Anyone have any experience for this? I'm thinking of using it for my son next year (grade 1). I don't want to use their math, we're using Rightstart and are happy with it, but I was wondering about people's experience with their other subjects. Is it worth the price? Will it suit my son who doesn't isn't really into seat work? My daughter will be 4 next fall as well - would their K program suffice for both? Not really wanting to do anything formal with her yet, but I would like her to enjoy to listen in on the books. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I am currently using Core 1 and love it! The stories are wonderful and dd is learning so much I can not even believe it. Today the girl who just a couple of months ago could not stand to write anything (and still complains if her phonics has too much writing) asked me to write down the questions like in her Sonlight LA so she could write a story. She wrote out some notes and then started her story. She really was excited! Bible for Core 1 is really good too and I like the fact that we have read straight through Genesis and are now in Exodus. It gives a pretty good foundation. Dd likes some of the books better than others but that is to be expected (although she will admit there are a few stories like Follow my Leader which she though she would not like but then loved it.) The nice thing is that you do not have to do your reading at the table, you can but you can also do it in the living room, sitting on your bed, in the car ( I know some folks who have done that) or just where ever you are comfortable. I do not know much about the k program but it probably depends on where your son fits, he might be bored with some of the read alouds if he is advanced. I do not do Explode the Code. We started Horizons Phonics in k (along with Horizons Math) and I used that to supplement the LA but I do skip over some of the duplicate writting assignments. I do like Wordly Wise A. It really is a great introduction into vocabulary work although dd is familar with many of the words already. I also use Sonlight Science and really like that. Dd loved learning about animals and now about the body. I like that one day is usually given to experiments. The lessons are short enough for dd to not feel overwhelmed with information. A typical day for school with Sonlight only takes 2-3 hrs depending on how longs dd takes with math. Sonlight really has it well organized and laid out as to not overwhelm the kids or the parents.
I used the K program when my son was 5-6. The read alouds were suitable for him. A 4 year old may not be ready since most books are chapter books without pictures. If her attention is great it may work. My younger son would not have been ready at age 4. He is just starting to be able to listen to chapter books at age 6. I didn't use their math, but I did get their language arts program. I purchased the K Fun Tales readers too. I loved the Fun Tales readers. The I Can Read It series from the first part of grade 1 readers were not a good fit for my son. He hated reading those. He started hating reading. I just skipped over them and went right into the Dr. Seuss books from later in the grade 1 series. He started enjoying reading again. I also have the grade 2 readers. I ended up skipping the I Can Read It series with my second son too. He started to dislike them and to avoid further negative connotations with reading I skipped them and he is doing just fine. I ended up not using the language arts program. I like the theory behind it, but it was too scattered for me and too difficult to implement. Is it worth the price? I think so, but I wish I hadn't purchased the language arts program. I still use Sonlight for the book list.
I think that, yes, it is worth the price because it's all living books, and books are simply expensive. These are books that you will want to keep for your family library. My daughter is in 5th grade, and we still have titles from Sonlight K, 1, & 2. Both my daughter and I cannot bear to part with them. Sonlight is mostly reading, not what I would call seatwork. As long as your children enjoy listening to you read, you're okay. They can color, draw, play with blocks, whatever, while you read outloud. They don't have to be perfectly still. I think your 4 year old will enjoy the books from both K and 1. But, of course, the K books will be a bit more accessible for her.
Sonlight is great but... another option that is not as well know is Winterpromise - the same basic premise as sonlight but includes some hands on activites for the kids and we preferred the book choices. Just throwing it out there Winterpromise.com
Yep. I'm a fan of WP. We've used it for three years now (two years of curriculum spread over three years). Good stuff. I love literature based curriculum. Beautiful Feet is another one.
A newbie to this site... I am so happy to have found these forums. I currently homeschool 3 children and this year I need to really budget. I so appreciate the info and links I have read so far. Is there a place to post needs or wants? My biggest challenge is Core 400 Sonlight for next year at a price I can handle. Thank you for all the info - invaluable to me.
We used Sonlight for 5 years. Still use parts of it but now I prefer a more Robinson curriculum. Though I will be using Core P4/P5 for my son who will be 4 next year. That Core is wonderful! I can honestly tell you, personally I have never purchased a full core from them. I get their IG, and then buy the books from Amazon for much cheaper. I also only bought what I needed (as the books are listed for you in the catalog telling you when you need them, first quarter, second quarter or third). I began with SL when my oldest was two. I wanted reading aloud but with a schedule to keep me on task. I will say that placement is paramount. For a 6 year old I would not recommend any core higher than Core K. Believe me it is not a K level core in the least. Also SL does not have their own math but carries that of others so math is not included in their Core. Also science is separate. I do not enjoy their science but I do not like the heavy use of usborne books in the lower levels. Sonlight made our homeschooling journey amazing. As I said I do not use a full core but a nice mix of that and Robinson to make our own "perfect" fit. And I do feel that my prior SL experience gave me my wings to be able to do this. Much luck to you.
I would agree with you that you need to be careful of placement. Dd was 6 when we started with core 1 but she was already reading at a very high 1st grade/2nd grade level. Core 1 with the 2nd level readers has been the perfect fit, she would have been bored out of her mind if we had done K. It really depends on the child.
