I was hoping to put this post off a bit longer, but the emails were coming hard and fast and I knew it was time to address it.
But, I will be perfectly honest with you…I am nervous to talk about this.
I am writing this post to hopefully explain why our family is no longer doing Sonlight.
You see, I thought I had made a good decision. I wrote several posts on the matter…several posts that top Google searches for the keyword “Sonlight.” I affected people’s lives.
And now I must come back and say we have changed our minds.
Humility hurts.
What I said in my Six Weeks of Sonlight posts is still true. The curriculum has many pros and many fans, and the things that worked about Sonlight for our family REALLY worked. But the cons that I spoke of here began to outweigh the pros. Prayerfully, Ty and I sought a new direction.
Because so many of you have asked, here is a partial list of the reasons why we feel led to change our course:
*We were only using Sonlight for History. It is a hefty price to pay for a History curriculum alone.
*We do not agree with many of the books (non-fiction and fiction both) theologically and/or based on our worldview. You’ll remember, I thought I could handle this with a lot of dialoguing; however, Ty and I became quite convicted that those sorts of things ought not to be even introduced into our children’s minds except through the worldview lens we espouse.
*Sonlight’s Christian educational philosophy is different from ours. They want to steep the child in understanding of other cultures and religions and then teach them to judge rightly. We want to steep our children in the Bible and knowledge and wisdom of God and then teach them about other cultures and religions from that perspective.
Now here’s my caveat…
Just because we are changing course does not mean I think everyone using Sonlight should quit. I listened in on a webinar last year in which Sarita, the author of Sonlight, spoke from the heart with such grace and God-filled words, I have no doubt she is a believer and wrote the curriculum with only the best intentions. However, because of our family’s desire to glean knowledge rooted and grounded in the Word of God from start to finish, we are required to take a different path.
As the Lord leads us in our new curriculum choices, I will share them here; not in the hopes that you will follow me, but with the desire that you would also focus your homeschool on Him…no matter what path you take.
Amanda says
I found this site while searching for a sound, and free, curriculum for my Sunday school class. It is set up for advising which books to use for history and science – weaving them nicely into the solid Bible lessons given. They have many lapbooks which I have found to be wonderful – especially for the more artistic kids.
http://heartofwisdom.com/homeschool/
for a quick look at the first month’s lesson topics
http://heartofwisdom.com/imageslp/week1.4.pdf
Clara says
I am very interested to see what you choose to do next! Honestly, while I have heard of a lot of good things about Sonlight, when I’ve done some looking into it, I’ve found that it does seem to take in too wide of a world view for my liking – exactly what you have spoken of in this post. While we believe our children need to be aware of the way the world views things, they firstly need to be founded on the Rock so that when the storms come, they know how to stand strong. Praying you find exactly what you’re looking for, and looking forward to hearing about it when you do! 🙂
Gae says
Dear Amy,
Each family must choose for themselves and we are all accountable for our own choices. There for you must follow God’s leading for your family and sometimes this changes.
You are not accountable to anyone else.
God Bless you in your families direction
Blessings
Gae
Jennifer Sikora says
Like you, we decided not to continue with Sonlight for our next school year as well. Ours was because it was just too intense on the reading aspect for my kids so we are moving in a different direction as well.
Amanda says
I completely understand how you feel about “going back on your word”, we have been struggling with this at our church. We recently changed churches because we wanted “more” for our children. So we changed to a “bigger/better” church, and now we are moving on once again because we have been convicted to attending a family integrated church. I don’t believe that means we’re bad or leading people wrong, I honestly believe that’s how we grow in our faith. So I pray for you to easily find the new curriculum for your family!!!
Ginny says
We tried Sonlight, and we stopped using it for the same reasons you mention. It is a wonderful program, but it just wasn’t the best choice for our family. We have now been using My Father’s World for 3 years and it is such a blessing to our family. I hope you find a program that works best for your family!
Amy says
As a chapter leader for our state homeschool support group, I always tell families to follow the Lord’s desire for THEIR family and avoid giving into “peer” pressure regarding activities/curriculum. Congratulations for doing just that! I began using Sonlight this year for our 9th grader and it’s working very well for her; we’ll continue through 12th. Then again, she was already very Biblically grounded from previous curriculum choices and good preaching. I understand/share your concerns, though, where younger, spiritually maturing kids are concerned. Conitnue to follow the Lord’s path for your family and you won’t go wrong, regardless of curriculum.
Amy B. says
We used Sonlight for one year also and found some things I really loved. However, for the same reasons you have listed we also have changed course. I found the Maxwell’s book on Curriculum choices to be very helpful. I add in my own choices for read-alouds. It has been working so well for my children. They love their text books and enjoy working independently.Thank you for your blog, it has encouraged me so often! Amy B.
Cindy says
Amy –
What book of the Maxwells were you using to help you with curriculum choices? I have been praying over our curriculum, too. I had chosen a program similar to Sonlight in that it is literature heavy. I am also finding that many of the choices are NOT appropriate for our family.
Thank you so much for your transparency as you make and Ty make decisions for your family. I think so much of our homeschooling has been trial and error, what works for some doesn’t usually work well for us, but most importantly our Homeschool needs to be pleasing to Jesus.
A says
You said that so well. So nice to meet other families who are guarding the hearts, minds and eyes of their children as we do. I am not a fan of showing war and death to my elementary aged kids or having them read about advanced topics and yet a lot of Christian curriculum is. I have stuck to social studies and cultural studies thus far. I am now looking into geography. It is a lot of time and effort for those of us who feel this way, to filter all of our children’s reading, but I do believe it is pleasing to Jesus. And I will do everything I can to preserve their innocence and the tenderness of their hearts for as long as I can.
God Bless You.
sue v. says
i have also used sonlight for 4 years now….i have heard the concerns you pointed out before and have understood why/how people feel that way. i am interested in knowing which direction the Lord leads your family…every year we re-evaluate our choices~i just have not found anything i “over-all” like better. I was interested, though, i see you plug the midwest conventions at the bottom of your posts…have you been keeping up with the situation with Ken Ham and the Cincinnati convention? I was interested to know your take on that. If you are unaware of the situation, email me and i can get you some links with some info.
thanks, and God Bless.
Sue
Teresa says
I would be interested in the info please as in the past my husband has been a big supporter of his. Please email me info @ tschilling@centurytel.net
Teresa says
I goggled this and was unable to find the actual unkind words he used. What I did find on his facebook page I found as him simply stating facts to what people should be aware of. Maybe I am missing something. Mr Ham stated he does not share the same view and a short example from the Bible why.
I guess I don’t see why pointing out errors in someones teaching is wrong if done in a right way. I appreciate knowing about possible leading astray as I see he was reporting in what I was able to find. But like I said I could not find any of the actual words used so I don’t know just how tactful or not they where said.
Lisa Grace says
I am currently looking at Tapestry of Grace — have you checked it out? It’s an affordable option for our family and you only buy it 4 years and then it grows with you. But what about soundness of teaching? I’d be interested. I looked at Sonlight and passed it over already and am still searching. If you have any insight, I’d love it!
Amy says
Lisa,
We used TOG for 2 years back when it was the old version. It is sound, however, it does teach mythology fairly heavily (although they do suggest other books if you do not want to dig that far into myths) and it does use the same text we discarded. Our reason for stopping was because it became too much for me to follow as my family was rapidly expanding. I hear the redesign is better, but I did not look into it further.
Millie says
When we looked at Sonlight a while ago, the “worldview issues†is why we didn’t choose it, and I’m glad we went in another direction. There are SO many curriculums to choose from. Secretly, I reminisce about how wonderful it would have been to be some of the first to home-educate our children because there weren’t as many choices to choose from with regards to curriculum! 🙂
The way we home-educate has also changes, depending on our season of life. We were doing a lot of Abeka, now we are using different curriculum.
· Teaching Textbooks for math (Can’t say enough how wonderful this program is, very thankful for TT),
· Geography we are learning as a group with Beautiful Feet.
· Science is group learning as well with Zoology 1 from Apologia.
· History: We are still using Abeka for grade level history independent reading, however, it’s changed a little, now most of their history is reading biblically accurate historic bios and events and missionary stories.
· Government we use The Mighty Works Of God Self Government. (Our children/ family loves history and politics/ government so this is every day discussion.
· Language: We are considering starting a “Beechick†approach to language, using scripture for learning parts of speech and diagramming instead of Abeka.
· Handwriting/Copy work: We are also starting to only use scripture for copy work and handwriting. We had been using A Reason for Handwriting
I can’t wait to see the direction in which the Lord leads your family!
Amy says
Because I am new to homeschooling, I don’t know anything about Sonlight. I spoke with a woman on Saturday that briefly talked about it.
This is one of the things that stresses me out….finding a curriculum.
Amy says
Amy, I think curriculum stresses everyone out no matter how long they have been homeschooling. You do the best you can, knowing there isn’t anything perfect out there, and forgive yourself a million times over for the “mistakes” you make along the way!
Grateful for Grace says
After using SL for 7 years, we felt called away too. The problem is now I haven’t found anything with that wonderful IG that I like as much or solves the issues we had. I have heard this more than once, so clearly there is a market. Wish I had time to make one. How about you do it? 😉
Amy says
I hear ya!
Char G. says
Does this mean you’re working on one??
Amy says
Working on my own…not sure it’s something I want to go any further than that! 😉
Meg Logan says
When I started looking into homeschool curriculum about four years ago, I also ruled out Sonlight for the same reason: world view and teaching philosophy.
Look into Tapestry of Grace for your history, art, lit, and church history. That is the curriculum I ultimate went with, and I doubt I will ever change it. It’s wonderful for a large family as it unifies us all in the same part of history.
You don’t have to read every book to be sure its “safe”, she has warnings about even the smallest of issues, like curse words so you can black it out, skip it, or discuss it however you choose.
The curriculum’s first year starts with a bible survey, and all of history is taught from a conservative protestant (fundamentally sound doctrine, reformed in theology), and all of the next year’s teach church history, and teach world history from a Christian worldview. You can pick and choose how much foreign culture you want to introduce and when. They do have options for it even in the lower grades, but you can skip it just as easily.
I really like how it makes homeschooling a large family easier. I hope you’ll look into it, it might suit your needs.
oh yeah, and you only buy it four times, and then you own the whole thing so it’s free! lol
Meg Logan
Amy says
Meg,
I used to use TOG when it was the classic version. I’d love to hear more about the Redesign b/c the classic eventually overwhelmed me with all my little ones.
Meg Logan says
Amy, What was it that made it so overwhelming for you?
I have the Digital Edition, (which is the revised edition) and don’t find it too complicated to plan for three kids. All of my kids are in Grammar (really two of them are so little that they don’t even need to be “in” school.) But still.
I think especially in the early years the planning is very easy. Since you don’t even have to read the Teacher’s Notes, just the Glance Ahead, to see any warnings.
I pick and choose from the available options, when I buy the year plan before the school year I look through the books they recommend, and see what is available at my library. I use their website “Bookshelf Central” to search by year plan and level, and to find which resources are so vital that they are used for multiple weeks and levels and sometimes over the course of more than one year. Those are the books I consider purchasing.
Then month by month or week by week, I pick out the books we will read, and order them from the library. I pick out projects, or not, etc and write them down in the master schedule I have; a Teacher’s Binder, sort of thing.
The total planning time during the year equals about an hour every couple weeks, and that includes my supplements like math and science. When I FIRST started the planning time was much longer, but using hte DE has made things much faster, and also I have gotten a rhythm down, so that it takes less time. I do think the learning curve was rather steep, took me months to be able to cut back and I’d say a year to really have a grasp on how to do it.
If you give me an idea of what was overwhelming I am sure I can give you some more ideas on what we did/do to make it work. (I think I ought to be a Tapestry Spokesperson, I love the curr. THAT much! lol)
Meg
Amy says
The classic edition was heavy with notes and reading for mom and hard to dig through. I just didn’t have the time once my pregnancies started coming back to back. For a time there I just did workbooks until I could get myself back on track. I’ll look into it again, though. 🙂
Meg Logan says
Amy, It still has tons of notes, and Teacher reading. BUT here’s the thing… its OPTIONAL. When the kids are in the higher levels you will want to do more of the reading of the teacher’s notes so that you can have more discussions with your kids, and will know if they are answering your questions right.
So, maybe it won’t work as well for you. I know that when I am pregnant and sick for months on end, I do much less prep for the kids, and I do wonder how I’ll be able to plan and discuss all the time if I am sick when I have a high schooler, but, I imagine the Lord will show me some way.
Hope you find what you need, and where the Lord is leading you.
Amy says
Meg,
Does TOG have warnings on all the books? And do you find that your day goes smoothly “enough” when you are pregnant? I am intrigued. 😉
Jimmie says
Interesting. I was a SL user for K-2. Then switched (not for the same reasons you mention). Now I’m considering it again for higher levels, maybe high school. I’m just waiting on my catalog so I can decide (well, begin the deciding process).
Thanks for your balanced view of SL curriculum. It’s good to have this perspective, articulately expressed, out there for people to find.
Stef Layton says
GREAT post Amy – we kicked off our homeschool journey 3 years ago with Sonlight and decided to stop using it after the 1st year ( exact same reasons – more than 1 – you mentioned above). I thought I could also teach with the secular books but it was hard explaining to a 6yr old on the heels of a bible lesson.
I think you wrote this post beautifully.
Stef
Georgette says
Hi Amy!
I use http://www.heartofdakota.com My children have thrived on this bible based curricula. It uses wonderful living books & there are MANY former SL users who felt the same way as you do. Check it out. You will love that it is written with a biblical world view & is great to combine children.
Bless you & thank you for your honest heart! I really enjoy your blog. 🙂
Georgette
Amy says
Thanks for the information! I’ve heard of it before, but hadn’t looked into much.
mama4x says
Goodness sakes, by the weight of your first sentences I was scared you were quitting homeschool or something. Forgive my tone, but changing curriculums is not such an agonizing big deal. I am proud that you are concerned for your reputation and your word, but as all these ladies above me have said, it’s your choice, and families go through seasons where something that has worked doesn’t work any longer. You explained your reasons very well, and are respectful to SL and those who like it, so don’t stress about it any more!
Natasha Miller says
I looked for the perfect curriculum for a long time. However, I found what was good for one child didn’t always work for another. For the past three years I have been very happily settled into My Father’s World. Here is their website: http://www.mfwbooks.com. It fits our family which made it what works for now. The core curriculum for history, science, and Bible is all taught together for the family for children from 2nd through 8th grade. There is great flexibility for choosing how one wants to teach math, spelling, and english. They also have some excellent recommendations for those subjects. The fabulous part of this curriculum is that everything is taught through a Biblical perspective. So this year as we study Ancient History–we are fitting all events in history into the Biblical timeline. I’ve met the founders of this curriculum personally. Fantastic Christian people. I believe they will be at the Homeschool convention in Wichita the beginning of June.
Amy says
I know a lot of people who use MFW! (and they are great folks…I have a friend who works for them 🙂 )
Meg says
@Natasha –
I was just looking thru MFW catalog… I’m pretty impressed so far, particularly because I like the way they weave different age groups/levels in. I’m also glad they use the Mason method as the base for all the curriculum, not to mention I think they do a great job of keeping things age-appropriate as well.
Danielle says
My husband and I have just settled on MFW for starting homeschool this fall! I was going to piece the curriculum together myself for kindergarten, but I know deep down I’d be stretching myself too thin with three little ones (the oldest starting homeschool this fall.) I love how God is the center of everything they teach, their point of view.
Kacie says
Thanks for the follow-up! I think it’s always great to hear pros and cons so parents can have a better understanding of what’s out there.
Valerie says
Thanks so much for a thought provoking post. My oldest is 4, so I’ve got some time, but I’m still looking into curriculum choices and praying about them, because there is SO much available and I want what’s best for my family. I’ll probably change my mind about what that is, and it’s nice to know I won’t be alone when that happens! Thanks!
Angela @ Homegrown Mom says
I would be interested to hear if anyone has these issues with the older grades in SL?
Angela @ Homegrown Mom says
Also, Amy, if you don’t mind. Could you maybe give an example of 1 or 2 specific books that you had a problem with?
Amy says
We have used 3+4 and 5. Next year, we would have been moving to Core 6. The spine for that year is Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. That is the book I got rid of years ago because it did not hold to our worldview. I spent so much time crossing things out and adding things in, I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. So, having that as the main book for next year bothered me. We did Core 5 this year and there was a lot of focus on eastern religions, but it was often shown through living books that did not refute the beliefs, but made them seem viable. Yes, you can have discussions all along the way, but what I found with my children was confusion. They would read one thing, knowing it wasn’t right, but wondering why it was made too seem right in the book. I have explained over and over again, but I was seeing my older children, especially the older ones, quite bothered by the conflict and wondering why they were being made to read such things.
Kristen says
Amy, We are currently working our way through Story of the World…our family has had a lot going on with a new baby and other things, so we haven’t gotten too deep into the first book yet. What are some of the things that you found don’t agree with your worldview? My children are pretty young– 9, 7, 3, and a new baby. We’re still figuring out this whole curriculum thing. Thanks!!
Amy says
Kristen, it has been a very long time since we used SOTW, but right off the bat, her opening of the book does not begin with creation, but rather caveman-ish people. All throughout the series, she neglects to bring in Christianity. She leaves out the fact that Lief Erickson was a Christian. She puts Islam and Christianity on equal footing. So much was missing from the series and I wanted something with more substance. Just not what I had expected from a Christian text.
Lisa says
We use and LOVE Heart of Dakota, but if that doesn’t look like it will suit your needs, another one to check out would be the History Revealed Curriculum from Answers In Genesis. I beleive it’s family based history learning.
Here’s the link:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/catalog/History-Revealed,381.aspx
Jess says
We have recently started on our homeschooling journey and I appreciate hearing honest and heartfelt opinions about curriculums. Blessings to you and I’d love to hear what is working for your children!
Jess
Rachel says
Excellent post, Amy.
We tried Sonlight years ago and felt pulled away for similar reasons. Even though I’ve homeschooled for over ten years I can’t say I’ve ever found the “perfect” fit. Is there such a thing?
I do use My Father’s World for my littler ones. I’m thinking about having a couple of my olders use it together next year.
My struggle is that due to my family size it’s very hard to find a curriculum that crosses the age boundaries.
Blessings!
Rachel
Dusti says
We are using sonlight this year as well. We basicly use it for literature and history. I too will be looking to use different curriculum to guide our homeschool. I’m thinking MFW because I’m hoping to find a Christ centered learning that pulls all many ages together and is “fun”. I’ll add the “meat” where I think we need it. 🙂 I look forward to hearing more about your families journey.
Rebecca says
We also are ex-Sonlight users. I was drawn to the living books approach and LOVE LOVE LOVE the IG’s. Over the last couple of years as my husband and I have grown in our faith and our homeschooling, we have found that Sonlight was not the fit we thought it was 3 yrs before. After much prayer and looking at bunches of curriculum, and even going a year of making our own. We ultimatly chose TOG. Though I miss the IG something terrible, it has fit perfectly with our family of 6 children and growing. I am loving that I don’t have to do everything mentioned, which has been wonderful, I love that it is made to be tweaked to how we want it (we can add books or take them away without any issue with the overall studies)..and I love her Biblical approach. I also love that it combines the children so well!
I also have found with our older children, that the deep learning required with TOG, was not there with Sonlight. She was used to reading the (wonderful) liturature, but not the indepth kind of books. So she is having a bit of an issue with that aspect.
After saying all that, may I say that we have switched curriculums in the past a few times as we learned and adjusted to our needs and the needs of our children. As we grow in the Lord, I am sure there will be more adjustments to be made…we are pleased with what we have chosen and the fact that those adjustments can be made without issue. Every one is different, no curriculum that is right for me, will be right for every home schooler….do not feel badly that you have changed your mind.
Sonlight is a wonderful curriculum! Their IG’s are EXCELLENT, they have, for the most part, wonderful books..that really make a child fall in love with reading! We have loved many of their recommendations! I believe they are a godly family trying to put out a godly curriculum…it simply won’t work for every one…and that’s ok! Doesn’t mean they are horrible! And I think you presented your reasons well and with out being harsh.
Amy says
Thank you, Rebecca! I have used TOG in the past, but it was the classic version and VERY HARD to use. My oldest son did love it, though. 🙂
Rebecca says
🙂 I will say, I have never seen the classic version…the new version was difficult for me to adjust to at first as well..thankfully I have a wonderful friend that helped guide me through it! I am SO thankfully she did!!! I will be praying that you are at peace with whatever decision you and your husband make!
Bridget says
First off, I want to let you know how much I enjoy reading your blog, Amy. It is so encouraging! We started homeschooling our daughter last year (kindergarten). We too chose Sonlight curriculum and enjoyed it for the first half of the year. After that, I didn’t agree with the books at all. One book in particular that was part of this kindergarten curriculum was Ten and Twenty, which may be okay for an older student, but not for my 5 year old. Also, a lot of the books are from Usborne. Don’t get me wrong, we still use some books from this publisher, but a majority of the Sonlight curriculum is from Usborne, which is not a Christian worldview. With that said, I do know Christian homeschooling families that do like this curriculum/approach. We just felt that it wasn’t a good fit for our family.
Fruitful Harvest says
Hi Amy,
I pray you are having fun getting settled into your new home!
Great post!
I have never bought a set curiculum…I have always put things together myself mostly things that teach our faith!
OH today I just ordered 6 of The Blessed Homestead DVDS with the West Ladies and Inherite The Land. I can’t wait for them to arrive!
Do you still watch yours?
Peace and Love,
Georgiann
Amy says
Oh, Georgiann, you are going to LOVE them! They are so down to earth and totally practical!
Holly says
You definitely shouldn’t feel guilt over changing curriculum. Don’t think I know a single homeschooling family who hasn’t changed *multiple* times over the course of their kids lives. Something that meets you needs in one season just may not in another.
That said, we are a Sonlight family and LOVE it. For us, the exact issues you mentioned in your post about worldview, Biblical emphasis, etc are the WHY we love Sonlight. I am Christian, but my husband is atheist. If I tried to use something like ABeka or Heart of Dakota it would never go over. Sonlight gives our family just the right balance of biblical teaching vs “worldly” teaching. I also have a degree in Cultural Anthropology and have no issues in exposing even the youngest of our children to pretty much any worldview there is. So far we have not had any confusion. But that is MY family’s experience and needs!
I think Biblically based Christian curricula are a wonderful resource. But they’re not for every family.
Praying that your family finds a new curricula that is exactly right for your family at this time in your lives.
Blessings!
Suanna says
I applaud you for realizing what wasn’t working for you and searching to find what will work. You may not find any one curriculum that covers everything and you may find that mixing and matching curriculums will work best for you. I like Heart of Dakota so far with our family, plus it has the flexibility to use a different text than the one they recommend if you have something else you would prefer for a certain subject.
May God Bless you as you endeavor on your new curriculum search.
Twisted Cinderella says
I understand the need to find a curriculum that works for your family. I am making that choice now.
Leigh Anne says
I am using MFW K this year and plan to continue with it. I had checked out Sonlight but liked the Christ-centered aspect of MFW. Its also more cost effective for us bc the spine books are included but the rest can be used from the library. MFW does provide lesson plans and notes with the curriculum. Check out the website for samples. http://www.mfwbooks.com
Anna says
We too are ex-Sonlighters. Though I think it is a neat curriculum it just wasn’t a fit for us.
We have really been enjoying Robinson Curriculum. As with every curriculum our family has done we take what we like about it and don’t use what we don’t like. It is really great for large families.
I wish you the best as you prayerfully search what will work for you family.
God Bless.
Jennifer says
I think we all have changed curriculum multiple times; that’s one of the beauties of homeschooling! My husband and I went to the southeast conference a couple of weeks ago and were impressed with the Heart of Dakota books. There was so much curriculum to consider there! We also loved the character booklets from IBLP. It is wonderful that each family can choose what works for them!
Robin at Stone Soup Homeschool Network says
I think it’s wonderful that you are willing to listen to the way the Lord is leading you. I don’t think that most people will see it as a contradiction at all… I was a confirmed Bob Jones curriculum user, until I realized that it really didn’t work for my girls’ learning style. (that was AFTER schooling two older children all the way through with it) We would be remiss to be obedient to the idea that we must “follow through” despite the the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Rachel says
I agree with you. We have been using Sonlight since the beginning of this school year and have enjoyed it, but there are some things in it I don’t agree with. There were things I would have to leave out while reading and so on. We are switching to Switched on Schoolhouse. Ordered it today and very excited about getting it! I will also keep using some of the books from Sonlight, like the history, some read alouds, and their readers. So we will be using both. Can’t wait to start SOS though! The kids are also very excited about doing school on the computer 🙂
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
I’ll be interested to see what you end up doing, because we are thinking about what we want to do now. My daughter will be 3.5 in the fall and already is interested in learning and knows many letters and numbers. So, we’re thinking kindergarten-ish this year despite that she is so young. We are not sure that we really want ANY curriculum, especially so early; we aim to follow her lead and teach from individual books that we choose (of course including the Bible!). But, it will be interesting to hear about other options too.
Lisa Grace says
Kate, have you checked out the free online sites? We *love* starfall.com and have gleaned some great ideas from universalpreschool.com.
At that age my kids were in a similar place and I ended up buying from Hands On Homeschooling. It was a totally great investment as it helped me plan what to do and gave me ideas.
Amy says
Kate,
Have you read my homeschooling preschool and kindergarten posts? (check The Homeschooling Mother page). I have a links to books list on there. That is what I highly recommend doing in the early grades along with phonics and math. There is nothing like snuggling up on the couch and reading!
Meg Logan says
Amy, (the comments box wouldn’t let me reply directly to our thread above so I copied the last thing you said here.)
“Meg,
Does TOG have warnings on all the books? And do you find that your day goes smoothly “enough†when you are pregnant? I am intrigued. ;)”
I actually find it is smooth because the kids can do their own reading (or my older child can read to the littles) and when I feel up to it I can do a project, or read aloud. I happen to think that the flexability afforded is really compatible to our lifestyle.
Now I have no highschoolers. I imagine, that if I am laid up in bed I can still read Teacher’s Notes and talk. Sometimes I feel so sick I just watch movies, but usually I can get up enough energy to read and chat. So even then, I think I will be able to follow this program.
The other nice thing is that if you watch the Teacher’s Training videos that they offer (some for a fee, sometimes they are free, I have four that I got for free). You can really get a deeper understanding of the curr. which makes it even MORE flexible. I find that the more I know the curr, the more I use it, the more I enjoy it and take better advantage of it. It’s really part of the reason i determined I’d be staying WITH this program “forever”. Because I knew going into it that it was a steep learning curve, and I just figured I’d get better and better at using the program as the years went on.
After we have been through all four years once, I think the second and third times through will be easier, and deeper. Teaching the littles will be so much easier, because I will have already done it, and teaching the olders will be a bit easier than say a new curr. because I will be familiar with the flow and format of this one.
Marcia Somerville who wrote the program, really recommends teaching the Upper Grammar students to do their own scheduling. So that you can then just go through and pick what you would like them to read, and then let them organize the week and daily time frame. I am actually working on this right now with my Upper Grammer kid. I suspect it will take me another year to really have him self reliant in this regard, since he’s only 8. But as you know, being a large family requires LOGISTICS, lol… and I am planning ahead to prepare my oldest children to be helpful to me with the youngest as the family grows. This will allow my oldest son to plan his own weeks, and to help teach the lower levels, and I plan to continue that theme with the littles as they each become bigs in turn.
So yes, I think it is doable, and I plan to make it that way as much as I am able 😉 you’re good at this stuff, I bet you would be able to make it work too… maybe you just need someone to brainstorm with.
Meg
Meg Logan says
oh yeah and about the warnings, they have warnings on any book with anything even remotely objectionable, like curse words, or anti-christian themes (though I suppose if the book is something like “Religions of the World” or something, you might be able to figure it out from the title. 😉 )
All the books that we have read which did not have a warning, have been very in line with our theology and doctrine, unless the topic was mythology. Which for my OLDEST son I did decide to go through, he is a very literal person and had already been steeped in the Scriptures when we started. I don’t plan to go through that the first year with my second kids coming up, because they are not nearly as solid on scriptural truth, and don’t see the world in black and white, they could easily become confused. I won’t start the foreign religions and mythology with them until I am confident that they already have a solid grasp on Christian doctrine. But there are plenty of other readings, especially after the Year One Unit One on Ancient Egypt, that don’t have anything to do with foreign “gods” etc.
Amy says
Thank you, Meg!
Rebecca says
I didn’t see any mention of Truthquest history in the comments. We found TQ 2 years ago and love it! It has a commentary that leads you thru the topics. Then there is a booklist after each commentary section. You pick which topics God wants your family to go further in and which you should just skim across and get an overview. Since I can pick which books I want on each topic, there is no concern about having the wrong worldview. I can also go as fast or as slow as I want. The commentary helps you to focus on God’s plan thru history-what happened, why, the consequences, etc. VERY good history series!
Oh yeah, it also works great for multiple grade level families. I am teaching grades 9, 8, 4, 3, K and PK this year (with a toddler running around). I read-aloud the lower level books (grades 4 and down) that we want to cover. My older two do extra books for the older grades. We discuss as a family as we read the commentary together.
Brandy @Brandy's Brood says
That’s the one thing that concerns me about Sonlight too. I’m not entirely sure if I’ll agree with how the approach other cultures and religions and stuff like that. Just like you mentioned in your post. We used ABeka for 2yrs … this is the first year we’ve branched out to do something different.
Guess we’ll just dig in and see. It’s already bought and paid for, so definitely need to use it up. We’ll reevaluate next year 🙂
Holly says
Amy,
I am doing the same thing except moving away from WTM recommendations rather than Sonlight. We wanted something solidly Christian and classical. We are switching to Veritas Press for recommendations for everything, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for our upcoming year.
I applaud you for taking this bold step because I know it wasn’t easy.
Blessings to you and your family!
Holly
Amber says
Hi! You should check out Weaver! We are just starting it. It is excellent for large families because the main topics you can basically teach as a whole. You have to supplement Math and grammar, though.
Crissyanna says
We too will be ex-Sonlighters after this year. Our eldest is 4 and we did Core P 4/5 this year. The Bugs was ready so we started before her 4th birthday last fall. Anyway, she is beyond what was their Core K academically (she’s reading, doing story problems for math in her head and will be done a full quarter with the work over the schedule. Which is good, but maddening at the same time. She begs for more work to do daily.). However, to tweak their equiveliency of first grade to fit where she is at and to exchange some of the texts and such was going to cost us way too much, and I was not liking some of the choices for read alouds and the exposure to other world views to one so young (stories about fitting in at school? For a homeschooler? We already deal with questions as to why she isn’t going to “real” school like her friends at church, I don’t need it from doing our work at home too.).
For history we decided on using Mystery of History. It starts at Creation and shows history through the lens of God creating the world and it shows everything through that lens. There’s tons of resources for it. I can’t wait to start it (but then, I’m a history geek). We are also getting the activity CDrom full of stuff to do. I did blog about our choices if anyone really cares. They are in the January archives and are titled I Think I’ve Finally Decided and Curriculum Choices for the Bugs. I’m up reading blogs on my phone due to bad weather and insomnia and can’t link.
I will say that I am going to miss the IG. I love the layout and scheduling. It worked beautifully for how my mind is wired. Now, I’m going to have to plan lessons every week. Just like when I taught school.
Jennifer Ott says
We just got our first SL box in the mail… We have also used MFW, but I don’t like all the crafts (bad Mommy, but we like to do our own!), and I didn’t like being “spoon-fed” Christian history. The curriculum took much modifying and supplementing for my kids, too (my kids aren’t geniuses, but we found it super easy: we already finished K and 1st this year along with having a baby and 4 long trips!) That, and we were wanting not to do American History next year! To each their own! I have appreciated your takes on Sonlight! I must admit, part of why we chose that route was that we are going into full-time ministry (with 4 small children), including a move to a new state, so I had to scrap my plans to piece my own thing together and just go with something that was planned for me! Thank you for all your imput!
Michelle W. says
Have you considered Mystery of History? We’ve used it with all 6 of our children. Here’s a review of MOH that I recently wrote:
Definitely check out Mystery of History (www.themysteryofhistory.com). We have 6 children ages 11-17, and we’ve used MOH with them. They thrive on it. There are 3 volumes published already, and the author is working on the 4th & final volume right now. I’d guess that it’ll probably be available in the next 12-18 months (just a guess), so you’d have time to work through the other 3 volumes before then.
Here’s what my husband & I love about MOH:
~ It is VERY interesting! And has caused all of us to appreciate history much more than we did. My husband & I have learned things we were never taught in PS or even Christian school, or had never pieced together before.
~ It is cheap, per child, per year. I think we calculated that the total cost of all 4 volumes (plus the companion books, audio CDs, coloring pages, etc) divided by 12 grade levels (because you can use it for all grade levels), divided by our 6 children, it came out to less than $10 per child per grade level. So trying to find a curriculum that is as in depth as MOH, but divided by individual grade levels for anywhere close to that was going to be nearly impossible. (You can get the curricula from MOH.com directly, or for cheaper from http://www.rainbowresource.com or http://www.christianbook.com)
~ It combines solid Bible history (OT and NT) with “secular” history (it’s all God’s story anyway), rather than teaching only secular history, and expecting your Sunday School teachers to cover the Bible history portion. She covers all continents simultaneously & chronologically, rather than studying one continent at a time, which disconnects in a child’s mind – and in an adult’s mind – that which occurred simultaneously in each part of the world OR worse yet, teaching history completely out of order.
~ The author’s first lesson in Vol. 1 begins with the seven days of creation (can you get any more “from the beginning” than that?), and completely agrees with our young earth beliefs. She doesn’t leave the student wondering “well what happened before that” like many history curricula did to our children.
~ You can get the text on audio (very well done) for your auditory learners (which I have, so we get them), or for family vacations, etc. My children have listened to the audio for other popular history texts, and they loved MOH audio FAR more than the others we’ve heard. The text is read by the author herself, and her voice is very calming, but also dramatic where needed for effect in the story telling. My children say she has a “motherly” voice, like she’s reading a bedtime story. I’d have to say that’s a compliment to the author!)
~ The assignments & activities are divided by elementary, middle, and high school levels, so you can teach all ages together but hand out assignments based on skill levels & interest. The activities also include something for each learning style: auditory (hearing), sight, and kinesthetic (touch, hands on). You can also do the series for 1st through 4th grade, doing only the elementary assignments & activities, then do the series again for 5th through 8th grade, covering the middle school assignments, then again for 9th through 12th doing the high school assignments. So you can use it for all grade levels if you choose to.
~ It is VERY flexible in all aspects. If I need a “light” work day, we all do the easiest assignment given. Or maybe none at all, except the reading. Or if I know my children have had a lighter day in the rest of their work, and I know they need something challenging, I can give them the assignment that’s “1 level up” from them. (Never underestimate the ability of a high schooler to recall details of a lesson in which he did an assignment with play-doh over a lesson in which he completed an essay, but can’t recall a thing about it! He’s one of my hands-on learners, and things stick with him better sometimes when he can do something hands on to reinforce the lesson.) Sometimes we do just the coloring page (even my high schoolers) while listening to the audio text while I make lunch. It is very flexible for parents & children.
~ It is not labor intensive for parents or students. Objects needed are usually already available, easily borrowed (library, neighbor, etc) or can be picked up cheaply. I rarely have to spend more than a few minutes making copies of coloring sheets, worksheets, etc. My children do most of the rest of it on their own.
~ It’s not just a history curricula. It covers geography, Bible, etc. If you choose, you can also make it your writing curriculum as well. I use it for almost all aspects of social studies, since the author covers other world religions from a Christian perspective (this is what they believe, but based on these scriptures, this is what Christians believe). With a small amount of cheap supplementation, I also use it as my core for music & art history/appreciation as well. When you add in all the money that you’re saving in not having to buy all those other curriculum subjects as well, your overall HSing costs go way down!
~ The activities are realistic. Who cares to waste a whole chicken just for embalming practice? Come on, how many of our children will end up working as morticians someday, and why waste a whole chicken that could have fed our family for several meals? No, MOH has practical activities that don’t cost a lot, and are more fun for our children than a lot of the history programs out there.
~ There are tons of supplemental activities given in the back of the book as well.
~ The MOH book/website says it’s a classical curriculum (which I tend to avoid), but personally, we lean more toward a Charlotte Mason/Workbook mix, and MOH blends perfectly into our style of learning.
~ I have yet to meet a single HSing family who used MOH who didn’t like it.
Here’s what I don’t like about MOH…
????? Hmmm, I’ll really have to think about this one. I can’t honestly think of any off the top of my head right now.
So I asked my children what they like & don’t like about it. Here’s their answers. (Child #1 B/17 is gone at work today, so his answers aren’t given)
What they like about MOH –
Child 2 (B/16): Before starting each lesson, the author states when each lesson takes place in. She teaches each lesson clearly, who it’s about, when it happened, where it happened, etc. And she recommends other sources for learning more information about that lesson’s topic.
Child 3 (B/15): There are a lot of hands on activities. In each lesson, you learn a lot about that part of time.
Child 4 (G/13): I like that it’s on disc so we can listen to it instead of reading it in the book. I like that there’s lots of hands on activities, even for my age, and it gets the whole family around the table together. It makes learning about history easy & very interesting.
Child 5 (G/13): Lots of activities, especially hands on stuff. I like that there’s lots of scripture in it. Each section explains a lot about history even though it’s only a few pages.
Child 6 (G/11): Lots of hands on activities. It’s just an awesome series. It is VEEERRRRRYYYY interesting. (emphasis is hers)
What they don’t like about MOH –
Child 2: He thinks the author jumps topics too fast. (He wanted longer lessons.) He wishes there was more transition between topics, showing how they were connected. (He wants the “dots” in history connected better. I personally think the author does well in connecting the dots though.)
Child 3: He doesn’t like that it changes subjects as often as it does (he likes to go in depth into each story lesson – so this is more his personality than what the author presents. Notice in his “like” answer, he says the author covers a lot in each lesson! LOL)
Child 4: Nothing!!
Child 5: She had to think a long time, then she finally answered “Really, I don’t think there’s anything I don’t like about it.”
Child 6: Uhhhmmm, I can’t think of anything.
If you’re on Facebook, there’s a page there where you can ask any questions of the author herself, as well as other MOH users. It’s at https://www.facebook.com/themysteryofhistory
I’m sure I could go on & on, but I really need to go for now. I hope this gives you a lot more helpful info on Mystery of History.
Michelle W. says
Oh, another thing about MOH that’s a bonus… It’s a one time purchase. It’s non-consumable, and reproducible (coloring sheets, etc) so once you’ve paid for everything needed for Vol. 1, you never need to purchase anything for Vol. 1 again, no matter how many times you go through that level. Same thing for each additional level.
Mary says
I’m so sorry to hear this. 🙁 We are Sonlight-ers and really love the curriculum, but we do quite a bit of editing as well. There are certainly other curriculums we have looked at — MFW I won’t do out of stubbornness, to be honest. ;o) I have found they do not welcome hearing why their curriculum wouldn’t work for our family, when I really just want them to tell me how I can make it work. When I mention that have bought SL in the past because of the lack of good libraries we had overseas and the ease of having everything shipped to us, I get the cold shoulder.
We have strongly considered using KONOS. Have you looked at it? It is honestly a bit confusing until you can get your hands on the actual teacher’s manuals and see how it works. What ties it all together for most people, is joining the online co-op where you can watch a video every morning where you are taught how to teach the lesson for the day. The community is unbelievably supportive and I really love it. We are combining SL and KONOS this year, and hoping it works well for us. 🙂
Mary
Lauren says
Whew, so many replies! I’m stealing a few minutes, so I’ll try to come back and read the replies here later. First, I wanted to tell you that some of the links in this post are “dead,” meaning when I clicked on your link for cons of SonLight, nothing came up.
Okay, second, I’m so glad you posted this. We tried to start with SonLight, but something about the way the lessons plans were structured didn’t sit right with me. Also, I could not agree with you more about thinking you could handle dissecting the meat from the bones, so to speak, by dialoguing, but my goodness it’s time consuming! I’m more like you in this respect, I think – I’d rather teach my children a good solid foundation from a Biblical worldview, and then let them view all other things through that lens and have the dialogue when they’re old enough that we can have an honest dialogue (not mama-monologue that eats half our school time). It unsettled both my husband and me that so many of the books through SL were from secular sources. We had heard so many good things about it from a literary standpoint (and I’m a bookworm), but it just didn’t translate to our family, our kids, and our vision for home education.
I’m so glad I found this – I have been feeling like I must apologize when I tell people that we didn’t love SonLight, but this post made me realize that I’m not crazy, lol! 🙂
Amy says
Lauren,
Hello! First of all, thank you for letting me know some of them were “dead.” I fixed those. 🙂 Secondly, I had wanted to love Sonlight as much as everyone else seemed to, but I just couldn’t stomach what I was seeing. I’m glad to know I am not alone!
Jennifer Hawk says
I found your site while on pintrest looking for homeschooling ideas. I have taught in the public school system for 12 years, and resigned at the end of the school year to home school my two children, ages 14 and 7. I am curious about what advice you can give me. What is a good curriculum? What did you decide to use for history? I too would like to use a history curriculum that teaches history of the Bible. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Amy says
We currently use Tapestry of Grace. Marcia ( the author ) is very thorough in telling you anything you might find offensive in the literature selections; however, TOG can be a bit overwhelming. I would suggest taking it slow – especially with your 7 year old. Give yourself time to learn about your children, their learning styles (your teaching style too!). There are MANY great curricula out there!
Rebecca says
Hi Amy,
I am currently looking into Sonlight myself just for a couple of the younger years as I have the same concerns as you. I have been looking into heart of wisdom and believe that is the way God is leading our family, however in the meantime I really felt like Sonlight would tide us over until I was able to read the Heart of Wisdom book and start doing our delight directed learning. Your reviews were written a while ago and I think the core names are different so I wanted to know which cores you had done. My hubby and I discussed yesterday about this and I read an IG and thought the way some things were approached were ok and I could skip books accordingly. I was looking into P4/5, Core A, Core B and maybe Core C. Would love to know which ones you did. I am planning on taking out SOTW and CHOW and anything else like that. Maybe I will even just go with the readers and read alouds later on. However for now I need a Core for this year and Core A is the one I am considering for this year. As you said it’s a lot of money and it would be a huge sacrifice for our family. I don’t want to risk it if it’s not worth it. Thank you!
Amy says
We did early American history up through the Civil war or so. I’m not familiar with what the cores are now, so hopefully, that will help you. If you are staying hands on with the curriculum, you will probably be fine. 🙂
Ryan K. says
Sonlight is sub-par in every one of its cores, and I say this as a Christian and an academic who reviewed the materials at the behest of a concerned friend. The way American History is taught is grossly inaccurate and portrays the U.S. Government as above reproach. I’m a Constitutionalist and an amateur history buff, and I have a problem with purposely misleading children in such a manner as to immediately – upon exiting into the real world – discount the very harsh truth that our government composed of fallen men and women has indeed sinned grievously against its own people. They will have no true concept of what the Constitution means and what American citizens, still dealing with the fallout of past sins, are struggling against and for. The language arts courses and so forth are watered down, present everything with just as much of a slant as secular programs are accused of doing, and does not adequately prepare students for higher academic study. If anything it prepares them for some major shock when they find out the world does not and never has operated the way Sonlight presents. It is academically dishonest and worst of all dishonest to the Christian witness. The Bible is brutal. Let’s be clear. If it were made into a movie it would get an R-rating, and yet none of that is shied away from. Yet, we’re shying away from the truth of the world in its current state here. We’re told to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Basically, that means we need to be street smart and to be street smart you need to know the truth of the world for what it is. Otherwise…
I won’t be using the course nor recommending it, and neither will my peers who were actually raised and educated using it. Why? For the same reasons I listed above. Didn’t adequately prepare them academically, and gave them a false narrative about the world since – per scripture – until He comes back all governing authorities are under the purview of the Evil One and to pretend America is an exception is a lie. Christians are called to obey governing authorities and live in peace with others to the extent that it does not compromise our faith and true heritage as citizens of the Kingdom. Hence the ongoing protest against abortion for reasons other than saving the life of the mother. We don’t need to cotton to that and neither do we need to cotton to false narratives.
Susanna says
Those are my same hesitations using Sonlight as well, and I still do use them, just in my own way- what did you all end up switching to?
Amy says
So, we went back to Tapestry of Grace, and then a couple of years ago, I decided to take a break and use The Peaceful Press for a bit. We are going to be using Mystery of History this year with some more of the Peaceful Press. However, I have realized that Sonlight has some very good merits, and my issues could be overcome by some people – it just wasn’t where I was at that time.