Today we have another interview about a curriculum one of our St. Joseph Homeschool Association members uses with her girls.
Cassie G. and her husband have been married almost 10 years and have 4 girls ages 8, 6, 3, and 15 months. They have been homeschooling for about 5 years, since the oldest begged to learn to read at 3 years old. Cassie shares, "I never thought I would be homeschooling and give complete credit to a calling from God while discerning whether to continue my career as a bridge engineer or stay home with our kids. We love homeschooling very much, and it’s hard to imagine NOT homeschooling now."
Below is my interview with Cassie as she discusses using Sonlight in her homeschool.
What curriculum are you using? How long have you used it?
The curriculum we use is Sonlight. Currently, we are using History/Bible/Literature (HBL) C, which is Year 2 of World History. Towards the end of summer, we will start HBL D and brand new HBL K (both are American History). We have been using Sonlight for almost three years.
What special features, if any, are offered by the curriculum you are using? Do you use these features if available? Why or why not?
Sonlight is not accredited and that made me nervous at first, but now, it’s not a concern to me after doing some research. The main thing I love about Sonlight is their IG’s (Instructor Guides), which make it very open and go. There is very little prep work and planning for me. Also, they have amazing advisors that you can email or chat with, and of course call. I have called the advisors a few times and they are always super helpful.
What attracted you to this curriculum?
I love that they use books that I read when I was younger. I wanted to read books like Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte’s Web, etc. to our kids and those are the kinds of books they use. They also schedule books that I wouldn’t normally pick up and they have all been good. They have helped us try out various genres. I like that they schedule everything for me, yet the curriculum is flexible, and I could use it with all of my kids - they can do most subjects together (except skill subjects).
Is this curriculum flexible with substituting different course materials for a subject if you prefer one thing over their recommendation?
They are flexible - they offer various options for math, spelling, handwriting, etc.
Is there a religion component as a part of this curriculum? If so, do you use it or prefer something else? Is it Catholic or non-Catholic Christian?
Sonlight is non-Catholic Christian. We use their Bible curriculum, but we add in our own Catholic catechism, which varies year to year. We have used Brother Francis DVDs, Faith and Life, and saint stories. Next fall, we will be using the Friendly Defender cards and the Youcat for Kids, along with American saint stories. I like that they schedule Bible readings every day. We have had some amazing discussions from reading it, and it helps my kids become familiar with it.
What do you consider to be the strength of this particular curriculum?
The curriculum makes learning history and science fun with their amazing books. You also get all the books you are going to need, which makes it nice when you didn’t make it to the library (or like now if the library is closed). Also, the science has experiments scheduled for it and they even send you a kit with most of the items you will need. If you don’t have time to do the experiments, they are on DVD for you to watch!
What has been the most positive result for your family of using this curriculum?
Our kids love reading and enjoy the read alouds we do together. The kids enjoy doing school together, they are all learning the same history, Bible, catechism, and science.
If there is something you could improve upon in this curriculum, what would it be?
Hmm…. I don’t think I could! Unless it would be to make it a Catholic curriculum.
If someone is interested in learning more about this curriculum, where should they go?
There is also a FB group for Catholic Sonlighters that is useful and the Sonlight Connections FB group is also helpful.
Besides this curriculum, what other educational type activities are your children involved in?
Our kids play soccer, do ballet, and also go fishing/hunting with their dad. They are involved in American Heritage Girls and love our parish’s Vacation Bible School and Totus Tuus program.
Anything else you feel is important to share with someone looking into using this for their own homeschool?
I was leery of using Sonlight at first since they are not Catholic. But, when we started using it, I was amazed that they would define Catholic terms used in stories or would schedule stories that were Catholic. So, if you are looking for a good curriculum that uses amazing books, then try it out!
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