staceyobu Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I'm looking at ordering the P4/5 package for my preschooler next year. The whole curriculum just looks so great to me... I love all the books and how it looks all laid out. Is this a decent starting place for a new homeschooler? The reviews on sonlight look so mixed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 We're on our sixth core now, having used PK through 4. I've always used more classical choices for language arts, and this is the first year I've used their science, but we've always been happy with it. We took detours along the way to try TOG and Galloping the Globe, but Sonlight has worked for us. Carefully read their "Reasons Not to Use" on their website. That outlines all of the objections that people have to it. For me, I've loved the schedule and my children prefer read-alouds to hands-on, but not every family is like ours ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 .Carefully read their "Reasons Not to Use" on their website. That outlines all of the objections that people have to it. :iagree: And if you have no problems with SL after reading the "reasons" then I would say go for it! :D Even though I no longer use their Cores, SL is a great company, and a fine place to start in your homeschooling journey with little ones. If you have hands-on crafty children though you will probably want to add on something for them. Many use lapbooks for that. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 What's a lap book? :blushing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Here's a great page that explains lapbooking: http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking You can find free templates here: http://www.homeschoolshare.com My kids love lapbooking, they are hands-on kids. We add lapbooking and Hands and Hearts kits to Sonlight. Unfortunately, Hands and Hearts is closing, but the Story of the World activity guides have a lot of great projects that you can use in Core 1 and Core 2. There is also a sticky in each forum at the SL boards with ideas for supplemental crafts and activities for the lower cores, so be sure and check out the P4/5 forum. I absolutely love SL, I've tried a lot of curriculums and it's my favorite. The books are great and the customer service is great also. Due to learning styles, I'm using something else for a few years but will be adding in all of the SL books. I plan to buy every core if I can. They're great personal library builders and my kids all love reading and I think a lot of that is due to SL. I think it's great for a new hser, its very low-maintenance, with the schedule and all the books ready to go. My oldest son and I started off with a curriculum that was a disaster and then finally tried SL, due to that fabulous return policy I figured it was worth a shot, and it really turned our hsing around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 We loved P4/5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I think it's a great place to start for a new hser. :) We did SL for 1 year. Now I make up my own stuff, but I still like SL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChildofGrace Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Another SL fan here! I didn't discover SL until after having already used FIAR for the early grades, but if I were just starting out, I think it would be a great choice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I love Sonlight. DD... not so much. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) We love SL here. We've used Pre-K, K, 1 and are currently in Core 2. I had started our homeschool journey with something else and then walked into a homeschool curriculum fair and saw the SL books. They drew me like a magnet. I couldn't believe that I could teach my kids simply by reading lots of great books to them. I have always loved books and I've always loved reading to my kids. They love it too, so SL is a perfect fit for us. I don't use SL Language Arts, but we use everything else and it is the best part of our school day. Lisa ETA: I don't know if you are a "schedule person" or not, but there is/was a yahoo group called SL Preschool where they had made up a schedule for the preschool books. I don't know if SL has one now or not for that level, but they didn't when my kids were using it. I love having a schedule and SL Preschool even had one that added some additional books to beef things up for an older child using that level. Edited February 16, 2009 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lydiasmommy Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 We have done P 3/4. P 4/5, and K. We just started Core 1. We LOVE it!! Cuddling on the couch with a pile of good books for school is priceless. Read the "Reasons not to Use Sonlight" and if none of those are deal-breakers, go for it. They have an EXCELLENT return policy if you don't click with it. Hi Chaik! :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I had looked for years but finally tried it this year and it's our favorite part of the day! It's worth trying with their return policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songbirdie Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 We have homeschooled for 7 years, and have used several different companies. We went with Sonlight this year for the first time and LOVE it. . .we'll be using it for the rest of our homeschooling years. I only wish we'd used it from the beginning. THE ONLY thing it's WEAK in is grammar. We tried their language arts and Grammar Ace from Sonlight for most of the year, but the kids aren't really getting what I believe they need in this area. So we just traded those 2 things for actual grammar workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 We've used cores PreK 4/5 through Core 4 (using that this year) and it's worked great for us! I've used a variety of things for LA and science, not always SL stuff, but I love their cores. (And the Berenstain Bear's Science book in P4/5 is SO cute!). BTW, my kids were still pulling out those P4/5 books to look at when they were 8 & 10. I can't find half my SL books because they are in some kid's room, LOL! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I am using P 4/5 with my Kindergartener, 1+2 with 3rd grader, Core 6 (independently but I did read it ahead of him and we go over it from time to time) with my 7th grader, and my highschooler is using the history portion of Core 100. That's a little nuts. Hoping to combine a couple kids next year. My oldest will be going to community college in the fall. He's almost certainly done with history (which he hates) - except for what I might be able to sneak in :D Darla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Indeed Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 We have really liked most of Sonlights book choices, but we prefer to use My Father's World and plug in the Sonlight books because we wanted something with God's word more throughout the curriculum, not just in the Bible part. Also, some of the books your child needs to be more mature to read content wise, but for pre-k I think you'll be fine. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba2nite Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I'm new to HS and so I do not have a wealth of information to share. What I can say is I really like sonlight and my yahoos appear to as well. I love that it is all there in a box and a binder tells me what to do. It works for my personality and my timelimits. I also like that it fits how I operate and that it is gives us an outline of what to do and how to do it and then in my usual fashion --- I go off and do my own thing -- but the binder outline and books are awesome and that it serves as a cornerstone to what I am teaching my yahoos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 We LOVE, love Sonlight and have used Cores 3,4,5,6,7 and now 100 so far!! I don't like the Language Arts and liked the science up until Apologia in high school---but the reading lists are wonderful! I recommend like a pp said to read the reasons not to like SL, though. If you and your kids really like hands on---you won't it at all in Sonlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I used it one year, then I felt guilty because I read the WTM and felt it wasn't classical enough( no throwing tomatoes please:)). That was back in 2003. Then I used TOG and that felt like what I thought should be, classical and rigorous. It was also really costly, time consuming and I used much less of it that I thought I would. When they decided to go to DE I decided to jump ship even though I really loved TOG. I think I was really worried they would not get the discussions that I had with TOG if I went with SL. I bought SL this year for 2009-10 school year. I have to say I really love it. I love the simplicity, love the schedule, love the books (I still used their selections with TOG) and it will fit with what we want. I am happy I used TOG when I did, but I am really looking forward to SL:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura R (FL) Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I used it one year (spanning two years actually), and really enjoyed it! I think it would be a great starting point. If at some point in the future you decide you don't care for it, you can always try another approach! Definitely read the reasons to use it and reasons not to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensguys Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 We LOVED P4/5!!! After that, we didn't love them so much but it was just us. We will be using Alt7 next year though with my oldest child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I've used P3/4, P4/5, 1, 2 and 7. I love the reading, but am not crazy about LA. My only drawback is there is no written work to go with the history cores. P4/5 is great for read alouds, but it is not a full preschool curriculum (IMO). I am using P4/5 for K, but am adding a lot. (see my siggy). I used P3/4 for prek and added HWT prek and About 3 books from Rod & Staff. It helped round out the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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