SL vs...the ultimate review

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!!!

It has been really hard to keep up w/ the blog. I so would like to be a "famous" blogger w/ tons of comments and followers or an active forum participant whose every word is relished. ;)

But I don't have the inclination to put in the time to cultivate an internet following.

I write when I write. About what I feel like writing. Letting off steam, sounding off my opinions and recording memories...

There you have it.

And for those interested in the whole SL vs...

Part of this decision was $, part was needing to go from a "heavy" schedule to a lighter one. I love the idea of learning through making memories. We have a lot of fun memories from our time w/ SL. I still use the readers, and will try to continue to read the read alouds I have.

I am currently using Five in a Row unit studies, adapting them for an older crowd. I have an enchanted learning.com account and I print up corresponding pictures and sheets, which they glue into a scrap book. I also have 2 volumes of Beyond Five in a Row which I plan to utilize one of these days...

My oldest(end of 8th grade) is doing Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum. It teaches the student how to develop a world view.So far so good. He has already started it and will continue on w/ it for ninth grade.

Sonlight, My Father's World and even WinterPromise still catch my eye. But I am doing so much better w/ the FIAR. I find that I like adding to the curriculum.

From MFW, I bought Writing Strands and another LA book. My oldest loves it! I bought a lower level of it for my other kids. It is written to the child(except for the first 2 levels), it is very specific. Just what we need!!!!

I bought alot of items from SL because I qualified for free shipping, I think it is after $100. So it's not like I completely left.

One of the things I bought from SL was miquon math. I just started w/ the first book for JD,my dyslexia boy and JJ,the 8 year old. Neither will use the rods, but they like it otherwise. The pages are very "clean", not alot of busy pictures or writing. And the print is large enough for him to see clearly.

And in the fall, the neighbor who joins us currently is going back to school in the fall, so that will change things. So I may(ok, you know I definitely will!) revisit all my curriculum choices when it is time to buy again.

I haven't worried so much, I haven't written out potential long term plans on every scrap of paper I touch, so that is an improvement. :)

Confessions of a Sporadic Blogger

Well, it's true, I have been outted as a digital immigrant. Could you just google that phrase on your own? It does tire this old lady so to insert all those links...It's always nice to have a name for your condition. ;)

Here I go again w/ Sonlight vs.... It is my most popular topic, so I just keep churnin' em out.

Cost is such a huge factor. My Father's World prices look so much cheaper. That can be deceiving, however. Well if you have one child, that is all you need. But for me, I have my 4 kids, plus one more student so when I look at a mfw program, if there are any consummables needed for each student, that raises my price considerably. $2 here, $5 there multiplied by 4 adds up quickly. Then the fact that w/ Sonlight, I can buy all of the readers w/ a simple click. Some who use and love mfw will quickly object here. Because mfw curriculum comes w/ a very extensive list of readers and go along books that can be purchased(you would have to find them on your own) or borrowed from the library.

Check the SL forums for the true confessions of those who used mfw, checked out books, and accrued a huge library fine!(I will just admit right here that if I ever did mfw, I would definitely not borrow books too often,I would go to the library and just have the kids read them in the library. In fact, I do that right now.) ;)

It's nice to have all of the SL books in the house. And when a reader gets misplaced, I just go on to the next one, no fines, no late notices, no book replacement fee.That is so nice.

But if I had a smaller homeschool budget, I wouldn't mind trying mfw(if it actually did turn out to be cheaper, that is), it seems like a wonderful company.It would be hard to leave SL definitely!

If my budget needs to be smaller, perhaps I will just have to take Rosetta Stone out of my SL cart! lol

Busy, busy.. dreadfully busy

Too busy living real life to write about it! I am glad about that, but hope to squeeze out a few moments to be creative soon.

In the mean time, my son w/ Special needs is doing well. I think it is because I am doing so well right now.

As far as Sonlight vs. _______, I plan to continue posting my thoughts on that.

Here's the secret though: If you are a Christian, it's about doing what God has for you.For us, it's SL. And the short reason for that is the Holzmann family ministers to us in such a strong way. That is what God has for us.

MFW, SL, WP are all good Christian companies(what I have seen of all of them), that is why I think I would continue to look over the websites and magazines all the time.

But I always kept being drawn back in to SL for one reason or another. It was my husband who noticed and realized it was because it was the one for us.

No I don't believe simply being drawn to something is a "sign", but I can't think of any other way to describe our experience.

Life is calling me back, I hope to return soon though. Blessings!

Sonlight vs....

Last night in the wee hours I wrote this post and then I quickly took it down. It didn't express everything that I wanted it to and it didn't sound the way I wanted it to. I didn't know that it would still show up in rss feeds and on blogger reader! So my main readers are going to see it anyway! So for better or for worse, here are some late night ramblings....

I worry that my oldest son is really missing out because I focus so much on my younger 3 + the neighbor.

Is he doing enough to be prepared for high school? I just don't know.

And what will he be using for high school? That is really the question of the hour.

I was all set to switch to My Father's World curriculum when Luke left me the nicest comment. It caused me to remember why I had chosen Sonlight in the first place and what a wonderful family the Holzmanns are and how much I had learned from them.I wish I could articulate the kind of Christian I was and who I am today in Christ.

For one thing, I didn't always realize that there is not one (agreed upon)Christian way. When I first got my SL science materials and read the article on young old, old earth I was totally shocked! I had always been taught "YOUNG EARTH ONLY...or else!" I did not know there were Christians who believed in the old earth theory. So I am supposed to weigh the evidence and decide which of these I believe.

Wow! I did not know that could be trusted with a decision like this!

I love the way SL is so open. They aren't afraid. They even include a section on the website and in the catalog called "reasons not to buy Sonlight".

My Christian faith was always afraid. Afraid that if I let my 2 year old watch Barney, he might grow up to believe that rainbows are made when elephants sneeze. And I still feel a little bit "bad" when on occasion I listen to secular music.That doesn't sound like a strong faith to me!

Now instead of only presenting one side(the side I believe to be right) to my kids, I present what I believe and WHY. AND I include what others believe(when appropriate, of course) and why I disagree. My kids are ages 7-13, I don't know that I would present both sides to a toddler and let him decide! ;) Their faith is STRONG.And their beliefs are their own. And when they leave my house, they won't be blindsided by another point of view after a lifetime of only hearing one side of things.

Whew...I got a little winded there giving that example, so I am going to end it there! ;)

Continued tweaking...

So this week I am going to attempt to plug in history to our schedule.

So far the school day looks like this:

Prayer
go over homework
spelling (avko, so everyday I call out words)
Geography songs
Copywork quote
Bible verse memory work
reading tutoring (avko, alot like spelling)
math
science reading
read aloud

I think I am going to add bible reading after spelling and before Geo songs. Then add history reading between copy work and Bible verse.

After finishing the copy work quotes of Ben Franklin( a copy work notebook by knowledge box central, part of a set from homeschool radio shows called Four Great Americans), I am going to use Sonlight's LA for 3rd graders for everyone but the 8th grader. And I am only going to do the copywork and the grammar, not the writing. They just aren't ready yet. But they are going to continue to write sentences for 15 minutes a day w/ their spelling and/or reading words. Sentences before paragraphs, I say! Well, actually Don McCabe of avko said it first, I am just agreeing w/ him.

The oldest joins us for everything through bible memory. Then he goes and watches his math dvd(systemath.com) and is supposed to do his LA also, but often he doesn't. Gotta work on that. I bought him some LA materials from My Father's World because I thought I was headed there. I have added reading, he is reading Gladys Aylward, a read aloud from SL 1+2. He is going to use it as a reader. I am also going to have him read through a Child's History of the World on his own.He hasn't started that at all. And he hasn't started Writing Strands(also bought through mfw).

Ok, I haven't given up yet. Or even lost hope. So that is progress. ;)

More homeschool story

After waffling back and forth all summer, the 3 younger kids went to school that fall. Joe never doubted that I could homeschool, but I wasn't sure.We were going to give school a chance for a year, til Christmas if it was really bad.

Once again, my kids were not misfits or dunces. They were bright students and except for spunky little JJ ;) were perfect angels as far as behavior. She was just "pretty good" I would call it, which is still good.

I will spare you most of the long drawn out saga by just saying that it didn't work out. In a huge way. Every time something would come up, I would freak. We would get it resolved, I would get ready to relax and then another something would cause me to freak. I would have had to invest myself at the school on a pretty near daily basis to make it work out and I decided that if I was going to go to alot of trouble for something, it was going to be on my terms.

So after 6 weeks of public school, one Friday I'd had enough. The last straw was that they could not keep my son from getting hit by other kids. That very day I had written a letter to the school telling about my kids being hit and bullied. I was so proud of myself until that evening when JD casually announced he'd been put in a headlock in the bathroom that day. He considered it just another part of the school experience!! I realized that this was not the right place for him or my other kids. We were better off fending for ourselves.

And it's a good thing the message was so clear that my kids did not belong in school because later on in that school year, we would find out that JD also has Learning Disabilities and ADD.I kindly declined the school's offer of services. We would continue finding private services for him, even though they were costly.

Just an aside when I took JD to be evaluated for ADD, I also took my youngest daughter JJ. She was disagnosed w/ ADHD.

By this time we were using Beyond Five in a Row. And not very well I might add.One day I suddenly realized Five in a Row had no high school program and my oldest was in 6th grade. So I began to research and I found my way back to Sonlight.

The Lord is so funny. The neighbor's grandson joined our homeschool that year, bringing us some much needed structure. He doesn't have Learning Disabilities, but has some comprehension issues and some catching up to do. I would have never thought that by adding another child our family would be helped so much.

I eventually came to believe that I bought the wrong program from SL that year, but at the time I thought it was best.(They do have a guarantee, but I didn't utilize it because the level did fit some of my kids, just not all the way I'd hoped) I did buy some things used, but they ended up being too much.At the second semester I had to add time4learning.com because I just couldn't keep up w/ all the specials needs. 3 of the kids will begin it again in Sept.

Now my oldest JC is in 8th grade, JD is in 5th, Jr. is in 4th and little JJ is a 2nd grader.

We looked at WinterPromise, but it would have been very costly. And I didn't want alot of activities.

My Father's World is developing a high school program. That is what we are going to try next.It seems to have everything I want without me forcing it to be what I need. For example, this year w/ SL Core 1+2, I kept wishing they would emphasize the flags of each country more. I notice MFW has geography course and each child gets a flag sticker book. It's little details like that that make me think I may have found a match w/ mfw.

But really it remains to be seen.

All my fears of being behind are slowly melting away as I settle in to some programs that really match what we need.We are finding our niche and making some great strides.

By the way, we no longer pay the big bucks for dyslexia tutoring. I use avko.org. I am really pleased w/ their approach. I use the materials for all the kids for reading, spelling and writing. And even learning comprehension.

It has been a long and winding road and I am all the better to have walked it. :)

You might be a homeschooler if...

You LOVE, LOVE the first day of school!!!

In spite of the picture above, my children are not 5,3,2 and 4 months old.

They are actually 13, 10(for a few more weeks), 9 and 7(8 in 3 months).

When I look at old pictures I feel a little sad for all the time gone by. They were so cute! I used to dress them in matching outfits!

Although, when I took this picture, I remember I'd only had about 2 hours sleep. I'd driven 4 hours to meet a fellow homeschooler I'd "met" through the internet.

The baby had terrible colic and for 4 months I nursed her all night long. Then I discovered soy formula and my life took a turn for the better.

Actually I still deal w/ sleep problems, but that is not what I sat down here to write!

Today was our first day of school. Well sort of. Have you ever noticed that when you make pancakes, the first one is often a dud? I set aside this day as a dry run of sorts, to work out any kinks. Thursday, I started organizing paperwork and everyone's backpacks and today we dove in.

This year is going to be our best ever. I got a scheduling idea from Joyce Swann. Now her kids were accelerated and all earned masters degrees at home by age 16 or so.I am not interested in that, but I like the idea of school for 3 solid hours a day(I may have to make it longer, but I like having a set time). No messing around, no goofing off.No talking about anything else, but what we are doing.

Even my spelling/reading/dyslexia materials(avko.org) say to only do activities for 15 min. If it takes longer, it becomes tedious, so we are working up to completing the lessons in under 15 min. We can only get about 1/2 done right now, but I am sure glad to know that we were spending too much time on it before.

And no fits! Fit throwing, whining, complaining, wasting my time and/or the other kids' time is going to result in detention(fancy word for time out) after school.

Another addition this year is homework! Homework builds responsibility and teaches time management. And this year, each child has a backpack w/ all their stuff(another Joyce Swann idea) Last year, we had a school cabinet. It was a big disaster; we were always hunting for our stuff!

Another change on the horizon. I am probably going to quit Sonlight and go over to My Father's World when we get our income tax.Sonlight is a wonderful curriculum. The set up of the schedules and heavy course load are too much for me. This semester I am going to quit using my SL Instructor's guide and just read the books. I am going to see what I have in the way of American History, because when I switch to MFW, they won't get that right away!

So far everything I have planned feels doable, not overwhelming. For about a month, we are going to review math facts, do some reading instruction, things like that. In Sept, the 3 kids that will continue w/ Time4Learning will begin that.

I was thinking today that my littlest didn't have anything to do when I remembered she has time4learning to look forward to!

That is it for now, it's enough!! whew....