Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

May. 20, 2018

Where Are They Now: Tegan Duke

This post is part of the Where Are They Now series in which we hear the stories of long-time Sonlight users who are now thriving young adults.

Tegan of Cape Town, South Africa has been homeschooled all her life. She began her Sonlight journey at the age of four and has studied all the programs up to and including History / Bible / Literature H, as well as added on South African history. She has loved the Read-Alouds and has firm favorites from all the cores. She loves it when her younger siblings start reading a book that was one of her all time bests!

Although she is not a fast reader, the Sonlight Readers have stretched her reading ability and given her the discipline and skills to read more challenging books. Sonlight Science has been a special highlight for her. The early programs ignited a passion for birds and marine life—two interests she still pursues enthusiastically. She’s a keen bird-watcher and has been a member of two eco-clubs in our local community. For the past 5 years. she has attended marine courses at the Cape Town Two Oceans Aquarium, recently qualifying as a Junior Biologist and aquarium volunteer. Sonlight has given her the skills and knowledge to participate in these activities and to excel at the required tests and presentations.

In order to meet South African university requirements, is no longer homeschooling for her final three years of school. Her many years with Sonlight have, however, provided her with a firm foundation and she has made the transition to a different (and very academic) program with ease. Singapore Maths and the high school Apologia science programs were especially helpful in her making the transition. She is supplementing the new academic program with a selection of novels, Bible teaching and apologetic books from the Sonlight catalog.

Tegan loves cooking and baking, playing the piano, and especially ballet. Homeschooling has given her the time and flexibility to pursue her interest in dance. She is also very involved at church and has the time to help with the children’s programs and to attend her own Bible study and teen groups. When she was much younger, she sometimes thought “real school” would be fun. But with maturity, she has appreciated homeschooling:

the slower pace
the lack of stress and exam-panic
the depth of family relationships

Homeschooling has given her a love of learning and an education with a solidly Christian worldview and with real depth. It has also left her with the time to pursue many other activities. She has no regrets!

Do you have a story about your grown Sonlighter? We love catching up with long-time Sonlight users who are now thriving young adults. Email your story and photos to stories@sonlight.com.

Tagged high school, Homeschooling, supplementing, teens, where are they now | Leave a comment

May. 18, 2018

6 Life-giving Reasons to Consider a Four-day Homeschool Week

By Amy Mattson

When it comes to planning for homeschool, we moms consider so many different aspects:

our teaching style
our children's learning styles
curriculum options
academic subjects

One of the most overlooked aspects of homeschool planning, however, is how many days of the week we will set aside for school work. Most of us default to five days a week for a homeschool schedule because it's the norm. But I argue that considering a four-day school week is something every mom should do.

1. A 4-Day Week Makes it Easy to Stay on Schedule

As a special needs family, we often have doctor appointments that keep us from home for nearly the whole day. When using a five-day program, I constantly felt the need to catch up over the weekend or do more than one lesson a day to make up for the day we missed on appointment day.

Now, I know mentally that as homeschoolers there is no such thing as falling behind. It is our own school after all, and we can set the pace.

But maybe you are like me. Despite what I know, I tend to get stressed over feeling behind. I am that mom who has to finish the curriculum before saying the school year is over.

The days can add up quickly when you need to take a day off here or there. With a five day program, pretty soon you have a lot of days to make up. And if you're like me, you can feel a sense of anxiety about those incomplete days even though you know you have permission to work at your own pace.

With a four day program however, you have a day of grace each week. Normally we plan Friday to be our day off. But, if we need to be out of town or have an activity another day of the week, we do school on Friday and we're right on schedule.

With a four-day week, you reduce that pressure to stay on schedule. Less stress for you means your children are less stressed as well. In our house, going from a five- to a four-day week made our homeschool a more positive, calm experience.

2. A 4-Day Week Makes for Easy Catch-up

Life happens. At some point in your homeschool journey there will be an event where you need to take off a week or two and stop homeschooling for a short period of time: a move, sickness, a tragedy, or even just a family vacation.

With a four-day school week, it is much easier to catch up and get back on track (if you're like me and worry about those things). There are a three easy ways to do this.

If you're behind by one week, simply do school for five days a week for a month to catch up.
Or double up on lessons.
Cover Readers and Read-Alouds on the weekend. They are fun and don't necessarily feel like "school."

3. A 4-Day Week Makes It Easier to Say Yes and Be Flexible

If an unexpected opportunity presents itself, you can say yes and skip the school day, knowing you have that extra day each week as buffer. This perk is especially nice when pleasant weather comes and you want to get outdoors to enjoy nature.

Just a couple of days ago our homeschool group had some extra tickets to a play. I was able to make a spur of the moment decision to attend with my son and didn't have to worry about missing any school. I knew we could simply make it up on Friday, the day we typically don't do homeschool lessons.

A 4-day school week also means we have more flexibility in planning field trips, even having the option for an excursion each week if we want!

A 4-Day Week Makes It Easier to Say Yes and Be Flexible

4. A 4-Day Week Gives Time for Electives

Sometimes by the time we're finished with all the necessary coursework, there isn't time or energy for electives. By choosing a four-day school week, you can set aside the fifth day specifically for electives or exploration.

5. A 4-Day Week Allows White Space

When you lighten your curriculum load from five days down to four, it creates room for margin in your life. We all need white space. If no other benefit of a four-day week speaks to you, this one should. Parenting and homeschooling is an amazing opportunity. It's a calling not to be taken lightly. That being said, we need to remember to take care of ourselves as well.

Switching to a four-day school week was incredibly life-giving to me. Taking away the pressure to complete the five-day schedule transformed our homeschool. It is probably the best homeschooling decision I've made.

6. A 4-Day Week is Still a Great Education

One of the fears we moms face when considering a shorter school week is making sacrifices in our child's education. In my opinion, this really isn't something to worry about, especially the way Sonlight structures their curriculum packages.

It is impossible to learn all the things. Don't put that pressure on yourself or your kids. If you're really worried about missing out on a couple of the books, don't worry! You can still order them. Simply order the four-day program, and add on the books that were left out. Read them on the weekends, in the summer, or at bedtime.

And about that fifth day—just because you're not officially doing school doesn't mean your children are not learning. So consider how a 4-day school week might make your life easier. It's been a game changer for me!

Curious to see what this type of education might look like for your family? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options for a 4-day week.

Tagged 4-day, homeschool, schedule | Leave a comment

May. 16, 2018

How to Cherish Even the Mundane Seasons of Homeschooling

By Gina Munsey

Throughout the Bible, God’s people were instructed to remember God’s past blessings, and were urged to teach their children to know previous triumphs and victories, too. “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way,” admonishes Deuteronomy eight, verse two, following closely on the heels of Exodus thirteen’s command to teach children about the delivery from Pharaoh's army. The Psalmist echoes in praise, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m really skilled at forgetting blessings. Like the Israelites of old, I’m prone to amnesia the minute the Red Sea closes behind me, focusing on my mundane duties instead. As you probably know, in a homeschool mom's life, there are a lot of routine tasks, begging to take our focus away from what matters.

So how do we

keep our eyes on Jesus,
rise above the monotony,
truly cherish the season we’re in, and
not lose sight of our children in the process?

How do we cherish even the mundane seasons of homeschooling?

When We Don’t Feel Like Cherishing the Season, We Can Cherish our Children

There are some days—or even weeks and months—I don’t feel like cherishing. You, too? But when we don’t feel like cherishing the day, the chore, or the situation, we can still cherish our children.

Nothing takes me from drudgery to joy like lifting my eyes up from whatever task I’m engrossed in, to really see my daughter for the pure miracle that she is. And this doesn’t apply only to our duties as homeschool moms, either. I think there’s a parallel there for our relationship with Christ, too. We can get so lost in doing things for God, we forget to rejoice in God.

But there is deliverance awaiting us in God’s simple commands to remember and give thanks.

When We Feel Lost in the Season, Gratitude Will Transform our Attitude

Thankfulness holds miraculous power, doesn’t it? One of the best ways to

keep our perspective in the right place,
cultivate a thankful heart, and
carry on through challenging times

is to actively and intentionally thank God for the wonders He has wrought in our lives.

While there’s nothing wrong with quiet contemplation, it’s especially poignant to say, write, or draw exactly what we’re thankful for.

And that’s why I just love the new Memory Book from Sonlight: it tackles my short-sighted memory and my forgetful faith head-on. It helps me cherish even the mundane seasons of homeschooling.

When We Know We’ll Forget the Season, We Should Document the Good

After a year with many ups and downs—include an unexpected, disrupting move—the prompts in this printable keepsake book opened my eyes to

blessings I’d overlooked,
progress I didn’t even realize we’d made, and
memories I would have forgotten.

How wonderful!

It’s almost as though the Memory Book is in step with the Psalmist in chapter 102, verses eighteen and twenty-one: “Write this down for the next generation, so people not yet born will praise God... Write it so the story can be told in Zion, so God’s praise will be sung in Jerusalem’s streets.” “Bless God”, he continues in the next chapter, “Don’t forget a single blessing.” (The Message translation)

Don’t forget a single blessing.

When life tries to trick me into believing that our read-aloud time is just a box to be checked, the Memory Book reminds me the hours I invest are making an eternal impact. There’s lifelong significance in not just these powerful Sonlight stories, but in all the time we spent together, too.

When life does its best to tell me the skills I’m teaching are going in one year and out the other, the Memory Book reminds me just how much learning has happened. (It’s so easy to miss the forest for the trees, isn’t it?)

When the clocks and the calendars tell me I’m behind, and I’m tempted to focus more on scope and sequence than on love, the Memory Book reminds me of the relationships we’re strengthening in our homeschool.

When I wonder if the multiplication tables are ever going to stick, and we all lament how the erasers have worn a hole in the paper, the Memory Book reminds me that in the end, it’s about so much more.

Meditating on our blessings is powerful, isn’t it? There’s a transformative, life-altering purpose behind God’s instruction to remember and give thanks. Won’t you join me in obeying God’s command to recall what God has done, write it down for the next generation (in your Memory Book!), and rejoice along with the Psalmist—“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:3)

Get a copy of the Memory Book and document the fun memories of your homeschool year.

Tagged cherish, gratefulness, Homeschooling, memories, memory book, seasons | Leave a comment

May. 14, 2018

5 Types of Hands-On Projects and Extras Perfect for Sonlight

By Deana Wood

My oldest child is logical and practical. While my husband insists that our oldest is practically a replica of me, this is one area where we are as different as night and day. I am a creative person who loves not only the result of learning, but also the process of learning.

With the exception of glitter, which I loathe, I generally thrive in the messy moments of education. Cutting, pasting, and drawing make my heart happy, and if my kids need to spread out on the floor amongst piles of construction paper and magazines, well, it’s all the better!

So, early in our homeschooling journey, I tried to add projects for my son. To my great surprise, he hated them all. He would do them because he is a pleaser, but I could tell that his mind was perfectly satisfied with the information we just covered and was now focused on the trampoline outside. Over time, I lightened up on my hands-on projects, and I found that it was actually a blessing in disguise that he disliked the extras so much. When more little babies came along, there just was no time.

But then, those little babies grew up, and it was time for them to begin school. Once again, I learned that I needed to adjust my approach. They were all about the process. I should realized this fact about them much sooner

When they were two and one years old, they used a pair of misplaced safety scissors to cut my bedsheets into shreds while they were supposed to be napping.
There was also the time that they got their hands on a ball of crochet yarn and proceeded to make a laser course through the hallway. The knotting was so tight that I had to cut it just to get to our living room.

Oh yes, there were many early signs that these two were girls after my own heart—creative, crafty, and hands-on.

You can imagine that when they began school, they longed for hands-on projects. And of course, being a homeschool mama, I obliged! My heart sang at the visions of piles of construction paper and magazines. While I learned with my first child that Sonlight is absolutely complete without any add-ons, I have thoroughly enjoyed providing creative extras for my two daughters. Here are a few of my favorite ways to extend our learning.

1. Art Projects

Art is such a great way to add interest to a particular study. I especially love to focus our art projects around countries. This year, we went through HBL F and HBL B, so we had plenty of art inspiration!

Each time we began studying a new country, civilization, or continent, I would search Pinterest for art projects inspired by that region or time period. This year, we crafted a mosaic for our study of Rome, and we made savannah silhouettes for our HBL F study of Africa, just to name a few. I keep a Pinterest board for each HBL that we go through, and save pins when I see art that would fit the program. I love keeping things simple, so I rarely ever do an art project that requires more than basic supplies. Sonlight's History Project Kits include art and hands-on projects so you don't have to spend time researching them.

2. Lap Books

Lap books are a great way to record your studies so you can go back and review! If you aren’t familiar with lap books, they are usually made out of a file folder and include several pictures and cutouts which the child uses to record information about the topic of study. Like many of my fellow Sonlight mamas, I am thrilled to see that Sonlight has now included a lap book option for some of the HBLs. I can’t wait to get my hands on one!

3. Games

For your more kinesthetic learners, games are a great way to add to your Sonlight course of study. Simply do a quick search of kids games in the region or time period you are studying, and go out and try out the game. You may even find some YouTube videos of kids playing the games if you’re lucky!

4. Rabbit Trail Research

I can’t count the times that a Read-Aloud sparks one of those infamous, “I wonder…” questions. While research generally isn’t something that is exactly welcomed by my kids, research that is not required, but simply born out of curiosity, fits into a completely different category.

Rather than shutting down the rabbit trail, go with it for a while. Many times, my kids’ rabbit trail research has turned into a collage, a report, a booklet, brochure, or speech. These are the best kinds of projects because since they are intrinsically sparked, your children will retain even more of the information.

5. Extension Projects

An extension project is simply taking the ideas presented in the literature and extending them to learn more about a topic. Living books are the best for extension projects. They are written in such a way that extension is a logical outflow of the child’s natural curiosity.

Sonlight's Read-Alouds and Readers invite stellar project opportunities for kids who like to do crafty learning. For example, this year we read Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (from HBL F) which led these projects:

We researched the stock market crash of the 1920s
We explored the current stock market.
The kids used an imaginary budget and pretended to purchase stocks, keeping track of their investments daily.
We researched the most recent recession in 2009.

One thing is sure: my oldest child who is practical and logical has had an excellent education with Sonlight even without adding extras. My youngest children also have had an excellent education with Sonlight, adding lots of projects and opportunities for creative expression along the way. Sonlight is great as is, and it’s great to add to. It flexes for you and your kids!

To find out more about Sonlight's hands-on options that integrate with our literature-based curriculum, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged crafts, enrichment, extras, hands on, Homeschooling, learning, projects, Sonlight, supplementing | Leave a comment

May. 11, 2018

Saying Yes: How to Enjoy a Flexible Homeschool Schedule

By Bethany Weathersby

There’s no question that one of the biggest perks to homeschooling is having a flexible schedule that allows you to take advantage of life’s opportunities during traditional school hours:

Going to a local park on a sunny weekday morning in the middle of winter.
Visiting a museum with discounted admission on the slow days.
Taking a family vacation to a theme park in the off season.
Scrapping math and science for the day in favor of baking cookies and watching a movie together.

You get the idea.

Continue reading →

Tagged Encouragement, flexibility, Homeschooling, saying yes, schedules | 1 Comment

May. 9, 2018

Saying No Creates Boundaries of Freedom for Your Homeschool

By Bethany Weathersby

Your kids are using curriculum that couldn’t be a better fit for them. You love the church you attend and are heavily involved in serving and participating in activities there. The weekly meeting with a friend is a great source of accountability. Your family has made good friends in a local homeschool group. The sports, clubs, and lessons your kids are involved are benefiting them in obvious ways. You’re being diligent to hit the gym or exercise at home. Hospitality is something your family practices by regularly inviting people to your home. You’re leading live groups and moderating online ones.

You’re grateful for and value all the things happening in your life, yet you find yourself becoming increasingly resentful, crying or yelling over everything and nothing, and not enjoying anything or anyone like you used to. What gives?

When You Can’t Do All That Matters, Do What Matters Most

If you’re at all like me, you probably need to start saying no to some good things. “But I can’t!” you protest.

I know; I know. Saying no is impossible.

The world will fall apart if you stop being the first to volunteer when people ask for help.
Your kids will shrivel up and die if they scale back on extracurriculars and don’t get every box checked in the Instructor's Guide.
You’ll lose all your friends if you don’t get together as frequently as you have in the past.

It’s much better to keep everything the way it is, even though you’re falling apart because of it. Right?

Wrong.

Everyone has to pick and choose which opportunities are worth their time and energy, a difficult task that becomes more complicated and important as a parent. Throw homeschooling in the mix and you have a recipe for disaster if you’re overcommitted.

Why? Because a parent with too much on her plate is not a pleasant person to be around, and a homeschool family is around each other more than the average family.

Some seasons of life are unavoidably busier than others, and we have to choose a positive attitude when that’s the case. However, if you know a change is in order, but you don’t know where to start with saying no because everything matters to you, I encourage you to do two things.

How to Say No and Establish Boundaries for Your Homeschool

First, pray about saying no. Ask the Lord for wisdom as you figure out the best way to manage your time. Second, make a list of all your commitments. Sometimes the simple act of writing it all down clarifies what should be eliminated. If there’s no instant clarity, just let the list sit for a while and keep praying about it.

Where you go from there is up to you:

Have a family discussion where everyone has a say in what happens.
Consider which commitments you’d stick with if you could only choose five.
Take a three-month break from a particular commitment and see if you miss it.
Ask for help with tasks that don’t have to be done by only one person.

There’s no one right way to move forward.

The Choices are Worth the Sacrifice of Saying No

The way saying no looks in your life may not be the same as it does in another home, and it may not look the same in your home a year from now as it does now. But that’s fine. Your commitment to homeschooling requires you to prioritize your other obligations in a way that doesn’t sabotage your family or your sanity. Your role as a homeschool parent requires you to pass up opportunities you’d enjoy but which make homeschooling harder for your family.

These tough choices are worthwhile. There are only 24 hours in a day, and there’s no way any of us can do all the things we’d like to. So figure out what matters most to you now, in the season of homeschooling you find yourself, and say no to everything else—guilt free. It may be a forever no, or it may be merely a season of no. Either way, saying no to avoidable stress is a boundary that gives you freedom to full immerse yourself in and enjoy the here and now.

If you are considering a new direction for your children’s education, and could use an empathetic ear, we have experienced homeschooling moms who would love to talk to you. Click here to schedule an appointment.

Tagged boundaries, Encouragement, Homeschooling, oversheduling, priorities, schedules, Time Management | Leave a comment

May. 7, 2018

The Easy Change That Made Sonlight Work for My Son with ADHD

By Amy Mattson

My son has always been one of those boys who simply can't sit still. I mean more than average activity; I mean he is constantly moving! Thus, his diagnosis of ADHD wasn't a huge surprise to me. Official label or not, I knew that to be successful with homeschooling him, I would need to implement engaging hands-on lessons. At the same time, I also wanted to use a literature-based curriculum like Sonlight.

When picturing yourself homeschooling with a pile of books, you envision sitting on the couch, children nestled up to you, listening attentively. I knew this would not be the case with my son, so I would need to find ways to make read aloud time work with his ADHD.

Kids with ADHD Need to Move

One of the many lessons I've learned while homeschooling is to get over my son's need to move his body. Everything about his tendency goes against my nature. I don't need to fidget to learn. In fact, it distracts me from listening. Sitting still comes naturally to me, so anything else seems unnatural.

Truth is, kids with ADHD focus much better when they keep their body moving.

Let me tell you, accepting this fact drove me crazy at times! Early in our homeschooling days, I was constantly saying things like "Sit down." and "Put that down." I thought that if he was pacing around or playing with something, he wasn't listening. If he wasn't listening, he must not be learning, either.

I've come to realize, however, that quite the opposite is true. My son will listen much better if I allow him to do something with his hands during school. Even though it might go against everything I personally experience in regards to paying attention and listening, moving about is actually a benefit for kids like him.

Read Aloud Time

If you are at all familiar with Sonlight, you know the curriculum is literature-rich. This was both a selling point and a concern when it came to my son's ADHD.

The selling point was that I knew textbook-style learning was not working with him. Been there, done that, and it wasn't pleasant.

My concern was one I suspect most ADHD parents have: How in the world are you going to successfully homeschool with a literature-based curriculum while your child is literally bouncing off the walls and furniture?

I used to make my son sit next to me or on my lap during read aloud time. He wasn't enjoying it. Even worse, he had no idea what I just read to him. If I were to ask him questions about what we just read, he would have no clue how to answer. It was frustrating to say the least. Neither of us were enjoying read aloud time until I started to have a better understanding of ADHD.

When I let him do small activities during our American history read aloud time, it made a dramatic difference in his listening and comprehension. I felt he was completely ignoring me, and I had to learn how to accept the fact that he wasn't sitting still. But it turns out movement is key to helping him focus and by extension learn.

Fidget Ideas for Read-Alouds

The thing to keep in mind when allowing your child stay in motion is they don't need to be large movements. Small, simple movements are usually enough to keep my son focused.

Coloring is a great activity to do during reading time, especially when you can find coloring books which reinforce the subject you're reading about. Coloring the timeline figures is another great option.

I'm really excited about Sonlight's addition of hands-on activities to some elementary levels this year. When there are lap book assignments with the day's reading, my son can be working on the cutting while I read.

At other times, petting the dog, playing with small fidget toys, or assembling LEGO is enough to help him focus.

Sonlight Works for ADHD with Accommodations

You might find yourself going through a period of trial and error to see what works for your child. The key here is to let go of your preconceived ideas that children need to sit still in order to be actively listening. We need to allow them some movement.

Trust me. It might take you some time to not be bothered by their movements; however, everyone will be happier in the long run when movement is allowed.

Tagged ADHD, Homeschooling, play, special needs, teaching | Leave a comment