Jun. 7, 2018

Sonlight's 2018 Photo Contest Winners

By Sonlight
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Sonlight's 2018 Photo Contest Winners

At Sonlight, we love featuring real photos and stories from Sonlight families on the website, in our catalog, and on social media.  Your homeschool moments are truly inspiring to the staff here at Sonlight as well as to the entire community of Sonlighters.

Congratulations to Sonlight's Annual Photo Contest Winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who submitted photos and stories in the Annual Photo Contest. The three winning photos have been selected! Each winning family featured below (in no particular order) will receive a $500 gift card to purchase more Sonlight curriculum. One family will be featured on the cover of a Sonlight Catalog.

W. Family, Sonlighters from Dallas, GA

“Thank you, Sonlight, for making this year so fun and easy!” writes Tiffany W of Dallas, GA. “Last year we used a different program and we struggled through it. This year we chose Sonlight and couldn't be happier! The open-and-go aspect really optimized my time as a mother of four (one of whom is a toddler and another a newborn). “I have loved being able to teach both my school-age kids (2nd grade and Kindergarten) from the same HBL. Not only is it a time saver, it's brought them together in a whole new way. I love watching them learn together.”

In this photo Charlie (8) and Millie (6) are thrilled to share their “end of the year, look at all we've accomplished” moment, also called a #sonlightstack.

M. Family, Sonlighters from Lincoln, RI

“A friend who used Sonlight suggested I try the PreK program ‘just to see,’ says Altagail M of Lincoln, RI. “Well, seven years later and homeschooling with Sonlight is the best parenting decision we ever made. I love learning with my children and the opportunities to encourage their natural gifts and strengths without the confines of a traditional classroom. These kids love to read, their attention spans are incredible, and we have enjoyed so much wonderful literature thanks to Sonlight. Time is our most precious commodity and I am so glad not to be missing their childhood.”

In Altagail's winning photo, Lily (9, PreK-HBL F), Gracin (7, PreK-HBL C), and Austin (11, PreK-HBL F) take advantage of a sunny day to homeschool outside.

K. Family, Sonlighters from Vero Beach, FL

“Homeschooling has been one of the best decisions we have made for our family. It has brought our family closer, and has allowed us great adventures together,” writes Sennu K of Vero Beach, FL. “One of my favorite memories this year was a trip to Disney World. On our way there I started reading Seven Daughters and Seven Sons aloud, and we got into the story so much that we ended up staying in our hotel room reading the book into midnight, because we couldn't put it down.”

In this photo, Sennu (Mom), Mae (4, not yet homeschooling) and Abby (12, HBL F) celebrate Abby's last day of sixth grade. 

Although Abby (12; HBL F) is the only one currently homeschooling, their four oldest children who have finished homeschool and are all attending colleges, still enjoy taking part in her Read-Alouds, and often take turns reading the books together. “We so love the books Sonlight chooses, and look forward to our next year with HBL G.”

Share Your #sonlightstories Year-Round

Thanks again for making this year's contest a success. Keep sharing your #sonlightstories year-round! We love your Box Day photos, your day to day experiences, and the end-of-the-year #sonlightstack shots of all you've accomplished.

Use the #sonlightstories hashtag when you share on social media. You can also log into your account on sonlight.com anytime to upload both images and testimonials. You never know when something you submitted may appear in a catalog, on our homepage, or on the Sonlight blog

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Jun. 6, 2018

Setting Up a Summer Routine for Kids Who Thrive on Structure

By Deana Wood
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Summer Routines


When you think of summer, do you envision carefree days of hammock swinging, endless cups of homemade lemonade, a stack of books you’ve wanted to read for a whole year, and absolutely nothing to do? I sure do!

But reality is more like this: my kids bickering over every little thing and stopping only to tell me every thirty minutes that they are bored, and one child in particular melting down at every turn because he can’t handle the break in his usual routine.

Sound familiar? I certainly hope I’m not the only one!

I learned a few years ago that summer does not equal total freedom for my family. Oh no, we still need a predictable routine. While this might make me sound like a real party pooper, it’s quite the contrary. A summer routine curbs the constant whining and bickering and keeps the meltdowns to a minimum. Here’s how it works at my house.

1. Morning Chores

I always joke that people need to come visit us in the summertime because it’s the only time of year that our house is really clean! During the school year, the demand on our time is so great that we do what we must to just get by with our household cleaning, but in the summer, we are able to devote daily time to keeping it in tip top shape, and morning chores is the key. I usually let my kids have slow mornings, but by about 9:00, they are ready to start in on their morning chores. This includes cleaning their room, taking care of personal hygiene, and seeing to a common area in our home.

2. Morning Time

Morning time is a household staple for my crew, but summer allows for a little change to the feel of our morning time. About mid-morning we will meet in the living room for our Bible Study and Read Aloud. It’s also the time when I will lay out the plan for the day and address our weekly schedule as needed. This really helps my melt-down child to feel in control of the day and heads off big emotions first thing.

3. Physical Exertion

Maybe I could legitimately label this P.E? I have found that to avoid bickering and boredom, kids need a good dose of physical exertion during the summer months, and it seems best to do it in the morning hours. Generally, after our morning time, I’ll take the kids and we will help my dad in his garden, we’ll do some yard work, walk the block, ride bikes, or visit a playground. Expending physical energy first thing in the morning is key to our summer routine.

4. Lunch & Afternoon Time

After P.E. we will prepare lunch and follow our summer tradition of watching an episode of I Love Lucy or Andy Griffith over turkey sandwiches. Then, we will have take two of morning time, only shorter. I’ll read aloud again from our book and we might talk about what we think or make predictions. We might slip in some summer schooling here by reading some Life of Fred or learning a new tune from Geography Songs.

For Elementary, Middle School, and High School

5. Quiet Time

Quiet time is a must and one of my favorite parts of our summer routine! After our second read aloud of the day, I have everyone head to their bedrooms for some quiet time. They may read a book or draw or simply rest, but they must be quiet. My kids are all six years and up so I only require about 30-45 minutes of quiet time, but it does wonders! It also encourages reading without me pushing it.

6. Free Time

After quiet time, it’s time for free time. This sometimes includes swimming at Nana and Papa’s house or playing outside on the trampoline. While I encourage outdoor and imaginative play, this is their time and they are free to do whatever they like, within reason of course! We only allow video games on weekends, so for our family, this time is not to be used for video games.

7. Cool Down

During cool down, we pick up the house and get supper going. I usually will allow the kids to watch television at this point in the day, and everyone just rests and gets ready for dad to come home for the final round of play for the day.

Having a predictable summer routine—not necessarily a schedule—has done wonders for my family. Summer meltdowns are fewer and further between, and bickering, while not completely gone, is kept at a manageable level. What is your advice for surviving the summer months?

Ready for an enjoyable way of learning that gives you space for relaxed routines? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.

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May. 30, 2018

When Your Child Says "I Can't": Raising Kids Who Problem Solve

By Amber Smith
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When Your Child Says "I Can't": Raising Kids Who Problem Solve

His big blue eyes looked up at me, and he said, “I can’t read.” I had just asked my son why he didn’t want to read in his Sunday School class. He was so matter of fact that I was caught off guard.

I was surprised because he can read second grade level books with just a little help. We began teaching him to read when he was four, and he reads words with me as a part of his regular school work.

Why would he tell people he couldn’t read? I wanted to poke my head back into his class and tell his sweet teacher, “I am teaching this child to read! He can read, really!”

I am sure you have been there, too. But, like so many times in homeschooling, I have to remind myself this is about him and not me.

Instead of arguing with him or telling him that he can read, I listened. I asked him what he meant. He explained that he can’t pick up a book and read it like I do. He sweetly explained that he doesn’t know all of the words in class. Total mastery was his standard.

Here is a bright boy who thinks that he can’t read—even though he is reading—because he hasn’t mastered the skill in its entirety quite yet.

Place a High Value On Skill Building in the Face of "I Can't"

I pulled him up onto my lap and had a little talk. Using myself as an example, I explained that I'm always learning, researching, and growing in my understanding. I told him about the words I have to look up to see how they are pronounced or what they mean. We talked about the letter sounds and how we both are using them to unlock every little part of a word even when we don’t know it. As we talked, he began to see the ways that he does read. By the end of our talk he realized he was reading. He could read his words in his books.

I want my kids to be learners for life. So I reflect that in my own life. As parents we are always learning new skills whether by listening to podcasts or by reading. Is your personal book pile tall? Maybe you craft, write, or are learning to parent and teach your children better. Whatever skills you are honing, let your kids see that there is no end to the learning process. Let them see you learning.

In modern educational jargon, this perspective is called the growth mindset—the belief that our abilities aren't fixed but are dependent on our hard work and persistence. What a message of hope for a frustrated learner!

Skills Are the Tools for Problem Solvers

Here is the thing. We can get so busy checking off the boxes in the early years:

  • Does he know shapes and colors?
  • Do they know the letters and their sounds?
  • Can she write her name?

There is a rush to get it all done. My son eventually acquired all of these skills, yes. But in the process, I had forgotten to tell him the secret powers these skills unlock. These little letters can unlock any book. Knowing these few shapes could help him see the whole world in front of him in better context.

The world is made up of parts; each time we learn a new skill we understand those parts better. There yet there is still infinitely more to learn.

There was power in each of the tools I had given him, but I was so busy sticking tools in his hands, that I forgot what we were building. We are building a boy who can keep solving questions his whole life and one day a man who values learning for himself.

Listen For and React to I Can’t Statements

If you want to create problem solvers, do this. The next time your child says, “I can’t,” listen for what they are really saying. When you stop to listen to their frustration, you will begin to identify the skills they are missing. You can encourage your kids by showing them how much they have learned during the school year and identify where they can work to solve their problem.

What skill do they lack that is making the subject difficult, and how can you help them tune it up?

Breaking a huge subject like math into little skill sets has helped us to end the drone of I can’t. A small skill that is weak makes mastering a whole assignment difficult.

I experienced this with long division. My daughter wasn’t bad at math. After listening, I discovered she had a few gaps in memorizing the multiplication table which was making division slow and difficult. It didn’t take more than a few days before she hated long division. It could have become her I can’t. Instead, we broke down the steps in division to see what exact skills she was lacking. We narrowed it down to the math facts she did not know—those 7, 8 and 9 multiplication combos. We added visual aids by way of flash cards and took time to learn the facts she needed. Within a few weeks, she was back on track with long division.

Learning is the act of acquiring skills, little by little, over a lifetime. When you face a wall, or your child says "I can’t," break down the problem and look for skills that need to be strengthened. Encourage them that they can learn every skill they need to succeed. Share with you kids how you are doing it every day, too.

Curious to see what an education of skill building and problem solving might look like for your family? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.

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May. 23, 2018

7 Ways to Bring Learning To Life For Kids

By Nicole Walter
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7 Ways to Bring Learning To Life For Kids

Over my years of homeschooling, finding ways to bring learning to life for my kids has been a priority because I want my children to love learning. Making learning fun sometimes means we take longer to go through a curriculum to make room for the extras. It can also mean I spend more time looking for resources. Both of these sacrifices can make a world of difference for children and their attitude towards home education.

Of course if I expanded on every single topic, we would never get through our homeschool curriculum. Sonlight is a complete standalone curriculum, and even without the extras, my kids learn plenty. So when it comes to adding extras, I choose either topics the kids really enjoy or those that they are struggling with.  We tend to expand on topics in History, Science, and Geography.

1. Read More Books

Yes, Sonlight has cornered the secret to great learning—books, and the programs already include dozens of titles you will love. But sometimes more of a good thing is even better! We get our extra books from a few key sources:

2. Put Learning to Music

Catchy songs make it easier it is for kids to learn and remember. One of our favorite resources this year is Lyrical Life Science. It was an extra purchase, but, boy, am I glad I got it. The kids love memorizing with the help of these songs.

3. Use Lap Books or Notebooks

Lap booking or notebooking on a topic of interest can be incredibly fun for kids who like drawing, writing, and papercrafts. You can nearly always find free printable notebooking pages online. If not, simply customize generic templates or use plain lined or unlined paper.

Lap books can be accomplished in the same way. Either use pre-made templates and kits like these listed below, or take a DIY approach with blank minibooks.

We typically work on notebooks or lap books a little bit each day over about several weeks time. The kids love to revisit their work later, remembering what they learned. (Bonus points for review!)

4. Use Hands-on Experiments and Projects

This is one of our favorite bring learning to life. Besides the fun activities in our Science kits and Discover & Do DVDs, I find that Pinterest is an amazing place to find relevant hands-on projects and experiments on any given topic. You would be amazed how much more your kids can pick up by adding a few extra experiments or projects into any topic. Science is abstract, but bringing it to life with a visible and tangible activity helps kids understand the principles they read about.

5. Cook

Take your topic of study and turn it into an edible project! For example, when we learned about cells in Science, we made an animal cell pizza and a plant cell cake. The kids loved both the process and the eating of it! Plus they still remember the cell parts because of the creation of the project.

6. Watch Videos

Hello, YouTube! I have younger kids, so I search for appropriate videos and scan them before letting my kids watch. Creating curated playlists for our unit studies is a great way to control what they watch when I don't want them aimlessly browsing YouTube.

Although these two channels were created with public school educators in mind, they can still be helpful for homeschoolers:

Other high quality sites I recommend for video are Discovery Kids, Khan Academy, and Brain Pop.

7. Find Online Games To Play

Depending on how much time they have earned, my kids get up to two hours of screen time per day, some of which can be spent on fun learning games. I simply Google our topic + the phrase online (educational) games. For example if we were learning about marine life, I would search free ocean animal online educational games.

Since each child is so unique, what works with one won't necessarily work for the next. Thus I love having a full repertoire of resources to bring learning to life.

Request a Catalog

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.

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May. 21, 2018

Afterschooling Art at Home When School Doesn't Provide It

By Jen Brimhall
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Afterschooling Art at Home When School Doesn't Provide It

Art as a school subject is in a unique situation. Everyone agrees that it is important. Life is more beautiful, expressive, and fulfilling when we create and can enjoy others’ creations. Art is an end in itself, but what some parents may not know, is that it also improves our lives across all disciplines, including math and reading.

However, art is a soft skill and therefore hard to measure. 2+2 will always equal 4, but not everyone agrees on what is good art, bad art, or even what is necessarily art at all. Because of art's ambiguity, art offerings are being slashed in budget-stressed schools, often getting crowded out by more practical STEM-centric (science, technology, engineering and math) activities. And while I fully support STEM—after all, I am a volunteer youth robotics coach—I keenly feel my own lack of art education. I want my kids to receive more art than I did and be able to fully appreciate it. To make sure a rich art education happens for my kids, we do art at home, after school.

Fortunately, it is easy to implement afterschooling art at home. Best of all, the six strategies I share here require very little preparation from you. Art supplies and a trip to the library or a quick Google search will have you ready to go.

1. Recreate Art from Favorite Artists

This idea is a bit more formal, and works especially well if your children get out of school early one day a week, perhaps on Fridays. When they get home, make your art lessons fun; have snacks and make a mess. Maybe even give it a fun name like Fine Art Fridays or  Fridays and Forgeries.

Using a variety of materials is engaging: paints, pastels, clay, stone, wood, mosaics, fabric, food, etc. (I found these no-mess paint sticks, and my kids LOVE them!) Anything can be art! Just use what you have at home or what you can easily and inexpensively get your hands on. You don’t need top-of-the-line materials for this, and a Google search 30 seconds before you begin is all the preparation time you need.

  • Select an artist or art movement to study for a set period of time—once a week for a month worked well for us.
  • Read a book or watch a video on biography.com to learn about an artist’s life and most famous works. (I especially love this picture book about Michelangelo by Diane Stanley, and this Usborne book has fantastic overviews of several artists.)
  • Each week let your little artists try to recreate—or for your mischievous children, challenge them to forge!—their favorite piece of artwork from the spotlighted artist. Try a different masterpiece each week.
  • Be supportive, no matter what the outcome is. Remember we want our children to enjoy the process and express creativity!
  • Repeat, choosing another artist or movement next month.

When we did this activity, my children were amazed at the variety of art: the Renaissance, Impressionism, melting clocks, splatter paintings, and cubism. Our hallway turned into an art gallery as the children proudly displayed their artwork.

2. Illustrate a Nature Study Notebook

Nature is a perfect place to practice sketching shapes, making colors, and capturing shading. Start a nature study notebook when your family camps or hikes. Get a special sketching notebook for each person in the family and give them time to draw something that captures their attention.

When there is no rush, when you are surrounded by nature, and when there is time to create, your children experience a peaceful, almost euphoric feeling that can’t be replicated. Your children will remember how they feel, as they document the moment with images. In our screen-heavy lifestyle, time with nature is especially important to give the brain and eyes a break from flashing images.

3. Work Through a Formal Art Curriculum

If you feel at a loss for where to start with art studies, relying on a formal curriculum is a safe bet. Artistic Pursuits art curriculum is designed with families in mind, making it a natural fit for afterschooling art at home. Depending on the age of your child, you as a parent might not need to be involved if you have other duties that require your attention.

4. Lean on the Internet

There are a large variety of effective art teachers online. Many are free on YouTube while others charge a subscription fee. As I write this, my seven-year-old is using a free, online tutorial to create a work of art. He could spend hours on this website if I let him, and he loves every minute! I’m pretty impressed at what he’s able to do with the step-by-step support of the videos. If your children are begging for screen time, this is a great option.

5. Scatter Art Books Around Your Home

Sometimes when we push, our children decide to push back and reject our suggestions for learning art after school. But if we casually strew educational resources, they get noticed and used. Scatter these about your house, including the car or van and your bathroom. (Kids will read anything in the bathroom!)

If clutter makes you anxious, rely on bins and baskets to keep things tidy but still within eyesight and easy access.

6. Use Everyday Moments To Be Creative

  • Do you need a birthday cake? Let a special helper design and decorate it with you!
  • Make signs and decorate the house for holidays, arrivals, departures, and special occasions.
  • Let everyone help design and make Halloween costumes. We do themed costumes as a family with the added challenge that we need to make them. The results are much more fun and original than any storebought costume would be. We have a blast doing this every year.
  • Point out art in everyday life: advertisements, magazines, books, photographs, architecture, clothing, etc. Help your children learn to recognize different types of art.

As we encourage our children to be creative and be vulnerable in their creativity, not only do they become more well versed and grounded in art, they also develop confidence and an appreciation for beauty. Afterschooling art at home is a perfect fit because families are a safe place to reveal our art, home makes the perfect gallery, and Mom and Dad are the best patrons any artist could ask for.

Afterschooling: How to incorporate a love of learning into your child's afterschool hours.
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May. 20, 2018

Where Are They Now: Megan Simlia

By Sonlight
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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.

Where Are They Now: Megan Simlia

Megan Simlia Then and Now

 

As a homeschooled student, Megan Simila's family traveled across the U.S. four times and she continued her travels internationally as an adult. She earned an M.A. in Child and Adolescent Counseling at the University of Cambridge in England. After her completion of that course, she taught in an American school in one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico for three years and reached out to children in low-income scenarios. She now lives in Boise, Idaho and works with first generation low-income high school students.

Homeschooled since first grade, Megan found that homeschooling served as a stabilizer in a life of transition. She credits a good grounding in basic philosophy helped her engage diverse ideas in her graduate education. She enjoys traveling the world, volunteering at her church, and teaching.

"Reading about various missionaries who traveled to different cultures made it less scary for me to go overseas. I really appreciate the historical viewpoint Sonlight gives so you can see how cultures have changed over time. It helps you put yourself on a continuum and understand that your culture is not the only culture that has value.

"The philosophies and viewpoints we read in Sonlight helped me even as I did my Master's degree at Cambridge. As I examined various theories, I still referred back to basic philosophies and works of literature I studied with Sonlight. It definitely prepared me for a Cambridge education.

"My passion is to work with low-income students in impoverished areas. I love teaching and the opportunity to impact kids lives for the better.”

Cambridge Grad Helps Low-income Students Forge a Better Future

Now Megan works with a program called Upward Bound for low-income students, and she’s also pursuing a PhD. program through Boise State that will expand on the work she’s doing.

The population she works with are called first generation kids. That means almost all of the students she works with will be the first in their families to attain a college education.

Many of them struggle with difficult family scenarios and she is able to help them with college prep skills, give them math and SAT practice, and just be an advocate. A part of that training includes teaching them how to give back to the community and become a contributing citizen.

“They call me their ‘school mom,’” laughs Megan. “They call me at midnight and know I care. They know they can talk to me about what ’s difficult. This past year I had a student whose dad had been incarcerated and his mom was on drugs, and he was basically homeless for a portion of the year.”

She talks about how it difficult it can be to concentrate on studying when the simple things of life like transportation and safe relationships and shelter are in question. “With just basic living hurdles it’s amazing they can get to school.”

Megan makes sure these students have someone in their corner: “The Bible talks a lot about God's heart for the widow and the orphans ... I just want to have God's heart for these kids.

“My dad is also first generation—only one of seven children in his family to have a college education and he broke that barrier. That inspires me to break that barrier with my students. I want to help them forge a better future.”

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.

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May. 20, 2018

Where Are They Now: Scott McIntosh

By Sonlight
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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.

Where Are They Now: Scott McIntosh

Scott, his wife Audrey, and two sons tour Italy while Scott serves as a military prosecutor.

Scott was homeschooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade mostly using Sonlight curriculum. He recounts, "Through my homeschool education, I gained a Christ-centered and well-balanced worldview, an ability and desire to learn independently, and a perspective on education that extended far beyond the walls of any classroom.

Scott McIntosh“I really appreciate how experiential my homeschool education was. I found the ability to learn through a variety of hands-on experiences to be excellent preparation for success in college and beyond. The Sonlight curriculum and scholarship were both very influential in my academic and spiritual growth and development.”

Harvard Law Grade Serves Abroad

Passionate about educational equality, Scott completed a Master's of Education and served as Teach for America Corps Member where he taught eighth grade algebra to low income students before attending Harvard Law School.

Scott McIntosh graduated from Harvard Law School in 2013 and joined the Army JAG Corps, where he's been serving for the past 4 1/2 years.

He's currently stationed in Vicenza, Italy, with his wife, Audrey, and their two boys, Dylan (4) and Austin (2).

In this photo, Scott's sons Dylan (4) and Austin (2) giggle and try on Scott's beret before he heads off to his work serving as a military prosecutor.

Scott is a military prosecutor, responsible for advising commanders about maintaining good order and discipline in their units, and for prosecuting crimes at Army Court-Martials. Scott says of his job, "It's a really challenging and rewarding job, and I love working with people who have a shared commitment to public service.  We've had a blast traveling around Europe during our time stationed in Italy, too!”

Sonlight's Next Generation

"Our boys go to an Italian Asilo (preschool) and think pasta three meals a day is normal," jokes Scott. "We've used the Sonlight Pre-K program with Dylan the past couple of years. It's been such a joy to re-read many of my childhood favorites with him, and to see his love for learning grow so quickly at such a young age."

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.

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