Changing to Sonlight

At least partially. Sydney has been using Sonlight for several years in everything except math and English and I used it with all three when Syd was in third grade. I have to admit that was one of my favorite years to homeschool, that and when we used Five in a Row. We all still laugh about the book King Georges Head Was Made of Lead.

We stopped using Sonlight the year I had to work full time in nursing. I just could not seem to work full time, take care of the house, and homeschool with Sonlight. That year we changed to Switched on Schoolhouse. I did not particularly like it but having the lessons plans done and no grading allowed us to continue homeshooling while I worked and Scott was in college. After two years of that I noticed a big decline in the kids reading of books and their handwriting. We then started using Bob Jones Homesat. I have thoroughly enjoyed that and so have the kids but the history is boring to them and moves at a fast pace while cramming in so much info they find it hard to remember much a few weeks after taking the test.

So with all that in mind the boys will stop using BJU in history and litterateur and start using Sonlight. They will both use the same set for this year and then next year Ray will move to the American Govt./Civics. Sydney has taken two years with it and enjoyed the books immensely with only a few exceptions. I have chosen to leave out a few of the books they suggested because of content such as A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Most of the other stories and writing assignments have been thought provoking and enjoyable for her and hope that the boys will feel the same way.

If you have never looked into Sonlight you can do so here. It is not for everyone and some of the books are questionable but just like anything you are the parent and you can pick and choose what to use. Another book I will be using with the boys is called All through the Ages by Christine Miller, it is a compilation of book titles in each time period. I will choose extra books from it to supplement the reading and to give Ray some more challenging stories to read. We will also use our transparency projector and butcher block paper to make large maps and a timeline to hang on the wall, they will then fill in the map information that goes along with each story. To us it helps to have a visual of where all these places are in relation to each other and helps them with their geography.

We have always desired for the kids to enjoy learning and not simply the memorization of facts, all though that does have its time and place. I truly feel that sliding back into Sonlight with the boys will be a great move and make school more enjoyable for us all and I have found when the enjoy it they remember more. There is nothing that can compare to curling up on the couch with a good book, even if it is a school book.