101 Reasons to Love Tapestry of Grace as a Homeschool Curriculum -

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing 101 Reasons to Love Tapestry of Grace as a Homeschool Curriculum. We are in our 4th year using this wonderful curriculum. If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment; I’ll be happy to answer them.

I asked various users of Tapestry of Grace why they love Tapestry of Grace. See below for their thoughts. . . and mine!

Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

Flexibility of Tapestry of Grace

Tapestry of Grace provides flexibility in which subjects your family chooses to study.
There is flexibility in what learning level to put a student in (or mix and match).
I love the flexibility in which books can be used for history and literature studies. A whole second page of alternate resources is included each week.
Find flexibility in the depth you can choose to study for each subject.
There is an ability to customize for each student in your homeschool according to their interests, reading levels, etc.
Works equally well for independent homeschools as for various types of co-op groups,
It’s flexible for family needs. Take a week off here and there. Work through the summer, etc.
There are a good variety of activities and field trip recommendations to choose from.
I love the flexibility of choosing what to do and what to skip.
Works great with a multilevel co-op
You can start in any year plan, no need to start with Year 1 if it works better for you to start at another point in history.
I have a choice of how deep to delve into each subject.
Various options of schedules are available for Grammar levels.
“I love the flexibility of choosing from a gourmet buffet or just having a lite snack. I can adjust reading levels at any time. Sometimes my Dialectic student will read the Dialectic history but the Upper Grammar literature or vice versa depending on interest level.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry

Comprehensive

Includes History.
Includes Literature.
Includes Government.
Includes Church History.
Includes Art Appreciation.
Includes Art Projects.
Includes Music Appreciation.
Includes Philosophy.
Includes Writing.
Includes Geography.
Includes Enrichment activities.
The Tapestry of Grace curriculum is so full and comprehensive. I only need to add math, some language arts (grammar, spelling handwriting, phonics), and foreign language.

101 Reasons to Love Tapestry of Grace as a Homeschool Curriculum

History

History is learned through reading living books, not boring textbooks.
The history follows a 4-year cycle. In 4 years, the students will repeat it at a higher level.
Tapestry of Grace doesn’t just include American history, but students learn how world events shaped thoughts around the world and here at home.
“I love the chronological aspect of it! It is nice to learn about things in the order that they happened.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
My Grammar kids are doing timelines to help them see the flow of history.

Socratic Discussions

Tapestry of Grace includes weekly Discussion Scripts make Socratic Discussions easy to implement for the Dialectic and Rhetoric years (middle school and high school) in both history and literature.
The Socratic discussions help older students gain the ability to discuss viewpoints from a biblical perspective.
Socratic discussions teach our teens to THINK!
The discussion questions “prompt you to discuss heart issues with your teen, and the verses to help you guide them in their sharing.” ~a mom who uses Tapestry
Don’t know how to lead a Socratic discussion? Tapestry provides videos to teach you how.

Writing Aids

The optional Writing Aids curriculum teaches different writing skills for all grade levels that often relate to the history the students are studying.
Neat writing assignments include mini reports, newspaper articles, Venn Diagrams to study similarities, and charts to analyze concepts such as Civil War battles from both sides.

Pageant of Philosophy

The Pageant of Philosophy helps students understand philosophy that relates to the time period of the history they are studying.
The Pageant of Philosophy is interesting because it’s written in a dialogue format.
“I had philosophy in college, but it wasn’t near the laughs we have over Simplicio in the Pageant of Philosophy, much less seeing how philosophy impacts everything from a Starry Night to America’s Manifest Destiny.” ~a mom who uses Tapestry of Grace

Helps for the Homeschool Mom

There are warnings at the end of each Week’s Plan for the upcoming week of things a mom might want to be aware of in a book or history topic.
Out of Print resources are updated regularly.
There are free annual updates to the Digital Editions of the curriculum.
There are cost-saving Literary Anthologies available for Years 2 and 3 (for poetry, plays, short stories).
Bookshelf Central has all book titles.
Some books are published by Bookshelf Central to meet a need in the curriculum (e.g., Rise and Fall of Waiilatpu).
Tapestry has trained Advisors, moms who have actually used it, ready to help you with any questions you have.
Planning Aids are optional schedules to help you plan out how to make Tapestry work for your family.

“In about 45 minutes each week, I can grasp the main point for 5 high school subjects.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
“In about 3 hours I can lead a thought-provoking discussion with the high schoolers, even though it’s all new material for me.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
Tapestry of Grace provides thorough, well-rounded teacher’s notes and materials. Mom knows exactly what to do.
Online access for ordering is very convenient.
They provide good tech support if there happens to be an issue with your Digital Curriculum.
There are numerous Tapestry of Grace Online communities to offer support, connection, and ideas.
Tapestry assists you in finding friends through their “Find Other Tapestry Users” web page!
Buying a Digital Edition of the curriculum is a one-time purchase.
Print Curriculum is also available for those who like it all on paper and don’t want to print it themselves.
You can reuse the same curriculum 4 years later at a different level for the same student.
The online Lampstand Learning Center offers classes so Mom doesn’t have to do it all.
Optional Evaluations (such as quizzes) are available.
“Less planning, everyone is on the same page. Literally on the same page. No more planning four different eras/areas and trying to keep them all straight.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
Tapestry University provides training for homeschool mom so we can learn to be better teachers.
Tapestry of Grace itself as a curriculum is continually being improved!

MapAids

The MapAids (student and teacher maps) are amazing and so well done.
Many (but not all) history weeks include a map.
The MapAids get more complicated for higher levels.
A great way to use the MapAids is to give the student the Teacher Map and have them copy it onto their Student Map.

Tapestry Primer

Primer is now available for those who just have new young homeschoolers (kindergarten and 1st grade).
Tapestry Primer teaches new homeschool moms how to teach.
Primer teaches homeschool moms how to plan.
Primer covers the whole of human history in one year.
Tapestry Primer is flexible and doesn’t have to be covered in just one year or just used with kids in kindergarten/1st grade.
Primer uses books that are part of the Year Plans, so you can use them again later with younger kids as they grow.

Great Living Books for History and Literature

“My kids are always pulling Tapestry books off the shelf to read again and again even if we are studying a completely different part of history at the time.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
Comprehensive Book lists are included that you can see even if you aren’t using the curriculum!
Living books are emphasized to be read and studied, rather than textbooks.
It’s great to always have “a history book that needs to be read, wherever you go – you are NEVER without a book to read!” ~a mom who uses Tapestry
You can buy the books through Book Shelf Central to make it easier.
Or, you can buy the books separately and find the best deals. (That’s what I do each summer.)
Integrated literature readings bring history to life! Love these book choices!
Every year plan has Suggested Summer Reading for the kids AND the homeschool mom!

Literary Analysis

Excellent literary analysis is taught.
Poetics is a literary analysis guide that will rival any college text.
The optional Literature Studies for Young Adults (for grades 6-9) is a great beginning option for young Dialectic students.
My Grammar aged students are learning literary analysis already!

Learning as a Family

“My 5-year-old feels very grown up knowing her brothers are learning the same things she is: “just bigger!” Her brothers are in Rhetoric and Dialectic.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
All kids in a family study same material at their own level. Lower Grammar is basically for grades K-3, Upper Grammar for grades 4-6, Dialectic for grades 7-9, and Rhetoric for grades 10-12.
Makes home life interesting as kids are all studying the same history at the same time.
“I love that I also learn along with my kids! Tapestry’s material is so in-depth and complex that my mind is always growing along with my kids!” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
“It gives me, the homeschool mom, a reason and opportunity to read more books.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
It provides food for family conversations.
Provides so much togetherness through read-alouds with the Grammar-aged students.
“I love bonding during discussion time with my Dialectic/Rhetoric students.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
Pop Quiz is a set of optional CDs where a Dad (“Pop”) explains in a quick way the basic history for the week and gives suggestions for fathers to ask questions of their kids to reinforce what they’re learning.
Pop Quiz also includes cards with 3 questions for each age group if there isn’t time to listen to the CDs.

Focus on God’s Place in History and the World

All subjects are taught with a Christian Worldview.
Missionary studies are related to the history being studied.
I love being reminded daily of the sovereignty of God in the tapestry of His story.
A major focus is on how God’s story is revealed throughout the ages.

Superior Learning

“I also love that my Dialectic kids are constantly seeing connections in their learning. They don’t think of their humanities subjects as being separate boxes. They read history with maps in their heads; they consider literature with a view to bigger themes. We’re only on our second pass through Year One, but we’re already seeing the advantages of that first layer of knowledge that we laid when we built Lego pyramids and Roman roads from graham crackers and pudding.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
Tapestry of Grace is based on the Classical Education model so popular in homeschool and Christian school circles today.
Many college-level resources are included for the Rhetoric level.
I feel totally confident in the high level of learning in history and literature that my high schoolers are receiving.
Tapestry of Grace is a well-established curriculum with highly successful graduates.

Fine Arts, Field Trips, Projects, and Celebrations

“We love the fine art tie-ins. It brings musicians, artists, writers, and others to life when you can understand them in the context of history.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
“The free supplement suggestions on the Tapestry of Grace website that offer ideas for field trips, arts and crafts and links to relevant (free!) videos and other things even beyond the curriculum.” ~a Mom who uses Tapestry
So many fun project ideas are included.
Lapbooks are available for each of the four year-plans.

Unit Celebrations are the best for bringing all the families together to focus on a particular point of history.

I love the opportunities for public speaking. For example, my Dialectic daughter and Rhetoric son just did their choice book literary analysis presentations at our co-op. (They chose a book to read from the time period of history we’re in, different from all other students in their class.)
My Grammar aged daughter did a presentation on Harriet Tubman today.
I love the fun ways my younger kids get to “act out” history at our co-op. Today my kids traveled the Underground Railroad. They have also floated down the Erie Canal and knocked down the Berlin Wall.

Even my older students do some amazing activities to add to their history studies: cooking food, acting out the Congress of Vienna, and debating Civil War issues just like Lincoln and Douglas.
Worksheets and charts are included in the curriculum for students who like notebooking.