Talk to me about Sonlight, please.

[momsuz123]

I have been told now by a few people in just the last few days that I should be using Sonlight. My 8y/o dd is accelerated in just about everything. She loves reading. She wants to be challenged, which I am trying to do to keep her happy. Can any Sonlight users tell me something about it for the younger ones?

My other dd is 6 y/o and struggling some with school. She finally likes listening to read.

Also, I am wondering about the science part of the program. Is it something I could have my 8y/o do independently for fun? We would still do another science program with her, she just wants to do more school for fun.

Hope this makes sense, thanks.

[Butter]

Honestly... I wouldn't recommend it. *Especially* not for an advanced kid who wants to be challenged. We used Sonlight for three years (what was then cores K, 1, and 2 - the whole shebang including language arts and science). When I finally got a clue and quit, it was painful getting the kids, particularly my older, advanced kid, used to really working and caught up to where they should have been. My daughter shudders when Sonlight is mentioned to this day. Neither kid retained anything. They easily learned how to answer the questions and move on. I think what it taught the most was that school should be easy and require little to no work. Sonlight sounded great. In action, at least here, not at all. My daughter tells me often that her two little brothers are lucky because they will never be forced to use Sonlight. That's how much she hates that we used it.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Basics of the SL program is the child reads or you read to the child and then you discuss. That is it. This is their core. There is some mapping and timeline work. The discussion questions SL provides, in my opinion, are trivial.

 

I do, however, think some of their book choices are excellent and use them to supplement another program to give my child a selection of more readers.

[Hockey Mom]

These responses are disappointing. :( I just ordered Core D for my boys based on reviews I read online. We've been doing BJU DLO, and my boys were bored out of their minds with that program. So I thought Sonlight would be a good solution. I still haven't received the instructor guides to know how "meaty" the program is. I'm hoping it's more than just reading and answering a few questions.

 

I hope you get some more responses, so I can learn more about everyone's opinion on Sonlight.

[even_star]

Basics of the SL program is the child reads or you read to the child and then you discuss. That is it. This is their core. There is some mapping and timeline work. The discussion questions SL provides, in my opinion, are trivial.

 

I do, however, think some of their book choices are excellent and use them to supplement another program to give my child a selection of more readers.

 

:iagree: We did Sonlight Core C with our 2nd grader this year and the 1st paragraph above sums it all up. We didn't use their Science so I have no experience with that.

We used the level 4/5 reader package and my son really enjoyed every book he read. We also loved almost every read-aloud, so while we will not be using Sonlight again - we will use their book lists to supplement our curriculum in the future.

[Kathryn]

Basics of the SL program is the child reads or you read to the child and then you discuss. That is it. This is their core. There is some mapping and timeline work. The discussion questions SL provides, in my opinion, are trivial.

 

I do, however, think some of their book choices are excellent and use them to supplement another program to give my child a selection of more readers.

 

:iagree: 100%. I love most of the book choices, but that does not a good program make. They do have a good money-back guarantee if you buy new though.

[boscopup]

Well, I'm using Core D with an advanced student (almost 8, we're using it for "3rd grade" next year, but started early). I do not use their multisubject package. I am just using the core. No LA (my core is used, so LA wasn't included, and I wouldn't use their LA with this child anyway). Readers are included in the core, and we're using the Advanced Readers.

 

We are both enjoying it a LOT. My son loves history, and he loves reading. We don't tend to do a lot of projects around here, so SL fits that too. ;) In what we've read the last few weeks, I've learned things, so I have no doubt that it's meaty enough for my 3rd grader, and we haven't even gotten to the Landmark book yet, which is supposed to be pretty hefty. The books are good and enjoyable.

 

I don't try to challenge my son in every single subject either. Yes, SL is easy to get done each day. It feels "just right" for us. My son still reads outside of SL (so our homeschool doesn't become history-centric). I challenge my son in math, grammar, composition, etc. The SL history also isn't too easy for my son. It's not baby topics. He's learning about somewhat mature parts of US History (like treatment of Indians, slavery, etc.). It's still age-appropriate, but on the mature side of age-appropriate. It might be above some 8 year olds' heads, particularly the read-alouds.

 

I'm not currently using Sonlight's science, so I can't comment on that. It looks good to me, but I haven't tried it. We're using Apologia Astronomy for science at the moment.

 

We'll be doing P4/5 for my K'er this fall, but I haven't purchased it yet. It looks like it includes some fun activities (the type that actually get done by me, because they're easy/simple... pro-project folks might find them dumb, but my kids will enjoy them ;) ).

[Mom0012]

Sonlight is the best part of our school day, but it is just one part of it. I have a separate math, grammar, spelling, writing and other supplemental curriculum I use for my kids including Spanish, typing, logic and geography. SL's LA has a bad reputation, so we don't use it. I think it gets a lot of negative reviews because there are high expectations in the writing department with little instruction and the grammar instruction is scattered, but they are often changing the program, so I'm not sure if that is currently the case. However, if the LA is going to work for anyone, I would think it would be for an advanced student.

 

I don't think there is anything better I have done with my kids than reading aloud to them and discussing good books. They have developed a love for reading and for learning because of SL. They have also retained a ton of knowledge from SL. My 6th grade ds, who has a language disability is currently reading the unabridged version of Around the World in 80 days with ease for Core F. Core F actually recommends a simpler version, but I wanted to challenge him and have been so pleased to see that because he has been listening to me reading books above his level all his life, he is able to easily comprehend this book, which has pretty sophisticated language and which I thought would be a great challenge to him.

 

Yes, it is a bunch of reading with comprehension questions, but the books they select are wonderful and the way they schedule them is really nice. SL teaches my kids history and exposes them to great literature and has them reading interesting books. I think if I expected to do SL and then just add a math program, we'd be sorely disappointed with our academic progress in the end, but I don't think that's how most people use SL. It is one hour of our school day, but it is the best hour for us.

 

Lisa

[Hockey Mom]

Would you all say the books are good for casual reading, or would they make a good Reading program? I'm going to stick with the Science that came with the core. Though, I did think the Science looked like something we would breeze through pretty quickly (we LOVE science). I don't like Sequential Spelling (comes with the Core) and I didn't order their Math.

 

I think in an effort to recoup something from this program, I'll use their Bible, history, science and reading (if it's a reading curriculum and not just cool books to read). I've already ordered BJU Math and Spelling. I'll order BJU English if Sonlight's program is lacking.

 

I'm kicking myself for not posting here prior to ordering it all. I searched previous threads and read mostly positive things about it.

 

I'm sorry for hijacking your thread, OP.

[boscopup]

Would you all say the books are good for casual reading, or would they make a good Reading program?

 

What are you looking for in a reading program?

 

It's perfect for us, because I'm not having my son do lit analysis yet. We just read and discuss. If you're looking for lit analysis, no it's not in core D. I don't know if they put it in upper cores or not.

 

The readers add to the history at this level. SL gives you comprehension questions. I've not had any problem with the comprehension questions. I sometimes use them and sometimes don't, but I don't think they're horrible. They're not asking logic stage type analysis, but I don't expect that for a program aimed at 3rd and 4th graders. :tongue_smilie:

[Hockey Mom]

What are you looking for in a reading program?

 

It's perfect for us, because I'm not having my son do lit analysis yet. We just read and discuss. If you're looking for lit analysis, no it's not in core D. I don't know if they put it in upper cores or not.

 

The readers add to the history at this level. SL gives you comprehension questions. I've not had any problem with the comprehension questions. I sometimes use them and sometimes don't, but I don't think they're horrible. They're not asking logic stage type analysis, but I don't expect that for a program aimed at 3rd and 4th graders. :tongue_smilie:

 

Thank you for your response. We're used to Reading from BJU. We read, answer comprehension questions, then do a worktext. I want to move away from worktexts. My boys don't "love" Reading because they "hate" worktexts. Ironically, they DO like to read books and write book reports on them.

 

The main reason we went with Sonlight is because my boys LOVE SOTW. They really enjoy hearing/reading the historical stories, answering the questions (we make it a game), and doing the projects. I thought Sonlight would be more like SOTW in that aspect.

 

Again, I don't have the IG, and the IG samples online make no sense to me. I'm hoping once I get the IG, and can really pick it all apart, and it will work for us.

 

We just got all of our books....I don't want to send it all back. I definitely want to make this work - even it means more work on my part.

[Mom0012]

Thank you for your response. We're used to Reading from BJU. We read, answer comprehension questions, then do a worktext. I want to move away from worktexts. My boys don't "love" Reading because they "hate" worktexts. Ironically, they DO like to read books and write book reports on them.

 

The main reason we went with Sonlight is because my boys LOVE SOTW. They really enjoy hearing/reading the historical stories, answering the questions (we make it a game), and doing the projects. I thought Sonlight would be more like SOTW in that aspect.

 

Again, I don't have the IG, and the IG samples online make no sense to me. I'm hoping once I get the IG, and can really pick it all apart, and it will work for us.

 

We just got all of our books....I don't want to send it all back. I definitely want to make this work - even it means more work on my part.

 

The reading program is just reading and answering questions, but that suits us here. I have actually moved more toward having the kids read the books and them summarizing them for me WTM-style. Then I ask them some questions. If your boys like to write books reports, then I don't see that you've got a problem. I do add a reading comprehension workbook (either EPS Reading Comprehension or Reading Detective, depending on the year) that the kids use once a week. I personally don't think you need more than that for elementary.

 

Now that we are moving into the logic stage, I am looking at adding in literary terms and doing more in-depth discussions. One of my projects this year is finding the right tools to help me do that. I'm leaning towards Teaching the Classics and Figuratively Speaking. We will probably add a literary guide in when we do one or two of the books each year from here on out. This year is the first year I've felt a desire to do that and I'm going to use a lit guide for the Hobbit this month.

 

My kids love SOTW as well, but we never did any of the activities with it. I bought the audiobooks years and years ago and they listen to them over and over again. SL does not schedule activities, so you would need to do that yourself if it is important to you and your kids.

 

I spend about $200 - $300 on SL every year and most of that expense is for the books, so I can't see how it's money wasted, but I do usually get a used IG and buy my books on Amazon with the 4-for-3 promotion they have.

 

Lisa

[boscopup]

Thank you for your response. We're used to Reading from BJU. We read, answer comprehension questions, then do a worktext. I want to move away from worktexts. My boys don't "love" Reading because they "hate" worktexts. Ironically, they DO like to read books and write book reports on them.

 

The main reason we went with Sonlight is because my boys LOVE SOTW. They really enjoy hearing/reading the historical stories, answering the questions (we make it a game), and doing the projects. I thought Sonlight would be more like SOTW in that aspect.

 

It sounds like SL would be a good fit for your boys then. :D My son also LOVED SOTW. He read all 4 volumes, multiple times. I picked up a used Core D on a whim, and we've been soooo happy! It's really not much different from how we used SOTW. We used to read, narrate, do mapwork. In Sonlight, we read, narrate or do comprehension questions, do mapwork, do timeline. Sometimes I might get a few extra books on a topic from the library, but I don't feel like we're missing anything if I don't, as there are plenty of books. We didn't usually do the SOTW projects, so I don't miss those (though I think the Core Tips CD has some on it... I don't have that).

 

Don't let a few bad reviews damper your original excitement. Those families may not be the same as your family, and what works for one doesn't always work for another. Sonlight is a great fit here. My kids don't at all have the same feelings that Butter's kids had. :lol: You won't find any curriculum that doesn't have bad reviews. That's why there are so many curricula out there! No curriculum fits everyone. Whatever drew you to Sonlight in the first place may still be there. Stay excited. Give it a try. If it doesn't turn out to be a good fit, send it back. No big deal!

 

One thing I like to do when reading reviews is to look at what other curricula someone reviewing a program is using. If it's all stuff that doesn't fit my family, then their bad review of the program in question isn't going to necessarily apply to my family. As you get to know people on these boards, you quickly learn which posters have similar philosophies and similar curricula choices to yourself.

 

I think Sonlight is excellent for an advanced student, because you can separate the SKILLS subjects from the SL core. :)

 

Oh, and in Core D, there are some mini-reports that your boys might like, since they like book reports. Basically, they're to research a topic and write a quick narration of sorts (we'll do it orally). It's short and not meant to have a lot of time spent on it. There is one big research project toward the end of the year. My son won't be doing that (he's not ready for it yet).

[3peasinapod]

We like SL. I agree with boscopup, not to let bad reviews sway you. I like the idea of looking at what a bad reviewer uses now to help you decide too.

 

One of the things I am liking about the new SL IGs are the questions. I hated the questions before, and we just read the books, which is fine for the ages of my kids. As I want to get into more discussion, this year's new IGs look to fit the bill. I just got in Core C IG, and the questions are more intuitive and not as "out there." Sometimes the questions in the old IGs were just irrelevant and I just would skim them. The questions are very more pinpointed now, and they remind me of our SOTW questions. We actually use SL more like we use SOTW, we read the selections, the girls narrate and either copy or dictate their narrations on a notebook page that I either made or purchased or they create their own with illustrations, etc. So I do add notebooking and narration to it, so maybe that's why I find it so meaty.

 

In the lower elementary years, I don't expect huge narrations, and I believe SL's intentions are to get your children used to hefty reading and to expose them. It's not to get them analyzing literature, but to learn to love learning. My girls retain tons with SL and notebooking, and I am learning a lot, so I know it is meaty enough for them. We like to read a lot, so if you don't like to read a lot, it may not be for you. The new IGs, in my opinion, have addressed some of the concerns raised about the discussion questions.

[boscopup]

I just got in Core C IG, and the questions are more intuitive and not as "out there." Sometimes the questions in the old IGs were just irrelevant and I just would skim them. The questions are very more pinpointed now, and they remind me of our SOTW questions.

 

Glad to hear that! :D We'll use the new version of Core E next year. I'm sticking with what I have for Core D, since we already started. This is our "try it on the cheap" year to see if it fits us. :) Next year, I look forward to having all the books on hand and not having to use the library or worry that someone has the one copy of the book we need checked out.

 

I also like the notes being with the schedule in the new IGs, since we follow the schedule and don't jump around.

[Dinsfamily]

We like SL. I agree with boscopup, not to let bad reviews sway you. I like the idea of looking at what a bad reviewer uses now to help you decide too.

 

:iagree: I've used P3/4-Core C with two advanced boys and highly recommend it. SL is the best part of school for us. It is the time when we learn and discuss history, literature, and the Bible together. It has been so much fun sharing that time with them. My boys are thriving with it and are understanding so much more than I remember learning. Like LisaTheresa said, it is only part of our day. I buy math (Singapore, Horizons, and Miquon) from them and some supplemental science books but never plan on using their LA. You can see what else we use in my siggy.

 

I just received my new Core C IG in the mail and am off to look at the new discussion questions. :auto:

[DianeW88]

Well, I have learned over the years that there is no perfect curriculum out there, and that tweaking is a must to get something the way I want it.

 

So...in the fall I am doing SL Core F, combined with WP Children Around the World and Konos (relevant units). Yes, I'm spending my summer planning, but that's ok. Because I have a planning addiction. :D

 

SL is a good program, but it isn't the answer to everything. OP, if you find you need to add in some lit analysis or extra hands-on projects, just do it. Make the curriculum work for you. I think SL is the cream of the crop as far as book selection goes. The books have a high interest level and are very engaging. If your kiddo loves SOTW...he'll love SL. Just add in what you need when you need it.

[Mom28kds]

I used SL History with my older kids (now all in college). They loved history because of it. They loved learning history by reading stories not just stating facts. I'm now using it with my 5th grader. We only use the history not the other programs. I tried them years ago but decided I liked other things better. I still love SL for history though. Regarding History at this age we just read and discuss. My son has learned alot and enjoys it. That's all I can ask for :)

[CatholicMom]

I have been told now by a few people in just the last few days that I should be using Sonlight. My 8y/o dd is accelerated in just about everything. She loves reading. She wants to be challenged, which I am trying to do to keep her happy. Can any Sonlight users tell me something about it for the younger ones?

My other dd is 6 y/o and struggling some with school. She finally likes listening to read.

Also, I am wondering about the science part of the program. Is it something I could have my 8y/o do independently for fun? We would still do another science program with her, she just wants to do more school for fun.

Hope this makes sense, thanks.

 

If she loves reading, she would probably love the reader packages!

 

I have used 3 Cores but end up ditching the IG half way through the year every time. I can't keep up and it drives me mad.

 

I think the books are great, but I think they could trim down that massive insane-o IG by half. They just tried to trim some down, but I think it's still way too much. I never used all the discussion questions. Especially for this age, it's not something most people really need and it just gives you more STUFF to lug around, to look through, and to worry that you didn't do... and more stuff to pay for! So I think the IG needs a major makeover. Personally, I also can't switch gears all the time and so I hate jumping from one book to another like the SL IG is set up. I tried to figure out how to follow it a different way and I just couldn't figure out a system. So I personally decided to just pay attention to their book lists and read whatever I like straight through rather than follow the IG and drive myself crazy.

 

But book lists... great. I don't care for their missionary story selections (we're Catholic now, for one). But I always check their Cores for the great read-alouds.

 

Also, their leveled reader packages are awesome! And they come with a schedule that isn't a lot of mula (7 bucks) so you can have your child read through them from easiest to hardest (in general) to improve their reading skills. You daughter might really like that package... though you might have to make use of library trips if she read ahead of schedule.

 

I've never used their Science. Again, I suspect the book choices are the best part of the program.

 

I've tried their LA twice (2 different levels) and, unfortunately, it just really was not enough for us. I felt like my kids got really behind in LA and really just weren't getting it. It's supposed to be a "gentle" approach (which sounds great), but there wasn't a lot of explanation of new skills, not much practice, and, well, not a whole lot of learning. But I thought it was an stand-alone LA program, so I didn't use anything else. (I think it's supposed to be?) Anyway, you get the idea.

 

So, in summary:

 

Reader packages - You dd might love em. Highly recommended.

Read-alouds - You both might love em.

IG - Might be better off without it ? Depends on what you want.

LA - I don't recommend it at all.

Science - Very neat books, science experiments look fun, but I haven't used it. I think it's stronger than the LA.

[proverbs356lady]

I think SL would be a really good choice for you. Each core has a great assortment of books to read, read-aloud and discuss. Some of the lower level cores seem easy but once you hit core D the content jumps to a much higher level of difficulty. Compared to typical textbooks for reading and/or history I think SL outshines them all because you're reading real books with varied and interesting content. Over the years we've had some very interesting conversations based on what we've read. Keep in mind that SL doesn't offer much in the way of hands-on activites related to each core.

 

Regarding their science. I wouldn't think it could be used independently by an 8 yr old. Your dd could read and enjoy the books but the experiments would mostly need adult supervision. We love watching the Discover and Do DVD's.

 

I didn't love their language arts program and haven't tried using it in probably 8-9 years. They seem to change it frequently.

 

I've used SL off and on and always end up back at SL. Next year I'm taking my 5th grader back to SL (again) and plan to stay with it through high school.

[black_midori]

I just ordered SL B to use for the upcoming school year - I had never looked at it in-depth before a conference I went to last month, but I was VERY impressed with the readers there!

 

It fills a definite need for us - I already was immensely happy with several parts of my curricula over the last couple years, but I really wanted to move towards a more literature-based approach & do something more solid for history & geography. However, I REALLY wanted to use the parts of my current curricula that I loved!! I found, upon looking further at SL, that getting the Core & readers (less the LA, which sounds blah) would cover the things that I needed & allow me to continue using AAS & RS. I also think I will be able to "tweak" it some to use the WWE style of writing/narration/dictation.

 

I just received my books in the mail yesterday and haven't had a chance to look through the package & IG, but I think that I will be happy! I am excited about having a reading time incorporated into our daily work schedule - it is something I kept meaning to do & not getting around to, so putting it in an IG that I follow will be perfect! :)

 

So - I think you need to determine exactly what you want to get out of it and then push to get THAT.

 

For me, learning how to get information from books is critical. My kids enjoy reading fantasy, and I want to show them how they can translate a love of reading into a love of reading for learning. THAT is what I want to get out of SL! :)

 

BTW - science sounded a bit lame, so I decided to go with REAL Science Odyssey instead for this year & see how I liked it.

[TranquilMind]

Honestly... I wouldn't recommend it. *Especially* not for an advanced kid who wants to be challenged. We used Sonlight for three years (what was then cores K, 1, and 2 - the whole shebang including language arts and science). When I finally got a clue and quit, it was painful getting the kids, particularly my older, advanced kid, used to really working and caught up to where they should have been. My daughter shudders when Sonlight is mentioned to this day. Neither kid retained anything. They easily learned how to answer the questions and move on. I think what it taught the most was that school should be easy and require little to no work. Sonlight sounded great. In action, at least here, not at all. My daughter tells me often that her two little brothers are lucky because they will never be forced to use Sonlight. That's how much she hates that we used it.

Interesting. I had exactly the opposite result with Sonlight in the early years. My advanced kids retained lots and both are at the top of the respective classes today, oldest in a charter school and youngest in an academic co-op twice a week with lots of work.

 

The oldest read multiple books a week and loved the Sonlight books. She would always finish all the books way before we were supposed to go through them, so I'd tell her to hold off on a few read-alouds so we could enjoy them. They danced to the grammar and geography songs.

 

Our overall view in the early years was quite positive. I will say that spiral language arts in those days was a little disjointed so we moved to Abeka for that.

[Mommy22alyns]

Basics of the SL program is the child reads or you read to the child and then you discuss. That is it. This is their core. There is some mapping and timeline work. The discussion questions SL provides, in my opinion, are trivial.

 

I do, however, think some of their book choices are excellent and use them to supplement another program to give my child a selection of more readers.

 

 

:iagree: Yes, JMO. I used Core 1 (B) with Rebecca for her 2nd grade year. She didn't retain anything (she did much better with SOTW and AG) and hated it because there were no activities. The science was okay and I did appreciate the Discover & Do DVD and supply kits. LA was abominable. We are using the 4/5 readers this year because I think they're excellent books. But yes, the questions are odd and trivial. I liked P 4/5 well enough for Sylvia's K year.

[mumto2]

We have always loved Sonlight. I have done it both ways-- with and without IG. I really love the schedule when I have it. I tweek every curriculum I touch. I realized this with a recent thread. I couldn't list a thing! With schedule I finish in a reasonable period of time. Many of the books are favorites. The books that haven't been great have been more on the mission/Bible curriculum end which is where I really like to tweek. The books are interesting --I just find something more interesting.

 

In the younger years k-2 we used their science and loved it. Between the Dvds and the supply kits I could leave them alone with science. They loved it and learned loads-- I was able to supervise from a distance. A move to the UK made me stop the science for upper grades.

 

For us Sonlight is a fun constant. DD14 has core 200 going. She is constantly commenting on the fascinating things she is learning. She is having a good time quizzing DH and feels rather superior -- he knows a lot about religious history and she can stump him! We still do core 7 together. But slowly.

LOTS of extras. But the books and sequence are great.

[boscopup]

I never quite understand how a child doesn't retain anything from SL. To me that's a function of the lack of interest your child took. I don't understand lack of interest in a chosen study. Unless the parent chose poorly or it was just a bad fit. Or the kid didn't listen and you didn't discuss.

 

I suppose some kids may need a lot of review and tests to "retain", though I personally am not going for retention in the elementary years. I'm going for exposure and sparking an interest.

 

I could easily see some of Sonlight being over the head of a child if using it on the young or middle end of the age range. My oldest is doing fine on the youngest end, but my middle son would definitely not. I don't know if he'll even do ok being in the middle of the age range. A young child not retaining information like this often means the child needs to mature another year or so. Even SOTW is sometimes over the heard of 1st graders it's designed for, but those children do fine with it around 3rd grade. That's not a problem with the curriculum or the child. It just means they don't fit each other at a certain age.

 

Lack of activities is certainly an issue in SL for a child that needs those, and that is on the SL list of reasons not to buy SL - they warn you ahead of time. If your kid needs projects to learn, SL is not a good choice for you, or you need to be prepared to add in your own activities. My kids don't need activities, and I don't like doing activities, so SL is a great fit for us - just read, read, read. My oldest learns more from reading than from activities. :)

[Butter]

I never quite understand how a child doesn't retain anything from SL. To me that's a function of the lack of interest your child took. I don't understand lack of interest in a chosen study. Unless the parent chose poorly or it was just a bad fit. Or the kid didn't listen and you didn't discuss.

 

Perhaps there's a lack of interest in the books (the books that I am sure were chosen simply because God was mentioned in them did get old). Or it could be that historical fiction doesn't teach everyone well equally. We definitely discussed. They showed comprehension. And that was it. They remember stuff we did on Africa (using KONOS) when they were almost 4 and 5 better than they do the stuff we did with Sonlight. For a good two years after we quit Sonlight my daughter LOATHED history. It was so beaten into her since everything revolved around history. That made me sad because I love history. Now it's all changed. She loves history as much as I do. We use Calvert now and they both retain the information they are learning quite easily. Through textbooks. Go figure. Really, Sonlight is not a perfect fit for everyone. The Sonlight people are very open and honest about that (and I appreciate that). I had a conversation with Luke about why it didn't work *for us* and he understood perfectly. Definitely don't second guess your decision based on some people not liking it, but also don't assume it'll be perfect because it is for some people. You won't know until you try it.

 

BTW, the cores were definitely not over Ani's head. In fact they were too low for her, but I bought into the combining thing and that the age ranges stretch pretty far. She was 9 when we quit using Sonlight (used through Core 2). It was way too far below her.

 

And, even though we don't use Sonlight anymore we still have read alouds and discuss books because it's fun. It's not part of school.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Butter

[WeeBeaks]

Re specifically the science: I had one child love it and one child hate it. It is very much jumpy from one topic to another to another. My oldest adored that style, loved to learn a little bit about this and that. Then he went and got books to learn more. My second child hated that style. He likes to slowly and methodically move through a topic. He is slow to warm up to things, and jumping around frustrated him to tears. I'm using Elemental Science Biology for Grammar Stage with him to give you an idea of his personality. He LIKES 20 weeks of animals, whereas my oldest who loved SL would not have loved to go slow on that animals book and would have finished it in 3 weeks at most.

 

The LA both hated (we used K through core 3 with my oldest). It was not developmentally appropriate for my boys, who could read great but write poorly.

 

The core history is strongly historical fiction. If that is your (and your kids) passion, it will be a good fit. If you have a kid who wants just the facts presented, then it might not be a great fit. It has lots of fiction and some nonfiction. In comparison, TOG is mostly nonfiction with some fiction (opposites). We loved their book choices. I used the IG for planning but didn't use their questions very often. We narrated, or I just asked them a few questions about the book or discussed it.

[ByGrace3]

We are using SL for he first time next yr and are pretty excited about it. For he last two yrs we have used the readers and many of the read alouds but not the history, next yr we are doing a core. That said I will do some tweaking to fit our family. We will not use SL LA but will continue with WTM writing/narrations and notebooking. I also am addin plenty of hands on activities and even beefing up the history by adding some picture books and more church history. May seem crazy to some, may take more than a year, but I think it is going to be a great year. I am learning to find what I think is closest to what I want and then MAKE it exactly what I want. SL is the closet I have found, so we will try it as our spine.

[boscopup]

BTW, the cores were definitely not over Ani's head. In fact they were too low for her, but I bought into the combining thing and that the age ranges stretch pretty far. She was 9 when we quit using Sonlight (used through Core 2). It was way too far below her.

 

That core (B) would be too low for my oldest when he's 9. He's happily doing Core D this year, very much on the young side. I can't imagine having him do Core B even now. I'm not combining my kids though. They just can't be combined. I *might* be able to combine the younger two at some point, but for now, it's not worth my trouble. My oldest is very advanced, and my middle one is a "late bloomer" (for this family, at least). While they are 2.5 years apart, they are miles apart academically. The middle one will be doing P4/5 this year, and it should be a great fit. Any higher core would be over his head. So definitely no combining here right now.

 

Obviously, your family does better with textbooks, and that's great that you found a good fit. :D

[CroppinIt]

We love Sonlight here. We started out with a textbook/workbook based program, and when that didn't work for us we switched to SL. We'll never go back to workbooks as a base program.

 

That said, I don't use the IG the way it's written either. I'm really not a fan of busy-work or extra projects just for the sake of having something to do, so a lot of the time we just read and discuss the books together. I know some moms really like the more hands-on stuff, esp for younger kids, and they will be frustrated with the lack of that from SL. However, there are also times that we get so involved in something that we get off track for awhile, and that's fine too. That's one of the reasons we hs, after all.

 

You can use their LA and science and all or not. Personally, I don't, but I have bought a nice selection of their science books for supplemental/fun material. Overall, I'm very happy with SL.

[SebastianCat]

We've used SL P4/5 through C and love it. If you want a literature based approach to history, and like historical fiction, then SL will be a good fit. If you are looking for nonfiction, or more condensed textbook-style history, then SL won't be a good fit. SL is pretty up-front about who won't be a good fit on their 27 Reasons Not to Buy SL article on their website.

 

Generally speaking, children do best with SL when they are in the recommended age range for the Core they are studying. Core D, for example, is recommended for "9, 10, and 11 year olds, and advanced 8 year olds." If you tried to do it with a child outside the range, you'd have to substitute or supplement some of the books - which is doable, just not something everyone is comfortable doing.

 

We are actually finishing up a year of studying state history that I put together myself, and have found that we like more hands on activities. So we will do Core D in the fall alongside Homeschool in the Woods Time Traveler CDs to add some more hands on activities (my kids will be 10 & 8). I think it will be a great year.

 

For us, we very much enjoy the literature and history of SL, and I foresee always using at least *part* of a SL core for our studies. If we need to tweak or add, we'll do that.

 

We used SL's LA one year and did not like it. The writing instruction wasn't as direct as we needed, so we switched to BJU and have found that to be a good fit.

 

We also used SL's science one year and didn't like it either. The book topics jumped around and the experiments didn't tie into the book readings. We prefer Apologia for science, and will probably stick with that for the next several years.

[mom2scouts]

We'll be using Sonlight cores for our third year. We really like it for history and literature/reading and I can't believe how much geography that *I've* learned. The book choices are very good and I agree with the person who said it's the best part of their day. My son really likes history and sneaks all the SL books into his bed so he can read late into the night. I don't think it's a great fit for every child, but for us it's our favorite curriculum right now.

[Alyeska]

These responses are disappointing. :( I just ordered Core D for my boys based on reviews I read online. We've been doing BJU DLO, and my boys were bored out of their minds with that program. So I thought Sonlight would be a good solution. I still haven't received the instructor guides to know how "meaty" the program is. I'm hoping it's more than just reading and answering a few questions.

 

I hope you get some more responses, so I can learn more about everyone's opinion on Sonlight.

 

:grouphug: Please try not to be discouraged. What works for some won't work for others.

 

Core D was one of our favorite homeschooling years ever. We STILL (3 years later) talk about some of the great books we read that year!! What I recommend is to try and utilize the SL instructor's guide 'as written' instead of tweaking (which is so easy for us to want to do...). It will give you the full flavor of a Sonlight core.

[kolamum]

These responses are disappointing. :( I just ordered Core D for my boys based on reviews I read online. We've been doing BJU DLO, and my boys were bored out of their minds with that program. So I thought Sonlight would be a good solution. I still haven't received the instructor guides to know how "meaty" the program is. I'm hoping it's more than just reading and answering a few questions.

 

I hope you get some more responses, so I can learn more about everyone's opinion on Sonlight.

 

Well, I didn't agree with any of the reviews I read & stopped when I got to your post because I wasn't sure I could handle many more. :lol: I think it comes down to different strokes for different folks.

 

While the basics of Sonlight is that you read great literature to learn about times & places you make of any curriculum what you will. My children are learning plenty with this curriculum. They give very in-depth answers to questions not just pat answers to move on.

 

We timeline. We do vocabulary. We do mapping. We enjoy it. For us, it works. Thus, my opinion is probably biased, but I hated to think you'd be panicked about a choice you just made because all responses you'd read prior were negative. ;)

 

Having said that I'm not using it with an advanced reader. At the same time, I'd have no qualms WITH using it with an advanced reader. My opinion with advanced readers is that just because they CAN read above their level doesn't always mean they should. Again, this probably means my answers are bias. I also suspect that if a parent hates a curriculum enough their child will pick up on that. ;)

[Butter]

I also suspect that if a parent hates a curriculum enough their child will pick up on that. ;)

 

That's the thing... I LOVED it! I kept insisting it was great and the kids were learning because I loved it so much. Several times my mom (who is 100% for homeschooling... she homeschooled me after all!) asked if I was sure they were learning because it didn't seem like it to her. My kids, by the middle of core 1, were BEGGING me to switch to something else. Ani kept telling me she felt like she wasn't learning and everything was too easy. I just didn't "hear" her because I loved Sonlight so much. It took me a long time to get a clue and start really listening to the kids and to realize it just wasn't working. At all.

[boscopup]

Having said that I'm not using it with an advanced reader. At the same time, I'd have no qualms WITH using it with an advanced reader. My opinion with advanced readers is that just because they CAN read above their level doesn't always mean they should.

 

I do agree, though if ALL of the literature is below their reading level, that can be a problem too. Butter had her 8-9 year old doing cores 1-2 (B-C). If that child is an advanced reader and is fairly mature for her age, I could see that placement being a bad fit. My own son is about to turn 8. Core D is a perfect fit for him right now. I don't think Core B would be at all. He reads plenty of non-advanced books (every time I get books for my not-quite-3 year old at the library, one of the first to read them is DS1 :lol:), but for school, he is ready to "read to learn", and he won't learn as much if the material is at a 2nd grade level.

 

So I think two things were at play in Butter's case: 1) Her kids are textbook kids, 2) Her oldest was placed too low (and I wouldn't be surprised if that had been the recommendation on the forums there).

 

My oldest is not a textbook kid, but I think Core B would be too low for him. CHOW would be too simplified (he's read SOTW1-4 multiple times on his own - a lot more material there). The readers don't correlate with the history (though the grade 4/5 readers would be enjoyable for him). I would have had to beef it up a lot to make it work for him. Core D, on the other hand, is a jump up from Core C. The Advanced Readers are still fairly "easy" for him to read, but he's in "reading to learn" mode now, and he is learning from those readers. They're not "too easy". I'm not worried about challenging his reading level with them (and I don't think that will be challenged). It's just right for the purpose of learning history though.

 

Looking at Cores B and C, I would definitely want to use them on the young end for my youngest child (he's advanced/mature for his age like his older brother... sometimes moreso, which scares me a bit :tongue_smilie:), and on the middle or upper range for my middle son (who might have trouble understanding what I read if I used cores too early for him). This is why I won't be using Core A in K for middle child, but I probably will for the youngest.

 

I expect to always be running at least 2 cores with these kids, possibly 3. I'm ok with that.

[Butter]

2) Her oldest was placed too low (and I wouldn't be surprised if that had been the recommendation on the forums there).

 

It was recommended by Sonlight the company, actually. They said that combining is best because the kids are 19 months apart and that's where to place them. They told me that it is better to put an older kid in a lower core if you can combine. So it's not just the forum members. It's the company, too. Knowing what I know now, I would NOT follow that advice! I've always read all sorts of stuff to the kids so I have no doubt my younger kid could have kept up with the higher level, but they said that would be a bad idea. Always go lower.

[boscopup]

It was recommended by Sonlight the company, actually. They said that combining is best because the kids are 19 months apart and that's where to place them. They told me that it is better to put an older kid in a lower core if you can combine. So it's not just the forum members. It's the company, too. Knowing what I know now, I would NOT follow that advice! I've always read all sorts of stuff to the kids so I have no doubt my younger kid could have kept up with the higher level, but they said that would be a bad idea. Always go lower.

 

They also do their multisubject packages aimed at the "advanced X year old", which makes no sense to me. Everyone on the forum will say not to do Core D with a 3rd grader, yet what does the company advertise as their 3rd grade multisubject package? Core D. :lol: Same goes for Core A. A lot of K'ers aren't ready to listen to a bunch of chapter books and really get a lot out of them. Sonlight advertises that core to K'ers and used to call it a "K" level. Most people use it for 1st grade. P4/5 is more "little kid friendly", still having mostly picture books, which K'ers usually enjoy. When I talked to the company, they suggested Core A for my middle son. He is NOT ready for that. He needs another year to really get into hearing chapter books (he's been hearing them for a couple years now, but rarely gets much from them). On the other hand, he could probably do the grade 1 readers, but that isn't even offered with the P4/5 core. You have to do it separately (which is fine... I have most of those books already and won't purchase the LA), but there are probably a LOT of K'ers using P4/5 and reading at 1st grade level. The company rep said if he did that, he might run out of readers by time he got to Core C, but I did the math... grade 1 with P4/5, grade 2 with A, grade 3 with B, grade 4/5 with C. Fits perfect. :confused:

 

So yeah, I agree that they are a little weird in placement. Though to be fair, most companies are a bit like that. I remember one thread about A Beka at conventions on the Accelerated Board... Where someone had been looking at materials for a certain grade level, and the rep absolutely insisted that the child should be in a lower grade level materials just because of the age. Sometimes companies like that don't really understand accelerated kids. Yes, that 6 year old may really be ready for grade 3 math. Get over it. :lol:

[Dinsfamily]

They also do their multisubject packages aimed at the "advanced X year old", which makes no sense to me. Everyone on the forum will say not to do Core D with a 3rd grader, yet what does the company advertise as their 3rd grade multisubject package? Core D. :lol: Same goes for Core A. A lot of K'ers aren't ready to listen to a bunch of chapter books and really get a lot out of them. Sonlight advertises that core to K'ers and used to call it a "K" level. Most people use it for 1st grade. P4/5 is more "little kid friendly", still having mostly picture books, which K'ers usually enjoy. When I talked to the company, they suggested Core A for my middle son. He is NOT ready for that. He needs another year to really get into hearing chapter books (he's been hearing them for a couple years now, but rarely gets much from them). On the other hand, he could probably do the grade 1 readers, but that isn't even offered with the P4/5 core. You have to do it separately (which is fine... I have most of those books already and won't purchase the LA), but there are probably a LOT of K'ers using P4/5 and reading at 1st grade level. The company rep said if he did that, he might run out of readers by time he got to Core C, but I did the math... grade 1 with P4/5, grade 2 with A, grade 3 with B, grade 4/5 with C. Fits perfect. :confused:

 

So yeah, I agree that they are a little weird in placement. Though to be fair, most companies are a bit like that. I remember one thread about A Beka at conventions on the Accelerated Board... Where someone had been looking at materials for a certain grade level, and the rep absolutely insisted that the child should be in a lower grade level materials just because of the age. Sometimes companies like that don't really understand accelerated kids. Yes, that 6 year old may really be ready for grade 3 math. Get over it. :lol:

 

I agree that the multi-subject packages are strange... I had a hard time explaining them when helping my friend place her two dc coming out of a bad ps experience. Thankfully, it was easy for them to get out of the "grade" mindset, moreso because their dc are behind in reading and math after this year and her first year will be mostly remediation. I like the idea of a multi-subject package for newbies but I wish that you could pick a core to go with it.

 

I will say that I have another good friend who combined her gifted 9yo and 6yo in B+C this year and it was fabulous for them. Then again, they are a literature-obsessed family and the 9yo loved all of the books. She's one who will read her sister's books and then discuss them with my ds. I think it's just different strokes for different folks. SL isn't for everyone, but it can be great for some.

[momee]

Long ago I posted about the rigor of another curricula and how it killed my son's love of literature.

 

He had some other issues going on as well at the time but shoving classic after classic down his throat and requiring question after question in literature and history left quite a bad taste in his mouth.

 

Fast forward to today...

My girls are using SL and loving it. They're self starters with it, they're learning independently, we're on schedule because the schedule keeps us on track and they LOVE IT.

 

The books are engaging. The research and finding of books and compiling a schedule and coordinating it with history is all done for me. THIS is huge.

 

I'm sorry SL is getting this bad wrap. I think it has saved our hs'ing. I am burnt out and thankfully SL is keeping us going. They're learning in spite of me right now.

 

Honestly brutal this morning. Sorry...

[melmichigan]

Ah, the joys of the age/grade versus core arguement. :D We have always done the basic core at or ahead of the grade (when looking at them as the older numbered cores with 100 originally being written for 8th grade). It's as if many have been trying to dumb the cores down along with the rest of education in the US. My DC finish the Advanced Readers by about the end of 3rd grade, one will take a little longer, one is way ahead of that schedule.

 

In the end you are the parent. Go to the library, check out some of the books for whatever core you are looking at and go with what fits your family. If you are unsure of content do the unthinkable-look at the public school or K12 literature lists for some of the more rigorous schools. Then ignore all the level advice given on the SL forum, and refrain from listing your DC's ages if you do post in order to maintain your sanity. ;)

[SnMomof7]

Well, I honestly love SL (we use cores, nothing else). Not everything needs to have a lot of questions to answer, or a lot of worksheets to fill out. I actually prefer to have content based subects that DON'T require that sort of regurgitation. For me, it's more important that my children have memories and rich depth, that they are interested in the content they are covering. Sonlight gives us that in spades. It gives us love of learning and high interest levels.

[Mom22ns]

Well, I honestly love SL (we use cores, nothing else). Not everything needs to have a lot of questions to answer, or a lot of worksheets to fill out. I actually prefer to have content based subects that DON'T require that sort of regurgitation. For me, it's more important that my children have memories and rich depth, that they are interested in the content they are covering. Sonlight gives us that in spades. It gives us love of learning and high interest levels.

 

:iagree:

 

Don't panic because a few people don't like SL. There are people on these boards who hate every curriculum. If you look at the lists of things that people love and the things that people hate, you will find most curriculum on BOTH lists. The same things don't work for everyone. SL was great for my advanced readers who love to read. They learned a lot, retained a lot and really enjoyed it. They hate anything workbookish. We are leaving SL for high school, but have loved the years we spent with it!

[iafrmgrl77]

Honestly, SL is going to be what you make of it. We rarely do the discussion questions, as we, like most everyone else, are capable of having a discussion on our own. We almost always have our map and globe out to pinpoint just where the event we are reading about took place. I used to stress that they may not be learning enough, until I started REALLY LISTENING to their conversations with others and realized they know more about world history than most adults! I cannot imagine what their level of knowledge and understanding will be after we've gone around through the same time periods another time or two. Don't fill out the return labels yet. I'd give it a fair shot before making a decision.

[kaymom]

My son will be going into 4th and I was planning on using B+C from Sonlight (bought it used). He's never studied world history before, so I picked a little lower for him for content because I think he'd be way too young for the next move up to get the same content. He's reading on a 6th grade level, so I know the books would be "easy" for him to read but the content absorption and enjoyment is what I am looking for. Is this really going to be an issue if we are using for history only? I have the 4/5 readers too and I think he'll like them, just for the library. I'd love insight as this will be our first year homeschooling.

[Shanaudria]

We have used SL booklists for reading and history for most of the past 4 years. We started with C, went on to D and then E and are now on F. We (my dc and I) have learned so much! Next year, I plan to start B with my 7 year old and do 100 with my 12 and 14 year olds.

 

When we were doing D one of my sons was 8. He did fine just listening in. He is 10 now and going back thru the D and E readers while he listens to me read F books. He will take a break from SL next year because he isn't ready for 100 (which is where I want to put my older ones).

 

Even though I will be having my 7 year old do B, I don't necessarly think a second grader has to do much more than the basics. It will all be gravy to us.