For those who have used Sonlight

I used it for many years and there were some ways in which it really benefitted us.  We loved the literature selections and I felt that we were exposed to many books that we might not have found otherwise.  They do a good job of choosing different genres.  For the years that I used it, it was helpful to me to have a schedule laid out because there was alot happening in our lives and I didn’t have much time to plan.  (or think!)

I stopped using it because I was adding younger kids into our formal schooling and for us it is a huge priority to have a multi-age program.  With the ages of my kids I didn’t see how we could all stay in the same history period and still use Sonlight.  Also, I prefer using a more chronological approach to history than Sonlight does and I like to draw it out more than they do.  Now, you could tweak the program to do that, but I was doing so much tweaking that there became little point to having their schedule.  I found that I was using many of their book selections, but not using the schedule or the teacher’s notes, so why was I paying for them?   

If I had two or three children who were close in age, I would still consider SL.  They have a great emphasis on world cultures and missions which I greatly appreciate.  

I started off w/SL….loved the literature basis. I loved the idea of CM, but wasn’t confident enough to implement on my own (didn’t know about SCM back then) and I felt I needed a schedule…so this seemed like a great option.  What I loved was the book selection. Great books we enjoyed that I wouldn’t have found on my own. They are probably some of the most fun books we’ve read.  And they included thought-provoking qu., which was nice.

What I didn’t like was the schedule (and the price of the schedule!) It overwhelmed me, a bit. If I was on schedule w/one subject but behind on another, I had to flip back and forth between weeks and generally felt behind…that added strress. I love the layout of the SCM Handbooks better, a day-by-day rather than a week-by-week. And we just add in other lit. books, usually from Ambleside…though I should check SL, too:)  With the SCM handbooks I can tweak and add notes in my margin to make fit us, and it’s MUCH cheaper.

For me, it was hard to add in some CM aspects to a SL eduation because the schedule was so full. However, that was my 1st couple years as a homeschooler and it might be different if I tried it again….not sure:) And I haven’t looked as SL in years, so things may have changed. Hope you find a good fit! Blessings, Gina

Oh…just saw you asked WHY it was too much.  I think it was just too much to do. Lots to read, questions to answer, little activities to do (granted, this was K/1st or so). They say if you are a box checker personality (that’s me!) it might not work for you. If you can look at things and skip them, decide that you want to drop some books if too many, you’d probably do fine. Me, if I see it in writing in my guide and the books are sitting on my my shelf (and it always looks so good and educational), I’ll feel bad/behind if I don’t do it and then the stress enters. I do better w/a layout like SCM that gives me a solid amount to do, but not so full that I can’t add extra if I want to.  Like now we are adding in TQ commentary/movies, I just jot what we want to do in the margins and it’s not overwhleming at all. I may add a book or two here and there, and it’s not too much. But if it’s written for me to do I feel like I HAVE to do it:) Just me! Gina

We used SL for one year. It is way to much work for each child. And the courses do not blend well so you can not do family integration with it

I had started a post on SL vrs SCM. Might find more answers to your question there

Found it!!

http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/why-use-this-over-sonlight

I am coming to this late, but here’s my two cents for what it’s worth…

We used SL for years.  My oldest child completed high school having  used SL, and my next child was the reason I changed to a total CM format.  I’ve covered that in other posts, so I’ll just skip right to the part about why I changed. 

First the reason we used SL (and still recommend it for those who are looking and are not interested in CM or aren’t daunted by tweeking it) we really love the literature rich focus of SL, and our family had grown attached to several books.  I was one of those people who *did* combine children but because of the age range of my kiddos that still meant combining 2 cores with two kiddos a piece working in each of the cores – so it can be done and is done by many SL users.  The cores I used corresponded to each other – ie they both covered the same period in history.  My youngest was just along for the ride at the time as I had a reading program, math, and handwriting for her, and she simply listened in to everything else.

The down side of SL for me as the teacher/ scheduler – Just combining two cores, because I still did history readings together as a family and had the older kids read some of their history on their own later, was EXTREMELY labor intensive.  The sifting through of the books to schedule only the ones that I thought we could get through, the disappointment of the kids if I skipped a favorite read aloud, the LONG school days that are just part of SL if one is even halfway trying to follow the schedule, and the dilema of choosing an extra activity (like piano) or getting the work done was a constant stress.  (Obviously others (you) may not have these same issues.)

When I decided to go total CM method in our schooling, I knew that I would not be able to make SL into a CM friendly program because it would mean cutting out too many friends… er… books that we loved. However, I am very able to add in the books we really liked from SL and incorporate them into SCM.  I really need to do a bit more of that as I’ve not scheduled as many of those books yet this year.  At any rate, I find it easier to add in items than I do to leave out items, though this has changed somewhat with confidence in my ability to utilize CM’s methods without “training wheels”. 

And that, I think, is probably the biggest issue as to whether SL would be good for you and your family – are you able to freely pick and choose without guilt or second guessing whether a book or activity is necessary? Will you feel compelled to use the books because they are part of the program? Are you comfortable using SL’s IG as a basic guideline or perhaps as a scheduling spine and tweeking, possibly dramatically, to make it much more CM and friendly to your family? Are you comfortable setting aside the workbook pages and utilize narration?  If you can, then by all means, go for it. They have forums, or did the last that I knew, and there are even ones that talk about combining cores, so you can peruse that to get ideas for your use.

Another thought is that you simply skip a box curriculum and create your own.  If you aren’t confident enough to do that, borrow some IG’s from programs that you like; look them over, compare them, and get ideas.  Look over book lists, choose a spine, and then lay out your own guide. Honestly, I think it’s the idea of doing this that is much more daunting then the actual doing – or at least it has been in my case.

Blessings to you as you consider your choices.

~jacqleene

Just like everyone else here is saying, we started with Sonlight…and then moved on.

I think Sonlight is great for those just starting out.  Maybe they don’t know what style of homeschooler they are yet, or they kind of know, but they are nervous about “striking out on their own.”  I still recommend it to my friends who are new to home education, whether they are starting in K or pulling their children out somewhere in elementary.  They all seem to end up doing the same thing I did.  Year one: Follow the schedule.  Year two:  Follow the schedule “kind of,” with some tweaking here and there.  Year three: Read the books in whatever order and on whatever schedule you choose.  By the end of the year, you realized you are tweaking so much that it is time for something different!

Funny how so many of us seem to follow that same pattern!  I am very thankful for the start I had with Sonlight and the confidence it gave me that I could branch out and try something different.  As pp’s have stated, I still love their book lists, but their schedule would be a frustration for us at this point.

Oh, and maybe someone has already said this, but I often see Sonlight Cores for sale on the WTM forums.  If you decided to try it out or just want to look at a TM, I would check there, rather than buying new!

I did not start out w/ Sonlight but am familiar w/ it.  Once I found SCM I knew I found something that, first, did not need much tweaking and, second, wasn’t too/overly scheduled (well, in most cases you build your own anyway) that I still had room to fit in activities, etc.  For me, that is the best of two worlds.  It, meaning SCM, has given me a great foundation and I just build from there.  And, they let you discuss all matters (and curriculum) on their discussion forum, too!  How cool is that?!

I know I didn’t help as I have not actually used SL, but I do hope you find what you’re looking for.  I know it can be difficult to make these decisions for our families.  I would, if given the chance, look over a sample (forgive me if you have already), buy something used and try it out for awhile to see if it’s a good fit for you.