Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Feb. 1, 2019

Meet Your Sonlight Advisors: Your Personal Cheering Team

Sonlight Advisors are your advocates! Whether you are considering homeschooling or have been using Sonlight for years, Sonlight Advisors are here to help you homeschool successfully.

These ladies are accessible in several ways so you can find the avenue that's most convenient for you! Reach out via chat, phone call, email, or in the Facebook group for help with a variety of Sonlight and homeschool needs:

choosing the best curriculum fit for your family
addressing specific learning issues
answering questions about Sonlight
offering encouragement through conversation or prayer

Because it's always nice to get to know the people behind the direct message, email, or phone call, here's a brief introduction to the Sonlight Advisors.

Margaret

I'm Margaret, a homeschooling mom of 9 children. The oldest three have completed college and are working as a gaming engineer, a software developer, and an industrial engineer, respectively. Two are still in college - one studying electrical engineering and the other mechanical engineering. My high school senior intends to study computer engineering, and I still have an 11th, 8th, and 5th grader at home.

I first found Sonlight over 15 years ago and fell in love with the scheduling and content. Our favorite part of the day is reading aloud—everyone seems to gather no matter whose read aloud it is.

My favorite thing about homeschooling is being able to watch my kids expand their knowledge and grow in their relationships with each other.

In our spare time, my family enjoys looking after the farm life on our small Texas homestead. I love being a Sonlight Advisor because I want to encourage and support families who are homeschooling, particularly through the high school years. With homeschooling, sometimes the days seem long or unproductive but it is so worth the sacrifice to make this immeasurable impact in a child's life.

Debbie

My name is Debbie, and I homeschooled using Sonlight for 19 years - beginning when my oldest was in 2nd grade. I have three boys who graduated high school using Sonlight in 2010, 2014, and 2016. My daughter graduated in 2019.

We are definitely not the perfect homeschooling family! I am a single mom. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs along the way. One child is profoundly gifted in math but who failed out of college. Another one has a learning challenge that we didn’t identify or remedy until his senior year of high school and which made reading, writing, and doing math very difficult. I have kids who enjoyed learning and kids who dug their heels in and refused to work. I’ve had kids cheat and lie about the work they completed (or didn’t). I have also had kids far exceed my expectations.

None of my kids would choose reading as a pastime. But Sonlight has worked so well through it all. Sonlight’s literature-based approach works no matter who you are teaching. My very math/science oriented boys actually score better on the language portions of the ACT (or other standardized testing) than the math portion!

My kids have done many things since graduating high school including trade school, college/university, the military (Navy and Air Force), owning a business, working for a major tech company, working in the holistic medical field, and working in areas such as welding, robotics, engineering, manufacturing, design, electrical and structural systems, mathematics, statistics, and programming.

I love helping families choose and use Sonlight Curriculum. I have a passion for homeschooling high school and helping parents realize that not only can they do it successfully, but that their children have limitless possibilities when they homeschool high school. Math is also a passion! I have been helping and encouraging Sonlighters for 25 years!

When I have the chance, I love camping—preferably by a mountain stream. I use the time to read, sleep, and draw close to the Lord.

Barbara

Homeschooling was never something my husband and I thought about for our family, but God had other ideas. The private school my oldest was to attend closed unexpectedly just before he entered kindergarten. I attended a homeschool conference only to meet my sister for lunch, but glancing at the sea of curriculum options, I was immediately drawn to the books and Instructor’s Guides (IGs) at the Sonlight booth. My parents never read to us growing up and if I was to homeschool, I knew I wanted something different for our children.

So, our Sonlight adventures began in 1995 with a kindergartener and an 8-month-old son. Once we started, I found my favorite part of our day was reading out loud to my boys. Thankfully, the IGs prompted our family to discuss many different topics and worldviews through a Christian viewpoint before they left for college.

Both sons used Sonlight exclusively from PreK through twelfth grade. Sonlight has truly developed lifelong learners in our family. In 2013, both of my sons took significant steps toward their futures. Our oldest son graduated from a 4-year university and later earned his MBA. That same month, our youngest son graduated from high school, earned his bachelor’s degree, and is now working his dream job in cybersecurity. Both of them got married just a few months apart in 2017. I will be forever grateful to have spent so much time with our sons for the first 18 years of their life!

After my youngest graduated from homeschool, I decided to return to college where I earned my bachelor’s degree. I have been working for Sonlight as an Advisor for many years!

Sonlight deepened our family connections. It is my desire to help you choose the best Sonlight programs for your family. I’d love to share our experiences—the good, the not so good, and the challenging—and be your cheerleader on the sidelines all year long!!

Emme

Before homeschooling my three children, I was previously a Montessori teacher. My oldest attends Baylor University, and we are so excited for what God has in store for her.

I’ve been blessed to serve many years in ministry, work with autistic children, and tutor all ages of students.

My favorite things to do are kayaking, biking, hiking, cooking, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends.

SCHEDULE TIME WITH AN ADVISOR

Tagged advice, advisors, Encouragement, help, Homeschooling, Sonlight, sonlightstories, tips | 7 Comments

Jan. 30, 2019

5 Homeschool Organization Questions That Make a Big Impact

By Sarita

Running a household is a big task. You have so many things to keep track of and do each day. Running a household and homeschooling? That can mean even more to handle. It is a big calling, but you also gain a lot of flexibility when the kids are home with you for school. You have more freedom to shape your family’s days. So to help you think through how to set up your homeschool days, consider these five key questions.

Continue reading →

Tagged homeschool, Housekeeping, housework, organization, tips | Leave a comment

Jan. 28, 2019

Why You'll Never Find Balance (But What to Seek Instead)

By Heather Mills Schwarzen

Balance is a homeschool buzzword. You’ve surely heard it many times. The implication is that, with a little creativity and prioritizing, you’ll step into the center of your own life’s Venn Diagram, finally finding peace.

It’s a beautiful concept, but to be honest, I’m not sure it actually exists. The idea of finding the precise symmetry point in the spectrum of needs and obligations is alluring, to be sure. Who doesn’t want to be all things, to all people… and still have energy left over to carve out time to refill your own tank? But can you possibly find that perfect place of balance? And, if you can, does that mean you should?

The Song (Never) Remains the Same

If balance is your goal, you’re in for a tense ride.

Why? Because achieving balance implies that you find a spot and stay there. Think of how much effort it takes to find the precise point of leverage to keep a fork balanced on the tip of your finger. Move just a little to the left, and it falls. To the right… and the same effect.

To maintain balance, you have to remain perfectly still—and so does the load you’re carrying. How is that possible in the life of a homeschooling mother?

Balance the housework and school?

The minute you’ve got it figured out, soccer season rolls around. Then, not only do you have less time in your evenings, but your laundry has just doubled.
Child number one can manage Readers alone now? Great! Time to teach child number two the ropes of phonics.

To borrow a metaphor, the homeschooling mom is a mouse and guess what? The cheese is always on the move.

Finding Freedom From Guilt

I've found freedom from the stress of chasing balance by instead stepping into a homeschooling vision of seasons. Some seasons will find you needing to focus more on home projects or a new baby—meaning there’s less attention given towards formal academics. Rather than feeling the weight of not being able to bear it all in equal parts, seeing the time as one where the bulk of energy is spent in one place for a time sets you free from worrying or feeling less than.

And when you emerge from a season of intense learning to find that you need to invest in an elderly loved one with failing health, you can rest that God’s purpose for this season is not balance, either… but moving into a new phase where He has ordained a different curriculum for you all to learn from.

Embracing Your Season

So if balance isn’t the end all be all, how do you go about finding joy in this ebb and flow of a seasonal life? The answer is to shift your perspective. See homeschooling as a long-term lifestyle, rather than a project to be managed minute-by-minute.

Instead of seeking balance, seek to embrace the season you are in!

If you’re pursuing balance, you’ve taken stock of the to-do list and doled out bits of your attention in an effort to keep the scales from swinging too far in either direction. When you strive for balance, happiness is only possible at the fulcrum:

when the boxes are checked
when skills are mastered
when progress is demonstrated

When you’re allowing for seasons, you’re letting the larger needs rise to the top, allowing them to be addressed as deeply and for as long as needed before they fully resolve. Your joy isn’t in filling the role of “doer,” but in understanding that you’re right where you’re supposed to be—an instrument of God’s provision in this time, in this place.

Maybe the math isn’t getting done, but the heart issue is being attended to. Maybe the house is a wreck, but you’re head over heels in love with your husband and can’t wait for your next in-home date night.

It’s an overall paradigm shift, but one that can help a homeschooling mother release voices of internal condemnation ("Why can’t you manage all of this?!") and grab hold of the peace that I believe God desires for all of His children.

DISCOVER SONLIGHT

Imagine a curriculum that flexes to your seasons of life, even with multiple children. Learn more about Sonlight here.

Tagged balance, Homeschooling, routines, schedules, tips, working | Leave a comment

Jan. 25, 2019

A Typical Day in the Life of a Large Family Homeschool

By Heather Mills Schwarzen

Two chickens are roasting on the counter in the biggest slow cooker you’ve ever seen. A lanky teenage boy is sprawled on the couch reading Willa Cather’s My Antonia. A blond preschooler is clambering over the end of the couch with several sections of the letter “A” he just built on the Handwriting Without Tears mat that’s now abandoned on the floor. A mother is in a chair reading aloud Daughter of the Mountains above the sound of a dishwasher that’s on its second load of the day and a kindergartner who is recreating the battle for the Alamo with plastic army men. In various spots around the room there are children building with blocks, finger knitting, drawing, and finishing a late snack of popcorn under the kitchen table.

It’s anything but quiet, but it’s everything I’ve come to expect from my days. Welcome to my large family homeschool.

The Latest Model in Large Family Homeschooling

As the mother of a large family, I’ve recreated the one room schoolhouse multiple ways over the past 18 years. Today, our homeschool consists of

a high schooler
4 elementary students
a preschooler

One of those students has profound special needs. The children I’m teaching are 16, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 3. Like every year previous, it’s been unique, with its own challenges and joys.

I don’t expect any school year to look the same as the one before it; we’ve had

years where the bulk of our work was done in a room earmarked just for that purpose
years where we couch-schooled almost exclusively
years when we were routinely hitting the books by 8:30 each morning
years where we were done each day by noon

What follows is just one day in what Mr. Gilbreth from Cheaper By The Dozen would call, “the latest model.”

The Morning Check-In and The Morning Basket

I have only one high schooler this year, and his need for direction is fairly low. He’s learning with Sonlight’s HBL 400, which allows for zero planning on my part and a great deal of latitude for his weekly schedule. Through years of being accountable for his work and showing initiative, he’s gained the privilege of taking the Student Guide as a weekly to-do sheet. As long as it’s all done by Friday, I don’t care in what order he chooses to do the work.

Each morning, I flip open the Instructor’s Guide to the appropriate week and we go over his intended game plan. This allows me to make sure he has access to what he needs and gives me an idea of how he’s proceeding. If he’s turned in an essay or current event the afternoon before, this is also when I return it and we discuss his work. From there, he heads into the trenches, and I assemble the (younger) troops for our Morning Basket.

The youngest five children and I spend the next hour and a half to two hours in our Morning Basket time. There’s no actual basket involved, but that sounds so much sweeter than just saying that this is when I sit in my favorite red reading chair and we work through Read-Alouds, History, Life of Fred, Bible memorizing, poetry, art study, geography, Science, composer studies, and singing hymns.

Three of my children take music lessons, and they’ve already logged their daily practice time, so Morning Basket time is just for focusing on the subjects we all enjoy together. We’re using a modified HBL F Eastern Hemisphere for this group, taking into account our special family circumstances.

Rest & Running and Another Check-in

We are a home-based missionary family which means that my husband and older children frequently travel internationally throughout the year. When my husband is home however, we try to have lunch on his schedule. This is a good break time for my social teenager, who after two hours working on the couch or at the kitchen table is ready to talk with a fellow human. My younger kids, too, who haven’t been still for the entire morning time (far from it) get a chance for a change of pace.

Lunch is usually leftovers. As things are heating in the oven, the younger kids clean up their handiwork items and LEGO, help me move laundry, join in emptying the dishwasher, and find excuses to run outside and stretch their legs. We eat and talk with Daddy before he heads back upstairs to keep working.

Post-lunch, the younger kids take a short rest time. My independent readers take their current books to their beds for half an hour, and those who can’t yet read are allowed to listen to audio books. At the end of this window, they burst from the house as if they haven’t seen daylight in years. Unless it’s inclement weather, I expect them outside, roaming the farm for 45 minutes or so.

I take this opportunity to do more general housekeeping and check in again with my high schooler. Now’s the time for those deeper discussions on questions raised from his morning readings. If at all possible, he’ll head to the computer to work on math at this point, but if he’s working on chemistry, that's usually the first thing he’ll tackle in the afternoon.

The Whack-A-Mole Hour, Or How We Manage Four Different Maths

I’ve learned that the easiest way to reassemble my large family for an afternoon of seatwork is to ring the dinner bell out front and lay out tea. Someone is charged with getting a cup up to Daddy, but my teenager rarely joins us. Instead, this is when I focus with the younger kids on the more concrete 3 Rs. My preschooler finishes his tea and either grabs a tray from our selection of Montessori-based table activities, sits on my lap with picture books, finds someone willing to be distracted with a toy, or turns the entire living room floor into a carpet of puzzles.

I sit at one end of our 10-foot table or in my beloved red reading chair. Then the four elementary-aged children rotate through math, language arts, and any other individual work that needs doing. I won’t be coy: this is the craziest part of my day. Without my absolute attention (no texting allowed!) this window could easily devolve into chaos. We have an understanding that only one person can have Momma’s attention at a time, and if it’s not your turn, you grab the book (for reading, stickers, or coloring, depending on skill) under your chair and entertain yourself until it is.

Does that work perfectly? Not on your life. But it make me feel a little less like I’m playing whack-a-mole for an hour and a half.

We save science experiments and art projects for the end of the day, both because they’re good motivation and because they require the most clean up. We end every day with a general house tidy-up. We’re finished by 4 p.m., which is also when my husband ends his work day. My high schooler and I have a final, quick check-in where he updates me on his daily progress and turns in any work that needs grading before walking to the YMCA for his daily workout.

The younger children usually spill back outside, although sometimes they will scatter; some are fond of afternoon chess matches, and others have the habit of racing scooters down our gravel drive. Before they go to bed, my husband will finish off their school day, though they don’t suspect it. He will read a chapter to us all from one of the books in their History / Bible / Literature program, making the load of this homeschooling mom’s day that much lighter in the long run.

HOMESCHOOLING MULTIPLE CHILDREN

Tagged daily routine, Homeschooling, large family, lifestyle, routines, schedule | 2 Comments

Jan. 23, 2019

How To Be a Non-Anxious Homeschool Mom for Your Kids

By Erika Evans

As parents who homeschool, we are deeply invested in our children. We long for our kids to be happy, to succeed, and to benefit from our life lessons. Yet, sometimes our desires for our children are so intense that we are overcome with angst. Our efforts to help our kids may feel overbearing or controlling.

We may focus so much on the future, we fail to connect with the family we have in front of us now. We spend more time worrying about our kids' reading level or how well they know world geography than we do enjoying the process of learning alongside them.

Too narrow a focus—aimed at academic achievement and impending adulthood—can mute the joy of day-to-day homeschooling.

In The Self-Driven Child, authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson offer five keys to maintaining a non-anxious presence for our kids. I am striving to apply these parenting principles to my role as a Christian homeschool mom so I can live more fully in the moment. I'm learning to relinquish some control to my children and even more to my heavenly Father as I learn to be a non-anxious homeschool mom for my children.

1. Prioritize Enjoying Our Kids

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3, NLT

The benefit our kids receive when we are genuinely happy to spend time with them is huge! We are conveying to them that we find them valuable and that we like them. This assurance builds resilience and confidence that they are lovable.

Not every moment of homeschooling is fun, but our kids need to know that we enjoy their company. This may be as small as making sure we smile when they enter a room.

Faking it won’t work. If enjoying our kids is truly a struggle, it’s time to devote energy to identifying and removing barriers such as anger, depression, discipline issues, or lack of social support so we are free to enjoy our kids.

2. Do Not Fear the Future

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” Philippians 4:6, NLT

We have very little control over the future; furthermore, worry has never solved anything. If we spend resources worrying about possibilities, we miss the enjoyment of the present day.

Eventually, most children will overcome their struggles.

An angry adolescent is very likely to become a contented and successful adult.
A struggling, emergent reader will learn to read in time.
A scatterbrained child will grow to be responsible.

Give your kids love and support. Pray for guidance and do your best. Let the fear go; it’s contagious.

3. Commit to Stress Management

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV

What children want most is happy parents. A happy parent is one who feels healthy and at peace. As homeschooling parents, it can be easy to overlook our own needs and focus solely on the needs of our young charges. We must devote time and energy to ourselves if we are to take care of others.

Get enough sleep
Exercise
Eat well
Pray
Meditate or practice mindfulness
Spend time with friends
Enjoy hobbies

4. Acknowledge Our Worst Fears

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4, NIV

We can’t protect our children from all pain and suffering. Doing so would preclude their being able to live their own lives. Challenges and roadblocks are what shape us. In fact, our children need opportunities for struggle and growth.

Managing risk and dealing with disappointments is part of building resilience. Give your children responsibility over their own choices. Let them pursue a seemingly impossible goal. Their own successes and failures will teach them more than your verbal lessons ever could.

5. Love the Child We Have

“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:5, NIV

By accepting our children—with all of their gifts and imperfections alike—we are offering unconditional love. We do not need to condone bad behavior or approve mediocre efforts to be accepting. We simply need to respect our children by acknowledging where they are in their life’s path.

By accepting that our child struggles with fractions or is uncomfortable with public speaking, we can choose to maintain a supportive and honest relationship. We can take action by focusing on strengths, offering assistance, or setting limits. Loving them as they are models acceptance and sends the message that they are worth more than an algebraic fraction, a test score, or a diploma.

DISCOVER SONLIGHT

Learning alongside our children through reading and discussing great books builds the parent-child bond. Learn more about this type of family life—discover Sonlight.

Tagged anxiety, homeschool moms, parenting, self-care | 1 Comment

Jan. 21, 2019

5 Simple Ways to Extend and Deepen Your Homeschool Bible Reading

By Deana Wood

Seven years ago when we began our homeschool journey, my goal was simple. We wanted to raise children to love the Lord with their hearts, minds, and souls, and to love their neighbor as themselves. We figured that if we were diligent to teach the Word of God, the rest would fall into place.

The Lord has abundantly blessed that desire of our hearts. One reason we chose Sonlight was because Bible study is built right into the curriculum. Over the years, we have all come to love Bible Time in the mornings. In fact, it’s probably my kids’ favorite part of the day. It has looked very different from season to season, as my kids have grown and matured, and we have learned a few ways to extend the plan with these extension ideas.

Oh, and don’t worry...glue, glitter, and sequins are not a requirement!

1. Bask in the Simplicity

There is something really special about sitting down with your family armed only with prayers and your Bible. One of the things we have appreciated so much about the Sonlight Bible plan is that it is no frills. You will not find suggestions for an object lesson or a themed bible study. Rather, Sonlight focuses on helping our children know and develop a deep love for God’s Word, because it needs nothing else.

To quote one of my favorite Bible teachers, Jen Wilkin, “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” So, appreciate the focus being only on The Word of God, and enjoy the simplicity of the Sonlight plan.

“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.”
—Jen Wilkin

This simplicity makes it easy to include the entire family in the Bible reading, regardless of age. If possible, have your family read through the passage before you come together, and then study the scripture together.

2. Use Cross References

Too often, we view the Bible as a collection of short stories and letters rather than one big, wonderful story. This is because we tend to isolate stories when we study the Bible, puling out a single passage for study. What we really need to do when we study a passage of the Bible is to consider the context—what comes before and what comes after.

Cross references are very handy for deepening understanding of your homeschool bible reading. Most Bibles have cross references listed in the margins, but I think every family would also benefit from owning a Bible cross reference index. As you read the passage suggested in your Sonlight Instructor’s Guide, search out the applicable cross references. This will help you and your children see how the Bible all fits together.

Sometimes, you may scratch your head and wonder how the listed verse applies to the verse you are studying. They can be a little puzzling at times, but that’s okay! Lean in to that uncertainty because it is one of the ways we draw nearer to God through His word. We depend on Him to reveal Himself to us, so it’s okay to say, “I’m not sure. Let’s pray about it and meditate on these passages and see what the Holy Spirit teaches us.”

3. Always Look for the Son

It would be hard to read the Bible without marveling at how truly magnificent it is. To think that around 40 people, at different times and in different places, all wrote one single message is really quite remarkable. Of course, we can clearly see that the task would be impossible without the Holy Spirit enabling the work.

Ask, "Where is Jesus in this passage?"

Every time we read a passage or a story from the Old Testament, we always need to see how it reveals The Gospel. What does it say about Jesus? In my family, we like to ask, “Where is Jesus in this passage?”

This simple question is one of the easiest ways to extend homeschool Bible reading and stimulate discussion with your kids.

For example, the story of Noah could be taught at face value, but when you dive a little deeper, you will see that Noah is a shadow of Jesus Christ. He is a figure who gives us a small glimpse—albeit imperfect—of the coming Savior. When you begin to read the Bible in this way, it comes alive in a whole new way.

4. Don’t Skip the Memory Work!

Oh it’s so tempting to just slide right over the Bible memory work for the week. It’s hard for our adult brains to do, and to be honest, it’s embarrassing when our kids memorize it long before we do. Resist the urge to skip it.

Memory work is so beneficial in the childhood years.

First, they soak it up so quickly.
Second, it’s building a framework for understanding everything about the Bible.
Also, it’s growing their brains and teaching them to store and recall good and worthy information.
However, the most important reason why memory work should not be neglected is much more basic. There will be a rainy day when they will need to pull a verse from memory to give them hope and encouragement. Even years down the road, memorized passages can surface quickly in a time of need.

Take heart. Memory work does not have to be laborious. Games and music, like these CDs available from Sonlight, are great tools to help with memorization of scripture. My girls love to fall asleep listening to these CDs, and they oftentimes wake up singing the songs. We are also big fans of Seeds Family Worship which puts scripture to music, helping God’s Word get into our hearts and minds forever.

There will be a rainy day when your children need to pull a verse from memory to give them hope and encouragement.

One of the few things that I do like to add to the Sonlight Bible Reading Plan is a catechism. The catechism is a set of memorized questions and answers that are foundational to the faith. Again, the idea here is to build a framework of understanding. I really like The Shorter Westminster Catechism for my kids. Songs for Saplings and Dana Dirksen offer an extensive collection of songs that aid in memorizing this catechism. Another great option is The New City Catechism, which is a modern catechism that includes very short questions and answers and plenty of resources to help your family memorize.

5. Use a Bible Atlas

Aside from a cross reference index, a Bible atlas can be a most helpful tool for Bible study. Seeing the place where the Israelites walked across the Red Sea and the journeys that Paul took after his conversion to spread the gospel can really open your eyes to Biblical history and make it come alive. My kids and I have always marveled at both how our world has changed since Bible days, and oddly enough, how much it has remained the same. So, as you are reading, search out your subject matter in a Bible atlas, and see the wonder and amazement in your child’s eyes.

Bible study need not be complicated. You don’t have to break out the felt board every day or hold a degree in Bible theology. Your kids need to see you studying and enjoying your Bible, and learning something new on a regular basis. A well-known pastor in our community passed away several months ago, but before he went, my husband had the privilege of gleaning wisdom from him. One of the wisest nuggets of truth he gave was this:

"I am in my eighties, and I have read the Bible every day for at least the past 60 years. I’ve learned something new every single day."

According to The Shorter Westminster Catechism, the purpose of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I can’t think of a better way to do that than to enjoy learning more about His character every single day by reading the Bible.

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Tagged Bible, christian, curriculum, extensions, Homeschooling, Sonlight, teaching | Leave a comment

Jan. 18, 2019

So Many Books: How to Organize Your Homeschool Library

By Bethany Weathersby

Whether you have one Sonlight level in your home or—like our family does—multiple years’ worth, it won’t take long to realize your need to organize your homeschool library.