Apr. 23, 2009 - Lampstand Press/Tapestry of Grace
I had the chance to review Tapestry of Grace (TOG) with the TOS Crew and we were allowed to choose our Unit and Year along with a go-along for the corresponding unit we choose. We were given the digital edition (DE). There is a reason for them doing that and you can read about it here. I can understand them going digital but I am old fashioned and prefer a printed book in my hands versus spending hours reading from a computer screen.
While it is supposed to be cheaper than the printed version of TOG I didn't see much in the way of savings, especially for a digital product, which I must say cannot be re-sold at used curriculum sales. So if it doesn't work for your family you are out the money completely and no way to get the money back. Of course it's also better for the earth as there is no paper or printing so there is nothing to throw away or create waste, unless of course you print it out for yourself.
It was very easy to download the DE to my computer. If you purchase the DE you will have it for life, so another bonus - if a printed copy got ruined you would have to purchase another copy but not so with the DE. The instructions were detailed that it took just a couple clicks and it was downloaded and the people at Lampstand are very helpful in answering any questions you may have about downloading the TOG to your computer.
I choose the lapbook go-along for our Year 1 Unit 1 and we really enjoyed doing it. The lapbook instructions tells you how to do a lapbook without file folders, which we still used the folders because it's easier and more sturdy but it does make a big lapbook. We've learned a lot about the building of pyramids, making a mummy (I had no idea how much work actually goes into the perservation techniques used!) among other areas of study including the Jewish culture.
Overall, I can definitely see the way this would work if one has a large family or has a couple children doing different grade levels. For me, it took too much preparation for just my oldest to actually make the TOG work for us at this point in time. I can see though the benefits if all three of my children were in 'school' and I wanted us to all be somewhat on the same page as for what we are studying. I wouldn't recommend this for a family with only one child though as the cost involved as well as the time for preparing the lessons would get overwhelming. For a larger family though who plans to continue cycling through it through graduation it would definitely pay off in the end. This is also geared for the Classical homeschooler - so for those who are more laid back, eclectic , like us - it gives lots of structure.
You must also add a math curriculum and a phonics program for the begining reader - so this is an added factor into wether to purchase. I like the fact that the curriculum was written by a homeschooling mom and one can tell a lot of work went into it. You can view a sample of the study at the website if you'd like to see what all is involved including the booklists. I would suggest that those who are considering purchasing this curriculum really delve into the sample first and make sure it works for their family and teaching style.
Overall, the curriculum is wonderful and I see many wonderful uses for it especially for the family with several children to school. The fact that it is digital makes it nice that you can never loose it, even if your computer crashes! There is also the environmental factor of not having paper and toner going into the trash. Using TOG will bring hours of educational experiences, with hands on projects, field trips, reading and will provide a good Biblical background into Biblical history.
Comments
Apr. 24, 2009 - Thanks Sarah!
Posted by eichunchen
We are looking at starting TOG when our oldest is in 1st grade, so I found this review very helpful! We have four very close in age, and I think it will be helpful to just use one curriculum with them. I was very glad to see you reviewed the Lapbook, since I was wanting to know how they were before purchasing!
