Seasoned Sonlight users, please help...

[hsmom]

I would like all of your personal opinions on their programs. What are the strengths and weaknesses?

 

 

Also how long does this program take you to do daily? Do you find it easier in the long run to just follow the IG? I have found when I tweak stuff I end up drowning myself and have to stop and go back to the schedule that I started off with.

 

Lately I have been really drawn to the who idea of Sonlight. A few reasons are that I am looking for something that is all laid out for me, all the material is there, there is no searching for endless books, or wondering what comes next. Make sense?

 

I am forever trying to make up a history program that uses great books, yet seem to fail when it comes to putting all the books together. Then I started thinking why I am I doing all this work when I can just buy a program that someone already has done it all for me.

 

Now in your opinion what parts of Sonlight are the best to use and why. I mean do you use the Science, History, reading, and LA? If you use their LA is it solid? Or do you feel you need to supplement? I am very drawn to their History and Reading. Is it possible to do just those? Now with the reading one does it incorporate the LA in it? Like is the reading IG the LA IG. I am confused on the whole what IG goes with what, what a core actually is. All of it. I want to make sure I get the right program. I don't want to end up with one that is too easy or too hard. Make sense.

 

I almost feel as if I am reading/ putting way too much into what should be simple.

 

Sorry for rambling. I just really want to make sure I do this right. I have decided to buy new when I do get it. One for the return offer they offer. The other as I stated above, I am tired of searching for items. I want all of it all together with no worries. Way too much of my days and time are devoted to searching, finding, scheduling. When they really don't need to be. They need to be devoted to spending more time with my family.

[....]

Hi! You'll get a big variety of responses to your questions.

 

We use Sonlight's History/Geography and Read-Alouds. I also have had my kids go through the Core 2 Int and Adv Readers. For Core 1, we used the TM. For Core 2 (where we are now), we have not used their TM. We're using it basically as a big book list. We read the Read-Alouds at night before my kids go to bed. We read through the History/Geography Read-Alouds (of which there are not many) during the school day. We also have been reading through CHOW for over a year - we're in the "discovering America" part of the story.

 

I've had my kids do lots of projects based on several of the SL books - like for Houses and Homes, at the end of the book, each one of my kids made a wooden model house and painted it. We've also done lapbooks - like for the book on Great Wall of China, my kids did some awesome lapbooks for that last year.

 

You could do some trips too. When we read King Tut's Tomb in Core 1, I took my kids to the Field Museum to see the Egyptian exhibit and the mummies.

 

Anyway, good luck with your search!

[JudoMom]

I'm not a seasoned user, but thought I'd give you my thoughts. We're using Sonlight 6 this year, and will use 7 next year. We are using only the History/Readers/Read Aloud portion. I bought the World History Part 1 Instructor's Guide (I bought this and a few exclusives from SL, but bought most of the books at Rainbow and Amazon). It includes the History, Readers, Read-Alouds (including scheduled Poetry), and Bible (along with some memorization).

 

I don't use many of the notes that are included (including the comprehension questions), but I do follow the schedule faithfully. I do not tweak it at all. It has made my life so much easier, and my boys LOVE history this year.

 

I spend 30-45 minutes reading aloud (poetry, history, and read-aloud), and my older 2 spend 30-45 minutes on the readers daily.

[hsmom]

JudoMom thank you. That is what I needed to know. I was confused on what that IG covered.

 

Starrbuck12 so you are not using the readers? Do you find the books they use to be pretty on level, above, below? I am thinking of using core 1 next year with my 2nd grader. Would that work?

[Dinsfamily]

We'll be doing core 1 next year with a 2nd grader also. It seems very common to use Core 1 with a 2nd grader. SL has several reader programs to go with the early cores for just that reason and because dc develop at different rates.. Like the others, we use the history/geography, read-alouds, and readers. Even though my ds is an accelerated reader the reader selections are great for him. We are doing Readers 2 this year and will do Readers 2 Intermediate next year (saving Readers 2 Advanced for Core 2). The books are easy for him but he's building reading-aloud skills and really learning to love reading. We also supplement readers from the library but the reader sets are a great foundation.

 

The science looks good to me but we've chosen to use Noeo for now. We have bought several SL science books because they look good and my ds is a science nut.

[hsmom]

Now as it sits my son is not a big reader. Yet we are still learning how. I believe by the end of this year he will start taking off on his reading.

 

Now I was planning on doing core 1 with the 2nd grade readers. I figure if we cover the books suggested for readers 1, he should be ready. Right? Then like you I was looking at doing the advanced readers for core 2. My hopes were that if we could get to that point by then he would be ready for the core 3 readers. Does that sound right?

[AngieW in Texas]

I used the history, readers, and readalouds only. I didn't like their LA choices. The supplementing I did was to double the number of readers (because my two older girls are heavy readers) and drop all the religious stuff.

 

SL was great for my two older girls from K level up through Core 100. I just didn't think that Core 100 was actually high school level. I think Core 100 is perfect for 7th or 8th graders. I switch my girls to Oak Meadow for high school.

 

SL was never a good fit for my dyslexic, historical fiction hating youngest dd. I have now switched her over to Oak Meadow as well and she is much happier with it.

 

I like a lot of the math programs that SL sells, but I was actually using those programs before SL started selling them. I prefer a math sequence of Miquon Math followed by Singapore 3A-6B, using Key to books as needed. This worked great for my two older girls, but not so well for my youngest. What she needs is completely different from what my two older girls needed.

 

I

[Dinsfamily]

Now as it sits my son is not a big reader. Yet we are still learning how. I believe by the end of this year he will start taking off on his reading.

 

Now I was planning on doing core 1 with the 2nd grade readers. I figure if we cover the books suggested for readers 1, he should be ready. Right? Then like you I was looking at doing the advanced readers for core 2. My hopes were that if we could get to that point by then he would be ready for the core 3 readers. Does that sound right?

 

If he can read all of Readers 1 (mostly Dr. Suess), Readers 2 Reg will be the next step. Readers 2 Reg is very gentle so it should be good for him.

 

You don't have to finish all the the Readers 2 programs to go into Readers 3. Readers 2 Advanced is actually harder than Readers 3. So no need to skip Readers 2 int unless you really want to. Technically, you should be able to go from Readers 2 Reg to Readers 3. Readers 3 is tied in with Core 3 unlike the earlier levels because it is part of the history curriculum.

[Dmmetler]

We're pretty new to SL. We're using Core 1/2, Adv 2 readers. We're following the schedule as far as what to do next, but also stalling on topics as long as DD wants, extending and expanding and adding books. I'm guessing that 1/2 will end up being 2 years, which is what I'd kind of intended.

 

 

Sonlight has been the only curriculum I purchased this year where I got the level right the first time, and has been a great fit. I'm glad I went with the 1/2 because it gives the spine without so much that I feel like we can't expand. DD loves CHOW, while SOTW doesn't seem to "resonate" with her as much, but I love the SOTW activity guide to extend the topics. And the timeline, geography songs, and mapwork are a BIG hit! We're also using a lot of Dover coloring books and especially paper doll books.

[hsmom]

Thank you for the Dover book ideas. Do you have her do those while you read?

[Dmmetler]

The Dover books are great. Not only are there books for most of the history (on the paper dolls, I do most of the fine cutting, because they're very detailed, and laminate before we cut), but for many of the read-alouds as well. The nice thing is that many of the coloring books use period art and woodcuts. I've also gotten postcards of period art and archetecture from them. It seems to add the extra level of visual interest that helps bring history alive for my DD-and she'll play with the paper dolls for weeks, create elaborate backgrounds and settings for them, and really demonstrate just how much she's learning.

 

Having said that, I have a really "Crayola Curriculum" kid, who LOVES coloring and that sort of thing, and who has great fine motor skills. I think I would have gone nuts had you given me a dover coloring book at her age, because they're extremely detailed, and I would never have been able to stay in the lines.

[Mom0012]

I've used SL Prek, 1, 2, 3, and we are currently working on Core 4. I love the time I spend reading with my kids and they love it as well. It is the part of the school day that we all look forward to. In the earlier years, the reading took about a half hour. Now we are spending at least an hour, sometimes longer.

 

I will say that I worry that I am sometimes losing my daughter with the read-alouds or history this year (she is a third grader). She is a bright kid, but some of the reading has been much heavier in Core 4 than in the past. Also, now that the focus is all on historical fiction with the read-alouds and readers, I don't feel she enjoys it quite as much as she used to (which is why I think I'm losing her at times) when there were more fun books thrown in (Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Charlotte's Web, etc.). I do try to squeeze in some of those types of books as well, but that isn't easy with SL's reading schedule. Last year, she whipped through her readers so quickly, I was able to assign her a lot of fun books to read on her own, but this year that isn't happening, so she's mainly just reading the SL readers (which are again, all historical fiction).

 

I do not use the LA. I've never tried it, but I've very rarely heard anything positive about it. Also, I really like to tailor skill subjects to my children's learning styles.

 

I do use the science but I know a lot of people feel that it is very choppy. That has not ever bothered me or my kids. They have loved all the Usborne books and we are happy with the variety of subjects that get touched upon each year. The TOPS books used in Core 3 and 4 have been great.

 

I definitely enjoy using the IG. I am a box checker and I like have everything scheduled out for me. It really keeps us on track. I love when we have learned about something in one of our history books and then it pops up in one of our read-alouds.

 

At this point, I plan on using SL at least through Core 7.

 

Lisa

[ABQmom]

I used core 7 over a period of two years. What I found was that I love, love, love their book choices. However, the rest of it I did not like. The writing assignments were just that--assignments with no help given as to how to direct my child through doing them. The comprehension questions were occasionally useful, but I found not necessary.

 

I've also used SL informally by going through their catalog and choosing a core that met my goals for the family for the year. I then simply assigned books from that list for the kids to read, and I read the read alouds. These have been our favorite years of history and lit.

 

My plan for high school next year is to choose a core for my dd and have her read through the list of books. We will discuss and write about them as planned out in SWB's audios.

[Donna T.]

I would like all of your personal opinions on their programs. What are the strengths and weaknesses?

 

Strengths - SL fits my kids learning styles, both being strong auditory learners and loving to read. Both of them enjoy discussing books and we spend alot of time talking about what we have read. SL is a really good curriculum to use if you want to spend a good bit of time discussing what your children are learning. The books are really good. The schedules are easy to follow. I like the Instructor's Guide and use it everyday. The science is interesting with the right amount of reading and hands-on for our family.

 

Weaknesses - Some Christians don't think there is enough integration of Bible history, some users think the language arts doesn't have enough review to cement the concepts being taught, some think the Science jumps around from topic to topic too much, some think there is too much reading, some think there is not enough reading... Personally, for us, there aren't any real weaknesses to SL, atleast not the way that I use it.

 

 

Also how long does this program take you to do daily? My youngest son spends about 15 minutes a day on his science, about 20 minutes on his own readers (but he always reads more than what is scheduled), and then listens in on about 45 minutes of read-alouds. This is just what he does with SL, he also uses materials from another curriculum. My oldest son spends about 30 minutes a day on his science, about 30 minutes a day on his readers, and listens in on about 45 minutes a day of read-alouds. He has also recently started the Language Arts and spends about 15 to 30 minutes a day on that. SL is his sole curriculum for this year.

 

Do you find it easier in the long run to just follow the IG? Yes.I have found when I tweak stuff I end up drowning myself and have to stop and go back to the schedule that I started off with. We used Core 2 a couple of years ago and I tried to do too much with it. I was adding in alot of things. In retrospect, I wish I had not done that. Using it as it was written would have been much, much better for us.

 

Lately I have been really drawn to the who idea of Sonlight. A few reasons are that I am looking for something that is all laid out for me, all the material is there, there is no searching for endless books, or wondering what comes next. Make sense? Absolutely! I love all that about SL but I also like the books that SL uses and the SL "way" of teaching, which includes alot of discussion and a willingness to cover things with your children that you may not wish to cover if you weren't so involved in their learning. It requires little on my part, as far as pulling it all together, but to really have a good SL day, I have to be able to sit and dig in with the kids and talk alot!!

 

I am forever trying to make up a history program that uses great books, yet seem to fail when it comes to putting all the books together. Then I started thinking why I am I doing all this work when I can just buy a program that someone already has done it all for me.

 

Now in your opinion what parts of Sonlight are the best to use and why. I mean do you use the Science, History, reading, and LA? I've liked SL's Science since we used K with my oldest son. He was five when we started that Core. I also like the history and readers very much but it hasn't always been the right fit for us at the time. I had to shelf Core 1 for over a year because my son had nightmares aftering learning some of the history content that year. I switched to another curriculum for a couple of years and came back to it. At that time, it was the perfect fit for him. We completed Cores 1 and 2 and then took another year long break because I wasn't ready to cover the content of Core 3 and 4. We did that, now we are back using Core 3+4 and loving it. This is the first year that I have been happy with the LA, but we just started it. So far, it's working very well and my son is doing great with it. So, I can't really say what's best but overall, it's all good.

 

If you use their LA is it solid? Or do you feel you need to supplement? Never could make any sense of it until this year with LA 3+4. I will continue with the other things we were already using and SL is our supplement. I like having it for the dictation passages that come from their readers and I've been pleasantly surprised with how much we have liked the other writing assignments. I prefer something else for grammar and we don't use their spelling recommendations.

 

I am very drawn to their History and Reading. Is it possible to do just those? Yes. Now with the reading one does it incorporate the LA in it? Like is the reading IG the LA IG. The readers are scheduled in the Core Instructor's Guide but the Language Arts guide includes both a schedule for the readers and LA assignments. If you use something else for LA, you still have a schedule for the child's readers in your main IG.

 

I am confused on the whole what IG goes with what, what a core actually is. All of it. I want to make sure I get the right program. I don't want to end up with one that is too easy or too hard. Make sense. The print catalog lays it all out for you. I think SL works fine on "grade level" unless you have a sensitive child. My oldest was very, very sensitive when he was younger. He still is now also but not so much. My youngest is not sensitive at all. That's why both are enjoying Core 3+4. I choose their Science this year based on content and both ended up using a guide one level below their grade but it's fine. I think the age ranges provided by SL for the various cores is very accurate. Your LA guide should match your Core guide # but your Science doesn't have to.

 

I almost feel as if I am reading/ putting way too much into what should be simple.

 

Sorry for rambling. I just really want to make sure I do this right. I have decided to buy new when I do get it. One for the return offer they offer. The other as I stated above, I am tired of searching for items. I want all of it all together with no worries. Way too much of my days and time are devoted to searching, finding, scheduling. When they really don't need to be. They need to be devoted to spending more time with my family.

 

You already sound like a SLer!!

[hsmom]

Donna T. THANK YOU! I really needed to hear all of that. I know I will be using SL next year for sure.

 

Thank you.

[....]

JudoMom thank you. That is what I needed to know. I was confused on what that IG covered.

 

Starrbuck12 so you are not using the readers? Do you find the books they use to be pretty on level, above, below? I am thinking of using core 1 next year with my 2nd grader. Would that work?

 

My daughter finished all of the intermediate and advanced readers last year. :blush: I thought they were great.

 

Core 1 with a 2nd grader is good, too! You could also do Core 1+2 in one year if you really had lots of free time. lol. :D

[hsmom]

Free time:001_huh:...I am not familiar with that term.:confused: Can you please explain that one.:bigear::lol:

[StephanieZ]

We're SL vets (5th year this year). . . and love it for history & reading.

 

Love, love, love it.

 

The 'having it all laid out & all the stuff on the shelf already' thing is one of the huge positives. It frees up my time & mental energy for actually schooling instead of tracking down stuff. It gets DONE b/c it is all ready!

 

The book selections are excellent. Can't say that strongly enough. We skip occasional missionary books, but just love the vast majority of all the books. Many of the missionary books that we did read were very nice books that I hated to skip on some levels. . . But, I just don't want to emphasize that evangelical philosophy in my hs, so I replace many of those.

 

Time requirements vary by age/level. Core 1 was maybe 60 min/day? Core 2 about the same. If I remember right, the reading increased in quantity by core 3. Maybe 90-120 min/day for 3, 4, 5. . . The total time does vary with how quick a reader your child is. . . If they are laboring over the reader vs reading quick & smooth. . . I often have my young dc read aloud to me through 2nd or even 3rd grade, so that takes more mom-time until they are competent to go read it themselves routinely. Also, the read-aloud times varies A LOT for me depending on how attentive and un-interrupting my dc are being. A chapter could take 15 min or 45 min, depending. . . If time is a big issue, then train your dc not to interrupt. . . But, if you have the luxury of plenty of time, then the interruptions can be pleasant conversations!

 

We've tried LA once & bombed it. This year I have it b/c for cores 7 & up it's included. . . So, I am using some of the assignments here or there. There are some gems, but it doesn't feel complete to me & sometimes it is confusing & chaotic. It doesn't hold a candle to MCT for LA, IMHO. I wouldn't buy it for the LA, for sure.

 

The Science can be very nice. If you are Creationist, you might be totally happy with it. Since I am not. . . I pick and choose some of the science. Loved Science 4 which was all physics w/ little/no creationist content. Bought an old Science 3 for my little next year b/c the old one had very little creationist content but the updates recently really went overboard on anti-evolution materials. Won't use the upper levels at all b/c they are all Apologia. That said, I think if I were a creationist who wanted that as a cornerstone of my hs science, I'd be likely to use SL Science all the way b/c it is very nicely pulled together, etc. Our SL Science 4 year was our best elem. science year thus far. . .

 

SL Cust Service is great. I think you are smart to buy your first core straight from them. Not only does that get you their guarantee. . . it also gets you access to the discussion boards which were very helpful my first year or two. (It's not HOME like here, but there is much help to be found there.) Next year, if you are doing SL again, you can consider buying used or piecing it together, but I think that it's smart to start with buying direct. I did that for my first FIVE cores. . .and just started buying used this past year now that I am a life-time-free-shipping SL customer & confident of what I need.

 

ETA: Reading level. Note that reading packages are totally independent of the Core until Core 3. So you can custom pick the right reader pkg for your child. My dd7 did the 2-Int last year for 1st & is doing the 2-Adv this year for 2nd. These have been AWESOME reader packages!! They are just lovely.

Edited October 12, 2010 by StephanieZ

[StephanieZ]

p.s. Reading level. . .

 

A child's reading can explode so quickly at this age, so I'd wait to decide on the reader level until it is literally time to click "BUY".

 

2-Int was a big step up from Dr. Suess. . . & 2-Adv is another big step. My dd7 is a very strong reader with lots of time on her hands, so it's fine for her. But, my ds did Core 3 in 2nd grade and he was fine with it even though I was so nervous that he wouldn't be. He loved the books so much that his reading exploded once he started SL. (That was our first SL core.)

 

I'd think that if your child gets through 2-Int, then he'll be totally fine w/ 3-Regular (or possibly even advanced) the next year.

 

Just take it a month at a time and buy the right level for the right time. . . If he's reading easy chapter books at all (Magic Tree House, etc.) by the time you hit Core 3, he'll be just fine IME b/c those wonderful SL books are so motivating, reading comes so much easier! If he's doing 2-Int level books before Core 3, you'll be golden.

[sewpeaceful]

Now as it sits my son is not a big reader. Yet we are still learning how. I believe by the end of this year he will start taking off on his reading.

 

Now I was planning on doing core 1 with the 2nd grade readers. I figure if we cover the books suggested for readers 1, he should be ready. Right? Then like you I was looking at doing the advanced readers for core 2. My hopes were that if we could get to that point by then he would be ready for the core 3 readers. Does that sound right?

 

Core 3 readers are directly tied to Core 3. Their topic material relates so Sonlight does not recommend messing with Core 3 readers until you are doing Core 3. If you have a reading level gap, raid book lists and create your own to hold you for a year while the history "catches up". We will have to do this if we move from SOTW back to Sonlight. We haven't done it since K. My oldest is 3rd now. We'd be doing Core 1 with a very advanced 1st and normal 3rd grader (6 and 8). Anyway, I'm considering the same thing you are for the same reasons. I look at the activity guide for SOTW 2 and think about the planning and simply cringe. I miss the planning being done for me and I miss the discussion spring boards. Sigh... what to do, what to do. :)

[siloam]

Well SL didn't have enough hands on for us, given I stared on my oldest dd's level and my middle two were sensitive the books were way too mature for them, and we could never finish a core in a year.

 

That said I have leaned I don't do simple. I might for a short time, but I always get a bright idea, always tweak and mess with everything. I have used SL, WP, TruthQuest, MOH, SOTW and now TOG. I like TOG becuase it gives me more stuff to play with. Yes it gets old at the same time, but I just can't get away from me. :D

 

Heather

[hsmom]

Thank you all you have been so helpful.