Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Jul. 11, 2013

Academic excellence matters because it honors God

By Sarita

Sonlight cares about academics. After many years in our programs, Sonlight graduates tend to be very well-educated and insightful adults. (Meet our 2013 scholarship winners for some shining examples.)

We emphasize academics because we believe that academic excellence honors God.* Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love with your whole being. He describes a love that involves the heart, soul and mind:

Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." –Matthew 22:37-39

Our minds aren't the only important things, or the most important. But they are important. God wants us to stretch our minds and use them to the fullest. I knew a fellow homeschool mom who used to buy four little workbooks, hand them to her children, and consider her work done. I thought, wow, that would be easy! But it wouldn't be good.

I believe the ultimate goal of homeschooling is to equip children to do whatever God calls them to. We want to raise up children to do whatever comes their way. And more often than not, that goal requires a solid academic education.

Sonlight student Anna P completes an impressive experiment with Sonlight Science E

Whether you are actively teaching in the younger years, or serving as your high schooler's learning coach, we don't skimp on academics. Sonlight provides the tools for you to teach the full spectrum of what kids need to know. We cover all the subjects. Those 60-pound Sonlight boxes arrive at your doorstep full of materials to help your children become well-educated people who love to learn.

When you choose Sonlight, you know you're giving your children the academic foundation to succeed in life. Over their years with Sonlight, they will learn to read, write, communicate effectively, think critically, consider various perspectives, and figure out whatever they want to keep learning.

Does character matter? Does loving God matter? Yes, yes and yes!! These are my highest desires for your children and you'll find Sonlight helps you more than you could have imagined in those areas. At the end of the day, we want to help you raise up children who love the Lord.

In doing so, Sonlight doesn't waver in its commitment to solid academics as well. We believe that well educated children who love the Lord can grow up to truly change the world. May it be so.

Blessings,
Sarita

P.S. I wrote more extensively on this topic last year. Read more about the balance between a focus on academics and character, and four reasons why we should challenge our children academically.

* More accurately, perhaps I should say that academic excellence gained through devotion to Christ honors God. The mere acquisition of knowledge in a prideful way or for the sake of personal glory doesn't do much to honor our Creator. But when we seek Christ as the motivation for our academic pursuits, when we submit to His call on our lives each day, we will be ready to follow Him wherever He leads.

Tagged academics | Leave a comment

Jul. 9, 2013

Are You in Control of Your Kids?

By Luke

He's got a dusty-blond head of hair and the physique of a high school football player. He has a similar expression as well. But he doesn't play football. He boxes and hikes. Someone in the room mentions that Brittany and I are "really religious."

"I'm always up for talking about it," I offer, reiterating my enjoyment of Random Bible Question Time with Luke. I love answering questions and encountering sticking points I didn't know existed. I also do my best to present various views if I am aware of them. This is one of the ways I challenge myself to keep learning.

He talks at me but doesn't meet my gaze. "You do not want to get into this with me."

"Oh, he does," my wife rejoins. I nod emphatically.

He sighs. "Well, first, you should know I'm an atheist." No problem. "What do you say to the fact that Christianity is just a conglomeration of much older religions, like the Egyptian sun god born on December 25th and stuff?"

We talk about it. I mention Zeitgeist: The Movie and then we get down to history. I'm not trying to shut him down, but there's no way I'm going to hold back. He then mentions the late publishing of the Gospels and hints at the theory that the Gospels made Christ progressively more divine the later they were written.

So we talk about that too.

I try to affirm his questions as reasonable--given what he's heard and read. But even so, I'm afraid I steamrolled him a bit. It's uncomfortable to come up against someone who has solid responses to the flimsy straw men you've been burning as effigies. Our time comes to a close before I can decompress the discussion. That bums me out a bit.

I want to provide a safe place for kids to express their doubts and struggles. When I was in high school, my goal was to "win" and "prove" the other person wrong. Since then, I've seen firsthand how destructive such an approach can be to building relationships and pointing people to Christ.

Supermom made this point really clear for me in her post Relationships Before Rules. Please give it a read. I really appreciated her thoughts.

May the hearts of our children be turned to us (their parents) and drawn to Christ as they see in us His love and grace, and not anger and offense and judgment. As your children transition from "totally under your control" to giving you influence, are they allowing you to provide insight or are they pushing away?

Whatever the case, may the peace of Christ rule in your heart as you continue to bring your children before the Lord in prayer. Because, while you ultimately can't control your kids, He loves them and does not want them to perish.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged children, discussion, ideas, parenting | 2 Comments

Jul. 9, 2013

Around the World with Sonlight

By Robert

Even though I've lived in Colorado since the 1990s, I'm still amused whenever I pass this sign on Interstate 25:

Yes, apparently Greenland is in Colorado. But if you need services there you're out of luck. Greenland, Colorado covers 1.3 square miles of land, by the way, unlike Greenland the island, which covers a considerably larger 836,109 square miles.

One of the great things about Sonlight is our emphasis on geography. It's important to know where you are in relation to the rest of the world, as well as where the significant events of history took place and why they happened. That's why Sonlight takes time to emphasize both history and geography (our Markable Map is a big help with this).

Why bother learning dates and places? After all, anyone can look this stuff up online in seconds and GPS mapping software can get you where you need to go quickly and efficiently (well, most of the time). Memorizing dates and places is one thing, but actually learning about the places you read about, internalizing the knowledge, and understanding what happened where and the reasons behind the events is quite another matter. This is where homeschooling in general, and Sonlight in particular, can go a long way toward encouraging and cultivating a better understanding of the world.

Although Sonlight emphasizes history and geography, it's not in a boring, memorize facts sort of way. Since many of our history and geography lessons are tied to great literature, children are far more interested in learning about the world around them. Along the way they can learn interesting information about different countries.

Take Greenland, for instance, which in reality isn't very green. It's generally believed that the Viking Erik the Red discovered Greenland after he got kicked out of Iceland (but that's another story). Different accounts tell about how Greenland got its name. One version, usually considered a myth, says that Erik named it that in order to attract other people to Greenland, which certainly sounds better than Cold Barren Island. Some people think the word translated as "green" actually means "ground," as in Ground Land. Others believe that the climate in Greenland used to be warmer, so there may have been more green around back then.

At any rate, every geographical area has history and more often than not the history is engaging and helps children learn about how the world works today. Learning about different nations covers topics ranging from geography, government, religion, economy, language, the arts, and much more.

How do you integrate geography into your homeschool studies? Let us know!

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

P.S. If you have access to an iPhone or iPad, the world geography app Barefoot World Atlas, normally $4.99, is free for a limited time. It's a fun app that lets kids get a big picture view of geography.

Tagged geography, Greenland, history, Homeschooling, learning, maps, Sonlight | 1 Comment

Jul. 8, 2013

The Most Memorable Part of School: Stories

By Luke

Think back to your school days. What do you remember?

For college, I remember hanging out with friends, a few specific moments in class (of both the awful and awesome kind), swimming, and some experiences on film sets and editing. Little else elbows its way to my recollection. Textbooks? I remember the dampness of my drool-soaked pillow more than the faded content of the pages that made me comatose.

High school? There are a few key conversations, some important situations, one or two events that stick to my mind. I remember a few of the fun projects I worked on--but none of the content they were designed to teach me. Same with the few films they took a period to show: Why did we watch that? I know that I took an introductory science class--the title of which even escapes me--but the textbook? Nothing. Of the texts and papers I read, the only ones I remember where the good stories. The lame books have almost completely shifted into the nether, leaving but a lingering metaphorical bitter taste.

Homeschool? There were tears. Many because of the red marks which marred my recently printed paper (draft two). I don't recall if I cried or just wanted to when my creation failed to materialize out of the clay when doing a craft in our co-op group. There were a few creative writing assignments I loved and some fun science activities. But mostly, my memory of school was listening to my mom read books. Great books. Wonderful books. Brilliant stories. Masterful tales. Gripping adventures. Stories that made us cheer. ...and cry.

I loved being homeschooled. I loved hearing story after story, many of them at bedtime. That was my favorite part of school (yes, even more than lunch). There was so much to learn and discuss and imagine in books.

And I'm not alone. Check out the very encouraging Sonlight Moment "What was your favorite part of the year?"

What do you remember from school? Do your children love the stories too?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Tagged books, school, stories | 1 Comment

Jul. 5, 2013

Are Your Children Excited About Missions?

By Luke

The focus on missionaries is one of the things I love about Sonlight. In the Core programs, we get to meet normal men and women from history whom God used to do extraordinary things. We have the opportunity to partner together in giving projects to raise money to bring the Gospel to people who have never heard of Christ.^* And Sonlight continues to be able to help missionaries educate their children.

Growing up learning in such an environment made me passionate about sharing Christ with my friends.

I certainly didn't always do it right. Still don't. But by God's grace, He continues to allow me to share the love of Christ with others. And that is so exciting! Because I have "seen"--through biographies--how missionaries reach out in love to their friends, I am thrilled that my house was packed full of people last night. We ate, talked, laughed, and watched fireworks. We shared life. And that is such a huge part of communicating the good news of Jesus. And after everyone left--just before midnight--I got to stand in the dark living room and pray for my friends.

Flag Cake courtesy of one of our guests

Have your children been inspired by the missionary stories you've read together? Do you pray for unreached peoples and the friends and family members who aren't connected with Christ? Have you had the joyous opportunity to give money to see the Gospel brought to others? Do your kids share the love of Jesus in other ways? If so, that is awesome! We've had to replace one of the books in Sonlight's curriculum because the people groups in that book have all had the opportunity to get to know Jesus.

Your family is making a difference in the world.

Keep up the good work. And if you have an encouraging story of how your children are involved in missions, please share!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

*This year's giving opportunity should be coming in the next couple months. Stay tuned!

Tagged giving, missionaries, missions, prayer | 1 Comment

Jul. 3, 2013

7 Benefits of Investing in a Sonlight Curriculum Package

By Sonlight

Get more than just books when you choose Sonlight. In this blog, we highlight the unique benefits of investing in Sonlight, including peace of mind, lasting academic impact, and meaningful learning.

Continue reading →

Everyone Needs a Job…

By Jill

Rocky keeping cool last summer.

Just about a year ago my husband and I got a Border Collie. Everyone who knew anything about this breed told me, “They have a lot of energy and they need a job.” They were right.

Although I have had dogs all my life, I have never had a herding dog before. I have had hunting dogs. If you take a walk with a hunting dog they want to chase bunnies and sniff where other critters have been. A herding dog wants to work. They need a job.

We don’t have any sheep to round up, so we have to invent jobs for Rocky to do. He likes to help clear trails on our farm—actually hauling branches away when we trim them back from the trail. He likes to catch balls or Frisbees, round up our cats and so forth. He actually rounded up a rather unfriendly cat we have in our back yard so I could put a flea prevention liquid on its back! I have heard if you don’t have a job for a Border Collie to do, they will invent a job to do and it usually is not something you will be happy with. I believe it.

That got me thinking. We are a lot like Border Collies. In order to feel useful we all need a job to do. My 90 year old father-in-law fills the pop machines at the local grocery and delivers meals on wheels. My retired neighbors visit those in the hospital, in legal trouble or those who just need a friend.

We all need a job.

Rocky this year. By our fence, waiting to help me clear a trail.

As a parent, you have a job, but what about your kids? I am convinced that, just like Rocky, children need jobs.

My young grandchildren ask for jobs to do because they want to be helpful. Two year old Allison told me last week, “I am a good helper.” And she is.

But somewhere between being a preschooler and young adult, most kids would rather not have any household jobs to do. I sincerely believe that in order to feel needed and that they are worthwhile, all children need to contribute to the household. Chores are excellent for this. Doing a job lets kids know they are important to the success of the family. It gives them self esteem, trains them to be a team player, helps get the work done and it prepares them to be independent adults someday.

My youngest son Scotty, doing his evening chores.

Yes, everyone needs a job.

Summer would be a great time to teach your children how to do some of the chores around the house. It will give them the opportunity to have a job and to break summer boredom. If you would like some ideas abut how to give your children worthwhile jobs and get them more involved in the household chores, you may want to check out this post on how to beat summer boredom.

Take Care,

Jill

Tagged character, children, chores, Encouragement, family, jobs, summer | 1 Comment

Academic excellence matters because it honors God

Are You in Control of Your Kids?

Around the World with Sonlight

The Most Memorable Part of School: Stories

Are Your Children Excited About Missions?

7 Benefits of Investing in a Sonlight Curriculum Package

Everyone Needs a Job…

Most Popular

Article Categories

#sonlightstories