even_star Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 So I LOVE the Sonlight catalog and cannot tell you how much time I have spent poring over its pages. It just seems so perfect. But then everytime I think I might actually buy it, I download the 3-week IG sample and my bubble just bursts. I am specifically looking at Core C for my 2nd grader. It just seems like the IG has you read a selection - then there are either discussion questions or main points to remember, a little mapwork and a timeline. Is this all you really do with Sonlight?? Wouldn't this get boring and repetitive after awhile? I know some don't like Sonlight because of their lack of hands-on activities but they've said they've added some to this year's curriculum so I was really hoping to see some of it in the sample. If there really is a wider range of ways that the IG has you apply the information you learn and it's just not represented in the sample, could any of you give me some examples? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) The hands-on activities they have added is an extra CD that you can purchase, not part of the IG. Some people like that as then when links go dead, they don't have the links all over their IG pages. I'm not sure if I'm going to purchase it, as I have been told it used to be free, and I didn't like those hands-on they suggested in the PDF (that was free). Regarding the samples, it is like that. Read a selection, discuss (which oftentimes doesn't include the questions because our kids will pull things out on their own), mapwork, new vocabulary. Children are putting together two and two all the time with the books they choose, the light of discovery coming on type thing. I think why some love it so much is because of the books. The books are the meat of it all. They are very well chosen and many were chosen to evoke an emotional response to the historical material. SL advocates that evoking that emotion will help a person remember history better. I have found this true in our family. They also include books that are more picture rich from the History portion of the curriculum. That being said, I add hands on to it, and I don't know how long I'll be able to do that, as the SL cores get fuller and fuller as you move along. So far we're doing Ancients (Core B) with SOTW and AG, as we do like the extra hands-on options. We'll do at least Core B and C, and I don't know how much adding on I'll be able to do. Edited June 4, 2011 by 3peasinapod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 We started off using SL when we first started homeschooling and I have to add to it. It's usually a supplement to other things for us. It doesn't stand alone in our homeschool. FWIW, the books are incredible. We're reading thru Core 3 (is it Core D?) right now and we really like the book selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morosophe Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I think why some love it so much is because of the books. The books are the meat of it all. They are very well chosen and many were chosen to evoke an emotional response to the historical material. SL advocates that evoking that emotion will help a person remember history better. I have found this true in our family. They also include books that are more picture rich from the History portion of the curriculum. The other thing I find attractive about Sonlight is actually the scheduling. It's been very helpful to have everything laid out (when to read and do what) without having to do the work myself. Plus it helped motivate my son, since he is very much a box-ticker. I just did my first year homeschooling him for first grade, and having everything laid out for me has really helped me gain confidence in how homeschooling with living books is "meant" to work. (I actually just told a complete fib. I homeschooled my son for his kindergarten, too. The difference is, I used Five in a Row, which is also a great program, but has a much more light approach to things. I didn't want to continue that through first grade because I thought my son was ready for the meat and potatoes of school.) I have a church friend who does Sonlight, as well, and she has finally completed all of her chemo treatments for cancer. The fact that she uses Sonlight meant that it was very easy for others (her husband, her parents, etc.) to substitute teach her children, and made things a little less stressful for her through the whole ordeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 We used Sonlight for six year when my kids were young, and I have no regrets. They still love being read to even as teens, and their interest in history and literature is light years above their peers. For that, it does a very good job. It also kept me sane because there was no other work other than making sure that I had the books ready for each week. I do not have a lot of planning time, nor do I enjoy that. We added additional memory work, and I used other materials for language arts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
even_star Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 We used Sonlight for six year when my kids were young, and I have no regrets. They still love being read to even as teens, and their interest in history and literature is light years above their peers. For that, it does a very good job. It also kept me sane because there was no other work other than making sure that I had the books ready for each week. I do not have a lot of planning time, nor do I enjoy that. We added additional memory work, and I used other materials for language arts. My 4 and 7yo boys do love read-alouds and have very good attention spans, so I'm sure we would enjoy this aspect of the program. With a brand new baby, maybe I should be rethinking worrying about extra projects/activities and keep things simple. I would just be using the core for history/Bible/read-alouds and readers. Thanks for everyone's input so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 You may find Heart of Dakota to be a better fit as the hands-on activities to follow the readings are already planned, the children are more engaged in the readings with a greater amount of interaction, and the book selections do overlap quite a bit between the two. HOD is much more selective and since there is much more interaction with the books and there is so much more than just reading, there are fewer books for each level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verity Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Like you I drool over the Sonlight catalog and website. Finally I bought a used Sonlight Core and tried to use it this year. I still love the books and am using them with my graduating 3rd grader and I thought I would love having the schedule but it just didn't click for me. I don't like things being so chopped up into little teeny bits and I had trouble organizing it. I still pore over the booklists and am making many of my literatures selections from that list to go with my SotW/HO history next year. Good luck in finding the right fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
even_star Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 You may find Heart of Dakota to be a better fit as the hands-on activities to follow the readings are already planned, the children are more engaged in the readings with a greater amount of interaction, and the book selections do overlap quite a bit between the two. HOD is much more selective and since there is much more interaction with the books and there is so much more than just reading, there are fewer books for each level. I enjoy reading the HOD catalog as well but am not really considering it for next year because I'd really like to cover the middle ages/renaissance period with my son. HOD doesn't really have those periods for his age level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) The excitement is in the books and the "specialness" of SL is sharing those books together with your kids. If you want lots of activities, then you would need to either add them in or try something else, like maybe Winterpromise. Lisa Edited June 4, 2011 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 The excitement is in the books and "specialness" of SL is sharing those books together with your kids. If you want lots of activities, then you would need to either add them in or try something else, like maybe Winterpromise. Lisa This is true for me too. We love the books, and love that time sitting together, pouring over the books, discussing them--mainly my kids don't want a lot of activities to do, though I've added some in here & there. We have fun reading and discussing for history & lit. Math & science have more hands-on components, so we don't feel we're really lacking for that. But I've always loved a good book! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcarolinamom Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 This is true for me too. We love the books, and love that time sitting together, pouring over the books, discussing them--mainly my kids don't want a lot of activities to do, though I've added some in here & there. We have fun reading and discussing for history & lit. Math & science have more hands-on components, so we don't feel we're really lacking for that. But I've always loved a good book! Merry :-) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Yep, that is what Sonlight is like. Looking at it on paper doesn't really do it justice. Their program is really a great combination of books that really draws children in and ignites a love of learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschickie Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 It may not look like you are doing alot but oh do the kids learn. We have done Core B and Core C (as listed in the new catalog). Dd has loved it and has learned so much about history. We were in the car the other day she just starts talking about Queen Elizabeth I and "Blood" Mary. Mind you we did that months ago. Dd loves the timeline and will just go through it sometime (she says she does not like history either). The LA also looks fairly simplistic but it works. I have seen improvement in her writting as the year has gone on. She also does not complain about doing LA any more which to me is a huge thing. We did not do alot of hands on stuff but I did do some incorporated with our art days. Handle On the Arts has a great program that accompanies B & C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calandalsmom Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Personally I think with kids ages 7 and under that is more than plenty. No it doesnt get tiresome. When it worked for us it was wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 (edited) I enjoy reading the HOD catalog as well but am not really considering it for next year because I'd really like to cover the middle ages/renaissance period with my son. HOD doesn't really have those periods for his age level. We covered that time period with Story of the World 2 and Sonlight Core 2. It was alot of reading and I was a little tired of reading by the end of the year but my son loved it. He is 12 now and just a couple of days ago I heard him telling his younger brother about some of the things that he covered that year. He remembered everything!! We have used Cores K, 1, 2, and used 3+4 this year. I use the Instructor's Guide and wouldn't use SL without one. Yes, it is mostly reading but we do the other stuff too... we talk about all the vocabulary words (Yes, ALL of them), we look up the map assignments, we use the timeline book, and the book notes. I love the Suggested Learning Objectives and the schedules. I could very easily add in some hands-on activities but my sons don't need them to learn the material and they don't particularly enjoy them anyways. The Science has more hands-on, active things to do. Even the recommended Language Arts has an active feel to it. For example, we covered nouns awhile back and we went outside and went on a Noun Scavanger Hunt. If you want crafty things to do, there are plenty of options and many ideas that you can access by participating in the Sonlight forum. Sonlight has art and music recommendations for each level, you may want to check them out. The thing we enjoy most about Sonlight is the books, but not just the books as a book list, but the way that they are scheduled to blend together to tell a story. There really is a reason that they are scheduled the way that they are and if you follow the schedule for a few months you can see that pretty clearly. The books are scheduled in a way that complement one another and helps you to reinforce more important information in a natural way. I'm probably not explaining it well, but it's not JUST a booklist, though you can certainly use the catalog that way. If you really want alot of hands-on, crafty type of things to do then it may not be for you (but you may find there is enough of that kind of thing in their art suggestions). We think there is plenty to do and that's not an issue for our family. But, just by using it "as is" you can come up with many fun things to do... different books will inspire you in different ways. For example, my boys wanted to learn to sew after one of the books, they built a stick hut as a result of reading another. We don't do alot of that kind of thing but if you are the creative types, there is plenty that you can come up with as you go through the books. Core 2 was alot of fun. They got into catapulting and building castles with Legos, all that fun boy stuff. Edited June 5, 2011 by Donna T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 We love SL! We have used it almost exclusively since we started homeschooling. We tried two other boxed curriculum choices and ended up selling both of them and going back to SL. As far as hands on.....I think it is better now. I ended up adding in hands on. When we did Cores 3 and 4 I added in Homeschool in the Woods CDs and they fit in very nicely. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
even_star Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thank you all for your replies and the reassurance that it IS more than just reading a booklist. I had my dh sit down and he feels that this is something he'd like me to try with the kids as well, so I think I may give it a try. I'm excited - I've always been interested in SL and I guess there's no way to find out if it will be a fit for our family until we actually give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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