Why spend the money when we could use the library and internet to design a program nearly for free?
Though I love researching and poring over catalogs looking for resources and ideas to teach my children but I decided to trade money for some time to write and work on my websites. The Sonlight teacher’s manuals schedule everything and they use great children’s literature with as few workbooks or textbooks as possible. I was really sold on the program after studying Sonlight’s catalog.
Sonlight is often described as a literature based unit study curriculum, but the company offers much more than that.
Sonlight it was originally developed for use by expatriate Christian homeschoolers who would not have access to an English library or hardware stores and other resources we often take for granted. So they attempt to sell everything one would need for an entire homeschool program. They have done the research and attempt to represent the best that is available.
Although Sonlight is targeted toward Christian homeschoolers who appreciate a missions emphasis using great children’s literature and a unit study approach, it can be adapted and used as a resource for those who lean toward a Charlotte Mason or Christian classical program. Their catalog alone is worth ordering for the booklists and other useful information.
The catalog also does a good job of describing how much time is required for each level, the scope and sequence of Sonlight’s program, the philosophical basis of the program and reasons why you should or should not use Sonlight’s curriculum.
What I received with the preschool program (recommended for ages 3-4) was a library of twenty children’s books and six workbooks for developing readiness skills. The twenty books include many large collections, such as James Herriot’s Treasury for Children’ and the Children’s Book of Virtues. Even at the preschool level the complete program is divided into the categories of Geography/World Cultures, Language Arts, Read-aloud Classics and Poetry, and Science.
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