I did it. AGAIN. I opened the Sonlight catalog.

CatholicMom · March 25, 2013

It's not my fault they sent it to me for FREE in the mail!!

So I said I would probably never buy Sonlight again. Reasons being, some of the read-alouds were a little too mature for my sensitive kids. Also, I bought 2 cores and have never made it all the way through an IG. I wasn't a fan of the LA either (tried LA 1 and 2). My kids didn't seem to be retaining it and needed more explicit grammar instruction. I also didn't know what some of the terms were in the LA (oh, the shame) so I wished there was a short explanation for us grammar-clueless parents.

BUT...

1) I've heard they've changed the LA somehow (anyone know how?) And besides, i) I don't *have* to use their LA, and ii) I could try supplementing with Wordly Wise and whatever else they offer, or even an Evan-Moor workbook, instead of SL's LA alone.

2) What I do love about Sonlight is the BOOKS. Living books. And lots of em. Yeah, there might be a few that I don't appreciate for whatever reason (usually a heavy death theme that will make my kids bawl), but I really should read them ahead over the summer and that would help solve this problem.

3) My kids hate school. And it makes me sad. And it makes me want to quit. The first semester this year was great because I went with a lot more workbooks so that it would actually get *done* and the kids could be independent (they are 8 & 9). And it worked for a while. They still have gotten a lot more done than they would have with me being, uh, completely burnt out with this whole educating my own kids thing. But I think it's worn out its welcome and now the kids just feel like school is something to 'get done' and they don't enjoy most of it. I even worry that they're not getting a lot out of it because of my lack of involvement and lack of really interesting books. I'm not saying I will totally get rid of workbooks if I use SL but right now I think we need to balance it out.

4) Every now and then my oldest ds say something about "Remember we used to read books like ______ all the time? We never do that anymore." And it's not that we never read books, but I know he's referring to Sonlight. I have actually stuck with SL's leveled Reader Packages all along and it's the only part of the day my ds9 really enjoys.

5) Looking through the SL catalog reminded me that all of our *favorite* books are books that came with previous Cores! I didn't even remember that some of them came in that Sonlight box.

6) Next year will be my 6th year of homeschooling and I wonder (perhaps naively??) if I could finally "get" the IG, finally stick with it, finally make the most of it... especially after this CRAP year of many tears (uh, my tears, not the kids). Maybe I would deal with the flaws better, do what I gotta do, and appreciate the rest.

7) This year was the first school year that our family was Catholic (we converted around last Easter). So that threw my homeschool for a loop and I felt like I had this new worldview to consider. I felt like Sonlight was no longer an option... even though there is a group to help Catholics supplement and substitute Sonlight where necessary. I just felt like I was too new to the faith to even understand their suggestions. A year later, I wonder if I am a little better equipped to tackle this. I know other families who do so successfully.

I have felt torn for a while between making school next year as "easy" and independent as I can so that I have to look at it as little as possible (I will have a new baby and am already totally burnt out)... and biting the bullet and trying to get a lot more involved again, do more reading together, and risk not getting half of it done because interruptions are a lot more frustrating when you're trying to read or work with wiggly kids and they have to wait for you every time you have to get up.

But I'm heavily leaning toward just giving Sonlight a go again, knowing that I may not be able to get half of it done. But at least the half that does get done will be enjoyable and interesting to the kids, and hopefully make them realize that school doesn't have to be drudgery all the time.

Mandy in TN · March 25, 2013

That catalog is evil. lol Come to the dark side. We've got cookies. This kind of evil. Good luck in making your decision. :)

Mandy

elizabeth rose · March 25, 2013

I know, i also used two cores old 1 and 2, and then left for various reasons. I still drool over the catalog though. One day I'll go back I am sure! I say go for it. It's okay to tweak it it's still worthwhile for your family even if you don't follow it to the letter.

Oh I did the same thing for LA used theirs but also used things like ETC and Wordly Wise.

melmichigan · March 25, 2013

I love the title. :lol:

alisoncooks · March 25, 2013

I've been looking at the Sonlight catalog, too. :D

I doubt I'll ever use a Core, but the catalog did put their science on my radar!!

(Also been drooling over MFW's catalog. Our one MFW year was a bust, but they've got some neat new stuff, like a new art print set for 1st grade.)

Paisley Hedgehog · March 25, 2013

.

Heatherwith4 · March 25, 2013

I don't have any real advice, but I just wanted to say that I do the same thing every blasted year. :)

staceyobu · March 25, 2013

Wait... You guys already have catalogs?

journey00 · March 25, 2013

First of all, congratulations and welcome home to Rome! Have you looked at Catholic Heritage Curriculum? It is authentically Catholic & it is very similar to Sonlight. My 9 & 7 year old use it and they love it and I love it because I don't have to worry about filtering through it for something that's not quite in line with the Catholic Faith..I don't have time to be doing that! It is very gentle, some say it is too "light" but it really isn't. My kids have learned a lot & I don't risk burnout...believe me, I have been there & I have only been doing this 2 1/2 years. I am a member of the Yahoo group Catholic Sonlight, but honestly, I don't have the time to look up the old files of what to filter out..I work full-time & I just don't have the time.There are two catalogs that I keep and look through all the time, yep you guessed it: Sonlight & CHC! CHC's catalog is so beautiful...it is like eye candy! LOVE IT! They are super nice & will answer any questions. Their online catalog is exactly the same, I have a paper one that I love to curl up with. Lol!

Good luck! :)

alisoncooks · March 25, 2013

Wait... You guys already have catalogs?

Sonlight and MFW came at the end of last week for me..

KeriJ · March 25, 2013

Or you could just read through books from their lists......that's kind of what we do. No stress, no IG.....just reading. :)

Chava_Raizel · March 25, 2013

Throw it away! Do not give in to temptation!

Seriously, I used to do the same thing - I tried to use Sonlight, but it just didn't work for us. I had to tweak it to death and in the end I wasn't even using the IG at all and I had dropped at least a quarter of the books. Then I would resign myself to using something else, we'd be chugging happily along and then I'd get a new SL catalog in the mail. Maybe we should try THIS core - then I'll have the picture perfect homeschool just like all those happy families in the catalog! Surely things will be different this year? NO. Still the same program, still needing to be tweaked to death to suit my family.

I have done this enough times to know that I'll never use their curriculum again, and I'm ok with that.

boscopup · March 25, 2013

Well, I'll put a plug in for the US History cores... great books, interesting topics. I won't be staying with Sonlight long term, but those two cores are awesome.

(I'm using 2004 Core D, so I don't have those new providential books... I would have skipped those, but they're on day 5 only)

happyhomemaker · March 25, 2013

I'm stealing a lot of the reading suggestions for core E for next year. Why can't you just read the books if you don't like the IG? I'm meshing SL, VP, and WTM suggestions. The best of all worlds!

momto2blessings · March 25, 2013

I used to use SL, but just couldn't keep up with the guide...and wanted to do things more Charlotte Mason style. You could just order the books and have the kids narrate to you (Charlotte Mason style would be orally until around age 10, then one written a week, gradually adding more written as they age). For Language Arts at that age I love Writing Tales for writing and grammar....pretty fun, classical, and my kids were pretty independent with it. And we use Spelling Wisdom (from Simply Charlotte Mason) for dicatation exercises. We also use Wordly Wise for Voc. Just what I'd do:) Blessings, Gina

mathnerd · March 25, 2013

Or you could just read through books from their lists......that's kind of what we do. No stress, no IG.....just reading. :)

This is what we do as well!

freeindeed · March 25, 2013

I agree with just reading the books on their booklists that appeal to your family. We tried SL back in 2009 and dropped it halfway through the year. Then we actually did a complete year last year with Core D+E, which was great overall, but we didn't get to every book. SL is just way too much reading for my kids. We started with Core F(5) for dd12 at the beginning of this school year, and we dropped it halfway through. It's an older version and the have since revamped it, but it was entirely too much reading of too many books each day-at least for us. Dd12 was not retaining much b/c she felt totally overwhelmed. I switched her to Oak Meadow and she's doing great now. SL definitely has some wonderful literature selections, but I think you'll do better by picking and choosing books as opposed to purchasing an actual core.

MinivanMom · March 25, 2013

I bought both the IG's for Core D & E right before they came out with the revised ones last year. We are finishing Core D right now and then we're all set for Core E in the fall. . . . so . . . I shouldn't need to even open the catalog . . . right? Oh, no. I open it up and now I'm going crazy over the idea that there is a revised edition of Landmark History of the American People that may be better than the old version we have now. I want to switch midway through the D & E sequence. I also want the Smithsonian Children's Encyclopedia of American History that they are using to replace The Story of the USA bks. It makes no sense to switch halfway through, but the new books are so new . . . and shiny . . . with beautiful photographs. I need someone to tell me not to do it. It makes no sense to buy the new books to use with just Core E in the fall when I already have perfectly good books to use. My husband just shrugged and said that if they were better books to go ahead and buy them. I need someone to tell me no!

I love the Sonlight catalog. I love the image of the happy Sonlight family cuddled up on the couch with a good book. I want to be the Sonlight family, but without all of Sarita's crazy evangelical junk. I feel sad that next year will be our last Sonlight year, but we are not evangelical so we would never use Core 5. It will be time to move in another direction and just use the booklists. With as much tweaking as I've done over the years, I probably should have always been just using the booklists. I can't help it. I love the Sonlight catalog.

MerryAtHope · March 25, 2013

LOL, that shiny new catalog is so enticing!

I've used SL for years but I adapt a lot for us. Referring to your #'s below...

1--I don't use the LA at all. (I have a couple of times--it's just never "fit" quite right). I use our own. I may look at the writing prompts from time to time & use one or two per year...

2-5--the books, yes,wonderful! Another way to get around tough books is to ask on the SL forums for a heads up on controversial or emotional issues that come up--ones to make sure to pre-read in case you can't get to all of them. This can save you some time. You could also consider a slightly lower core in some cases.

6--my secret? I don't try to stick with the IG. Seriously. The daily schedule...it's usually just too full for us. Instead, I follow the one-page guide at the front that lists the books in order of introduction, and we read the books in order. For history books, I do check the daily guides to see what the pace is for reading it, or to see if we read part of this & then part of that etc... If Sonlight schedules it out of order, I may or may not do what SL scheduled, depends on whether it makes sense to me. Seeing the pacing helps me stay roughly on track, but I don't worry if I get a bit ahead or behind either. This allows us to just enjoy the books.

I keep my own binder, and unless I think it's necessary to follow their schedule, I just write in what we actually did that day. (If I want to follow how they scheduled, then I write it in ahead of time so I can easily see at a glance, looking at just one page--not having to flip through many pages).

Independence--make other things more independent instead if possible. SL covers the topics where it's easiest to pass on our values--so it may not be the place you really want to go independent, you know?

HTH some as you decide what's best for your kids! Merry :-)

Sahamamama · March 25, 2013

If you like the books, then just buy the books (from Amazon or Rainbow Resource). ;)

Kathryn · March 25, 2013

Yeah, I'm just using it as a book list now. We still enjoy read-aloud time, just not following a Sonlight IG.

Sahamamama · March 25, 2013

1) I don't *have* to use their LA, and ii) I could try supplementing with Wordly Wise and whatever else they offer, or even an Evan-Moor workbook, instead of SL's LA alone.

We've never used SL here (at all), but we do like some of Evan-Moor's products. Why not piece together your own "English Package?" Choose one product for Spelling, one for Penmanship, one for Grammar, one for Composition, and one for Vocabulary. So, for example, you could have AAS (spelling), Zaner-Bloser Cursive (penmanship), FLL (grammar), WWE (composition), and a Vocabu-Lit (vocabulary). Next, you need some good books for Readers and Read Alouds. SL's lists could come into play here, but there are plenty of good lists to choose from. If you want to study literature analytically, add in 2-3 literature study guides from Memoria Press or Progeny Press, and you're all set for English (LA).

2) What I do love about Sonlight is the BOOKS. Living books. And lots of em. Yeah, there might be a few that I don't appreciate for whatever reason (usually a heavy death theme that will make my kids bawl), but I really should read them ahead over the summer and that would help solve this problem.

Shorter and easier -- Make up your list of possible Readers and Read Alouds, then post it here. Ask for feedback, mention the sensitivities, and see what people say. Or skim the books.

3) My kids hate school. And it makes me sad. And it makes me want to quit. :grouphug:

4) Every now and then my oldest ds say something about "Remember we used to read books like ______ all the time? We never do that anymore." And it's not that we never read books, but I know he's referring to Sonlight. I have actually stuck with SL's leveled Reader Packages all along and it's the only part of the day my ds9 really enjoys.

5) Looking through the SL catalog reminded me that all of our *favorite* books are books that came with previous Cores! I didn't even remember that some of them came in that Sonlight box.

6) Next year will be my 6th year of homeschooling and I wonder (perhaps naively??) if I could finally "get" the IG, finally stick with it, finally make the most of it.

FWIW, that's why I've never purchased a package or IG. Never. I doubt that I'd stick with another person's plan for three weeks straight. ;) I do plan. I make nice plans, all in a lovely grid. They are beautiful and helpful, but they are mine. They are never realistic. They are always edited. :) See? We can get it "all" done "on time," we just might have to adjust a few expectations as to what "all" and "on time" mean.

7) This year was the first school year that our family was Catholic (we converted around last Easter). So that threw my homeschool for a loop and I felt like I had this new worldview to consider. I felt like Sonlight was no longer an option... even though there is a group to help Catholics supplement and substitute Sonlight where necessary. I just felt like I was too new to the faith to even understand their suggestions. A year later, I wonder if I am a little better equipped to tackle this. I know other families who do so successfully.

I have felt torn for a while between making school next year as "easy" and independent as I can so that I have to look at it as little as possible (I will have a new baby and am already totally burnt out)... and biting the bullet and trying to get a lot more involved again, do more reading together, and risk not getting half of it done because interruptions are a lot more frustrating when you're trying to read or work with wiggly kids and they have to wait for you every time you have to get up.

As burned out as you are, resist the temptation to disengage from your children. They are too young to be cast adrift with a pile of workbooks. Engage them when and where you can. Perhaps math can move along with a main program and some supplemental workbooks. Kumon is good for this. Decide where you can develop independent habits, and where too much "independence" would leave them (and you) feeling lonely and disconnected. I think that most students 3rd and up can do these things fairly independently: Practice an instrument, review vocabulary (cards, CDs), math fact practice, math practice following the lesson, review spelling words, assigned independent reading (A.I.R.), chores, and some self-care. Decide, too, where you will invest yourself. If the SL catalog is drawing you in, what is your heart longing for, that SL seemed to once provide? Will buying SL bring that back again?

But I'm heavily leaning toward just giving Sonlight a go again, knowing that I may not be able to get half of it done. But at least the half that does get done will be enjoyable and interesting to the kids, and hopefully make them realize that school doesn't have to be drudgery all the time.

Why not just get the package (or just the books) and take a year and half to do it? Who says it has to be wrapped up in a school year? Wow, we almost always take 15 months to get through what I plan to do in a "year." LOL. I could care less.

Getting the books is great, because it builds up your own home library. My kids like to browse. :)

Don't beat yourself up so much. There is nothing more defeating than self-reproof.

happyhappyjoyjoy · March 25, 2013

I just wanted to throw out the suggestion of looking into MODG. I never used it until this year for my 3rd grader. I felt that the 3rd grade year had a lot of similarities to Sonlight living history. We've loved 3rd grade so much, I decided to just jump on the bandwagon and enroll with MODG next fall.

CatholicMom · March 25, 2013

Some good points. To all who said just get the books and forget the IG, I definitely thought of that, too. I told dh that I was thinking of getting the whole Core with IG but am ready and willing to ditch the schedule if I find it's too much or whatever. I could still use some of the notes or general schedules as well. But, definitely, the books is the big thing that entices me.

One thing that I also feel has changed about how Sonlight would work for us is that Core D is the first one where the Readers correspond with the Read-Alouds and history texts. I think that's super cool and what I couldn't wait to get to all along. Plus, the American History core is THE core that I was eyeballing way back when my oldest was 5 and it was way too old for him. So I'm extra-tempted because this is the core that I thought looked especially interesting to ME (which does help how the kids perceive school).

I just wanted to throw out the suggestion of looking into MODG. I never used it until this year for my 3rd grader. I felt that the 3rd grade year had a lot of similarities to Sonlight living history. We've loved 3rd grade so much, I decided to just jump on the bandwagon and enroll with MODG next fall.

Why oh why did you have to give me a new option to look into? ;o) I have given it a skim before but I don't find their website to be super reader-friendly. I have never heard it compared to Sonlight, though, so that is interesting. I just looked at their booklists and wish they had all the blurbs and pics of the books like Sonlight does (they are marketing geniuses, I tell you). I find that very helpful. But, their program could still be comparable. Do you know where I can see what the Syallabus or Teacher Guides look like? I see the syllabi are sold on Emmanuel Books but there are no samples.

Instead, I follow the one-page guide at the front that lists the books in order of introduction, and we read the books in order.

Merry, this is a great idea! So do you read the books one at a time then? I do remember that was one thing I had a hard time with... reading 4 books simultaneously every day. That's why I eventually ditched the IG and just read the books. I didn't use the notes or anything though so I wonder if it would have made more sense to me if I got into the IG a bit more and used what they had to offer (notes, discussion questions, etc).

First of all, congratulations and welcome home to Rome! Have you looked at Catholic Heritage Curriculum? It is authentically Catholic & it is very similar to Sonlight. My 9 & 7 year old use it and they love it and I love it because I don't have to worry about filtering through it for something that's not quite in line with the Catholic Faith..I don't have time to be doing that! It is very gentle, some say it is too "light" but it really isn't. My kids have learned a lot & I don't risk burnout...believe me, I have been there & I have only been doing this 2 1/2 years. I am a member of the Yahoo group Catholic Sonlight, but honestly, I don't have the time to look up the old files of what to filter out..I work full-time & I just don't have the time.There are two catalogs that I keep and look through all the time, yep you guessed it: Sonlight & CHC! CHC's catalog is so beautiful...it is like eye candy! LOVE IT! They are super nice & will answer any questions. Their online catalog is exactly the same, I have a paper one that I love to curl up with. Lol!

Good luck! :)

Thanks! I have looked at CHC before and seriously considered it. My dd6 is using the Little Reader for Little Folks right now and we both like that. But I don't see as many of the living books (I might possibly be not looking in the right spot), and it seems CHC uses a lot more workbooks or fill-in-the-blank texts. Which I think are great for some kids, but I know my ds9 really wants to get away from workbooks.

boscopup · March 26, 2013

I bought both the IG's for Core D & E right before they came out with the revised ones last year. We are finishing Core D right now and then we're all set for Core E in the fall. . . . so . . . I shouldn't need to even open the catalog . . . right? Oh, no. I open it up and now I'm going crazy over the idea that there is a revised edition of Landmark History of the American People that may be better than the old version we have now. I want to switch midway through the D & E sequence. I also want the Smithsonian Children's Encyclopedia of American History that they are using to replace The Story of the USA bks. It makes no sense to switch halfway through, but the new books are so new . . . and shiny . . . with beautiful photographs. I need someone to tell me not to do it. It makes no sense to buy the new books to use with just Core E in the fall when I already have perfectly good books to use.

Good news! Core E hasn't been changed yet. It won't use the new books until NEXT year. They only changed Core D this year.

(though I too would love to replace the Story of the USA books... After using Landmark, which we LOVE as is, those other books are wimpy)

journey00 · March 26, 2013

Thanks! I have looked at CHC before and seriously considered it. My dd6 is using the Little Reader for Little Folks right now and we both like that. But I don't see as many of the living books (I might possibly be not looking in the right spot), and it seems CHC uses a lot more workbooks or fill-in-the-blank texts. Which I think are great for some kids, but I know my ds9 really wants to get away from workbooks.

There's workbooks in CHC? Lol! I know there is and sometimes we do them. We read their books and discuss. Someone suggested to just read the Sonlight books without any pressure. I agree! The difference with CHC is it is Catholic & it is nice to hear about the Saints, rosaries, Priests, etc.