6 mo - 16 years. The more I use TOG, the more I am impressed with it. The main reasons we switched were:

1. I wanted to have everyone studying the same time period. This makes teaching easier for me, and the children have other people to discuss what they are learning with. Yesterday afternoon, DD 15 sat on the couch next to DS 13 and helped him with his map work. That has never happened before with these two kids. What a blessing!

2. I wanted more written assignments for my children regarding their history material.

3. I love that TOG is set up topically each week. I have some kids that can remember anything they read anytime. Others do better if we can sit on a specific subject for longer than a day and have time to think about it.

We are still doing Sonlight read-alouds and language arts for the younger kids, and Sonlights readers and some of the creative writing for everyone. It's working well so far.