We've been a homeschooling family for 8 years now. It started when my oldest was in Pre-K and would beg not to go to school. I figured if she didn't want to go then, it would only get worse. So I thought we would give it a try for Kindergarten. The state we were living in didn't require children attend school until 1st grade and my daughter was right on the line as far as her birthday, so I figured I would try it and if it was an epic fail, I could always have her repeat Kindergarten in the school system. I fell in love with homeschooling! I loved having my children home with me. I loved being an active participant in their learning. I loved watching my children become closer and closer to their siblings. Now here we are 8 years later, still participating in this grand experiment. I wish I could say I always loved it and everyday was this wonderful utopia of learning. But, alas, that is not the case. However, overall, I still love having them home, love being an active participant in their learning, and love watching the closeness between them. I must admit to being a bit of a curriculum jumper. Each year we would try something different. There is just so much to choose from and it is all marketed so well! The funny thing is we started with Sonlight for 1st grade. And here we are with Sonlight again. When we tried it the first time around, it just wasn't a good fit. Maybe I had too many littles in the house. I'm not really sure. But from there I ended up picking and choosing various programs for various subjects until I decided I just wanted something that all I had to do was open the teacher's manual and everything would be laid out and ready. That is exactly how Sonlight functions! If you order the whole package, I always jokingly say it comes with everything you need except the pencils! The teacher's guides are organized in such a way that you open it up and it tells you exactly what pages to read each day. No pre-planning or preparation required. Plus it is full of WONDERFUL books. Exciting books. Classic books. Books I never would have picked up if I was browsing the shelves at the library, but nonetheless can't seem to put down once we get started.
If you like to read, Sonlight may be a great fit for you. But it is a lot of reading. This is a literature-based curriculum which teaches history through novels. But the novels do more than introduce you to other times and places. They give great jumping off points for discussions about making good choices, helping others, sacrificing, accountability, responsibility, and just being good people. They are inspiring stories filled with real people who do extraordinary things. Even if you use another curriculum, I can't help but recommend that you look at the reading lists. They could really add another dimension to your homeschool. Sonlight also has quite a bit of writing. This year we have done a research paper, poetry, comic strips, journal entry, ship's log, newspaper articles, editorials, plus a plethora of typical 5 paragraph papers. I like the variety of writing activities that are introduced. Everything is well integrated as well. The writing activites are related to the books we are reading or have already finished. This is our second year in a row with Sonlight, and so far we all just love it. I am realistic enough to know that could change at anytime. And if it does, I'm sure there will be another curriculum around the corner that will fit at that time. That is just one more thing I love about homeschooling. Our learning styles, and thus our curriculum, can change as our family changes and grows.
We've been a homeschooling family for 8 years now. It started when my oldest was in Pre-K and would beg not to go to school. I figured if she didn't want to go then, it would only get worse. So I thought we would give it a try for Kindergarten. The state we were living in didn't require children attend school until 1st grade and my daughter was right on the line as far as her birthday, so I figured I would try it and if it was an epic fail, I could always have her repeat Kindergarten in the school system. I fell in love with homeschooling! I loved having my children home with me. I loved being an active participant in their learning. I loved watching my children become closer and closer to their siblings. Now here we are 8 years later, still participating in this grand experiment. I wish I could say I always loved it and everyday was this wonderful utopia of learning. But, alas, that is not the case. However, overall, I still love having them home, love being an active participant in their learning, and love watching the closeness between them. I must admit to being a bit of a curriculum jumper. Each year we would try something different. There is just so much to choose from and it is all marketed so well! The funny thing is we started with Sonlight for 1st grade. And here we are with Sonlight again. When we tried it the first time around, it just wasn't a good fit. Maybe I had too many littles in the house. I'm not really sure. But from there I ended up picking and choosing various programs for various subjects until I decided I just wanted something that all I had to do was open the teacher's manual and everything would be laid out and ready. That is exactly how Sonlight functions! If you order the whole package, I always jokingly say it comes with everything you need except the pencils! The teacher's guides are organized in such a way that you open it up and it tells you exactly what pages to read each day. No pre-planning or preparation required. Plus it is full of WONDERFUL books. Exciting books. Classic books. Books I never would have picked up if I was browsing the shelves at the library, but nonetheless can't seem to put down once we get started. 
If you like to read, Sonlight may be a great fit for you. But it is a lot of reading. This is a literature-based curriculum which teaches history through novels. But the novels do more than introduce you to other times and places. They give great jumping off points for discussions about making good choices, helping others, sacrificing, accountability, responsibility, and just being good people. They are inspiring stories filled with real people who do extraordinary things. Even if you use another curriculum, I can't help but recommend that you look at the reading lists. They could really add another dimension to your homeschool. Sonlight also has quite a bit of writing. This year we have done a research paper, poetry, comic strips, journal entry, ship's log, newspaper articles, editorials, plus a plethora of typical 5 paragraph papers. I like the variety of writing activities that are introduced. Everything is well integrated as well. The writing activites are related to the books we are reading or have already finished. This is our second year in a row with Sonlight, and so far we all just love it. I am realistic enough to know that could change at anytime. And if it does, I'm sure there will be another curriculum around the corner that will fit at that time. That is just one more thing I love about homeschooling. Our learning styles, and thus our curriculum, can change as our family changes and grows. 
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