Sonlight vs Ambleside Online

[hsingscrapper]

If anyone has used both of these or used one and really investigated the other,

1. Would you say they are similar in approach

 

or

 

2. Is one better than the other and why?

 

I'm just curious as I've always wondered about using Sonlight but have never seemed to be able to afford it.

 

Can't wait to find out what everyone thinks.

 

Heidi

[FO4UR]

AO is certainly cheaper;)

 

:lurk5:

[Caroline4kids]

I have used both and I can say a few things.

 

AO has many more challenging and well, heavier books. We did AO 1 and 2 and I got very tired of printing off books. It may have been easier with paperbacks, but surely more expensive.

 

I have loved Sonlight's content so much better. In AO we struggled through Trial and Triumph and Shakespeare Tales. Now Sonlight uses CHOW and some AO books, so they are not all horrible, but my kids have enjoyed the Sonlight flow much better. I use CM methods to check on comprehension and avoid the questions that Sonlight provides.

 

Sonlight does cover heavier readings, but in much later cores. I prefer this as AO just about killed my children's interest in reading. Some of the books were wonderful, but we had trouble with some of the spine texts.

 

Sonlight does not have picture study and composer study. We add these things into our Sonlight schedule.

 

Sonlight's language arts seems to be easily adapted to CM too.

 

AO is very easy to try out, and that is a great thing. If you do a few weeks and LOVE it then I would certainly stay there. I used all the books I could print off to try it out. We loved it, for a season.

[sewinglady]

I was seriously considering AO. At first glance SL seemed way out of my price range too. However once I realized how much I hated reading books online, and that I am not organized enough to order and organize AO's books, SL's prices seemed a lot more reasonable.

 

Also, SL is very diverse. The stories are from all over the world. AO seemed very European focused. Of course, I just researched the first 2 years or so.

 

CM is very concerned about reading "twaddle," SL uses some books that could be considered this. It's easy enough to skip these or substitute them.

 

I love Sonlight, and my dd is thriving on it!

[suzf242]

My sil uses SL for her 3 dc and really loves it, so I was seriously considering SL for my dd6. However, when I started comparing the SL booklist with AO, I felt the AO was better quality literature. I was also drawn to the CM philosophy, and I like the way AO is designed to follow CM as closely as possible. We are halfway through AO Year 1, and things are going very well. My dd loves the readings. I bought some of the books and printed some, which is working fine. Again, the cost did not play any part in my decision to go with AO -- it was all content.

 

I hope you find the right choice for your dc.

 

Suzanne.

[Peela]

I have played with SOnlight books and one core over the years, and am presently using AO year 7, but tweaking it and being fairly picky so that I don't lose my kids interest along the way.

I think AO/HEO has better quality books, but some are quite heavy going for the age (which is why everyone always says to do AO a couple of years behind your child's age. Dont know how that works if you are starting from the beginning, or if that defeats the purpose of using such a rigorous program). I think Sonlight is fine and probably very inspiring for lots of kids.

Actually, I went through the WTM suggestions for the Logic stage year my kids are at, recently, and I felt a gush of relief- I feel the literature WTM suggests is probably more along the lines and level of Sonlight- and probably leads to enjoyment. None of teh literature seemed heavy going to me. Wheras AO is definitely challenging. I tend to go for the higher level and then lose my kids- I am learning.

I think it is going to come down to personal taste and preference. Although I am using AO, not Sonlight, I am ditching some books as in particular my kids do not like books that sort of talk to them in an old fashioned way. Also, I realised it was just too many books.

I love homeschooling- you can take the best of anything,, tweak it for your own kids, and no one will tell you off for not doing it properly or correctly.

[MIch elle]

SL schedules too many books to read for my family and WAY too much historical fiction. I like SL 3 yr history cycle (2 yrs world history & 1 yr US history).

 

AO literature is too difficult for the average reader; it's best used several yrs below level or done as read alouds. It schedules the books slowly over time but too slowly for us. I don't like a 5 yr history cycle.

 

I like to use a combo of SL & AO. SL for the history schedule an a few historical fiction selections; AO for read alouds along with some of their history selections ( Our Island Story & This Country of Ours).

 

Good Luck!

 

 

I

[KS_]

We started out with SL and switched to AO. SL just wasn't a good fit for us - I didn't like the science books they used (I really don't like Usborne books, and neither did my dc), I didn't care for SL's language arts, etc. However, we all really like AO, and I agree that it's much easier to try out AO before committing fully to it, unlike SL.

 

I also don't find AO to be as expensive as SL, even with buying the books. I keep the booklist near my computer and watch for sales on the books AO uses, and have gotten a number at Paperbackswap.com. I can't stand reading books off the computer, either, and so I do buy all the books we use.

 

I do think it depends on the individual family as to which would work better for them, but as AO is free, it's easy to check it out and see what you think before you spend the money on SL.

[mims]

Actually, Sonlight has the best return policy. You can use it for half a year and return it for a full refund! And it is not a gimmick. I assume you have to pay postage but I know they really do refund. If you are pondering it go ahead and order and see what you think.

[sewinglady]

I agree with some of the other posts. As much as I love SL, I still refer to AO reading lists. I was a bit too impatient to wait until my dd was 6 to do school. SL has wonderful preK and Kindergarten. AO just has a booklist. She wasn't quite ready for the longer books, SL gently increased her attention span in less than a year. Now I use the AO booklist to supplement SL.

 

I do not use SL's LA or science. I have heard they are changing the science though. I actually love the idea of doing a nature notebook. I am looking forward to starting one this year.

 

I believe you can use many of CM's techniques with SL. I try to keep lessons short. I believe in establishing good habits from the beginning. Sometimes I slip and get lazy (workbooks). But I am learning as I go. I am looking forward to my dd doing copywork and narrating stories. She is almost 6, she loves books, her reading and comprehension is improving every week, and she is has beautiful handwriting.

 

I am in the process of rereading some CM books and TWTM as my dd is nearly ready to take the next step in her education. I however need to refresh my memory and implement all that I've learned about her learning style as we move forward.

 

I hope you find some of this helpful!

[chiguirre]

I've used SL PK 3/4, PK 4/5, K and am currently using SL 1/2. I don't use their IGs, though. I own them and look at them to see the approximate order to read the books in, but the daily schedule drives me crazy.

 

I've also tried AO 1 with my 2nd grader this year. We were using it as our read alouds during dd's TKD class. I love the weekly lists! But the books were a flop with us for the most part. They're just nowhere near as engaging as SL's books. We read through the first 4 weeks and I realized that not even I was enjoying the majority of the reading. We did keep Paddle to the Sea, A Child's Garden of Verses, Pinocchio, the D'Aulaire books, Aesop's fables and Just So Stories, but the rest were eliminated. Instead, we've been reading D'Aulaires Greek Myths, Geraldine McCaughrean's Old Testament Stories, GM's Fairy Tales, and a science story book about the Big Bang. I guess we kept more than we dumped, but it just feels so much lighter :D. If you're comfortable with just a monthly list of books, there's a wonderful list of CM books organized by monthly topics in Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss. I may use the upper elementary recs next year with ds. Another alternative is to use the SL list and just read at your own pace (what I should have done) instead of buying the IG.

 

I hope you find something you like!

[coffeefreak]

We used AO year two from August to December. Now we're using Sonight Core 2 (I started in week 12 because that's where we were in CHOW).

 

Cost:

I bought all the books I needed for the year of AO and it cost me just under $100. It was a GREAT deal.

 

SL Core 2 is around $400 (I borrowed it from a friend)

 

Approach:

While the AO book list and the Sonlight's TG look different, the approach is the same. Sonlight designates what you read to your child and what your child reads on their own. AO gives you the list and you decide what you read together and what you don't. Same with Narration, Dictation, etc. Ambleside has a lot of great info on how to schedule all this, but not specifically with which book etc. Sonlight has more "helps" in scheduling what with what book.

 

Is one better than the other? It depends on what is a pro for you and what is a con.

 

Sonlight moves through history faster/Ambleside takes it's time. For example, we were reading about EVERY SINGLE KING OF ENGLAND in AO:001_huh:. In Sonlight, we are moving at a better pace for us. We like driving through history. AO is like walking through history and stopping to smell the roses:D

 

Sonlight uses advanced books, but they are not as advanced as AO. AO uses GREAT books, but their spines (Our Island Story and This Country of Ours) are really at a High School level. I wanted to challenge my exceptional child, but I didn't mean to give her High School books. Some kids need High School Books. It's up to you.

 

Ambleside has a FABULOUS reading book list!!!! Sonlight does too, but Ambleside has more of the classics. My daughter loves to read so I use the AO booklists to give her more for her free reading time.

 

So, there you have it. We probably qualify in the area of "combining" them, but using Sonlight as the spine. I love both programs and don't feel like I wasted my money at all on the AO books.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[Chloe]

We are trying AO for a 12 week period to see how we like it (just completed week 1). If it's not a good fit we'll probably go to Sonlight in the fall.

 

I'd be interested in hearing more comparisons of the two from those who have used both.

[hsingscrapper]

Would you say the teacher's guides are worth it? I looked at them and almost fell out of my chair!

 

Can they be found used anywhere?

 

I kinda wish AO had something similar as "working" the whole thing seems so overwhelming to me.

 

Heidi

[chiguirre]

There are detailed AO schedules neatly formatted in Xcel here:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_HEO_Schedules/

 

Enjoy!

[at the beach]

We've used both. My girls completed AO Year 1 and AO Year 3 last year. This year, they are doing Sonlight Core 1/2 and Core 5. I love CM. Love AO. I wanted my children to love the books. Alas, they did not love all aspects of AO. Some of the stuff was too heavy. Especially for my youngest. She really did not like OIS or Parables of Nature. My older daughter liked Year 3 but she became interested in Core 5 when we got a catalog, and that was what started all the trouble. ;) Meaning, that was when I began considering hopping to something else. LOL. I also, while looking at the catalog, noticed that in Core 1/2 the readers were things I felt my 9 yo would really enjoy. My child loves the Usborne book even tho' I thought it was blah. Here's what I think:

 

Sonlight fits better for my children's ages. I like the world focus. They enjoy the books, and IMO, they are more engaging for the most part. Sonlight moves faster but the books are way lighter to read so it's not really overwhelming IMO. The poetry and fine arts aspect of AO is superior IMO. We got such pleasure out of AO poetry selections. It was a highlight of our year. We also enjoyed Shakespeare study. Artist study is a great approach with AO. Just choose an artist and have 6 pictures printed and put one at a time on your wall for kids to enjoy for a few weeks. They become familiar with the artist with little effort. I like the AO focus on traditional fairy tales, too, which isn't (as far as I can see) evident in Sonlight from Core 1/2 on up. I love fairy tales and my kids do, too. So, this is something we try to add. Sonlight does not have the amount of classical lit that AO does. I've been looking at the AO years, and for example, when my child does Core 6, I am considering adding in some of the AO selections like Joan of Arc by Twain, for example. I also think Core 6 using SOTW is a bit light for my rising 7th grader, so I am planning to sub with Human Odyssey by Spielvogel. Another AO aspect I like is the use of the KJV Bible. I'm going to try to do this with Sonlight. I really did not like Core 5's Bible program. Too much busywork, so again, with every program, there are good aspects and not so good. Take what works, leave the rest.

 

We really do love a CM approach, but that is doable with Sonlight. Sonlight has a more contemporary feel to it, and I do like the IG even with making a few substitutions. Sonlight's return policy is great, so you are really not risking a thing trying it.

 

We've been satisfied with our choice this year, and I think it was a good move for us to try Sonlight.

 

Best wishes,

Anita

[KS_]

Definitely take a look at the schedules - they're in Word format, too, and, I think, are very helpful in scheduling the readings. I use the ones in Word, and then edit them to add/delete any other books I need to.

[hsingscrapper]

My big thing at the moment is coming up with the cash to try it with.

 

I brought it up to my dh one time and he said it was too expensive even with the refund guarantee.

 

*sigh*

[at the beach]

My big thing at the moment is coming up with the cash to try it with.

 

I brought it up to my dh one time and he said it was too expensive even with the refund guarantee.

 

*sigh*

 

You know, I think it's also possible to do Sonlight on the cheap. You can find used IG pretty cheap. Then, just get your books used or put them on reserve at the library if they aren't going to be used for more than a few weeks. I think that you don't really have to buy the whole package new to get the benefit of Sonlight. The IG, for me, has so much useful info and help that I really feel it's worth having.

 

If you really want to give Sonlight a try, I think it's manageable to put it together used.

 

Best wishes,

Anita

[hsingscrapper]

So what do used IG's usually go for? Not that I can afford them right now but maybe someday.

[Lovedtodeath]

It depends if you get an older one... I have seen them around $15-$35. There is a yahoo group with good deals. It is called recycle sonlight or something like that.

[Annabel Lee]

From what I can tell from my research into SL, where it doesn't follow WTM/CM ideas, it can be very easily tweaked w/o too much effort. They have new ordering rules now so that you don't have to order a whole year's worth of everything for each kid. They've separated out all the peices so you can mix-n-match. That might make it easier to only order whatever you can't find used. In their catalog (order it free or view on their site) there are a few SL groups online where you could probably ask about where to find SL items for cheap.

I just saw this thread at the bottom of the screen, maybe it can be of some help too: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12211

[LadyAberlin]

I bought my guide for core K used along with a few of the books and the rest of the books I got on paperbackswap.com and a few I checked out at the library. We don't have much money either, but you can find some really good deals out there. You just need to watch the swap board on here, at homeschoolreviews.com, and homeschoolclassifieds.com. Also remember that when you are done with it, you can sell it and put that money towards the next yrs core.HTH

[Mom0012]

You know, I think it's also possible to do Sonlight on the cheap. You can find used IG pretty cheap. Then, just get your books used or put them on reserve at the library if they aren't going to be used for more than a few weeks. I think that you don't really have to buy the whole package new to get the benefit of Sonlight. The IG, for me, has so much useful info and help that I really feel it's worth having.

 

 

 

I totally agree with this. I never pay more than $20 for my IG and I pick up many of the books used. I also have a B&N cc and we put everything on there and earn points for gift cards. I think Amazon probably has an even better deal. That is how I pay for my remaining SL books.

 

Lisa

[LadyAberlin]

You can also get a teacher's discount card at Barnes and Noble. You get 20% off your purchases and about 4 times a yr they have teacher's discounts of 25%.