Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Aug. 29, 2018

6 Ways to Extend Window on the World

Cultural geography takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? It goes well beyond the facts of physical geography—such as landforms and bodies of water—and allows us to immerse ourselves in vibrant worlds beyond our own circle of familiarity. Cultural geography celebrates people, and draws us in to their incredibly varied stories. And that’s why I love Window on the World, the full-color narrative encyclopedia scheduled in History / Bible / Literature Level C and Level B+C—and why I love spending a little extra time on geography, too.

Of course, you don’t have to add to what Sonlight has scheduled; a Sonlight education is complete on its own. This isn’t about adding guilt to your already-full days. If you’ve got enough on your plate as it is, skip right on over this post, and don’t allow these ideas to make you feel like you’re not doing enough. (Mama, you are enough!) But if you and your geography-loving students want to dive in deeper, homeschooling with Sonlight definitely offers you flexibility.

So how can we take the geography infused throughout Sonlight and bring it to life even more?

1. Attend Local Cultural Festivals

So much of the world is truly right at our doorsteps, and cultural celebrations such as Lunar New Year, the Highland Games, or Midsummer bring the world even closer to home. Wandering through a cultural festival is a completely immersive experience, and adds so much to static images on a page. The music alone makes a cultural festival worth attending! And I love watching live performances like shadow puppetry or traditional folk dancing.

If you have the chance to attend a similar event, don’t pass up the opportunity—and be sure to sample the delicious food, too. What’s available near you depends on your area, but even when we lived in a small town in the rural Midwest, we were able to celebrate Hmong New Year with our community.

2. Listen to World Music

No cultural festival where you are? Create the atmosphere yourself, and listen to some world music! Since the wide variety of popular music available makes it difficult and time-consuming to find a representative sample when searching from scratch, I like to use children’s songs to extend our geography lessons. I find YouTube works far better than online music streaming services. Use an online search term similar to “traditional [name of country, language, or culture] children’s songs”, and create your own playlist. (This is also a great way to get starting learning a new language!)

3. Learn Phrases in Other Languages

Even if you’ve already incorporated a full foreign language study into your homeschool day, you can still learn a few phrases in additional languages for the countries you study, such as “hello”, “Jesus loves you”, or the numbers one through ten.

Again, YouTube is an oft-overlooked treasure trove when it comes to language learning—searching phrases such as “learn numbers in [language] for kids” will give you a lot of options, even in more obscure languages. Want an extra challenge? Memorize this week’s memory verse in a different language! YouVersion’s Bible app for kids supports over two dozen languages.

4. Try New Ingredients and Recipes

Food fascinates me, particularly the difference in taste around the globe. Have you seen photographer Hannah Whitaker’s riveting photo essay on what children in various parts of the world eat for breakfast?

Tasting new foods allows you to experience culture in a way few other activities—short of actual travel—do. And in my experience, kids are more adventurous tasters than you might expect, especially if they are deeply involved in the creating the meal. Bring the meal full circle, and shop for ingredients in a specialty store outside your usual neighborhood.

5. Make Friends with Families from Cultures Other Than Your Own

The Bible is clear about the multicultural kingdom. Revelation chapter seven, verse nine provides us a glimpse of heaven, showing us “a great multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.”

Doesn’t it make sense the community of believers on earth should reflect this diversity? You don’t have to be serving abroad as a missionary to mingle cross-culturally. Festivals, language classes, and grocery stores are a good place to start. Of course, do not approach this with an attitude of condescension, but of genuine interest. (People are neither a spectacle nor a museum exhibit!)

And cultivate gratitude by learning the realities of many other countries, too. I find difficult stories to be especially formative!

6. Use Your Markable Map

I understand how tempting it is to leave out the map activities indicated in the Instructor’s Guide; after all, how much excitement and educational benefit can you glean from simply running a marker over a wet-erase map? But as my daughter’s experience with literature-based geography taught me, you can learn a tremendous amount by simply plotting the locations you read about. Mapping creates connections between faces and places, and transforms geography into a living entity, teeming with people.

And people are how it all comes together, and geography comes alive. So dive in to Window on the World with a refreshed perspective, and focus on the human thread connecting each dot on the map.

*Window on the World* is part of HBL C, Intro to World History, Year 2 of 2

Curious to see what a literature-based, Christ-infused education might look like for your family? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.

Tagged geography, missions, world cultures | Leave a comment

Aug. 27, 2018

6 Extension Activities for Kids Who Love My Father’s Dragon

By Veronica Soto

My Father’s Dragon from History / Bible / Literature K is an engaging adventure through Wild Island. It's a favorite with my kids! Here are some easy extension activities you can do as you read through the book.

Does the book need extra activities? Certainly not. Reading and then discussing the topics outlined in your Instructor's Guide are plenty. But some families love crafty projects or hands-on activities tied to the themes of their Read-Alouds. If you are that kind of family, read on for fun extras to extend your experience with My Father's Dragon.

1. Make a Map

We recently made a relief map of Wild Island and Tangerina using air-dry clay and kiddy dough. Plastic animals represented the animals in the story and a dinosaur played the role of our dragon. The girls had great fun, and we ended with a three-dimensional visual to refer to throughout our Read-Aloud.

2. Plan a Trip

In the novel, Elmer plans a trip to rescue a baby dragon. Have your child plan for a real or imaginary trip by considering what to pack.

Will they need food?
Clothes?
A toothbrush?
How will they carry it all?

If you have a backpack or luggage available, they can try packing it to see how they would fit in the necessities and how hard it would be to carry.

3. Sample Citrus Fruits

On the island of Tangerina, Elmer is able to eat enough tangerines to fill him up. Take your cue from Elmer's meal and experiment with various citrus fruits. My girls enjoyed trying new fruits—everything from tangerines to key limes. If you have easy access to more unusual fruits, give those a try as well. Rambutan were surprisingly delicious although tamarind juice took a little getting used to.

4. Explore the Science Behind Brushing Your Teeth

Elmer packed a toothbrush for his trip to Wild Island. Children don’t always see the need to brush their teeth, but this science experiment will make it clear. You’ll need

5 cups or jars
5 eggs (possibly hard boiled to prevent cracking)
dark soda
coffee or tea (prepared)
vinegar
water
orange juice
toothbrush
toothpaste
paper towels

Place each egg in a cup and cover each with a different liquid, using water as your control. Record what type of liquid is in each cup, and have your child predict what will happen. You should notice the egg in vinegar begin bubbling right away.

The next day, check the eggs. Pull them out of the cups to compare them. See if any changed color or if the shell is partially dissolving. (You should notice the shell on all of them dissolving somewhat except the one in water.)

Return the vinegar egg and the egg in water back to their cups.

With the remaining three eggs, use a toothbrush and toothpaste to brush them. You should see that some (but not all) of the color will scrub off the darker colored eggs (especially if they are white). Compare the eggs to see which get the cleanest.

The next day, return to the egg in vinegar once all the shell has dissolved. You can take it out and have your children touch it. It should feel damp and squishy. It also will be somewhat larger than it was before. Place the egg on a paper towel, and you can see the liquid inside the egg start to soak into the paper towels. Your children can touch and play with this egg, but be prepared because if it breaks open, the inside may still contain raw, liquid yolk.

Once you have cleaned up everything, you can discuss what certain beverages do to egg shell and compare to how they affect teeth. Encourage your child to make connections between the eggs and the enamel on their teeth.

5. Play with a Magnifying Glass

Toward the end of the book, Elmer gives the monkeys magnifying glasses so they can see better to do their job. I simply handed each of my two youngest girls a magnifying glass and had them find three things to look at. Once they began, they kept trying to find more and more things to look at. Magnifying glasses are fun, and every homeschool family needs at least one on hand!

6. Read Sequels

My Father’s Dragon has two sequels, which your children will likely enjoy:

Elmer and the Dragon,
The Dragons of Blueland

They continue the story of Elmer and his dragon on more adventures and are a perfect extension to the first volume. My Father’s Dragon is also available on audiobook if your children would like to hear it again (and again).

*My Father's Dragon* is part of History / Bible / Literature K

To find out more about Sonlight's unmatched Read-Alouds, and our complete book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged activities, add-ons, extension, extras, kindergarten, my father's dragon, reading | Leave a comment

Aug. 24, 2018

How to Make and Use a Loop Schedule for Homeschool

By Veronica Soto

Do you frequently run into days when you have more subjects on your to-do list than time in the day to teach it? Do you wish it were easier to carry things over to the next day instead of trying to cram it all in one? Would you like to spread your curriculum out over a longer time period or run a lighter schedule of many subjects during the summer? If so, loop scheduling may work for you.

Continue reading →

Tagged homeschool, schedules, scheduling | 3 Comments

Aug. 22, 2018

Letting Kids Learn Their Way: Even with Loud Music or Upside Down

By Bethany Weathersby

Several years ago, my son asked if he could listen to music while he did his math. He didn’t want soothing background to muffle other noises or even some upbeat classical tunes to keep him energized—either of which would have made sense to me. No, he wanted dance music, the kind he likes to sing along to.

Frustrated that he wouldn’t just buckle down and get his work done, I told him no, but that he could listen to his music as soon as he finished his math. He continued to periodically make this request over a few weeks’ time, and I continued to be annoyed.

Proving I’m Right

One day I decided it was time to prove my point, to show him once and for all how distracting that music would be for him. He was convinced it wouldn’t be, but I knew better.

I set a timer and let him listen for 20 minutes; he had to use earbuds so he wouldn’t disrupt his siblings. He cracked open his Horizons math workbook, and I showed him how much of the lesson I expected him to have done during that time—an amount I knew he could do without distractions.

Learning I’m Wrong

Twenty minutes later the timer sounded, and I discovered he’d done far more than I expected him to. Convinced it was a fluke, I set the timer again. I assumed that he had worked incredibly hard to tune out the music just to prove me wrong and earn the privilege of listening to his upbeat music.

Yet the same thing happened several more times over the course of a week. It turns out this particular kid does math better than I ever anticipated while listening to loud, fast, music with vocals.

Battles about dawdling ended, math got done sooner, and we were both happier.

Letting Kids Choose How and Where to Do Their Work

I always thought I was a flexible mom! We’ve never used desks for school and rarely use the dining table. Because I’m fully aware that there are different learning styles, I've always let my kids go wherever they prefer to do their school work. Here's how that plays out at our home:

Reading Dr. Seuss books on a blanket in the front yard while people walk, ride, and drive by.
Om-Kas-Toe, open on the living room floor with a kid’s head hanging off the seat of a chair to read it. Legs are stretched out over the back of the chair, right side up or upside down.
Someone reading Mara, Daughter of the Nile while sprawled out on the trampoline.
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya in the car, read while stretched out on one’s stomach on a passenger seat that’s fully reclined.

Because, why not? There’s no harm in trying. And while I gave my kids this liberty to read at the spot of their choosing, I still had this objection to math with raucous music.

My son taught me I must not make assumptions about what’s best for each of my kids when it comes to getting their school work done.

Was there a possibility I was right—that an active kid who loves music would end up spending more time singing along and busting a move than doing math work?

Absolutely!

But there was also a possibility that something I had valid reason for believing would be impractical and unsuccessful would turn out to be exactly what he needed. I just had to be willing to give it a try. I'm so glad I did!

Moving Forward

How do I now respond to requests about school that I don’t think are ideal? Well, sometimes I pull rank and use my veto power. That’s life.

More often than not, though, I’ll let the kid give it a try. As long as they’re accomplishing their task in a timely manner, they may continue doing it their way.

To find out more about a curriculum that gives you loads of flexibility, order a complimentary Sonlight catalog today.

Tagged benefits of homeschooling, Homeschooling, learning, Learning Styles, music | Leave a comment

Aug. 20, 2018

5 Back-to-(Home)school Resolutions to Transform My Year

By Gina Munsey

The bright feeling of possibility I feel at the start of the school year is unmatched, even by New Year’s Day itself. Maybe it’s my love for paperclips, folders, books, and school supplies; or maybe it’s as F. Scott Fitzgerald penned in The Great Gatsby—“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

But the excitement of a fresh school routine can quickly turn to drudgery, can’t it? That's why it's important to make back-to-school resolutions when enthusiasm is at its peak.

As the fiery crimson and gold fall leaves drop off, exposing tired winter-grey branches, enthusiasm, too, wanes. We need more than a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils to get us through the school year; we need purpose. If we don’t have purpose, vision, and clarity, then we’re simply going through our days by rote, mechanically completing one task after another. Purpose elevates our daily tasks, transforming have-to-do chores into get-to-do opportunities.

1. Resolved: To Remember Why We Are Homeschooling in the First Place

What’s your why? Do you homeschool to

accommodate learning differences?
maintain a flexible schedule?
work at the child’s own pace?
keep Christ at the forefront of studies?

This list will look different for every family, but the reason you started homeschooling is probably also the reason you keep homeschooling. On the days when frustration runs high, it helps to keep your why in mind. Homeschooling is not always easy, but knowing—and owning—your purpose as a homeschooling family keeps the joy in and the resentment out.

Of course, even when homeschooling with vision and clarity, conflicts still occur. We can’t eradicate clashes, but we can control how we react.

2. Resolved: To Give Myself Timeouts Before the Situation Escalates

Can I be honest with you—especially those of you who are also in the trenches with a child who's strong-willed, intense, and pushes your buttons.

Sometimes, when tempers flare and fuses are short, it’s my fault. Yes, mine— even though, in my human nature, I’d like to blame my impetuous daughter.

This year, I’m endeavoring to remove myself from the situation—even if momentarily—before it escalates to the point of eruption. If I’m calm, I can handle (almost) any sass thrown my way. But if I’m already irritated? That’s a long path back to peace and productivity!

3. Resolved: To Put Away My Phone During School Hours

Since we live two thousand miles away from one side of the family and one thousand miles away from the other, a great deal of daily conversation happens digitally. Add in working from home, and the distractions pile up. But multitasking isn’t always better. It’s harder to focus on teaching—and learning!—if I’m answering texts “really quickly” between concepts.

This year, I’m making a concerted effort to be wholly present. As Jim Elliot so famously wrote, “Wherever you are, be all there.” For me, it needs to start with putting my phone away and focusing on one thing at a time.

The reason you started homeschooling is probably also the reason you keep homeschooling.

We need more than a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils to get us through the school year. We need purpose.

4. Resolved: To Stop Comparing Myself to Others

At the end of the school day, I don’t always have a healthy perspective. I tend to get stuck in an unhealthy cycle of should haves, lamenting how I should have

planned meals better,
managed my time better,
organized our semester better,

and on and on. Does this sound familiar? “That family really has it together,” we think to ourselves. “If only I could manage my schedule the way she does. If only I could have those curriculum extras. If only we had the space for a school room…”

But as Paul reminds us in Second Corinthians, “Comparing themselves among themselves, [they] are not wise.” “In all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point,” rephrases Eugene Peterson in The Message version of the same verse.

And isn’t that how discouragement takes root—through comparison? This year, let’s kick comparison to the curb, and remember that gratitude transforms what we have into enough.

5. Resolved: To Give Thanks

On the heels of Paul’s admonition against comparison (2 Corinthians 10:12) and for gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) comes my favorite author Wendell Berry, echoing Paul’s words. Berry writes with such wisdom when it comes to embracing the life we’ve been given. I’m printing this excerpt from Hannah Coulter and tacking it up where I can see it daily, to remind me that even in the bad days—even when I can’t— through Him I can.

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this:
‘Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks.’
I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”

And in the end, that’s what it really comes down to, doesn’t it?

Take advantage of our 100% guarantee. No other homeschooling company can match our Love to Learn, Love to Teach™ promise. You can order with confidence that either you will have a great year, or you will get a full refund.

Tagged back to school, new school year, resolutions | Leave a comment

Aug. 17, 2018

6 Reasons to Use RightStart Math (Especially for Math Haters)

By Deana Wood

My son was struggling in math. We had been homeschooling for one whole year, and I could already see that he hated math. The curriculum we had been using was mostly workbook based and there were a lot of problems for each lesson. My son, who has dysgraphia, already hated picking up a pencil, and the added stress of an entire page of problems was more than he could bear. Tears flowed more and more often the further we got into the year. I tried marking out all the odd or even problems, but it didn’t help. He hated it, and he had prematurely decided that he was not good at math.

I knew I had to change something, but everything that I found seemed to be more of the same—more workbooks, more endless pages of problems. I knew that would never work. What would be the best homeschool math curriculum for him?

Then, I stumbled on a curriculum called RightStart Math. It was very light on pencil work but heavy on mental math and hands-on activities. I thought it just might work.

And it did!

Not only did it work, but my son went from hating math to believing he might be a math prodigy! It was such a relief to this mama’s worried heart. Seeing such a visible change right before my eyes was one of my greatest homeschool memories. I had been able to give him what he needed to soar. And it felt so good.

When I find something I love, I tell everyone I know, and I love Sonlight and RightStart Math. So when I found out that RightStart Math was going to be a math option for Sonlighters, I rejoiced!

Here is why we love RightStart Math curriculum. It's great for all kids, of course, but it really turned around my math hater's poor opinion of math.

1. RightStart Math is Hands-On

RightStart Math is a very hands-on math program. I think this was the selling point for my son. He was used to math being a pencil and paper time of the day, which caused him to dread it. So the first day when I pulled out the AL Abacus and no paper, he was pleasantly surprised.

When we played a card game, and I said, “Okay, we are finished with our math lesson today,” he was sold. Every lesson has an optional game which is a fantastic tool for teaching and reinforcing the concepts presented in the lessons. Later on, when worksheets began to show up in the lessons, he was not overwhelmed. It was just enough practice to do the job. No more, no less.

The manipulative kit that comes with the set is invaluable and you will end up using every piece in the set because almost every lesson in the book involves a manipulative of some sort. My kids have always enjoyed using the manipulative set even for fun outside of school hours.

2. RightStart Math is Visual

RightStart Math is a very visual program. In fact, the early lessons instruct you to be sure your child can show the number 5 on the AL Abacus without counting. The idea here is for the child to be able to see how and why math works. Another favorite tool of mine is the math balance which helps kids visualize the way equations balance. We have used it far beyond the early elementary years!

3. RightStart Math Has Heavy Emphasis on Mental Math

RightStart Math is heavily focused on mental math. Each lesson has a warm-up that consists of a handful of mental math problems. I was amazed to see how proficient my kids were at these little quizzes as time went on.

Remember my son who hated math? He quickly realized that he may not shine so brightly when it comes to writing out problems, but he glows with mental math. This math transformation made me a raving RightStart Math fan! Within a few years of starting RightStart Math, he was doing multi-digit multiplication and long division in his head.

4. RightStart Math is Logical

I’ll be honest, at first I had my reservations about how RightStart Math progresses. At times I was surprised by the order the concepts were taught—radically different from what and how I learned in grade school. But, I trusted the curriculum, and I quickly realized that it was actually a more logical way to learn the math! In fact, I wondered why I had never thought of presenting math in the progression that RightStart uses.

5. RightStart Math is Light on Paperwork

I’ve always struggled with giving my kids a seemingly endless page of math problems to do. When I saw that RightStart Math was light on the paperwork, I was so happy. Gone were the days of crying during math, and none of us missed those days at all! Don’t be concerned. There are work pages and tests, but the work pages are the perfect amount of practice. There is no busy work to be found anywhere in this curriculum.

Review is mostly oral at the beginning of each lesson, so you never have to worry about your children forgetting what they’ve learned. The tests are reasonable yet thorough. That brevity makes math more pleasant for my children, but it also helps me. It’s a cinch when I go to check my children’s work. I usually am able to take care of that task in just a few minutes, and my kids have automatic feedback on what they missed. Since they aren’t already burned out on math, they are willing to carefully correct their mistake.

6. RightStart Math Provides Family Time

Yes, I’m being totally serious. We love RightStart Math because it has provided us with tons of quality family time. The only complaint I’ve ever heard about RightStart Math is that it can be teacher intensive, and I suppose that is true to an extent. It does require the parent to go through the lesson with the child, but I would offer a different perspective. For my family, RightStart Math encouraged us to spend time together.

We spent hours each week drawing with the T-square and using the math balance. I found the lessons as interesting as my kids did. After lessons, we would all get together and play the card games. Most of the games can be played by just about any age, so math time quickly morphed into family game time. Instead of pulling out board games, my kids would grab the Basic Number card set and we would play math games. For them, it was just playing games with the family. For me, it was quality time with the added benefit of math practice. I cherish the time we’ve spent drawing geometric figures and learning new ways of thinking about numbers together. I’m thankful that RightStart Math gave me just that.

All my children have used RightStart Math now, and every one of them has reaped the benefits of this outstanding math curriculum. I recommend RightStart Math to every homeschool mom I meet because I believe that it is that good. So if your child struggles as a math hater, maybe RightStart Math would be a good fit for you like it was for us.

To find out more about Sonlight's book-based programs and math options, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged curriculum, Homeschooling, math, right start, struggles | 2 Comments

Aug. 15, 2018

Homeschooling an Asynchronous Child with Sonlight

By Gina Munsey

A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for education. Even among a group of students with identical birthdays, you’d be hard-pressed to find two children who share precisely the same stages of development and readiness across all areas of study. Yet the traditional approach to education continues to assume students all learn at roughly the same speed in all subjects. As helpful as scope and sequence charts and grade-level guidelines are, children are intensely individual, and the fact is: no two children progress along exactly identical paths.

Some of this belief in same-age sameness arose out of institutional necessity as the school system sought to streamline the education of large groups of children. And as a result, we’ve all been conditioned to think in terms of being behind or ahead of grade level.

Not only are children different from each other in rates of development, but an individual child may not progress at the same rate across all subject areas. When this gap is considerably large, we call it asynchronous development. A child with asynchronous development is many ages at once; he or she is often significantly ahead of grade-level standards in one or more topics of study, yet considerably behind same-age peers in other areas.

While schools sometimes have loose systems in place to address variations in academic progress, rarely are they are able to adequately meet the needs of a child with asynchronous development.

Sonlighters Can Avoid Grade Level Constraints

As homeschoolers, though, we have the privilege of making curriculum decisions based on readiness and development first, and grade level second. We don’t need to find a way to educate thousands of children en masse, as efficiently as possible! Even the largest homeschool family is still a very small private school. We can attend to our children’s education with the most individualized care.

And we don’t need to settle on a single grade level across all subjects. Homeschooling an asynchronous child is one of the best ways to provide a customized education.

Sonlight Levels are Designed for Flexibility

At their very core, books are versatile and hold a wide range of appeal. A single book might be advertised as a middle-grade reading level, contain topics which delight younger children, yet hold enough complexity and nuances to captivate an adult reader. (Sonlight Read-Alouds really do capture the attention of everyone in the family.) So it only makes sense a literature-based education would be designed for flexibility.

Sonlight does designate a grade level for each History / Bible / Literature package, offering a helpful starting point when determining which set is perfect for your child. (Advisors can help with this, too.) But each Sonlight History / Bible / Literature level is also designed with a flexible span of ages in mind. This means each level can meet a wide range of needs and grades—even when that range is found in the one asynchronous child.

History / Bible / Literature Level A, for example, centers around beloved childhood topics—the suggested ages are five through seven—yet unlike the preschool and pre-kindergarten levels, it utilizes chapter books as read-alouds. These book choices

challenge an older child who is ready to dig deeper,
delight a younger child, and
appeal to an asynchronous child who is many ages at once.

“The fact that the [read-aloud] books were almost always...advertised by the publisher for...[older ages], but were still interesting to younger kids, was really helpful for us,” shares Sonlighter Melinda S.

And of course, to accompany the History / Bible / Literature Read-Alouds, Advisors can also help you mix and match appropriate Readers, Science, Language Arts, and Math from a wide range of levels when homeschooling an asynchronous child.

Sonlight Levels Allow for Oral Discussion, Not Written Worksheets

Some homeschool methods are heavy on writing in the early years, which can frustrate an eager child with emerging motor skills. Sonlighter Cynthia H. relates to this challenge, explaining, “I have one who is behind in writing, so letting him excel at History / Literature content without [requiring] a writing component was hard to find. I didn't want to hold him back because he couldn't complete the worksheets.”

Learners who do not have the stamina for lengthy writing—but are still ready to dive deeper—will find themselves at home in a Sonlight education, since parents and students are guided through oral discussion (not worksheets) in the early History / Bible / Literature levels. And even in Language Arts and Science, where written work is incorporated, Sonlight encourages parents to act as young children’s scribe. “The fact that much of the work was intended to be done orally was really good for my child who read avidly but struggled with pencil skills,” adds Melinda S. “She was five years ahead in reading and two years behind in physical things like handwriting.”

Sonlight recognizes the need for penmanship (practice with the goal of fluency), but doesn’t doesn’t let the physical act of writing get in the way of the learning, when an oral answer would suffice. (And, yes, kids using a Sonlight education still learn to research, edit, spell, and write.)

A Sonlight Education Allows Students to Physically Move

The oral elements extend beyond discussion, as well. Since Read-Alouds are the centerpiece, Sonlight also meets the needs of students who wouldn’t necessarily thrive if taxed with extensive textbook reading assignments. Many asynchronous kids, for example, have an almost-compulsive need to move. And some students can focus better with movement than without! History and Literature Read-Alouds provide an ideal solution for children who can process information better while listening and moving than while sitting still and focusing on interpreting the written word. In fact, allowing physical activity during read-alouds often results in more focused listening.

Whatever delightful quirkiness we observe in our children, homeschooling offers us the glorious freedom to create an environment where our children will thrive. And it doesn’t even matter if the academic progression is slower or faster than the conventionally-accepted (but rarely-challenged) school system schedule—or if school looks nothing like its desk-sitting, 8-o’clock-to-3-o’clock counterpart.

Sonlighting truly allows kids to learn at their own pace.

Ready to create a customized education for your exceptional child? Sonlight has homeschool consultants available to talk to you through your choices. Click here to schedule an appointment.

Tagged Asynchronous, curriculum, customizing, gifted, Sonlight, special needs | 1 Comment