Is sonlight really worth it? Would it fit our family?

[A home for their hearts]

I really want to use whole books for American history, but I'm having trouble pulling together my own curriculum. I've looked at MFW and I really don't like what I see. I want something that is open and go and tells me what to do when. I would need it to work for my 11, 10 and 6 year old. Since sonlight is really expensive I would like to get reviews of people who have actually used it before pouring a lot of money into it.

[Sahamamama]

:bigear: Listening in for another year down the road....

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I really want to use whole books for American history, but I'm having trouble pulling together my own curriculum. I've looked at MFW and I really don't like what I see. I want something that is open and go and tells me what to do when. I would need it to work for my 11, 10 and 6 year old. Since sonlight is really expensive I would like to get reviews of people who have actually used it before pouring a lot of money into it.

 

Saying you use Sonlight is a little like saying you use the Well Trained Mind. It might mean that you use every bit of it for every kid or it could mean that you use one subject.

 

We did Core 5 last year and I've modified Core 6 for use this year. What I use is the schedule for history (History spine, readers and read-alouds), but not the Bible section.

 

For Core 6, we're alternating 4-6 weeks of Sonlight schedule with 4-6 weeks of reading and writing on a historical period (so we did Sonlight ancient Egypt for 4 weeks, then did some reading and projects, then moved into ancient Greece).

 

I have many of the books already, because this is our second swing through a history cycle and I've picked up a lot of books at used bookstores and library sales over the years.

 

I would recommend picking a core that is appropriate for the 10 and 11 yo and modifying it to an easier level for the 6 yo. For us, trying to do multiple cores, even when they were on related historical periods was a recipe for my not getting things done.

 

You might also ask around any homeschooling groups or friends that you know. I have been handed Sonlight schedules and even some complete IGs by friends over the years, just because they were done with them and didn't want to throw them away. Often an IG has been updated because a couple books are out of print. You may be able to find it used or at the library and still use that older core schedule.

 

I know that some Sonlight users get a lot of benefit out of the guides for the books. At my house they tend to stay in the binder in the closet. The schedule is what really gets used here. (Coming up with questions or commentary isn't hard for us. But being able to say that history or science is what is in this column has been a great relief.)

[mothergooseof4]

I used SL my 1st 5 years of hsing. I find the spines in the Am.Hist. very dry and boring. These included The Landmark History and the Story of the US booklets. All of the other books were great. Your 11 & 10 would probably be fine in one level, but your 6yo would technically need another level. SL is not designed with wide ranges of ages in mind. You could do some supplementing for the younger one, but then it is no longer "open and go."

 

MFW is designed to use one level with all of these ages. I have purchased CtG to start with my 11, 8, & 6 year olds in Jan. So, I do not have experience with it, but have really gone over the guide and feel it is "open and go."

 

There are plenty of other choices out there, but again, few are designed to do with such a wide range of ages. However, I also tend to target the oldest and let the younger ones absorb what they may. I don't really feel overly concerned about how much history my 6 & 8 retain. Just some exposure is good enough for me.

[Pata]

We used Core K and modified Core 1 before switching to a full WTM style schedule, so we haven't used SL's American History Cores yet. That said, SL is a great curriculum and worth the money, if it fits your goals. I highly recommend reading the 27 reasons not to buys SL to see if SL fits your goals for you children's education. Hope that helps!

[Jyniffrec]

We used Core 3 last year and are using Core 4 this year, but you can buy 3+4 and condense it into one year. I liked Landmark History of the

American People a lot and so did dd11. The Story of the U.S.A isn't great but gives information that the Landmark book leaves out. I learn from it but I'm not sure that DD11 does. The book list is fantastic and, in my opinion, it is worth having the Instructor's Guide because of how the Read-Alouds, Readers and History books line up.

 

I don't think that Core 3 would be a good fit for that age. One thing to consider is that it is very much an open and go kind of curriculum so if you buy everything new you might be able to devote a bit of energy to finding some appropriate books for the 6 year old. Is your 6 year old a strong reader? If so there are lots and lots of American History readers out there that would provide a good introduction. If you decide to go this route and need some suggestions feel free to pm me. I have tons of them that I could suggest that could possibly line up with Cores 3 and 4. :D

 

Core 3 is by far the favorite among the other Sonlighters I have encountered. I think it has been an enriching experience for dd11 and myself - my eyes have been opened to a lot of information about our past that I had never heard before.

[Jyniffrec]

I highly recommend reading the 27 reasons not to buys SL to see if SL fits your goals for you children's education. Hope that helps!

 

:iagree:

[mom31257]

I only have experience with Core 100, which is designed for older kids than yours, but I believe you might want to know about the later cores in case you stick with it.

 

First let me give you some basic information before opinions. At core 100 level, there are no read-alouds. It is all designed to be independent and then discuss with the parent. It is very well laid out in that it has a daily schedule to follow. The discussion guides have the answers so I've been able to do it without reading all the books.

 

As far as my opinion goes, I've not been very impressed at all and will not be considering any other cores for our family. Dd has not enjoyed many of the real books. I am still requiring her to read them because I can't always make school tailored to her favorite styles. She did not enjoy the Hakim series, which is the spine of the whole program. I felt that she wasn't really getting a true grasp of American history because of wading through all the fluff the writer has included. Dd really wanted the facts of American history. I gave her a textbook to read just one chapter and do a few written activities. Her discussion of the historical happenings changed dramatically and for the better with the textbook. We have switched our spine to that textbook (BJU 8th grade). It has some really good student activity pages, including outlining, charts, mapwork, etc.

 

All of the writing assignments (one each week) are from the literature selections. Those are the highlight of the program, IMO, but they assume you already know how to write as there are no real writing instructions. Thankfully dd does, so I've had her do most, but not all of the assignments.

 

The bible assignments do not include any discussion pages in this core, so you would have to read and do that on your own, which I guess a lot of people would want to do anyway.

 

According to the catalog, this core can be used in high school. I do not see how it would be a high school level course for anyone in a college-prep program. The books are not a challenging reading level, and the discussion questions seem very lacking in level of difficulty. I think it is very appropriate for middle school, though.

 

I hope this helps.

[lovinmomma]

I don't use SL, but I did use P3/4 and P4/5. I also own Core K. Idefinately think SL is worth it if it works for your family. I looked at it more as an investment in great books. Books aren't cheap unless they are already used. Plus, you can always buy SL used for pretty good prices. I wish it would work for us.

[MerryAtHope]

We loved SL cores 3 & 4. Landmark was really meaty, and my history loving son especially loved that. The World Wars book in Core 4 is captivating--we don't usually love Usborne books here, but this one is different. We really enjoyed almost all of the books in these two cores, they were very worth it here. I don't know that your 6 yo would get much out of it, though people post on the SL board about younger ones listening in, so maybe. If you did decide to do it, you could maybe supplement down, there are always lots of ideas on the SL board for doing that--and there's tons of stuff out there for US history for younger kids (library books etc...).

 

Hope you figure out what will work for you!

 

Merry :-)

[Jyniffrec]

 

As far as my opinion goes, I've not been very impressed at all and will not be considering any other cores for our family.

I think a lot of people feel this way about the upper cores. We own all the cores through 5, but will be switching to WTM after Core 4.

[Tabrett]

Just curious if you have looked at Beautiful Feet Early American history? It is whole book. They have an early and late elementary packs. many of the books in the early elementary pack are used in the late. It might be a better fit for the age group in which you are looking. It is only history (no Bible like SL) and I think it is less expensive.

[JudoMom]

We are using Core 6 this year, and will use 7 next year. I decided to go with Sonlight so I could give my older 2 boys a good trip through world history in 2 years, before they switch to Omnibus. We are not using the Language Arts, just the history, literature (readers and read alouds), and poetry.

 

It has been the perfect fit this year, and my boys love it and say this is our best year of history yet. I love that it is open and go, and the planning is done for me. I love it so much, I'm really considering going back and doing 5 with my younger three after we finish 7. It's going so well that I even looked at the high school cores, thinking I might do them with my older 2, but they just aren't what I want for their high school years.

[Mom0012]

I really want to use whole books for American history, but I'm having trouble pulling together my own curriculum. I've looked at MFW and I really don't like what I see. I want something that is open and go and tells me what to do when. I would need it to work for my 11, 10 and 6 year old. Since sonlight is really expensive I would like to get reviews of people who have actually used it before pouring a lot of money into it.

 

I love SL. We've completed all the Cores up to 3 and are currently working our way through Core 4. I think you could use core 3 this year with your 10 and 11 year olds and then read the readers to your 6 year old. Then repeat with Core 4 next year. Or, if you wanted just one year, you could do core 3+4, but I don't have any experience with that.

 

SL isn't really expensive for us. I always buy my IG used. I'm not picky about having the most recent version because it really doesn't matter, IMO. I have been using all of SL except for the LA since we started. There must be people happily using the LA, but you will rarely hear a positive comment about it. I have an Amazon CC and we put everything on it and then pay it off each month. With the rewards from that card, I am easily able to get all of my SL books. Don't forget Amazon has a buy 3, get one free program for many of the SL books. There are only a few things I actually buy from SL. Many of the books are available at our library as well. If they have multiple copies, I don't buy the book. I have also started selling my cores when we are done with them and recoup a good chunk of my costs.

 

If I wanted to make it less expensive, I'd drop the science and use Apologia, which you can easily get for $25.

 

SL can be time-consuming at points, and occasionally I will use an audiobook of whatever we are supposed to be reading to lighten my load or to enable me to be able to read something else my kids really want me to read like Lang's Fairy Tales or Christmas books. I've done this with Johnny Tremain, Caddie Woodlawn and one other this year. If you follow the SL schedule, it takes weeks to read these books. When we've used an audiobook, we finish it in a couple of days listening to it in the car. My kids enjoy the book just as much, if not more, when I do that. I am mainly mentioning this to you in case you decide to read all the readers to your 6 year old. A few audiobooks could lighten your load enough to make that easier to do.

 

We haven't gotten to the upper cores, so I can't comment on those. I will say that I do not find the spines dry and neither do my kids. The Landmark History of the American People has been an absolute favorite with all of us. Anyway, our SL reading is the most enjoyable part of our day. We all look forward to it and it is one of the few things that has remained constant for us over the years we've been homeschooling.

 

Lisa

Edited December 11, 2010 by LisaTheresa

[MissKNG]

I was a Sonlight skeptic and now am using various SL programs (P3/4 and Science). We are going to begin American History in January with my "almost 1st grader" and I'm using some SL Core 3 materials and other project resources that I have been gathering (ie. tepee kits, paper doll books, coloring books).

 

On the Sonlight website and catalog, I'm pretty sure it mentions adjustments for younger students. I would have your 6 year old tag along and see what happens.

 

ETA: The Sonlight forum has a used Sonlight board and you can find great deals there.

Edited December 11, 2010 by MissKNG

[momto2blessings]

great curriculum. If you want an open and go curriculum, you probably wouldn't like this option. But we use a combo of www.simplycharlottemason.com and www.ambleside.com. They both have free curriculum schedules. I bought a planner from SCM to make my own schedules. Lots of great living books. Some work to put together at the beg. of the year, but I love the freedom of choosing our own books and not keeping up with someone elses schedule. Just a thought:) Blessings, Gina

[Mosaicmind]

I have used SL off and on (mostly on) for the 13+ years that we have homeschooled. I love it!! If you don't have the money to purchase all the books use the library. It has been what's saved some years for us as far as history goes because it is so open and go.

[A home for their hearts]

Thanks for all the reviews! They have been helpful. What would be the difference in using cores 3+4 or just doing them separetly? I really would like to just put my own curriculum together. Anytime I look at SL or Beautiful Feet, etc. I think I can do so much better than that. I just don't have the time to schedule everything out. Does SL include discussion questions? Also, do the readers correlate with what is being studied? My ds6 can't read yet so I would be reading to time.

[Mom22ns]

Thanks for all the reviews! They have been helpful. What would be the difference in using cores 3+4 or just doing them separetly? I really would like to just put my own curriculum together. Anytime I look at SL or Beautiful Feet, etc. I think I can do so much better than that. I just don't have the time to schedule everything out. Does SL include discussion questions? Also, do the readers correlate with what is being studied? My ds6 can't read yet so I would be reading to time.

 

We did a combination of Core 3+4 for my dd who was 10 last year and core 100 for ds who was 13. The way we combined was to follow the schedule for reading History of US and read it aloud, instead of the 3+4 spines (even though I have them). I think you could put it together yourself without any trouble. I would pick the spine that works for you and use the sonlight readers for your older two and let your youngest join in the read aloud, the spine, and a few of the easiest readers, then pick a few other books for him.

 

The readers COMPLETELY correlate to what is being studied. We loved that part. We would read something in History of US and say, hey that is like what happened in ... It made for great conversations! That was what I loved about the year, the great conversations. If you want to use 3+4, you can pick up a used IG on the for sale board for about half the price of new and that is really your only investment. Pick and choose which books to get from the library and which you want to buy. We do Sonlight for between $100-150 per year with two kids not always reading the same books.

 

I do think Sonlight gives a great base for a whole books study.

[Katiebug_1976]

I have not used SL yet, so I cannot speak on how it works, but I have wanted to switch for several years. I am planning on using core 3 with my ds11(my advanced reader/book devourer) & dd8 (who is a slower reader) this next year. Anyway, there was this wonderful homeschool momma that blessed me with a bunch of early reader books (and her schedule for them) that line up with the content of core 3. If you would like to pm me I would gladly share that schedule with you. It might help to make core 3 work for your younger child. We are very excited about using Sonlight and cant wait for next year to begin!

Edited December 11, 2010 by Katiebug_1976
fixing a typo

[Penelope]

I think cores 1-4 look good and this year I am using core 3 (history only) with advanced readers with my 8 yo. I don't know if you could do core 3+4 and do it all in one year, but I think core 3 would be really really light for an 11 yo. At least as written, with mom reading everything out loud. Check out some of the readers at the library and you might see what I mean. Maybe an 11 yo could read a lot of the read-alouds himself as readers; most of them so far have only been a 5th-6th grade level.

 

I know a lot of people use SL but I don't think of it as compatible with a classical education past elementary. The cores past 6 or 7 are much much easier than what I got in my sometimes sub-par traditional education in public and private schools. And that is just the quality of the books; I have read that the discussion questions for those ages leave something to be desired as well.

[MerryAtHope]

Thanks for all the reviews! They have been helpful. What would be the difference in using cores 3+4 or just doing them separetly? I really would like to just put my own curriculum together. Anytime I look at SL or Beautiful Feet, etc. I think I can do so much better than that. I just don't have the time to schedule everything out. Does SL include discussion questions? Also, do the readers correlate with what is being studied? My ds6 can't read yet so I would be reading to time.

 

3+4 is US history in one year, separately you have 2 years (so more books in the 2 year plan).

 

Why not start out with SL or BF, whichever you like best, and just tweak rather than starting from scratch? Maybe then you could have the best of both worlds? You can always add something, change out a book, do an activity, stretch things out to accommodate extra ideas, cut things--whatever you want with it. It's nice to have a base to work off of, and much less work than doing it completely from scratch.

 

SL has discussion questions, but I really don't use them in the lower levels because they tend to be mostly comprehension & we like to talk about what interests us in the books instead.

 

The readers in Cores 3 and up do correlate with the history--and in fact some things won't be covered in history that are covered in the readers (for example Pocahontas is covered in a reader but not any of the other history books). I'd let the 6 yo just tag along & read whatever readers are fitting for his or her reading level, and not try to correlate totally (you'll easily find some US history readers at that level though). Your 6 yo can do these cores again later when it's more fitting age-wise.

 

HTH some, Merry :-)

[Mosaicmind]

Starting in Core 3 the readers and read alouds correlate with the history being studied. I have Core 3+4, in fact I am trying to sell it right now. It is a combined core putting the best of cores 3 and 4 together in one year of study. I don't think you miss alot but it is challenging to do in one year. If this is your first year and your son is 11 and you want to study American history core 3+4 would be a good bet, especially if you don't want to spend 2 consecutive years of American history.

 

Core 3 would be enough for your son though, imo, especially if you add the advanced readers to it. So, you have a choice if you want to do American history to do either Core 3 or Core 3+4, you can't start with core 4 because it is a continuation of Core 3 and you would be missing alot.

[meet me in paris]

I love SL books, and we've used SL for years, but I do not consider it "open-and-go" by any means (even though they'll tell you that it is). I suppose if you use *everything* from SL - science, LA, etc. - then you do get a schedule for most subjects. But I was always adding or taking away... mostly adding... because until you get to Core 5 there isn't a lot of WORK to do. Just reading and discussion. If that's okay with you, then SL will be great. One year of that was great for us as we were de-schooling, but then I really felt the need to ramp it up a little and do more than just discuss the books. I typed out the comp questions, added more hands-on activities, made vocabulary lists, etc. It was a lot of work. Good books, but a lot of work on mom's part.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I love SL books, and we've used SL for years, but I do not consider it "open-and-go" by any means (even though they'll tell you that it is). I suppose if you use *everything* from SL - science, LA, etc. - then you do get a schedule for most subjects. But I was always adding or taking away... mostly adding... because until you get to Core 5 there isn't a lot of WORK to do. Just reading and discussion. If that's okay with you, then SL will be great. One year of that was great for us as we were de-schooling, but then I really felt the need to ramp it up a little and do more than just discuss the books. I typed out the comp questions, added more hands-on activities, made vocabulary lists, etc. It was a lot of work. Good books, but a lot of work on mom's part.

We are doing SOTW 2 now but I would really love to do SL 3 and 4. We did SL 1 combined with SOTW 1. Now we are doing SOTW 2 with SL 2 added in. I like the some hands-on in SOTW AG. I would like your advice about adding stuff to SL 3 because that is the core (and SL 4) I would love to do to cover American history.

Thanks!

[Mosaicmind]

I love SL books, and we've used SL for years, but I do not consider it "open-and-go" by any means (even though they'll tell you that it is). I suppose if you use *everything* from SL - science, LA, etc. - then you do get a schedule for most subjects. But I was always adding or taking away... mostly adding... because until you get to Core 5 there isn't a lot of WORK to do. Just reading and discussion. If that's okay with you, then SL will be great. One year of that was great for us as we were de-schooling, but then I really felt the need to ramp it up a little and do more than just discuss the books. I typed out the comp questions, added more hands-on activities, made vocabulary lists, etc. It was a lot of work. Good books, but a lot of work on mom's part.

 

Do you not use the book guides in the back of the IG? That is where the comprehension questions and vocab are. Although, there of course isn't anything for hands on activities built into the IG.

[MamaJo]

I have used Sonlight for nine years (core PreK3/4 through core 6) and we love it. When you are using it with multiple children the price really goes down since there are very few consumables. Like anything else you will find mixed reviews. Someone up thread said that they did not like the American history spines and we had the exact opposite experience. Landmark is very popular here and my kids beg for more of it regularly though it does start out slowly and get better (and better) as the book goes along.

 

HTH