Change of Seasons Part 3: Five Lessons I've Learned Using Tapestry of Grace

Has it really been four years since we started this journey? 

We are now well into our fourth year of the Tapestry of Grace curriculum. We started when my son was ten and is now 13. We are now finishing our last units in the dialectic level. We are beginning to get our feet wet with some of the rhetoric level work, just to see what it's like. My daughter was six when we started and is now 9. She is now in the upper grammar level work and will do a full year in that level next year. Depending on her reading level, we may even dip our toes into some of the dialectic material.

It just so happened for us that we began TOG in year three, which is the Early Modern history cycle. It was a great place to start, because we covered all the familiar U.S. history, and the literature and discussions were very accessible. We started out with an ambitious attempt at doing a co-op with several other families, which, for a while was very fun. Then burn-out set in. That said, I'll share with you the lessons I've learned using Tapestry so far, but as you read this, know that I have never communicated with Tapestry of Grace on any level about promoting their product. Ever. I am simply a satisfied customer, and I get emails from readers. I thought this might help.

Lesson #1: Don't try to be this guy on the first go-around.

 

There is so much in a week of Tapestry--so many books, so many cool craft ideas, so many discussion points, literature pages, writing ideas--the list goes on, and you cannot possibly do all of the things in one week. It is difficult when you start out at first to pare down the material. You paid for this whole big thing and you're only going to use the core history reading and the literature that week? Yup--that's right. BECAUSE you will come back around to it again. If you don't control your need to be super-mom, you won't come back to TOG because burn out will set in.

Lesson #2: Tapestry is a bit addicting.

I said in this post when we had first started that it appeared to me that TOG had longevity for its users. The initial cost outlay seems a little steep in the moment. However, since I purchased the digital edition, I own the rights to all the updates that they make until my grandchildren and great-grandchildren graduate from school, if for some reason I decided to homeschool them for my kids. Something tells me I won't sign up for that, though. Even so, I have now purchased every year plan and will not have to pay for any more TOG curriculum for the next 8 years, which I expect is how much longer I will be using the program. That means I will have ultimately paid once for curriculum that took me through 12 years of schooling two children, from elementary through high school. Now that we have nearly completed all four years of the cycle, I feel excited to get back to the first cycle that we did and, with more experience and knowledge under our belts, tackle the material again and from different angles. It will be interesting to see how much my younger one remembers (who will be 10) and how much more critically my older (who will be 14) will handle the content. Looking ahead, the content for high school is plenty rigorous and will be more than enough to cover all the history, geography, English literature / language arts, government, philosophy, and worldview, and art / music appreciation. Unless the Lord directs me otherwise, I plan to stay with Tapestry of Grace for the duration. It does not feel repetitive, and continues to challenge a student at an appropriate level as he or she develops.

Lesson #3: Tapestry is best done with a few friends or a co-op.

We have worked both ways--with a co-op and without. For the first year we were the guy above and we did a full co-op that met in our church, packed lunches and did sewing projects. Did you hear me? Sewing projects! With many kids and moms who hauled sewing machines in and wow. I was tired at the end. Since I was the overly ambitious coordinator of that group, I had to step back and evaluate for my family what was best. My little one was pretty overwhelmed in the group, as was I. My son loved it, and so I had to balance both of their needs with my stamina level and my ability to sustain a reasonable work load for a whole school year. The following year we met with just a couple of families every other week and added Apologia science to the mix. It was lovely. But not. quite. enough. So the following year we went back to every week with the same smaller group. Also lovely. Last spring our little group underwent major changes. One of our families had another baby, one family decided to put their older girl in Christian prep school, and we had a death in the family. This lead to major changes for the co-op this school year (2014-15), and our little group went their separate ways. We have been doing a tiny co-op with my daughter's sweet little friend for science, but have not really been tackling TOG in the same way, and I cannot deny that I miss it, even for her at the lower level. My older son has been keeping up with the Tapestry work, but without friends to meet with and have discussions, it has not been as rich or challenging. Good, no doubt, but just not the same. In January we made the decision to meet again, with just one of the girls from the former group, and once again, the content is richer and better and both students are really enjoying Tapestry once again. 

Lesson #4: If the Shoe Fits, Wear It.

I get emails from readers asking if I think TOG is a good fit for a particular family. First of all, that is a very personal decision, so I don't know. I have heard people say that Tapestry is overwhelming or too much work for them and they couldn't possibly slog through it all. See Lesson #1 of this post. I can't really imagine not recommending Tapestry. My daughter started when she was six. It was a good fit. She learned a ton, and had fun doing it. My son started when he was 10. He learned a ton and had fun doing it. Four years later we're still using the curriculum, learning a ton and having fun. I suppose it all depends on what you're looking for. TOG isn't an all-in-one curriculum, but it's a lot-in-one. Here is what it won't do for you:

• math
• science (though science could easily be scheduled to cover topics that correspond to the particular period in history that you are covering)
• spelling
• foreign language
• grammar (though if you use Writing Aids, some grammar is covered)
• for myself I supplemented writing in the early years, as I didn't find the Writing Aids to my liking. I find it very useful in the dialectic / rhetoric years.

Also, if you feel like you need scripted lessons, it does not provide that, but it does provide excellent discussion guides and teacher notes so that you can confidently lead your students in socratic discussions. So if you are wondering if this is a good fit for your family, I can't see why not, but ultimately you will be the judge of that. Check out their free downloads and give it a test run.

It might not be a fit if:

• you are not interested in Christian content. It's loaded with it. It's called Tapestry of Grace, folks. That means that the focus of the whole curriculum is how God's hand has been working in and throughout all of human history. There will be Bible.
• you need a scripted curriculum. Some moms who are not yet comfortable in their roles as educators desire a curriculum that tells them exactly what to do. That is fine, but TOG is not that. Now, please don't email me for a recommendation because I do not know what curriculum will do that. I only know what I use.
• you are mostly focused on STEM or really hate learning history. This program is very geared toward the humanities and demands a significant amount of time toward that end. If you desire to weight your child's education toward a STEM-heavy program, TOG may not be the right tree.
• you do not wish to teach from a Reformation perspective. I could understand where a Catholic Christian might need to supplement the curriculum, especially in year 2. Our family is Anglican and it was very nice to spend an afternoon with one of our priests, dialoguing about how our church and doctrines fit into the Reformation and church history. It doesn't mean that it would be inappropriate for Catholics, but some supplementation would likely be desirable because of the Reformation-heavy perspective.

It may be a fit if (and these would be true for our family):

• discipleship is foundational to your educational philosophy.
• you have read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and agree with it, but have trouble implementing its concepts.
• you desire a classical base to your child's education.
• you think the concept of using history and / or literature is a good foundation for a lifetime of learning.
• you would like suggestions and reading lists for the scope of history that needs to be covered.
• you have no idea what to do for crafts (me) or, you enjoy crafts and the more the better (not me)! (smh)
• you enjoy engaging your kids in socratic discussions.
• you enjoy learning and are filling gaps in your own education as you teach your children.

Lesson #5: Get Organized

I won't lie--Tapestry of Grace requires a bit of organization. It is worth time spent in the summer and winter breaks to get the reading lined up for the term, set up a calendar of what will be covered when, and do some reading ahead of time. They have a number of online resources available to help you plan your school year. It is also worth it to set up books on reserve as far ahead as your library will allow so that every one else in your town who is doing TOG doesn't also reserve them in the same weeks (or if they do, you beat them to the punch!) It also helps to be able to delegate household tasks, cooking and cleaning, as well as to eat a healthy diet and work out regularly. Just kidding, sort of.  This is all good stuff, but there are weeks when the train will get completely derailed, but it's fine. REMEMBER!  It will all be covered again later and one week missed or delayed is not the end of the world. That said, a bit of planning ahead of time will minimize those occurrences and will leave those "less-than-optimal" weeks to sickness or life events that cannot be avoided. 

All in all, Tapestry of Grace is a phenomenal program, but I wouldn't call it "plug and play." There is a bit of settling in and tweaking that goes along with using it in a way that suits your family. Give it a try, give it time. TOG is like a lake that, even though you can see the other bank from where you stand, is very deep and very rich in the crossing, and you find that the journey is more rewarding than you anticipated. 

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions about Tapestry of Grace. If this didn't do the trick, feel free to email me, or check out their own reasons to love the curriculum.