Other cirrics like Sonlight...

[Pookamama]

Ok, so I love the literature-based approach of Sonlight.

However, the more I look at SOTW, the more I love the idea of incorporating it.

What books-based approach can I use that incorporates SOTW?

It seems the Sonlight core is part of their history cirric

I need something laid out for me like a teacher's guide. I could find all the books and I don't mind if it's a lot of different books, but this is my first year and I need something that tells me, do this, then do this, then do this. I was planning on doing Heart of Dakota but I don't know about following it all through our schooling. So is there a cirric guide somewhere that is book based and let me do SOTW?

This year I am doing a boy who is kindy/1st level-ish, and he has three younger siblings all very close in age. Next youngest is four. So reading aloud would work wonderful for us-they all love to listen to stories.

Sorry if this sounds a bit jumbled. I'm in the planning stages and not sure what I'm doing!

[Woodland_Mom]

Sonlight is unique in their books-based literature approach! I'm not sure that there is anything else out there exactly like Sonlight. :001_smile:

 

You may want to consider working your way through SOTW and the Acitivity Guide. It really is open and go! Read a section of SOTW, do a coloring page or map or activity once or twice a week (for young ages) then you're done. The Activity Guide has comprehension questions and sample narrations, too. In adidition, each chapter has a terrific list of literature and other history books that you can get from your library for deeper reading.

 

Here are a few things you could take a look at:

 

Five in a Row: This does not schedule SOTW, but I wanted to mention it since you have young kids. It is a wonderful literature / unit study curriculum for young kids. But this is not history-centered. This program pulls lessons from other subject areas (math, science, social studies) into the rich fiction you read. You could just read SOTW and use the activity guide for history.

 

A few lesson plan schedules that use SOTW are:

 

Biblioplan - Biblioplan schedules read aloud and literature 3 times per week. You can also buy a parent companion, maps, coloring pages, timeline, etc.

 

Easy Classical - They have schedules for any subject. The history lesson plans use the Veritas Press History Cards as the core. SOTW is coordinated with the VP cards. They also schedule read alouds, activities, map work, etc.

 

History Odyssey - They schedule SOTW, activities, mapwork and include weekly vocab words. I think they have read-alouds, too.

 

Good luck!

[TKDmom]

[/url]Classical House of Learning is a free program that schedules literature around SOTW.

 

Guest Hollow is another free resource that has a few literature-based history plans.

[Abbeygurl4]

I use Sonlight and I love it; that being said, you may or may not love it. You need to get a sample of a SL Instructor's Guide from SL. Just go on the website and there is a page somewhere that you can request samples to download.

 

Also, your kids are young so SOTW and the Activity Guide would be all you would need. Another option is to use both. I just do SOTW along with SL and I don't worry about whether or not they line up exactly right historically.

[JESSICAinMD]

The SOTW AGs have several reading recommendations for every chapter. They also have coloring sheets and activities for every chapter.

If you want even more reading options Biblioplan is a wonderful way to make SOTW even more literature rich.

[Ellie]

Winter Promise seems to be very close to SL's curriculm. Tapestry of Grace is close. Truthquest is literature-based, but it's primarily history.

[Heather in WI]

The SOTW AGs have several reading recommendations for every chapter. They also have coloring sheets and activities for every chapter.

 

 

We had a wonderful time when my oldest was in first grade with Story of the World.

 

We would do history 2-3X a week. We would read aloud one section of SOTW, do the review questions & narration, do a coloring page or map work, and then check-out and read a book or two from the suggested reading. We would do one of the extra activities every couple of weeks.

 

The SOTW Activity Guide is extremely easy to use; much simpler than Sonlight in my opinion. I have been tempted by Sonlight several times in the past, but I take one look at everything they want you to do in the samples online and I feel faint. :)

[SnMomof7]

Sonlight does schedule in SOTW, but not until core 6+7 (not age appropriate cores for your little ones). You could look at TOG - SOTW is listed as an alternate resource for UG, but you could still use it for your LG littles if you wanted to. TOG is definitely different/more planning than SL though - their open and go ease is really nice when there are a bunch of littles running around!

 

Because your DC are so little still, getting the SOTW AG and just picking a few extra readings from the suggestions might be enough :).

[buttacol]

History Odyssey uses the Story of the World books for all the Level 1 courses. I really like the way it looks, but haven't tried it yet.

 

We have used Sonlight, and loved it, because of the consistency of reading from real books in a chronological order. That being said, the only thing I have against Sonlight is their use of Usborne books. These drive me crazy, since they are pictures with captions and nothing more. My kids like the story, versus the blurbs.

 

Seriously tempted to try History Odyssey this summer with their try before you buy feature. If it is a hit, I'll purchase for fall.

[vontinney]

We're actually using SOTW in place of CHOW for our SL 2 this coming year. (I don't care for CHOW and found a schedule to substitute online, plus my DS is in SL 6th this year and 7th next so we already have these books. I added the AG for SOTW for my youngest (SL2) just to keep her interested and give her a hands-on type thing.

[Geek]

Sonlight is unique in their books-based literature approach! I'm not sure that there is anything else out there exactly like Sonlight. :001_smile:

That was true about the old Sonlight. Now they're just like everybody else.

 

There are a lot of companies providing very similar approaches to homeschooling, many of which have been already mentioned. I think WinterPromise is the most similar IME.

[BeachyMum]

That was true about the old Sonlight. Now they're just like everybody else.

 

There are a lot of companies providing very similar approaches to homeschooling, many of which have been already mentioned. I think WinterPromise is the most similar IME.

 

Thanks for this perspective. We use Sl, but I just found some wonderful items on the WP site to supplement next year.

[lovelaughs_times_three]

WinterPromise used to schedule SOTW in their older version of their Hideaways in History program. It jumped around the books a bit as they were trying to get through all 4 books in a year to provide a quick overview of world history for younger grades. They had fun hideaways you created to go with each era to encourage role playing and used other resources as well. If you like that idea, maybe you can find an older WP guide.

I agree, WP is similar to SL. They add more hands-on activities, DVD suggestions and web-sites as well.

[3peasinapod]

WP is similar, but they use a lot more nonfiction books and a few read aloud type books. The read aloud books, IMO, are not as good. I will say that our family likes a lot of emotions evoked as we read, so for some the nonfiction route WP takes is better for them.

 

We've done 2 of WPs theme-based programs and 3 SL cores, all early stuff.