Oct. 30, 2017

4 Low Cost Tools for Learning Geography the Natural Way

By Sonlight
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4 Low Cost Tools for Learning Geography the Natural Way

Did you know the average individual knows the locations of only 18 of the world's 193 or so countries? With such poor understanding of political geography, you might question if learning geography even matters today. Do children (and their parents) benefit from knowing geography?

Yes! When you know where countries are, you can pray for them with greater knowledge. When you meet someone from another country, you can ask intelligent questions, and welcome them into your life. You can distinguish Slovenia from Slovakia, Bulgaria from Bolivia, and Algeria from Albania.

Current events make a lot more sense when you know geography.

  • Why is Yemen important in world affairs?
  • Why did Iraq try to take over Kuwait?
  • Why is there so much tension in the Holy Land?

Knowing geography helps answer all these questions.

And, more superficially—when you know about places beyond your hometown, you can dream bigger dreams. Where would you like to go, if you had the chance? What people would you like to help?

And perhaps the best reason to know geography is simply that, since God created the world, we should do our best to learn about it.

So as you teach geography, here are four tips from veteran homeschool moms for making the most of your geography studies.

1. Use a Markable Map

Looking at maps is fantastic, but having a map your children can mark on provides even more opportunity to learn. Let your students use washable pens on a Markable Map to plot the locations of your history lessons. Something memorable in France? Find it on the map. Something exciting in Kenya? Point it out. As you explore these captivating stories through the help of a markable map, you'll gain a sense of the countries of the world.

Even if you have space to hang the Markable Map, you might find it easier and more practical to keep it folded up with your pile of schoolbooks. Then, when a lesson refers to place, you can easily unfold it, turn it to either the United States or the world, and make note of the location or travel route.

Don't expect your children to remember precisely where France is the first time you show them the location. But after repeated exposure over several years, your children will come to have a good understanding of geography.

#sonlightstories

As a final exam in Geography, I told my daughter to label a list of places on the Markable Map (which I think is one of the BEST tools I've ever seen!!). She was finishing the 50 states and she asked if we would use the map next year. I told her she would use it until she graduated from high school. She was so excited. We left all of her work on the map so she could show her Daddy when he got home. Who would have ever guessed that a big laminated map and a pack of erasable pens would be such a motivator?! THANK YOU, Sonlight!! You make the world really "come alive" for my child. —Marianne B

2. Pay Attention to Maps in Your Books

Have you noticed that some of your Readers and Read-Alouds have maps in them? Many missionary biographies have maps at the front. Many of history books and historical fiction books have maps within the text.

Reading the books is good; reading the books and following along on the maps is better. Take some time to look at the maps, pointing to the places mentioned.

And, of course, the Sonlight Instructor's Guides (IG) have maps, too, with precise locations. Regular map activities in your IG help your students gain geographical knowledge naturally.

3. Listen to Geography Songs

The Geography Songs booklet and album come with Sonlight History / Bible / Literature C, so if you're not there yet, you have something to look forward to. But if you are beyond Sonlight C, and not as certain of your geography, Geography Songs is an excellent resource to learn the countries—almost 200 of them! Some children memorize with ease, and for others it might take a little longer. And a little review can be a very good thing. Listening to chipper little songs makes memorizing geography painless.

#sonlightstories

My older daughter has developed an insatiable curiosity about history and geography thanks to Sonlight. What was presented as an unrelated, dull string of dates and events in foreign places in traditional school has become, since we started homeschooling, a united, fascinating chronicle of humanity. Through Sonlight's chronologically organized History/Bible/Literature programs, kid-friendly reference books, Geography Songs, and captivating Read-Alouds, my children are getting a great gift! They're being educated that the past is interesting and valuable, that the world is a big, fascinating place, and that history connects to everything! —Violeta M of Oakmont, PA

4. Add Hands-on Geography Resources

Grow your knowledge of geography organically through puzzles, especially those designed with each piece actually shaped like a country or state. In order to finish the puzzle, you need to figure out your geography. Here are two puzzles that make an excellent addition to your homeschool:

  1. The Kids’ Puzzle of the United States is only 55 pieces, but because the pieces don’t interlock, it’s a good challenge for anyone—even adults!—who want to solidify their understanding of the United States.
  2. The GeoPuzzle World Puzzle includes 68 country-shaped pieces that help students to get a feel for where the countries around the world are and what they look like.

Geography games offer an exciting and interactive way to discover the world around you. Here are three geography games that make an excellent addition to your homeschool and geography studies:

  1. GeoBingo World Geography As your family plays this educational geography game, you’ll learn fun facts about the world’s most populous nations
  2. GeoBingo USA Geography puts a cool twist on a traditional game of BINGO. Instead of matching letters and numbers, you get to match states! Plus you'll learn fun facts about the USA as you play.
  3. Snapshots Across America is a great way to learn U.S. Geography and discover our fantastic fifty United States. Learn about national parks, landmarks, historical sites, national monuments, museums, and other popular family vacation destinations.

With a Sonlight education, your children will learn geography, and far more than merely where countries are located on a map. History and geography go hand-in-hand, which is why geography is built into your Sonlight History / Bible / Literature and All-Subjects Packages.

Make the most of your daily homeschool lessons to internalize more geography. Get a Markable Map and other geography resources here.

***Use coupon code GEOGRAPHY22 to receive 15% off eligible items. Offer valid September 22, 2022 through September 30, 2022 while supplies last; expires at 11:59 pm, MT. Offer cannot be combined with any other discount except SonlightCaresTM. Discount valid on select geography products including Around the World Coloring Book, GeoBingo USA Geography Board Game, GeoBingo World Geography Board Game, Kids' Puzzle of the United States, GeoPuzzle World, Snapshots Across America Game, The Travel Activity Book, The Cities Activity Book, 50 Cities of the U.S.A., and Across the USA Activity Book. Customers who qualify for SonlightCares™ will also receive an additional 10% off and free shipping on the qualifying products listed above. Free Shipping offer is available to the lower 48 United States only. ***

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Oct. 27, 2017

3 Common Myths about Big Box Homeschool Curriculum

By Erika Evans
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3 Common Myths about Big Box Homeschool Curriculum

I knew I wanted to homeschool my children before my first was even born. Volunteering as a veterinarian in local wildlife centers and spay/neuter clinics gave me the opportunity to meet some amazing homeschooling families and see firsthand the many advantages of a home education:

I couldn’t wait to get started.

Researching  and Organizing Curricula

As I started to research different curricula, the options excited me! I also found myself disappointed time and time again when the resources weren’t a good fit for my kids, for me, or simply weren’t as fun or as interesting as I expected. With the goal of building my own program to meet the individual needs of each kid, I went about gathering ideas and materials. Suddenly, I had tons of ideas pinned on Pinterest, loads of files saved in folders on my computer, and a plethora of raw crafting materials in my closet. But most of the projects weren’t getting done.

It took me hours to collect ideas and organize materials. If one of the projects bombed with my kids or didn’t work as planned, I felt I had wasted a ton of time and effort.

It was frustrating. It was tiring.

I also wasn’t enjoying the time spent with my kids doing the actual projects. Hours of planning resulted in just minutes of learning, and that ratio just didn’t work for my vision of homeschooling.

I loved researching ideas and gathering resources, but there simply wasn’t enough time to plan my day and still live my day with the kids. Adding more kids to the mix certainly didn’t generate more time. It was at this point, that I finally started to research pre-prepared, big box curriculum (also called boxed curriculum). I needed a program that—while interesting and educational—also freed me to enjoy more of the time I spent with my kids. I desperately needed a way to escape the intensive homeschool prep time that ended only in annoyance over projects or books that didn’t work for us.

My Fears About Big Box Curriculum

Coming to the conclusion that a big box curricula might be best for us was a tough realization for me. I dealt with dozens of fears about an all-in-one homeschool curriculum:

  • that it might sterilize our experience
  • that it might limit what we could learn and accomplish
  • that it might include too much busy work
  • that it would not allow for child-led learning
  • that it was a lazy mom cop-out which would lessen the home school experience for me and my children

What I found was the exact opposite.

Having resources at the ready meant that we were always able to find interesting books to read and projects to do—right out of the box. There was always more material to cover and more ideas to discover. Not having to organize our entire day on my own meant that I was more available to the kids and actually had more time, not less, to help them explore their unique and individual interests.

I found that reading them quality stories led them to ask more questions and become more invested in their learning. They wanted to know more about the topics we were covering and cared about the people and events in the books. Big box curriculum wasn't holding us back! It was giving us structure to zoom ahead in freedom!

The Main Myths About Big Box Curriculum

In chatting with other homeschool moms, I realized my misconceptions about big box curriculum were not uncommon. And here I want to set the record straight to dispel them! Here were my three biggest concerns when I purchased my first Sonlight box and why I hope you don’t let these inaccuracies hold you back!

1. Everyone’s Learning Experience Will Be Exactly the Same or It Will Be Just Like School

Using a big box curriculum doesn’t eliminate the individual experience for student or teacher. Every child is unique and responds to different books and materials in different ways. Certain stories will spark an interest in a child that can last days to weeks, while for another child the same topic can be covered in a day. For instance, my daughter is fascinated by natural disasters. We have spent weeks learning about personal experiences with tornadoes, participating in relief efforts for recent hurricanes, and researching warning signs for tsunamis.

My son listened to the information about natural disasters and, while he will listen to his sister talk about her discoveries, his current passion is the Titanic, how boats work and how they sink. He’s working his way through a pile of books from the library all about the building of the Titanic, the disaster that struck with the iceberg, personal accounts of the tragedy, and recovery efforts focused on wreckage. Dinner conversation is fascinating–I’m learning something new everyday! So are they.

Homeschool Placement Tests

2. You Have to Do It All In Order for it to Work

I had this misconception that since components of a big boxed curriculum would build upon one another, it is impossible to skip or rearrange different aspects of the curriculum to fit our schedule. I was afraid we would lose too much flexibility and spend tons of time doing things that either didn’t interest us or that weren’t needed.

Fortunately, Sonlight’s schedules (in the Instructor's Guides)—both the five-day and four-day plans—are easy to adapt to our needs. Sonlight also provides a comprehensive list of topics covered in each History / Bible / Literature, so when a local or historic event arises, it is possible to quickly locate materials on that topic.

If there is a concept in their Language Arts or Math programs that the kids can already complete, we simply skim over it and move forward. We don’t spend tons of time doing things the kids already know how to do. Sonlight has online placement tests that can help you determine what level of Language Arts or Math is most appropriate for your children.

3. You Can Do Only What’s Included in the Box

The biggest surprise for me when I started to use Sonlight was that using the program freed me up to spend more time pursuing my children’s individual interests. I thought that we would spend all of our time slugging through the program. I was incredibly wrong.

We spend only 60-90 minutes working through Kindergarten each day, and we really enjoy the material. The rest of “school” time is filled with real world experiences and delightful play:

  • We go to the grocery store.
  • We make meals.
  • We read about current interests (often inspired by Sonlight books).
  • We complete chores around the house.
  • We create handiworks.
  • We play dress up and pretend.
  • We play outside.
  • We meet up with friends and family for field trips.

Sure, we do what’s in the box, but because we do what’s in the box, we are now able to do so much more.

The big box curriculum is not the monster I thought it would be. The kids are learning about the world around them, how to read, write, and do arithmetic, but we aren't spending hours at a time to get these goals accomplished. Having ready-to-go resources has truly make things easier, provided increased freedom, and improved the amount and quality of time I’m spending with my children.  Sonlight has been a huge blessing for our family, and I look forward to the many adventures in our years to come as Sonlighters.

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

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Oct. 25, 2017

Is Sonlight a Charlotte Mason Homeschool or Classical Education?

By Deana Wood
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When I first began homeschooling, I was asked by several people, “What type of homeschooler are you?” And I would happily reply, “The kind who does school at home!” It took me a few months to realize that there are a plethora of homeschool styles and methods out there.

When I researched the different types of homeschooling, I determined to place myself neatly inside one of those homeschool boxes. That was harder to do than it sounds, though. I quickly realized that I didn’t fit entirely with any of the pre-set styles. Rather, I was eclectic. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me. I’m eclectic in everything from music to food to reading. I suppose I just love a variety of flavors in life.

Continue reading below or listen here:

Despite my eclectic tendency, I did find myself more drawn to two styles. Charlotte Mason and Classical both piqued my curiosity. While I never was able to jump on board entirely with either method, I still greatly value the principles of both. I think this is one reason why Sonlight is such a great fit for my family.

Is Sonlight a Charlotte Mason homeschool or classical education? It actually sits nicely somewhere in between those two homeschool styles.

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling

Charlotte Mason was a pioneer in education, boldly declaring that, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” She believed that we educate the whole person, not simply improve the mind. The heart of a Charlotte Mason education includes living books, short lessons, narrations, nature walks, and copywork. She emphasizes routine and repetition.

If you’ve been a Sonlighter for any length of time, you can probably already see some of the Charlotte Mason influence oozing from the pages of an Instructor’s Guide. Sonlight Language Arts incorporates Charlotte Mason principles quite a bit, giving ample opportunities for narration, dictation, and copywork.

Of course, the most glaring two words that jumped off the page at you  were likely living books. Sonlight families everywhere swoon at the idea of learning through living books. There’s just no substitute for an author who is passionate about the subject matter. Charlotte Mason knew that, and thankfully, Sonlight follows that rule to perfection, carefully selecting the best books to transport children to different times and places.

Ahhh...sometimes I sigh when I think of a Charlotte Mason Education. It does sound absolutely wonderful. So why couldn’t I bring myself to go with a purely Charlotte Mason homeschool? Well, it’s simple. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it. I knew that I needed a more detailed guide for my homeschool than the abstract principles provided with the Charlotte Mason philosophy. I needed someone to put it all together for me and tell me what to do day by day. I needed someone to hold my hand.

Classical Education

Classical Education is marked by three stages, called The Trivium. This includes the Grammar stage, the Dialect stage, and the Rhetoric stage. According to this philosophy, children move through the three stages throughout their development.

  1. At the Grammar stage, students are unable to analyze and synthesize information. Rather, they spend their time memorizing facts.
  2. Later, during the Dialect stage, they will begin to understand those facts
  3. When they enter the Rhetoric stage, they will develop higher level thinking skills such as analyzing information.

The classical student goes through a four year history cycle so that by graduation, the child has gone through all of history three times. During these cycles, students learn a specified number of facts.

Of course, this method appealed to me as well, because I love to have my children memorize. Memory is one of the areas of my education that I feel was lacking. I also appreciate the thought process that says that children gradually climb the ladder to higher thinking skills.

So why couldn’t I dive head first into the Classical Style? I think I felt a bit constricted. I love the idea of studying subjects that interest my kids and me. I also really enjoy freedom in schooling. As a former public school teacher, I often times felt handcuffed to my curriculum guide, unable to veer from the beaten path.

So Where Does Sonlight Fit?

There is definitely influence from both of these time-tested methods. Sonlighters learn grammar and writing through weekly narrations and copywork. Sonlight without question gives a soothing Charlotte Mason vibe. The promise of simple, easy days of deep thoughts and connections lies between the pages of each and every living book. However, Sonlight provides peace of mind for the mom who yearns for a clear, concise guide that she doesn't have to spend time planning.

The Classical influence is slightly harder to spot, but it’s most certainly there. The timeline book is one of my favorite tools for history, and it rings of classical flair. Sonlight also encourages memorizing Bible verses each week. There’s a cohesive order in which the student works through history. Sonlight feels a bit more flexible to me than a strictly classical approach. With Sonlight, I feel I can occasionally chase rabbit trails. And while I appreciate memory, I don’t have to worry about my kids memorizing a list of facts in order to move on to the next level. I like the freedom Sonlight gives.

I’ve heard the question many times, "So what is Sonlight? Charlotte Mason or Classical?” And I’d have to reply, “Sonlight is Sonlight. While there is influence from the two very different methods, Sonlight is certainly a one-of-a-kind education.”

If you’ve ever researched either the Charlotte Mason or the Classical Method and found one of them resonates with you, Sonlight should absolutely be on your radar as an option. While there are plenty of families who find their groove in purely Classical or purely Charlotte Mason, many families have found Sonlight to be the perfect balance, drawing some of the best parts of each approach to create what is the unique Sonlight experience.

If you want to know more about a Sonlight education, we have experienced homeschooling moms who would love to talk to you. Click here to connect with your homeschool consultant.

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Oct. 23, 2017

Raising Kids with a Heart for the World

By Sarita
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How to Raise Kids with a Heart for the World

God's love for the whole world is at the heart of Sonlight. The picture of Revelation 7:9 regarding people from every tongue, tribe and nation, worshipping the Lamb of God is one of the most beautiful I can imagine.

What are practical ways we can give our kids a heart for the world?

1. Read Around the World Together

We can give them insight into different worldviews through literature. We can help them empathize with people who are different than they are through the stories they read.

A great way to do this is to read books that take place in different countries. Here’s a quick list of how these types of books helps us expand our children's world with some of my favorite titles from our History/Bible/Literature programs:

2. Give Them Godly Heroes Through Missionary Stories

Through these biographies we find reminders that God uses ordinary people to …

3. Pray Strategically Together

We pray every morning at Sonlight for our customers, employees, and different people groups around the world. We also include prayer guides in most programs for families to use together. Praying together with our kids is a powerful way to grow our awareness of God's work around the world and to instill compassion for people.

And those prayers are effective! The prayer guide we carried for HBL B featured Bibleless people from A-Z. That book went out of print as the powerful prayers of many people, including thousands of Sonlight students, helped all of those people groups get Scripture in their native languages. Praise God! We now carry a new guide with 26 more groups—Around the World with Kate and Mack, and I cannot wait to see what the Lord will do.

4. Serve and Give Together

A service project or taking part in a charitable drive can unify our families and help put knowledge into action. From a missions trip overseas to a local service day, the key is to involve our children.

Most of us are charitable people; we give to our church and mission agencies. But often our children are not involved in those monetary donations. Our children rarely have a chance to personally invest in the great works of God.

WorldViews is a free digital curriculum and video series that will teach your family about the primary religious views of the “unreached” world.

If you can find a program where your children can pray and come up with creative ways of generating cash to give, you have a unique opportunity to impact their hearts. Scripture says, “Where your money is, there your heart is as well.”(Matthew 6:21)

And it is also important to train our children to plan and be strategic in their giving. Rather than merely giving a small amount when specific needs arise, we can help our children choose a project, plan to give, and work to fulfill their commitment. These are all skills that will help them remain generous givers as they grow.

Right now, Sonlight is offering families an exciting learning and giving project called WorldViews. Take advantage of this free, interactive curriculum for families and learn about different people groups, worldviews, and how you can serve and give strategically.

We want to equip students to use their time, money, intellect, and passion to serve others in strategic ways. When we translate knowledge into action, we take a step of faith; our hearts are impacted as we give.

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Oct. 20, 2017

How to Drop Everything & Read: A Guide for Homeschoolers

By Deana Wood
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How to Drop Everything & Read: A Guide for Homeschoolers

I still remember sitting at my desk in my elementary classroom, glancing at the clock every few seconds, counting down the seconds to that special time of day—that absolutely glorious D.E.A.R. time, short for Drop Everything And Read. It was the time of day when we literally dropped everything we were working on to read.

Even better, it was free reading which meant we could read whatever we wanted. I always had a stack of books waiting for me inside my desk because D.E.A.R time was the best twenty minutes of the entire day.

These days, D.E.A.R. seems to have gone by the wayside, but I still feel that there’s something to learn from prioritizing free reading time.

How does that saying go—“You make time for the things that are important to you"? I think this is especially true with reading. I know I’ve been guilty of saying, “I just don’t have time to read right now.” But deep down, I know that if it’s truly important to me, I’ll make time for it. The importance of reading is something I want to impart to my kids, too.

During the school year, they have required reading from Sonlight. And while those book selections are always wonderful, my children benefit from choosing their own books to read in addition to their required reading. It gives them a sense of ownership and helps them to be invested in their reading.

You might also remember D.E.A.R. time from your childhood. And maybe you’re chomping at the bit to run through the house announcing, "It’s time to drop everything and read!" Keep reading for how to prepare for your homeschool D.E.A.R. time.

1. Free—Not Required Reading

This is the time set aside for your child to read anything they want, as long as you don’t object to the content of the book, of course. Growing up, I read all the Ramona books, several Judy Blume classics, and the entire Baby-sitter’s Club series. I admit many of these books wouldn’t make a Newberry Award winning list, but they would certainly make my award list. I still remember connecting with characters like Ramona, Kristi, and Fudge. There is something magical about choosing your very own book, and D.E.A.R. is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

2. Model, Model, Model

Yes, I’m talking to you, Mom. You need to D.E.A.R. too. I know it’s tough.

  • You have three loads of laundry and a sink full of dishes waiting for you.
  • That quiet time would allow you to zip around the house like a lightning bolt.
  • I know how much you could get done in that twenty minutes.

But the absolute best way to spend D.E.A.R. time is for you to pull out a book of your choosing and read away.

Nothing takes the place of modeling lifelong reading habits. When children see their mother still making time to read, even with five million things waiting for her attention, it is an impression that will not quickly be forgotten.

Plus, you'll have a great excuse to whittle down that reading stack you've got on your bedside table! Enjoy! Not only are you modeling for your children, you are investing in your professional development or self-care (depending on what you choose to read).

3. Set the Atmosphere for D.E.A.R.

Sitting curled up in a chair with a blanket across your lap, a book in your hands, and a steaming cup of coffee or cider by your side creates a moment that stands still in time. Make D.E.A.R. time as enchanting as possible. Although it isn't necessary every time, when you can, play soft, classical music in the background. Provide blankets, pillows, and hot beverages. Light a candle. All these small touches appeal to the senses and help to seal a memory of what my kids call, “warm fuzzies” connected with reading.

4. Make Books Readily Available

Nothing squelches the atmosphere quite like a child who comes up to you four minutes into D.E.A.R. time to loudly complain, “I have nothing to reeeeaaaaad, Mom!”

Go to the library often, or let your kids shop in your home library a few minutes before D.E.A.R. begins. Have each child keep a stash of about 3-5 books that they’ve been wanting to read. If your child struggles to choose a book, check with your local children’s librarian for suggestions or look to Sonlight's Summer Readers.

5. Have Clear Expectations for Homeschool D.E.A.R.

As with everything else in parenting, having clear expectations is important for success. Children need to know that they will not be allowed to come ask you twenty questions during D.E.A.R. time.

Maybe you would like for them to go to the bathroom beforehand. You might want them to get their own drink. I like for my kids to get settled and stay in one spot during D. E.A.R time. So before you begin, be sure to sit down and think through some of the obstacles that might come up, and decide how you’ll want to handle those. Then, be sure to communicate your expectations to your children clearly.

6. Be Consistent

Set up a time that works well for your homeschool, and stick with it. You might even decide to do a special transition that signals the kids to drop everything and grab their books. Whatever you do, do it consistently. If you only want to D.E.A.R. once a week, try to do it on the same day each week. If you want a daily D.E.A.R. time, try to set it up at a predictable time each day, weaving it into the rhythm of your day.

7. About Younger Kids and D.E.A.R.

While I usually try to schedule D.E.A.R. time during naps, younger children can participate in this special tradition. When I have an emergent reader, I spend the first five minutes listening to them read. After that, I have them pull some familiar picture books off the shelf and ask them to find words that they know, or even make up a story to go with the pictures. Younger children will probably struggle to read for the duration of the twenty minutes, so I’ll often times let my littles lie down for nap or rest time after about ten minutes.

No matter how you decide to implement D.E.A.R. or what you decide to call it, all children need free reading time. In reality, there’s no special recipe for making this happen. Yes, these tips are great for making your free reading time memorable and smooth, but the answer for encouraging a lifelong love of reading is to simply do it! It only requires a book, a kid, and a mom who understands all the possibilities of reading.

Experience a homeschool curriculum that is based on reading great books every day—Sonlight. Go to SmoothCourse and get started today.

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Oct. 18, 2017

Why Teens Need to Experiment (and Fail) with Career Exploration

By Amber Smith
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Why Teens Need to Experiment (and Fail) with Career Exploration

Not every homeschooled student will follow the traditional high school to college track. There are plenty of alternative endings to an educational journey after high school. We’ve seen this variety represented in our three recent graduates:

  • one is working in trades while exploring his future career choices
  • one plans to join the military
  • the third is preparing for college next year

Do you remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books where you could pick how the story was going to end? When I was a child, I had one of these books which I read over and over again. Every time through the novel, I would choose a different scenario, anticipating success or disaster at the turn of a page. I used what I learned each time I reread the book to improve the outcome of the story.

My homeschool life is like that book; I can choose what I want our home education to look like. With each student, I get to flip back to the beginning, starting over with new information to craft a school year tailored to fit them best. I also guide my teens into career exploration during their high school years so that they become the authors of their own adventure.

These Years are for the Exploration of Skills and Interests

My second son graduated from high school as a junior. In the year between graduation and joining the military, he is taking several tech classes from the local high school. It is a great way for him to try different trades before he enlists and has to choose a job for traditional training.

I don’t expect my high school senior to know what he wants to be when he grows up. (Afterall, I still have a hard time narrowing it down myself.) But I do want my children to explore interests with an open mind and hard work, whittling down the vast field of options.

There is tremendous value in knowing what kinds of tasks and environments you don’t prefer. I often tell high school seniors, "Figure out what you don’t like. If you use that information to move forward, you will never be stuck in a career that’s a terrible fit for you. You can continue to choose your next chapter, over and over, until you have refined your story."

Embracing the Opportunity to Try Out New Subjects

The adventure of learning never ends. Success is not always the most important outcome. Failure has an important role in learning, too.

This week, my son was sharing his frustration about his welding class. It’s only a few weeks in, but he is not doing as well as he expected. Because he can’t see well through his mask, his welds are poor quality. Right now, he doesn’t like welding very much.

My response? I told him, “That’s great!”

He was a little confused. Maybe he was expecting me to be disappointed or frustrated, but I was truly glad to hear what he was learning. Yes, failure can be one of the faces of learning, especially when it comes to career exploration.

Experience Low Cost Failure

As we talked, I explained the importance is really giving his best, while being honest with his waning interest. In a few weeks—with significant input from his instructor—he might tell me he loves welding and wants to learn more. Conversely, he could, after many sincere attempts, fail to create a satisfactory weld, and the class will end.

The point to all of this is that—pass or fail—he learned vital information. This short, low-cost class, gave us significant feedback about his career choices.

Sonlight offers college scholarships

Choose Short Chapters of Career Exploration in the High School Years

There is no risk in taking a class to learn a new skill when self-discovery is the final goal. Any time my child has expressed an interest in an elective or career field, I suggest trying it out: as an intern, on a job shadowing program, or—like my son did—taking a low cost intro course.

This simple, short class saved us a great deal of time and money. Imagine the cost if he had signed up for a 2 year technical school or entered college to find out he hated his field of study. How many adults do you know who hate their chosen field or hold an expensive degree in a field they are not using? We are trying our best to help our children avoid that outcome by getting them hands-on experience while they are still in high school.

Help Your Child Understand the Lessons in Failure

The best part of my son's experience is that I got to share one of the best kept secrets of education: Success is not possible in every venture. How we respond to failure plays a huge part of being successful in life.

We can fail and still be intelligent, successful, and wise. Read about Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison; They were champs at failing and learning from it.

Support your teens as they struggle. Help them develop grit, determination, and the self reliance they will need for their roles in adulthood.

We can change our interests, major, vocation and still be on track for our future because we are choosing our own adventure and learning from every chapter. I hope you are taking advantage of the special freedom homeschool allows our teens to choose their own adventure.

Sonlight prepares your teens for whatever lies ahead—career, college, technical school, ministry, or military service. See our high school programs here.

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Oct. 16, 2017

A 3-Part Homeschool Routine: Morning Time, Table Time, & Teatime

By Ana Willis
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I find that homeschool routines come more naturally and are easier to follow than homeschool schedules. A good homeschool routine follows your family's natural rhythm, gently weaving learning time into your daily life.

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