Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum

by Maria
(Manassas, VA)

Product: Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum
Subject: History, Geography, Science, Language Arts
Levels Used: Kindergarden, Core 1, Core 3
Dates Used: August 2008-present

Likes: I have been using Sonlight for 2 years and can honestly say that I love it! When we started homeschooling I had the ambitious agenda of tailoring everything to my children’s learning styles and needs... the result is I crashed and burned. The individual needs were too wide for me to choose my entire curriculum in a tailored fashion and it led to a planning nightmare. In the end I realized that the curriculum had to also work for me.

Sonlight homeschool curriculum works for us for many reasons. At the top of the list is its ease of use. Having the year planned out is a HUGE blessing and frees up time to plan in other areas. I love that Sonlight provides questions for their readers, history and geography. It prompts great dialogue and interaction and unites us in a special way as we learn together. I love that they offer both large and small maps where we can explore geography and places where actual events occurred. I especially enjoy that I can combine a couple of children and we can learn common material together. Some other benefits are Sonlight provides excellent customer support and provides reliable, quality literature.

Dislikes: Okay.... so with anything there's always a down side right? I have two downsides, neither of which would deter me from sticking with Sonlight homeschool curriculum.

First, because you're using real books there is often a time gap between the books you are reading and it may appear a bit "choppy." I've only had experience with the K, Core 1, and Core 3 programs so this may be better addressed in some of the older grades. I also would not recommend their Language Arts unless it's a supplement to a more rigorous Phonics program for the younger grades.

So there it is, I love using Sonlight and its ease of use and how it brings our family together, and if those are part of your goals you would love it too.