It's been a while since I updated.
School is going very well. We have our house up for sale and are staying w/ relatives.
We are keeping up w/ the Sonlight schedule very well. I love having it,esp the Sonlight schedules for Apologia science. If we just follow them, we will be finished in 36 weeks.
We still have some bugs to work out and a few subjects to add, but so far, so good!
Time4Learning is an online education program that can be used as a homeschooling curriculum, an afterschool tutorial or for summer learning. As a member, I've been given the opportunity to share my experiences. The content in this review was not written by Time4Learning. While I was compensated, the opinion is entirely my own.
I decided in Feb. I wanted to do a few months of Time4Learning.com at the end of this school year. I wanted to expose my kids a more "traditional" version of school. Also, I knew that the usual end of the year fatigue would eventually set in.
Though I did not know it then, that decision ended up being a huge lifesaver. We are staying w/ relatives for an extended period of time, while our house gets exterminated. Having school on the computer has been a huge blessing.
Years ago, I did Time4Learning as a full curriculum. I was hoping it would be "fun" for the kids, esp. the one w/ learning disabilites. But only one of my kids thought it was fun(the first grader). I am sure that some kids would find it fun, but it's not a guarantee. Some kids just don't find school fun no matter how you dress it up. I liked it, but decided it wasn't for our family as a full curriculum.
Our experience this time has been a great one. It's not up to me to get everything ready, it's all prepared. I help when they need it. It has made them more independent and has shown me some areas that they need more work.
I have had one of my students(so far) complete the simulated state assessment test. It has been very eye opening. After the first section of the test, I asked why he never looked over the passage again. He told me he thought that would be cheating!! I love that they will be exposed to this type of test taking.
It has been good to see where they match up w/ their grade level. One of them who turned out to not be on grade level in math, I chose a lower level of math and let him work on multiplication and division facts. I think that was a great use of program.
It is $20 a month for the first student and then $15 for each additional. Paying for months in advance gives you a discount. If someone lists you as the one who recommended them, you get $$. When we did it before, I received a check in the mail because 2 people listed me. Also you can earn $$ by writing a blog review. It's nice that they offer these things.
I will definitely want to do Time4Learning.com again at the end of next year's school year!
Check it out, there is alot I haven't mentioned. :)
Just signed up for a month of Time4Learning.com. I might even do longer. I just felt the need to supplement what I have been doing(Sonlight) w/ some traditional learning.
I think this will be a nice way of rounding things out. I love the literature based approach of Sonlight and will not change from it.
Time4Learning also has a simulated state test. Will be a confidence booster to let them take that! :)
Things are going so well. For me, it has been all about sticking w/ it.
It IS December and it is obvious that the Core 3 I bought for this year is not going to get finished...but that is not necessarily a defeat.
It took me this long, but I am finally starting to make some gains in actually learning how to do this whole homeschooling thing.
My oldest is in his second year of high school. I am starting to see that we are actually making lasting progress w/ his education. His work in Sonlight's Core 100 is all coming together.
I am reading all of his books, so I can input some things and he can have someone to talk to about them, so at least *I* am getting a quality education, even if no one else is!! ;)
Finally a short update. Still homeschooling, still loving Sonlight. Have started this year out very slow, building up, adding a new subject as we are able to handle them. Next week, I am going to start adding in the Sonlight schedule.
I am very excited to finally get it all going full speed. Will adjust if I have to and slow down for awhile.
I am very grateful to be able to homeschool, even though we have challenges like learning disabilities, add, depression and other stuff! :)
I should update more! But since I found facebook, it satisfies the need for talking and communicating that I originally hoped this blog would fill.
The few visitors I do get like to read about my experience w/ Sonlight Curriculum and I sure like talking about it!! So I will try to post every now and then...
We are currently on a summer break. My intention was to work through the summer, but I was so burned out that we took a break. I am so glad we did. I feel fired up to start again in the fall!
I did a little "sneak peek" the last few weeks of school and used my new SL cores: 100 and Core 3. I have found that I need to follow the schedule exactly for awhile before changing it. I need to give it a chance.
My oldest really needs some input w/ the literature, so this summer I am going to read as many of his level 100 books as I can. There are about 40 and I have read 2. I feel like they are changing my life! And I LOVE LOVE how the assigned books relate so well w/ each other. I am reading a non fiction book about pilgrims and I just finished a fictional story about them. Really well rounded.
Hope the kids enjoy it as much as I have!!!!
We just finished Week 14 of Core 1+2. I have never bought the Sonlight markable maps, but as we go through the history, I find myself more and more curious about where everything has taken place.
Today the kids got all into it too, so we pulled out a map, put it up and the kids stuck tacks in the places mentioned in the lesson. Someone had drawn on it, so it needs to be cleaned up, and it was hard to get it to stay because it had torn so many times...
I just chuckled to myself and thought, this is why Sonlight sells a Markable Map. :)
Well truthfully, if I can do it, ANYONE can.
Years ago, I started w/ K. for my oldest child. I loved it, but at that time didn't stick w/ it long enough to learn it. I switched to FIVE in a Row for an easier educational experience. At that time, I had 4 kids in 5 years. A slew of health problems hit me and I still deal w/ some of them...
Well one day on the FIAR website, I happened upon a comment about high school. FIAR doesn't offer high school. I got it in high gear looking around at high school for my oldest who was jr. high age at that time. I wanted something that I could "go all the way with" and not piece together curriculum on my own every year, for every child.
So I pretty much high tailed it back to SL. My plan was to do 1+2 and 3+4 for jr high and then my oldest would be ready for the upper levels. After buying 1+2, I decided that it wasn't that great of a plan, at least for my oldest and I ordered him some used Alt. 6 stuff off of ebay. The 1+2 stuff was too easy and the Alt 6 was too hard. Not to mention that I had a low comprehension extra student who joined us. My younger 3 totally loved the 1+2.
At first I quickly noticed that it would have you pretty much read through a book chapter by chapter, so I quit looking at the schedule and would just read on my own.
Then I tried just reading the books w/ out the schedule on my own. I just couldn't organize it! Couldn't adapt it for all the students I had!
Fast forward to my oldest's ninth grade year, I went back to Five in a Row for my sanity's sake and for the sake of the extra student. I just didn't know how to blend him into our SL experience even though my kids were loving it. I bought Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum for my oldest and decided SL was too hard for him.That was settled, breathe a sigh of relief!
Before the new school year started, the extra student went back to public school. I was glad, but now I had to re evaluate my choices. If it was just going to be my younger 3, I didn't need all the FIAR stuff I'd just bought. I'd rather do SL if it was just our family.
So I decided to try 1+2 again. Hey I have only been trying this curriculum for 2 YEARS! lol But it wasn't going to cost me anything, so why not? Should be easier now that I didn't have to deal w/ a student w/ low comprehension.My dyslexic son LOVED SL, he just had to listen to me read all the subjects. But the low comprehension wasn't something I had experience w/. It frustrated me that I didn't know how to help!
My children were now 11, 10 and 8, still in the range of the core, maybe they were a little old for it, but it was what I had and I didn't want to waste it. And I would just use it as a book list if I had to. The books were so compelling! Boring and dry at times, but so worth it!!!
One day I read a review of SL that said it was just a booklist, that the schedule was unneccesary, it just had you read a chapter of the book each day. Well, that was my impression too. So I thought I was fine. I'll just read these books one at a time, chapter by chapter...
Then another day, I read that SL is not a booklist and people are mistaken when they say SL is just a booklist, that the schedule is the heart of the program! What was I missing!!!????
Now that my oldest was using his own program, I could focus on the youngest kids. Instead of trying to figure out how to adapt the schedule, I just started following the SL schedule. I did drop some of the books SL suggested, but kept following the schedule otherwise.
I was starting to understand the beauty of the SL schedule.
The Christian history text would mention something, then it would be mentioned again in the secular history text. Forget the kids, I felt like I was understanding history from a biblical perspective for the first time ever!! I had never understood where Biblical events fell in w/ the history I was taught in public school. Eventually I heard another point of view(Christian), but I doubted that as well. It was hard hearing a different view after so many years of hearing just a secular account. And sometimes it seemed overly Christianized...
But this to me is such a balanced way of learning! My kids can learn mainstream history the way most of America learns it, but also see how Christianity falls into it. They are getting the full package, not only half the story or a cleaned up version of the story...
Actually let's not pretend the school history textbook is as good as the stack of books SL has us read for history, but you get the picture anyway!
Now that I am getting the feel for the schedule sometimes we double up the reading and finish the 4 day schedule in less time. It really helps for those times when life is overtaking us! I am probably able to do this because 1.they are in the upper age range for the core. I don't imagine that I will be able to do this when we move on to next year's core and they are closer to the recommended age. And 2. Now that we have been w/ SL for a while, we are both used to reading alot.
As for my oldest son, after he finishes the year w/ Starting Points, he will be going back to SL for the rest of high school. I am slowly building him up to do more and more rigorous assignments.
We didn't stay w/ SL for Language Arts, we went to Writing strands. It is a much better fit. My oldest daughter did love SL LA and often does it on her own. We still do the readers.And although SL Science goes above and beyond, we(probably ME!) just can't do it and it is pricey. Worth it, but just not in our budget. We do the opt. Bible, it is wonderful. Just today the kids remarked that they loved learning about the Bible at church and then learning more at home. They feel like they are going to Christian school my daughter said!!
It does feel fantastic to have found our perfect match and to not devour every catalog, every website, pick every homeschooler's brain...but it still isn't easy... just because of the various challenges that we all face. :)
Gonna ease back into school tomorrow. Trying not to make it a huge deal...
I found some great menus that are $5 a month from Menus4Moms.com. My brain just needs help planning and shopping for meals. I have tried so many planners, free and otherwise. So far this one suits our tastes very well. I double the dinners to have leftovers for lunch.
Taking a deep breath, and getting ready to try again!
Trying to worry too much over the break. It is almost time to buy curriculum again and I haven't finished what I am using. Oh well... I don't have to use the new stuff as soon as I order it in Feb, but it will be tempting!
but the "other shoe" never drops! Dare I sigh a sigh of relief? So many times I have started in excitement only to fizzle out!
I decided to switch back to the 4 day plan of Sonlight's 1+2 program. I bought the 5 day because I just had to do all of it. Recently I was doing the 5 day because the assignments seemed a little shorter, although I don't know if that is actually true or not. I didn't worry about what day of the schedule I was on, I just worked it.
Then I decided after reading on the forums about those who are happy doing the 4 day, I decided to give it a shot. We do attend co-op one day a week and I no longer have the time or energy to obsess about "missed books" that aren't included in the 4 day program. And we are able to read aloud more(me) and they are able to listen to more.
I am so glad I kept up with it even though it felt like I was failing. Even though I felt like I couldn't make people understand what my problem was. Even though I have googled "hate sonlight" hoping to find something that could help me articulate what my problem was!!! Other box checkers(people who must complete every assignment) were adapting, was I one of the ones who could not overcome reason number 6 of " 27 Reasons not to buy Sonlight"? I didn't want to be and now I am not. It is an amazing feeling and such a relief!!!
I would get so mad because it was SL who made me so picky in the first place! w/ their constant improvements and awesome customer service! I never had demands or expectations for curriculum, I thought it was my task master for me to follow exactly and if it didn't work it was my fault...and I was SO jealous of people who found their curriculum and didn't look around anymore. NOW it's ME!!
So after doing various programs over the last few years, and only completing about 8 weeks of SL in that time, I am excited to report that we just finished week 12!
I just breathed a deep sigh, just reading over it, but I will still be prepared for interuptions. I still remain hopeful, though! :)
After homeschooling for 9 years, I finally get it! My chosen curriculum is Sonlight. And I get that too!!! It is unbelieveable! My husband was right, he always is.
So what took me so long? Well, the extra student I had for 2 years had low comprehension and didn't retain all the reading aloud that you do for SL, so I kept trying to find something that would work for him and my kids.
I had decided to move on over to WinterPromise or My Father's world.
First I checked out WP. I searched the SL forums.
"Lots" of people seemed to find they preferred WP, it was every that SL lacked. The author of the curriculum corresponded w/ me by email and she was wonderfully helpful. In the end, the big thing for me was the high school offerings. And it was really expensive. I am sure there is a cheaper way to do it, but my first year, I was just going to buy what they suggested and it was pricey!
Plus, upon closer inspection, "lots" of people on the forums mixed and matched programs and books from WP and SL, so there really didn't seem to be a mass exodus or anything. Just more of an appreciation of WP.
UPDATE: To clarify, I never purchased WP. I found the author of the curriculum very accessible and very helpful. It just didn't seem to be the right fit for our family.
Then I checked out MFW. I found out they now have high school. Well, one or two levels, w/ more to come. I liked the courses and the fact that they are written to the student. They also include grading guidelines.
The online forum was awesome. It had a real gentle feel to it.
I read and compared. MFW seemed so much cheaper! W/ 4 kids though, it really isn't cheaper than SL, but may be if there is only one child. And although the booklist is optional, many expressed frustration in finding the books and/or racking up huge fines!(that would be me!!!)
Hands on stuff intimidated me(would I have the energy?) and I didn't really want to do it, but I thought it would be good, esp. for the extra student I had.
My mind was made up to do it. It seemed to be just what I needed.
I posted about it here and Sonlight left me a comment wishing me well! I was blown away. My husband said it didn't seem like I wanted to give up on SL.He didn't think I would be able to hunt for books. He really didn't think I would turn them in on time. He didn't think I would have the energy to keep up w/ projects. Why couldn't I just buy all the Sonlight books and use them to the best of my ability? No projects, just reading. No library searches or fines.
He thought the 2 books we had managed to finished were pretty outstanding. Red Sails to Capri was so dry and Ginger Pye had me about bored to tears. I found out on the SL forums that alot of people don't love those titles, but just finish them, it would be worth it. So I did.
W/ Ginger Pye, every day, my little boy would say "Isn't this a good book?!"
When we finished Red Sails to Capri and I went online to check out the real place, I gasped aloud. When I showed it to the kids the next morning, they did too. Every time we hear the word grotto, or Capri, everyone gets excited and says "remember!?" It wasn't a book, it was an experience we shared. It was one of those Sonlight moments.
When my extra student went back to school this year, it was a perfect opportunity to try SL again. The kids are older now. We have built up our reading and listening ears a bit and can listen to 2 or 3 days worth of history reading at a time.So when I get behind because of co-op homework or because I am not feeling good, we can still finish the week.
When I looked at other curriculum choices, one thing they all agreed on, was doing the one God leads you to do. God has led us to SL and He will equip us to do it.
I get it now that SL is a buffet and you don't have to eat all of it. It just took me a LONG time to understand. I don't use Window on the World all the time, for example. But I use the other 2 history books. I love how history is just me reading and us talking about it! What could be easier? I love how the bible reading, the history readings all tie together!
The other day my husband was home for lunch and we were going over the bible memory verse. Our youngest was doing great, her little voice carefully speaking out the long verse. My husband jerks his head around"Is she READING that?!" He couldn't believe she had it memorized. Another one of those Sonlight moments!!!
We are struggling to get all our co-op homework completed. And on time. This week I really need to do at least 2 day's worth each day of the Sonlight assignments. Last week was a total bust in that area.
I think the key is to keep trying!
The last few weeks I have been very disappointed w/ myself.I was doing really well w/ the SL schedule and then co-op started. My boys were having a hard time adjusting to managing their time. I was very tired due to the increased activity.
Well today I pulled out my SL binder.Then I gathered all the books that go w/ it. They were on the shelf all together.Took everything to my room, called everyone to my bed and got started.
I thank God that I have stuck w/ one curriculum for this long. I am really learning from the mistakes! I decided instead of one day's reading, I would see if I could do 4 days worth in each subject so I could finish out that week. One map book, I guess I lost, so we are just looking at other maps. One book, I chose not to include...
Because I am doing a lower core than recommended, it was totally doable. But only because I started out following the schedule and then built up! When we first started, we couldn't have tolerated this much reading.Now we didn't do 4 chapters of read aloud, that would have been too much.
The kids do their individual subjects on their own or take turns working w/ me.
I have many issues and struggles, which I would be happy to list if you want to hear about it. ;) It took me FOREVER(or at least it felt like it) to finally feel like I just might be able to do this homeschool thing. And still I must depend on God's grace daily, hourly! It is just not something I could do in my own strength.
But if I could do it under my own power, that wouldn't require faith, would it? :)
Today the public school kids were out of school. So I let my kids go outside too. I cooked lunch and supper and did some decluttering and now I am thinking: how am I supposed to do ALL this!!?
Ordinarily I homeschool, do kid stuff and Joe does the bulk of the cooking.
Whoever figures it out first, meet back here and tell the other, ok?
It's not perfect, but we are doing it. We are getting by, keeping up w/ co-op work pretty well. Not steady yet w/ the all the Sonlight stuff, but pretty consistent w/ the kids' individual work.
That is all I can do: just keep improving!
I am still trying to balance homeschool and homeschool co-op and all the illnesses we have been battling. It is definitely working w/ Sonlight. I can be so rigid and inflexible sometimes. Using the lower level for my kids' ages allows me to follow the schedule exactly. It is a relief to finally do something right for once! And I am not making too big a deal about my co-op class. I am trying to keep it low maintenance instead of freaking out over it all week and putting more work in than it needs.
Maybe I will be totally good at this homeschooling thing by the time my youngest graduates!
Well, I would update, but I am so tired. Sunday is the busiest day for us as a family and Monday is the busiest day for the kids and me. We are 3 weeks into homeschool co-op. It is going so well. I am trying to balance keeping w/ my sonlight schedule at home and the duties of co-op. I am doing better than I ever have in years past, but still lots of room for improvement!
My curriculum wisdom is to stick w/ what you feel God is leading you to do. It will work out. Eventually. It may not feel good all the time, but it will work out.And it will feel right, deep down, it will feel right!
Something that doesn't feel right is the whole Jon and Kate mess. My own parents were divorced when I was about 9. My parents married young, had 3 kids in 2 years(me and then identical twin boys). They did their best but it didn't work.
Being the oldest child, my world was my mom and dad. When their marriage fell apart, part of me died inside. I was daddy's girl and mommy's little helper. Now I was lost...it was easier to believe that there was a bad parent who ran the good parent off than to consider that I was so unlovable that my parents couldn't both be there for me.
It has only been in the last few years that I have been strong enough to look with total honesty at my childhood. I love and like both my parents and stepparents, there wasn't a good one and a bad one at all. And I wasn't unlovable, that was just a childish reaction, although it felt very real.
So I did turn out ok in the end, so to speak. :)
I hope that Jon and Kate's kids(and Jon and Kate) don't have alot of pain to face when they get older. I hope someone is thinking about that now.
My parents were young and their choices were not meant to harm us, but were the best they knew to do at the time. I would say that all of the single parent families I know right now are doing the best they can.
Are Jon and Kate doing the best they can do? I hope so. I have a hard time believing that with all the resources they have available to them that this is the best they can do, but I hope so.
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