60-day returns • free shipping on USA orders $129+
For those who have used Sonlight
- This topic has 32 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 1 month ago by
.
- Posts
Thanks again, ladies. I really appreciate your comments. I am so far from making a decision, it’s not funny. I really struggle with making and sticking to a schedule on my own, but we need one badly! Part of the problem is that I’m only a year and a half into this journey and haven’t found anything other than math that really works for us. Another thing is that I work part time and don’t have much time to really get this sorted out. I find that I am often so focused on trying to find out what’s next that I don’t really enjoy what is happening now. Narration isn’t working so well for us. Much of the older literature doesn’t jazz my boys at all. I can get away with some of it as read alouds, but they can really dig in their heels if I try to assign something they aren’t interested in. I don’t mind dropping something that isn’t needed. I don’t mind some worksheets if much of them can be done independently as the more they can do independently the better. If I were to try SL I wouldn’t likely stick to it in the long run, I would just be looking for something that gets us rolling, a model to build on. My boys are going into 4th and 7th grades but academically they almost meet in the middle. They are both using MUS DELTA and the same language arts (this is the subject we are least happy with). I think this would make combining cores easier.
If you feel led to do SL, no harm in giving it a shot, of course! Maybe it’s the best fit for your family, or at least will help you get on a schedule. When I used SL, I and most moms on the SL forums thought it was IT. When I used Ambleside, I and most moms on the Yahoo Group thought it was IT. When I tried straight Truthquest for history, I and most moms on the Yahoo Group thought it was IT. On this board, I and most moms think SCM is IT. I don’t think there’s any 100% IT for most families….every curriculum is going to have things we like and things we’d like to change. SCM works for our family because the handbooks provide simplicity for me in Bible/History/Geo. (I just pencil in TQ commentary and some other things). I can add to it/tweak it w/o stress, thus allowing time to focus adequately on the 3 R’s, etc. But that doesn’t work for everybody and that’s totally o.k.!! Hope you find peace soon:) Blessings, Gina
“Narration isn’t working so well for us. Much of the older literature doesn’t jazz my boys at all. I can get away with some of it as read alouds, but they can really dig in their heels if I try to assign something they aren’t interested in.”
Can I ask, what is the ‘older literature’ that you are referring to here? What books are you presently using that aren’t working for you? One of the things that Charlotte talked about is that the child must LIKE the book. You shouldn’t try to cram literature down their throats that they don’t like. Can you back up and assign some things that they would enjoy? There are some great recommendations on the SCM curriculum guide.
It does take a while to get your ‘flow’ and what works for your family down. We used several box curriculums before coming to SCM, and there is no shame in that! I think MFW, in particular, helped us get a good schedule and rhythm for our day, but we had to add to it a bit. I think it is better to be a bit ‘under-whelmed’ and add things in when you are busy and just starting, than getting in too deep and feeling like a failure. Your goal for the first few years should be to awaken the LOVE of learning at home.
But it is possible to create your own schedule based on what you want to include in your week and it can actually work out better than a pre-made curriculum. PM me or look around at the daily and weekly schedules here at SCM if you want some help or examples on creating a schedule that works for your family. You can do it!
4byboys,
We used Soniight, modified, this year. Our history rotation is two years of world history, followed by two years of American history. It was imortant to us that our kids get more American History than can be covered in other chronological cycles. This was our first year doing ancient history (which I knew NOTHING about.) Because of my lack of knowledge, and because it was hard for me to put together a booklist covering that much world history in one year as an overview, I went to Sonlight. I was going to just use their book selections, but I ended up buying the guide because my knowledge was so limited. It would have been hard for me to schedule them.
Their schedule and the books have helped us immensely this year. I had to tweak it quite a bit in the beginning because of some secular book choices I wasn’t comfortable with, given the age of my kids. However, it was great to have that “base schedule” and the books already chosen for this year. I still don’t use the guide religiously (who does, really? lol), but I refer to it often and it is helpful. I’m glad I have it.
I think if you are ever struggling with content or with scheduling, buying something “pre-planned” can be very helpful. Even if you use the schedule for 2 months, find your groove, and realize you don’t need it, that can be helpful. Many people start out with something “planned”, then realize they can do it on their own. That’s great! It still is not necessarily a waste of time or money. The SL guides, I know, can be re-sold, as with many other similar purchases.
Great point about being able to sell Sonlight easily if you find that you can do it on your own, Tia!
We’ve used or are using Core P4/5, Core B, and Core C. My kids are now 5 and 8.
The Usborne history books are what engaged my ds8. He liked the pictures and will read them on his own. I’m not crazy about CHOW, but lots of people here and who use SL like it. Some people incorporate the SOTW books alongside these first 4 cores (B,C,D,E). I just started using SOTW2 alongside Core C. I use it as the spine bc we’re finished w/the Usborne Time Traveler book. I don’t think getting through the history portion is difficult. There is also usually a missionary component to the history – for this core its Window on the World.
The other parts of the core are literature and bible (and now the LA is included also). The literature read-alouds are good. I personally have a hard time reading aloud for a long time, so I’ve been getting them on audio whenever possible. I would say that these books are scheduled to move pretty fast.
The Bible portion is ok. I like the scripture memory verses. We use the SCM model (the box) and just plug in the verses. But I’ve gone back to using the VOS bible for now.
Most people, I think, choose SL mainly for the IG (the schedule). They know they want lots of great books, but scheduling them out is what bogs them down. Included in the IG are vocab words and definitions and reading comprehension questions. Some people use all this stuff, and some, like me, don’t use any of it. 🙂 We do narrations (oral and drawn) and I think that’s sufficient.
We tried using “older” books, but ds just wasn’t into it, and really, neither was I. The Usborne books aren’t perfect, but they do cover history well enough (for a spine) and the illustrations caught my son’s attention. In the lower cores (B & C) you use the Book of World History and Time Traveler. My son especially liked TT.
In the American History cores (D & E) you don’t use any Usborne books. They use something else entirely for the spines. I also keep hearing that the literature is beefed up quite a bit – meaning there is more to read and the books are more challenging than in B & C. Its possible that one may feel they move too fast through them. But I would also say its easy to skip a read-aloud if you want or need to.
I hope this helps somehow. 🙂 Becky
I can’t get the songlight website to come up, our internet connection has been super slow lately. But they should have on there a list of “reasons NOT to buy from Sonlight”. If you haven’t been able to read it yet, it may be helpful. I did use the Kindergarten core with my oldest while we had a brand new baby. I have mixed feelings about it – I’d feel much better if it wasn’t so expensive. I did resell most of the books after we were done. I spent all kinds of crazy time planning in detail, talking in circles to come up with a plan and finally dh sugested we just buy something “ready made”. In hindsight, I could have saved our family a lot of money (and stress on my part) committing to a read-aloud time daily and going off a booklist. HOWEVER, when we bought the Sonight core my oldest was bouncing off the walls (literaly), I was sleep deprived etc. etc. So for the good of all parties involved it was probably the best deicison at the time. At that point in life I benefited from having someone else “tell me what to do” since it was all I could do keep regular life going with a new baby. I still feel guilty about the money we spent, which was about $400 at the time. And I need to get over the guilt – huh?
If lack of time from working is a problem for planning and a ready-made schedule is what you really need as a teacher, I’d start looking for a boxed cirriculum for the time being, and NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT IT!! Be sure to figure in how much prep work you’d have to do as a teacher. Because EVERYTHING has something the teacher has to do to get it ready. Even if it’s making sure the worksheets are done .
Sonlight does do a good job at choosing a variety of books that I personally think most any child would be interested in. I do agree with the other posters who said they pulled out some titles because they weren’t appopriate (content or subject matter introduced too young.) If my mother could have homeschooled herself, I think she would have been estactially happy with Sonlight. She would have loved the missions focus, the books, and the math and language arts being a bit similar to “regular” school, (that would have made her more comfortable in those areas since the approach is familiar) She especially would have liked having it pre-planned. She would not have had time to plan things out. Anyway, it’s a fine choice for many families, and may work for yours. I hope you get it sorted out soon!PS – thank you Gina for your thoughts they really helped me.
Boy, when I re-read my post it feels a bit embarassing to have changed around so much:) I’m thankful we at least found Math-U-See at the start!
I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for this post and many of the comments made, esp. about kids not connecting w/books and finding ones they like. I struggle w/my oldest on this and probably need to try harder…but don’t want to go too easy on her, either. My youngest engages in most books given, but oldest is more challenging…
4myboys, hope you start to feel peace soon. I remember stressing over history cycles and choices, waking up thinking about it, etc. for weeks at a time. It’s no fun!!! It will get easier the longer you’re on this journey…you’ll get a feel for how much work is solid/doable and what works best for your family. Hang in there:) Blessings, Gina
@momto2blessings, what does your oldest enjoy? Is she a fashionista? Artist? Musician? Animal lover? Whatever areas most interest her, try finding some good solid engaging books that revolve around that topic.
Another thought… what if you let your dd look into family history? Are there grandparents or other older relatives to whom she could speak to learn more about your family’s genology? Then couple that with event in history as the familial stories unfold and intersect. That might be a step to engaging her a bit more than she is at this point.
Pax,
~jacqleene
Jacqleene, my eldest likes stories about girls and loves animals. Yes, she’s pretty fashionable…don’t know where she gets it from (I’m a plain Jane:) She enjoyed Anne of Green Gables. She somewhat liked Animal Farm. She couldn’t stand Kidnapped or Oliver Twist, so I finally let her drop them. She’s currently somewhat enjoying Lamplighter books about girls, though I think they’re a little below her reading level. I get a bit concerned because I have so many classic books lined up in future years and am afraid she’ll balk at a lot of them. However, when I think about it I only like to read books I’m interested in, so should I be hard line about this? I don’t know. I get most of our lit. from AO (some from SCM). I’ve picked the year below her grade level, but still not a lot interests her.
Her 10yo brother is the opposite. He’s almost completed The Lord of the Rings trilogy (at his insistence because my picks for him are ‘babyish’). I hope I can keep him engaged in challenging books w/age appropriate themes!!!
Any other book suggestions for my 7th grade dd? :)Gina
P.S. Thanks for the geneology idea….that would likely engage her more. And sorry crazy4 boys to hijack your thread!
You know, C.S. Lewis has that quote:
“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”
I think there is nothing wrong with picking books below her proposed grade level (even far below it), so long as the books are wholesome literature free from twaddle. There is the issue of laziness, but if she is not typically an avoider of hard work, and she gets bogged down with the reading, then you might consider choosing some books for her on the AO or SCM booklists that are recommended for children younger than she. Even several grades younger if that’s what it takes.
When it comes to schoolwork, we can’t always read about what the subjects we wish, but we can read books that are not too terribly burdensome. I would, however, make sure to throw in a harder book occasionally to whet her apptetite for more advanced reading.
Just a thought! 🙂
I wholeheartedly agree with Tia. My DD struggled with books when we pulled her out of public school. There she had been reading lots of twaddle because I didn’t know better and that is what the teachers had recommended over the years (ie it all started with Junie B Jones, ugg!). Anyway, when she was in 7th grade (our first year homeschooling), she had to read Anne of Green Gables. It was far too advanced for her at the time, plus she really hated reading so it was an awful mix. I came to the realization at that point that I’d rather have her reading books below her “grade level” and enjoying reading than to have her struggle with books she “should” be reading. Who sets the standards anyway? So what if AO/SMC/MFW/SL (insert whoever here) says that is the “right” book for that age. If the child isn’t ready and isn’t working at that level yet, it will just be a mess. So my DD worked through the Little House on the Prairie series and then the Rose Years after that. She LOVED them and was reading in her free time, not just when it was required for school. To me, that is much more important, encouraging them to love to read. My mom didn’t instill that love in me and at 37 I’m still working toward that today. I wish that I just loved to sit down and read a book for pleasure. I will read because I want to learn something, but I will rarely, outside of reading for school with the kids, pick up something for pleasure. So very sad and I don’t want my children to be like me.
That is so true Melissa! Thanks for sharing.
When my dh was reading the Little House series to the two older ones at bedtime, I would miss them because I was putting our youngest to sleep. My dh would tell me all about what happened in the books afterwards. By the end of the series, I was reading them at night, after the kids were asleep. lol You never too old for books such as these!!
Sonlight does do a good job at choosing a variety of books that I personally think most any child would be interested in. I do agree with the other posters who said they pulled out some titles because they weren’t appopriate (content or subject matter introduced too young.) If my mother could have homeschooled herself, I think she would have been estactially happy with Sonlight. She would have loved the missions focus, the books, and the math and language arts being a bit similar to “regular” school, (that would have made her more comfortable in those areas since the approach is familiar) She especially would have liked having it pre-planned. She would not have had time to plan things out. Anyway, it’s a fine choice for many families, and may work for yours. I hope you get it sorted out soon!
- The topic ‘For those who have used Sonlight’ is closed to new replies.