Sonlight users...

[hsmom]

Has Sonlight changed your schooling and home? Has it helped you have more time to do other great things in life? What about fighting about school has it helped that? Also what are your amazing stories that were brought on using a program like this. One that is not textbook and workbook based, one that is based on great books?

 

Do you seem to have more family time using this program?

 

 

Here are my reasons why I am asking. I started off knowing I wanted to homeschool using great books to teach. I wanted to have more family time that was meaningful and loving. To show my little guy that learning is fun and amazing. Well somewhere along the lines I have lost sight of all that and have been academic excellence driven and made a huge mess of everything. So, by the time the end of our day is done, he is fighting (well anymore the day starts this way) he is not absorbing the material that is being taught. It is just a huge mess. Then I continue to add more thinking I am not doing enough. So, that means more scheduling and searching. Then that ends up cutting into our family time. Story books are not getting read anymore and the fun things we used to do have went away.

 

So, I am leaning toward Sonlight. It is laid out, so no searching for books and scheduling. Also the biggest thing is it is based off of great books. There science, history, reading, all of it is based off of great books. Not boring textbooks and workbooks.

 

So did Sonlight really help you?

[TracyR]

I'll admit I think it really was helpful for my family. It introduced my daughters to great literature that's for sure.

My oldest at the time was 6 yrs old. Was struggling to learned to read and struggled so much she wouldn't even look at a book. She wanted nothing to do with books. It wasn't until I gathered together Sonlight ( I bought it 2nd hand) and we started using it that my daughter really did turn around and began to enjoy listening to stories and wanting more. Both my oldest and 2nd daughter loved it so much that there were times we went way past what the IG suggested.

 

I'll admit I didn't not use workbooks. Sonlight's LA didn't make sense to us. So I used Ace School of tomorrow workbooks ( this was before I learned about CLE) and it just seemed like the perfect mix for us.

My girls are attending school this year but I was just on Sonlight's board once again ordering their catalog. It really was enjoyable to use Sonlight. I don't ever regret using it.

[JudoMom]

We're using SL6 this year, and will use SL7 next year. We're using just the history/literature portion (no LA or Science). I'm not a devoted SL user, but decided to go with them for 2 years because I wanted to get my older boys through world history in 2 years so we could start Omnibus.

 

My boys have really enjoyed it. They all beg me to read the books if I try to skip a day. I've been told on more than one occasion that it been their favorite history that we've ever done. I love having the schedule. I like having the schedule so much that I bought the Readers schedules for 1 and all 3 levels of the Readers schedules for 2 for my younger boys.

 

We've enjoyed it so much I looked at the high school level courses (though I decided to stick with the Omnibus plan), and I'm considering doing core 5 with my younger three boys after we finish 7 next year.

Edited March 7, 2011 by JudoMom

[DawnM]

We have been SL users for several years. I have gone away from SL for a year or two but have come back.

 

I am a former English teacher and could teach Literature all day long....well, I have! I love books!

 

Now, I have had to tweak some things. I have BOYS! So, I try to add in hands on activities too. For US History I added in the Homeschool in the Woods CDs.

 

Dawn

[Outdoorsy Type]

I used Pk 4/5 and then SL Core 2 with my children. I am so happy to be back in a literature rich curriculum! My boys have enjoyed it, and their vocabulary has grown a lot this year. :) I'm not sure if it is going to work out to do SL next year, but I will be using the book lists at the very least. It's a great program.

[Woodland_Mom]

We're using SL6 this year, and will use SL7 next year. We're using just the history/literature portion (no LA or Science). I'm not a devoted SL user, but decided to go with them for 2 years because I wanted to get my older boys through world history in 2 years so we could start Omnibus.

 

My boys have really enjoyed it. They all beg me to read the books if I try to skip a day. I've been told on more than one occasion that it been their favorite history that we've ever done. I love having the schedule. I like having the schedule so much that I bought the Readers schedules for 1 and all 3 levels of the Readers schedules for 2 for my younger boys.

 

We've enjoyed it so much I looked at the high school level courses (though I decided to stick with the Omnibus plan), and I'm considering doing core 5 with my younger three boys after we finish 7 next year.

 

Judomom,

 

This is what I plan to do with my boys in a couple of years! What did you use before Sonlight? Do you pair classical methods with your SL plans or do you use SL as written? Do you wish you would have started SL sooner?

[SnMomof7]

Well, we've never been a textbook/workbook kind if family, but we did cut back to just the 'Rs' last year (moving twice, pregnancy etc.) and it wasn't good for love of learning around here. We added SL in, and we had joy again!

 

Here's an extensive post on my blog if you want all the details:

http://quiverfullfamily.com/2011/01/13/using-sonlight-for-real/

 

We are on week 10 or so of Core K (started this January), and have 1+2 lined up for as soon as we're finished :).

[Nakia]

We are using SL for the first time this year, and finally we have found a curriculum we all LOVE!!! My girls could not be happier. It is laid out so well, and we love to cuddle up and read together after getting the rest of our school work done. We don't do the LA or science, btw.

[coffeefreak]

Has Sonlight changed your schooling and home? Has it helped you have more time to do other great things in life? What about fighting about school has it helped that? Also what are your amazing stories that were brought on using a program like this. One that is not textbook and workbook based, one that is based on great books?

 

Do you seem to have more family time using this program?

 

 

Here are my reasons why I am asking. I started off knowing I wanted to homeschool using great books to teach. I wanted to have more family time that was meaningful and loving. To show my little guy that learning is fun and amazing. Well somewhere along the lines I have lost sight of all that and have been academic excellence driven and made a huge mess of everything. So, by the time the end of our day is done, he is fighting (well anymore the day starts this way) he is not absorbing the material that is being taught. It is just a huge mess. Then I continue to add more thinking I am not doing enough. So, that means more scheduling and searching. Then that ends up cutting into our family time. Story books are not getting read anymore and the fun things we used to do have went away.

 

So, I am leaning toward Sonlight. It is laid out, so no searching for books and scheduling. Also the biggest thing is it is based off of great books. There science, history, reading, all of it is based off of great books. Not boring textbooks and workbooks.

 

So did Sonlight really help you?

 

Sonlight DID really help us. We got things done thanks to the TG, I had no prep, and my dd loved core 1 and 2. When it was overwhelming was when I tried to add to it. Of course you have to add LA and Math, but I was trying to add activities and extra reading to the History:lol: Like there's not enough of that! Anyway, I used part of Core 1 and all of Core 2 and then I was looking at Core 3 and I really REALLY don't like their American History Spine. That's why we switched to MFW. We've really enjoyed it, but oldest will be in 6th grade next year, and like Judo Mom, I want her to go through World History before High School. So we're going back to Sonight.

Judomom,

 

This is what I plan to do with my boys in a couple of years! What did you use before Sonlight? Do you pair classical methods with your SL plans or do you use SL as written? Do you wish you would have started SL sooner?

 

I'm not Judomom, but I thought I'd share how we have done it and how we PLAN to do it with youngest (all plans subject to change:lol:). I've done a lot of experimenting with my oldest, and we used Sonlight K years ago when she was in K. I wouldn't recommend that. I think the K core is better suited for 1st grade. Anyway, I got really hung up on classical, but it didn't really work out for my oldest because she would get bored with one time period (namely the Ancients). So, to answer your question, "Do you wish you would have started SL sooner?" The answer is, no. My youngest used FIAR and did GREAT. Then, we used MFW for the last year and 1/2 (she used the 2nd grade go-alongs), I was able to incorporate both the girls, and we have really enjoyed it. Am I going to pair classical methods with Sonlight, no, I'm going to use Sonlight AS WRITTEN so I don't go insane!:willy_nilly:

 

So here's my plan going forward:

 

Oldest-

6th-Core 5 (next year)

7th-Core 6

8th-Core 7

High School - I'm not ready to commit:lol: But like Judomom, I'm looking at Omnibus

 

Youngest-

3rd-Core 1+2 (next year)

4th-MFW EX-1850

5th-MFW 1850-MOD

6th-Core 5

7th-Core 6

8th-Core 7

 

What my youngest is doing is a variation of what my oldest did. We did a couple of fall semesters where I bought cheaper curriculum, and then abandoned it because having it all laid out for me just worked best.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[scrapbookbuzz]

I went from attempting to classically homeschool my daughter for 1st and 2nd grade to finally ordering Sonlight for 3rd grade. Then, through various circumstances and different venues of schooling we are now back to homeschooling and back to Sonlight. I contemplated, this last week as a matter of fact!, switching to using the WTM as my spine and guide for next year and finally came to the conclusion that while I can do the lesson planning I really don't want to. Besides, I understand and like the way Sonlight is laid out.

 

The Read-Alouds alone are wonderful and both of my kids love to have Dad or Mom read to them. Most of the stories we really like!

 

FWIW, I don't always like Sonlight's Language Arts or Science. I usually resort to using something else. Everything else, though, is fabulous.

 

On another note, unlike coffeefreak, I enjoyed Sonlight's American History. Both my daughter and I learned alot while going through Core 3.

 

FYI: Sonlight will be changing the names of their cores soon, somewhat. Instead of Core K,1,2,3, etc. it seems they'll be going to Core A, B, C, etc. You can always check things out at sonlightdotcom

 

HTH!

 

You can always PM me with any questions, if you'd like. I'll probably be with Sonlight for a long time! :^)

[Hen]

Sonlight has not magically made it so I can get everything done, but it has for sure helped me move through the year's study at a respectable pace. I tend to stall, take my time looking for the "perfect" book, take too long finding things at the library, etc. It has really, really helped me to have everything on my shelf.

 

I am homeschooling 5 kids, having the schedules already done for me has been a huge lifesaver.

[MerryAtHope]

We've used Sonlight cores prek-5, and are doing a modified version of core 6 this year. The books are wonderful, and Sonlight's schedule does make it easy.

 

We don't use SL LA, that didn't work so well here.

 

6 is so little yet, I'd encourage you to really look at how much time you want to spend on subjects--at that age school usually only took a couple of hours, we didn't spend all day on it. Lots of time left for making mudpies & other learning through playtime :-). Set a time limit that you think is reasonable for each subject, then look at what you have and decide how to prioritize them. Maybe you'll do some things 2 or 3 times per week & alternate them in a 15 or 30 minute time slot, maybe you'll drop some things.

 

Each day, set out a stack of what you are going to do and let your son see it. If you like, he can choose what order to do things. Let him see the stack visibly go down as you do each thing, until it's gone. Sometimes kids fight school because they think mom will just keep adding thing upon thing--they don't know there's a plan or an ending point. So give him a concrete visual.

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

[abacus2]

This is my second year homeschooling. We used MFW last year and SL this year. Sonlight is a much better fit. The books are just wonderful and I LOVE sitting down and getting to work rather than spending time trying to find all the books and materials that I was supposed to find to use with the MFW curriculum. We do not have a close or a good library and owning ALL the books we need it a much better fit. I was completely overwhelmed the first time I saw Sonlight's IG's. Now that I am actually using them, I see that they are simple to use. We did not like SL's LA and have just switched to AAS, ETC, FLL and WWE. I have loved the one year of free shipping I got from purchasing a core as well.

 

Sonlight has triggered a love of reading in me as well. I've read more books myself in the last 6 months than I did the previous 10 years since college.

[smilesonly]

Has Sonlight changed your schooling and home? Has it helped you have more time to do other great things in life? What about fighting about school has it helped that? Also what are your amazing stories that were brought on using a program like this. One that is not textbook and workbook based, one that is based on great books?

 

Do you seem to have more family time using this program?

 

 

Here are my reasons why I am asking. I started off knowing I wanted to homeschool using great books to teach. I wanted to have more family time that was meaningful and loving. To show my little guy that learning is fun and amazing. Well somewhere along the lines I have lost sight of all that and have been academic excellence driven and made a huge mess of everything. So, by the time the end of our day is done, he is fighting (well anymore the day starts this way) he is not absorbing the material that is being taught. It is just a huge mess. Then I continue to add more thinking I am not doing enough. So, that means more scheduling and searching. Then that ends up cutting into our family time. Story books are not getting read anymore and the fun things we used to do have went away.

 

So, I am leaning toward Sonlight. It is laid out, so no searching for books and scheduling. Also the biggest thing is it is based off of great books. There science, history, reading, all of it is based off of great books. Not boring textbooks and workbooks.

 

So did Sonlight really help you?

 

 

I do think you would enjoy SL, but when reading your post, Five In A Row came to mind! Have you heard of FIAR? From what you described as your desire with your ds, FIAR sounds perfect. They have an active forum, and I'm positive if you posted over there, the ladies will help you achieve exactly what you want.

 

Good Luck!!:grouphug:

[Mom0012]

We've always used SL and it's always been the bright spot in our homeschooling day. I do not use the LA, so it's mainly reading, discussing and science experiments for us. My kids still have lots of other things to do outside of SL -- math, grammar, spelling, writing, etc. -- but they get up early and get some of that done and then I read to them for about an hour over breakfast or sometimes lunch. We all look forward to it. My kids actually consider it a kind of reward for working hard in the morning.

 

SL has been what's pulled us together over the years and it makes me feel connected to the kids, especially as they get older. It it is a great balance against some of the other more tedious, workbook-type stuff we do.

 

Lisa