Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Oct. 22, 2013

Sonlight to me

By Karla

Jonelle and Judy have posted about what Sonlight is to them, so I thought I'd jump in with my 2 cents' worth!

Sonlight to me is...

...being able to teach my kids the way I wish I'd been taught. Truly! Looking back I can see how I would have thrived in a literature-rich, learn-at-your-own-pace environment as opposed to the dry everybody-on-the-same-page public school setting that was my own educational experience. I am grateful I was able to offer my children something better.

...sharing favorite books with my children that I remember reading during my own childhood... familiar classics such as Charlotte's Web, Strawberry Girl, Caddie Woodlawn... and discovering, to my delight, how much more I got out of them re-reading them as an adult. That's something I probably would have never taken the time to do if it hadn't been for Sonlight.

...the learning lifestyle we've cultivated in our family. School doesn't end at a certain time each weekday. The learning continues wherever we go. I love to hear my kids say, "Oh! Remember when we read about..." various things we encounter when we're traveling or out-and-about around town or just going about our lives. It's great to see the stories become relevant.

...the home library we've built over the years. Books we want to go back to over and over. Books we look foward to sharing with future generations.

...most of all, the closeness we've developed as a family, sharing good books and engaging in spirited discussions. My kids have grown up loving to learn... and my husband and I have continued to learn right alongside them.

Enjoying the adventure,
~Karla Cook
Lifelong Learner

Tagged Sonlight to me | 1 Comment

Oct. 17, 2013

Sonlight to me

By Judy

Jonelle's blog post from earlier this week made me stop and think what Sonlight means to me. I enjoyed reading her comments, and wondered how mine might differ. Sonlight has certainly been a large part of my life for the past 16+ years!

Sonlight began as an answer to a desire to homeschool our children. It provided the very approach I was looking for ... a non-textbook, literature-based resource for educating our students.

Sonlight is countless hours of reading together as a family. Over and over again we traveled outside of our living room walls to time periods and locations far, far away. As our bookshelves filled with more and more titles, our imaginations filled with amazing characters and adventures.

Sonlight is the vehicle by which our children were introduced to challenging topics. Even as young children we tackled difficult subjects around our dining room table, and then marveled as God gave them opportunities to share their beliefs with others in an understanding and grace-filled fashion. They learned to converse, and not just declare judgment on those around them.

Sonlight is the amazing opportunity I have had to meet and encourage young parents on convention floors for over 15 years. Year after year of sharing tears and rejoicing in victories with moms and dads who are committed to the homeschool journey has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I have ever enjoyed.

Sonlight is the privilege of working together with an amazing group of folks who are committed to helping parents raise winsome ambassadors for Christ who love to discover and learn.

What is Sonlight to you?

Still on the journey ...
~Judy Wnuk
Sonlight Customer Champion

Tagged books, conventions, life-long learning, literature-rich | 2 Comments

Oct. 16, 2013

Do You Declare or Converse?

By Luke

He's drawn a crowd. Ten people have stopped their Friday evening activities to listen to what he's yelling into a portable PA system. One girl, I think she had blue hair, good-naturedly yells back, challenging his proclamations of fire and brimstone. The rest of the throng are part of the street preacher's entourage or college kids also looking to minister to the lost.

I'm one of them, out for an evening of evangelizing, and "bullhorn guy" doesn't seem to be helping.

"What do you think of this guy?" A middle-aged man has appeared at my shoulder and is asking me questions.

I do a terrible job explaining my inner turmoil. I realize some people are cut to the quick and repent at these kinds of things. But I also know that it's one of those quintessential "turn offs" to Christianity because what they're selling isn't good news. It's, at best, the solution to the bad news of being a sinner. And the girl in the blue hair has decided to move on, playfully flipping off microphone man as she departs.

"I really hope there's a better way," I finish, wishing I knew what it was.

See, I had spent the previous four years in high school determined to save my friends from hell. [Read more about that here.] My perspective was shifting. I was beginning to recognize the human side to reaching people, something I should have seen clearly from all the missionary biographies I had grown up with in Sonlight.

The man may have chatted with me longer, or, perhaps, he had disappeared. Either way, his question stuck.

The guy on the podium was there on conquest. He had zero interest in conversation. He knew that he knew that he knew that he was right and so discussion was out of the question. He refused to entertain "nonsense." He told people what was what--namely, that they were sinners--and urged them to come to Jesus. Trouble was, no one found that inviting.

A similar problem echoes through various groups of homeschoolers. There is a directive to shield yourself from lies and boldly declare the Truth. Like political pundits unwilling to even consider another perspective, such an approach severs communication and entrenches combatants in a deaf yelling match. Both sides, then, end up setting up and burning straw men, and so miss every opportunity to understand the needs and concerns of the other.

Burning Straw Men

This happens frequently with the hot button issues in homeschooling. And those caught in the middle--our students--can be hindered or helped by how we respond.

If we mock every untruth as rubbish and proclaim discussion of the subject as somehow dishonoring to God, we cripple our children. When they one day encounter the arguments and evidence of the other side, they will be forced to reconsider, retrench, or reject. And too often I've seen such kids walk away from the dogmatic ideals of their family. But even if they hold fast to their beliefs, they are not likely to win anyone over to their side. A funny thing happens when you stop up your ears and reiterate again and again your position: The person you're talking to tends to respond in kind. And now, like the guys with the effigies above, we're not even close to talking about reality.

This brings us to the incredible opportunity you have: You can focus on seeking to understand the other points of view. You can tackle tough questions. You can address foolish ideas. You can discuss the uncomfortable realities of life with your kids. And through all that, they will be able to better understand and articulate what they believe and why. They will, one day, be able to have a conversation with someone who comes at the world from a completely different perspective... and share the reason for their hope.

But this requires a radical shift in perspective from conquest and defense to outreach and seed planting.

This is one of the unique aspects of Sonlight that is built into our homeschool curriculum. You will be equipped to empower your children to reach out into the world and bring Truth and Good News as they converse and connect with people from all walks of life. And it's one of my favorite parts of meeting other Sonlighters. You and I have a common curiosity and desire to learn so we can more effectively bless those around us, both in our homes and around the globe.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

Tagged discussion, ideas, ministry, questions | 3 Comments

Oct. 15, 2013

Sonlight to me

By Jonelle

Sonlight is to me something that has been steady my whole life — an outcropping of my mom and dad, people I respect, trust, and love.

Sonlight is my mom reading to us as we did school in our pjs. It's my mom sitting in her chair reading book after book, seeking the "best of the best," but looking up and setting the book down when she would see me sitting across from her wanting to talk. Sonlight is my dad reading to us, somehow reading ahead while still reading out loud, and getting so choked up he couldn't finish. And we'd be begging to know what happened. Or him falling asleep while reading out loud and taking a short nap only to wake up and say, "Now what just happened in the story?"

Sonlight is reading the Bible, and biographies, and good books. It's spelling tests with my brothers and perfect handwriting for the final verse each week. Sonlight is sitting next to my mom in the morning and curling up next to my dad in the evening.

Sonlight is my childhood. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In high school and college, when asked about history, God, or people groups, my answers would almost always start with what I'd learned through Sonlight. Even now, the books I read call things to mind and I'm able to talk knowledgeably about history, and therefore, about what is happening in the world today.

Sonlight also established something in my family that helped me walk through trials. When things came up that were bigger than me, I had people, adults, whom I could trust. I had a brother as best friend and shoulders I could cry on. In college, when issues arose, I called my parents. They were people I could lean on. My sister sent me hand written cards every week.

Sonlight is my adolescence. A steadying influence.

As an adult, Sonlight (and my parents) helps define my passion for missions. It helps me see other people groups more clearly — to care for them. Sonlight draws a desire out of me to help others. Sonlight still makes me want to treat others with respect — to hear their side of the story. Sonlight helps me relate to others, while still having a rock I can stand on.

Sonlight for me now is the laughter of a daughter who can't get over the fact that "Tigger's don't like haycorns." The high-fives of her first read book. It's the confidence knowing that I can do this — that growing up, learning was easy. Sonlight is having things planned for me. It's flexibility. Sonlight is the small voice saying, "You've got this. You did it. You can do it. You can succeed."

Sonlight is my adulthood. And I'm thrilled with where I'm going.

May your journey with your children be blessed today,
Jonelle

Tagged Encouragement, Homeschooling | 5 Comments

Oct. 14, 2013

Why Life-Long Learning is a Natural Part of Exploration

By Luke

Every new task you do will require you to learn something. Even flushing a toilet. Years ago, as a young man, I spent a week in the UK. We were in a bed and breakfast and the toilet had an elevated tank. There was no handle. No chain. There was a little foot peddle that seemed for #1, but when I had to go #2, I was at a loss. There was no way to flush the thing! I carefully made a search for a button, lever, switch, or hidden knob. I found none.

I finally had to ask.

Turns out you had to grab the pipe going from the tank to the bowl and pull down. I never would have expected that. Years after being potty trained, I still had to be shown how to flush the foreign toilet. Granted, part of that problem was a design and signage issue, but it demonstrates how much learning we so often take for granted because we can figure it out so quickly.

As we encounter new things, we have opportunities to learn.

I'm working on learning how to help split test our website. I'd love to make the site better. And the idea of a split test is you can use visitor behavior to determine what is most helpful. But I've had a nagging suspicion that our results aren't as certain as they could be. So I started a new test: I'm currently seeing how a page performs against itself. I'm checking the results of showing different people the exact same page.

Thus far, the outcome is impressive.

A/A Split Test: A is preforming 118% better than A

Naturally, with so little data, I expect a regression toward the mean. Overtime, these two should drift closer together. [But we must not assume they will ever balance each other; such an assumption is based on the gambler's fallacy.] But I think there may be more going on here than is covered in the articles I've read about A/B Testing. It turns out, I learned today, that scientific studies tend to lose their ability to be proven over time.

What?

I'm so shocked, I tell my wife. "Oh, you mean that thing they talked about on RadioLab?" she asks, as if I'd just told her the sky appears blue. Once again, I'm late to the party of knowledge.

The good news is that I'm still learning.

It is natural to learn when we encounter new activities, ideas, or questions. But how do we ensure we keep bumping into new things?

Read: Books are a great way to expand your world.
Take a class: Online, at church, or as curriculum, it's easy to build on what others have created.
Ask questions: I noticed 1 Kings 8:9 for the first time on Sunday and wondered why the Ark didn't have more stuff in it. I still don't know. But the question is pushing me to find an answer! Don't let pride rob you of learning.
Try something new: Whether it's building a website, knitting a sweater, or baking something tasty, there's plenty out there to stretch you. (I hear Pinterest is a popular source of inspiration, if not discouragement.)
Travel: I'm not just talking internationally where you'll encounter strange restrooms. When I visit a friend at their church, I often come away with a new appreciation for who God is in light of the difference in that congregation's worship.

How do you like learning new things?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

Tagged life-long learning, questions, science, statistics, travel | 2 Comments

Oct. 11, 2013

Maybe we can read another chapter tonight?

By Luke

We've had "our German" for a month now. She's adjusting to life in America and with us. School continues to be in flux as we all try to figure out what will be best for her. This week, at our exhorting, she asked her History teacher if she could read a different book. They had been given an assignment to select from a list of historical fiction options, and my cousin had opted for the one with her mother's name in the title.

The book proved to be disappointingly terrible, despite being on a certain TV celebrity's book club list. We flipped through the Sonlight catalog and came up with three superior options. Her teacher agreed and I bought a second copy of By the Great Horn Spoon so my cousin could follow along while I read it aloud.

When we had tried to read the original work, we all dreaded the experience. It was a chore that we dutifully waded through. I would rather have read from the antiquated phone book that shows up now and again on our doorstep. And my cousin was miserable. She struggled to keep track of the shifting perspectives and timelines scattered about the pages. The story was dreadfully dull and pointlessly depressing.

Contrast that experience with the one involving our new book.

We read two chapters before youth group and, on the drive home, my cousin asked casually, "Maybe we can read another chapter tonight?"

Chapter 5 waits impatiently for when I get home from work today.

My wife, who has not yet had the pleasure of reading this particular book, is also loving it. She often bursts into giggles as each new character and event saunters into view.

And that, my friend, is what is so spectacularly brilliant about good literature: No matter if you're a German kid still unsure of your English, new to the tale, or revisiting an old favorite, great stories urge you to keep reading. And we happily oblige!

I think it's also important to remember that listening to a great book enables us to learn things we couldn't pick up on our own. This is my first time reading By the Great Horn Spoon because my mom read it to me as a kid. I did not yet have the ability to read well enough when I was twelve. Same with my cousin. I'm sure she reads just fine in German, but English is a different story. So I read, she listens, and we all talk about it as we go.

My cousin loves the book she's currently "reading" for school.

By the Great Horn Spoon

I wish more History and English classrooms were filled with the literature that spills off the bookcases of Sonlighters around the world.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged books, literature, reading, school | 2 Comments

Oct. 8, 2013

Why Are People Creative?

By Robert

We appreciate creativity when we encounter it in music, art, literature, film, and other areas of life. But why are people creative? The answer from a Christian perspective is rooted in what theologians call the imago Dei--the image of God.

In short, biblically speaking human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1; James 3:9). This image includes, for instance, human creativity, intellect, and morality. Consequently, the creative impulse is inherent within human nature.

Even if we don't personally see ourselves as particularly creative individuals, the spark of creativity remains, perhaps only needing a nudge in the right direction or a matching of talents with a particular calling. This does not mean that everyone is called to manifest creativity in the fine arts as a way of life, but creativity can serve us in any subject area or career we pursue.

We may pause here and ask, "To what extent does God's image make itself known in human beings? Is the image of God in us destroyed as a result of the fall or is it merely impaired or marred and, if so, to what degree?" These are deep questions theologians grapple with, resulting in differing solutions.

Some are supportive of common grace, which holds that a certain measure of God's grace is extended to all of humanity. Given this viewpoint, the fact that we are all created in God's image, combined with a dose of common grace, results in the potential for creative greatness, beauty, and flourishing in human endeavors from art to literature to philosophy to science and more.

Applied to human creativity it also means that we can learn much from various sources. It does not mean that artistic endeavors or works override biblical revelation, but it does mean that they can contribute to human understanding and even to the glory of God.

How are these ideas practically relevant? They can help us to appreciate wonderful artistry, wherever it is found. Rather than retreating into our own Christian subculture, entrenching ourselves, we can instead intelligently engage and appreciate a variety of ideas, noting areas of great value, but also critiquing ideas that may be creative and intellectually rigorous, yet lacking overall coherence or soundness.

In addition, understanding the image of God and its relevance to life can help us better understand ourselves and, in the case of education, our children. For example, we can read great literature and glean insights from it without undue fear or paranoia. Finally, having an understanding of the image of God can help us better understand and engage the world around us.

A word of caution is in order, however. Although human beings are made in God's image, we are fallen beings, which means that there is also an element of rebelliousness within us--a twisting of our nature, so to speak. This can lead to warped forms of creativity, wherein goodness is spoiled or disfigured.

The broader point, though, is that the image of God in us results in great potential. We have the capacity to create, to reason, and, by God's grace, to flourish.

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

Tagged art, common grace, creativity, fine arts, image of God, imago Dei, literature, music | Leave a comment

Sonlight to me

Sonlight to me

Do You Declare or Converse?

Sonlight to me

Why Life-Long Learning is a Natural Part of Exploration

Maybe we can read another chapter tonight?

Why Are People Creative?

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