HOD vs TOG?

[Lucy]

We have been using LHTH this year with our almost 3yo. I also have an almost 10 yo. I have been looking at different curriculums trying to decide what we'll use next year. I have recently learned about TOG. Can anyone tell me how HOD compares to TOG? It would be for my almost 10yo.

Thank you.

[Jessi]

I have never used Tapestry of Grace but from what I have heard from other mom's who have used it... it is very teacher prep intensive, meaning you'll have to do a lot of work for each lesson. Whereas, HOD is much more "time" friendly as you can open and go. I am sure others who have used it or are more familiar with it will chime in.

[MainelyJen]

Jessi - that is what I've always heard as well.

Do you know anyone who is personally using it, Lucy? If so, you might gain some insights. Since you have such an age spread, you want to really look into the prep time involved in TOG and be very realistic about how much time you have in your day to do this.

Just curious. . .have you already considered and rejected using a HOD program for your 10yo?

[Jen in Va]

Short version--I used TOG for five years with two kids who were dialectic and rhetoric stages at the time. If HOD had been available back then, I never would have touched TOG. It burned us all out. I see you'd only have one child in TOG--TOG is at it's best in a co-op situation with more than one child to discuss the material with. Also, HOD is vastly different in that it covers everything! Eventually HOD will go through grade 8, so you have plenty of time to enjoy it with your 10 yo, and still use TOG in high school, if you want.

My long answer to a mom who was considering TOG for a family with a 1st grader as the eldest child is here: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1685#p13107 Some things may not apply to you since your eldest child is older, but a lot of it is general enough that it would. You may find the whole thread helpful, too.

Jen

[Lynnw]

I haven't used TOG, but actually bought yr1 before I decided on HOD. It was my hope that I could do 1 program with a 10, 7, and 5 yo. But after I bought TOG and saw what it would take to use it, I was very overwhelmed. There were so many decisions to make, and in the end I would still need to do different things with my children as they were different levels and different books. I have heard from other TOG users, just as Jen said, that TOG really does work best in a co-op situation. I have also heard that it really shines at the rhetoric level. If my oldest kids were highschool and I wanted my youngers to tag along, I might look at TOG again. I felt like if *I* used TOG, I would ultimately end up doing what I was already doing - lots of reading, little time to interact with all we were reading, a lack of development of writing skills, and no time for science or hands on. Left to my own those were the choices I was making, and I felt *I* would probably fall into the same pattern again. I am loving HOD because these decisions are already made for me. I have an idea what to expect and it helps builds skills of narrating, copywork, dictation, and (later on) will guide us into written narration. It really covers all subjects - in a way that is really getting done around here!