Sonlight

[MagnoliaMommy]

Anyone here using Sonlight?

I have researched and researched and decided that is what we are going with in the Fall. I am so excited about all of the wonderful books! We have an entire family of readers (even my 1 yo loves to be read to!) and I am looking forward to having a literature based curriculum. I also like that the curriculum has a worldview mindset...ds will be learning about people all over the world from the very start.

Can you tell I am excited? :mrgreen

[Piper2]

:congrats It's always so nice to have that decision made so that you can start planning. :)

I've heard good things about Sonlight. But since Kevin isn't so much of a reader (at least not that this point), I'm afraid I might wind up getting frustrated with it. :O We're doing well with the Bob Jones curriculum that we're trying right now, Kevin really likes it, so I'm planning on going with them full-force next year.

[MagnoliaMommy]

Yes, I am a major planner! :O

We are planning on doing Bob Jones K5 math. It looks like so much fun. :yes

[Piper2]

We are planning on doing Bob Jones K5 math. It looks like so much fun. :yes

Yeah, the 1st Grade math is a blast! :tu

[ServantofGod]

I partially use Sonlight. I've bought Sonlight Science complete for either two or three years; I don't remember. This past year, I bought a partial Core, which I use for both kids (3rd grade and K).

I'm not planning to buy any more Sonlight completes, though. The Core, if you used it totally as they plan it, is just way too overwhelming for me. Even using it partially tends to be too much. The Science this year I have shaved way down, even though I bought the complete course. It's too much work and Science is a subject that doesn't need all that attention (IMO), when there is enough to do with Math and English subjects.

Also, while I love books and have liked this about Sonlight, I've ended up with SO MANY books now, I just can't cope with a new ton of books every year! What's more, some of the books are outstanding and others are...not so much. Most of the Usborne titles - Okay, all of them :) are awesome, but some of the obscure titles are silly or not my style.

Finally, one thing I have come to dislike about Sonlight is the way it jumps around through materials. I'd rather just work through one book or worktext until we've completed it, but this is not how S is organized. One day, we're supposed to do Chapter 5 in Story of the USA and then the next day, we're jumping over to some other book for a few weeks and then later we come back to the first book, or not at all, or... :hissyfit I hate that!

For next year, I have decided that I'm going to use the overarching topic in Science and History for that year, but I'm only going to buy just a few books and then work through them in a linear fashion.

So, there you have it, one woman's opinion, my two cents. :yes

[MagnoliaMommy]

Ds will only be doing prek and I am not buying the complete program, just the Geography/World Cultures, Read Alounds and the Developing Early Learner books. I am using Science Made Simple...I think I might get the Berenstain Bears Science and Nature book though. :grin

We are doing Hooked on Phonics over the summer...I don't really think that Sonlights LA will appeal to ds.

[Leslie]

I read that they've re-done their curriculum, and I'm curious to know what's different. Does anybody know, has anyone seen what it's like now who can compare with what it was before?

[Mama Calidad]

I think I might get the Berenstain Bears Science and Nature book though. :grin
We have...err, have several pages left of...that book. It's been read so many times that the entire book fell apart. DD loved it. I don't know that she internalized much of the science, but the book was worth the money IME. :grin

[fourbygrace]

Ditto what Mama Calidad said about The Berenstain Bears Book of Science and Nature. My 7.5, 5.99, and 3.5 year olds LOVE that book and I like it too.

We are using Core K and some leftover Pre K this year as we did not ever finish all of PreK. I do not use their schedule even though I bought it. Also, my 5.99 year old DD HATES the Usborne books with a passion.

I love Sonlight, but am planning to switch to Ambleside Online next year. I want to ruminate on each book a little more than Sonlight allows time to do. We will still probably use some of the Core 1 books for summertime reading.

Blessings,
Mary

[Leslie]

I want to ruminate on each book a little more than Sonlight allows time to do.


I was wondering if that's what they changed. I heard it from a lot of people, and my impression was that they made changes because of feedback.

[lenswyf]

We use Sonlight and are very happy with it. I have friends who feel compelled to do everything they suggest; I'm not that way. I use what I think will be helpful and ignore the rest. We use Sonlight LA1, Sonlight Core 1 and Sonlight Science 1, and ds loves school.

I have no idea what it used to be like. I do know that someone who has used it for a lot longer than I have said it used to be simpler, and she thought it was better. But she doesn't feel like she has to do everything, so she just does what seems useful and ignores the rest.

Ds seems to like working with multiple books for the Core, so I don't really mind it.

[BluegrassMama]

We love Sonlight! We have experience with Cores pre-K, K, 1, and 3.

My oldest ds (turned 9 last November) is finally feeling challenged and happy with his academics. He's doing Core 3 entirely on his own, and the instructor's guides etc. that Sonlight provides, help him do that (I do stick by to check work, answer q's, discuss)

The middle two are doing a core together, which they love. They think it is easier and more fun than the work I used to create for them. They are two years apart, so they have their own handwriting, language arts, and math. They share science, history and geography, literature, and Bible.

We plan on sticking with Sonlight for the long haul. It is the only boxed curriculum I've ever seen that suits each boy, and me!

[fourbygrace]

Leslie,

I purchased Sonlight Core PreK and Core K three years ago. Then I purchased Core 1 last year (It is still in my basement becasue we decided to slow Core K down). I just went to the website and see no difference in the number of books in the past 3 years. In fact, I think they added a couple of books.


Blessings,
Mary