Why We Chose Sonlight Curriculum

Until I started homeschooling I didn't realize how much I loved history. I know I learned a few things about history during my public school years, but nothing sticks out in my mind other than learning the States Song in 5th grade. I was so excited that my children would be able to view history differently. Sonlight helped me do that. And we were all able to learn the same thing together as a family.

We began using Sonlight Core curriculum when my oldest daughter was in 2nd grade. I mainly started using it because of the readers. She loved to read and their list of reading books is excellent, filled with award-winning books.

Sonlight is very much a unit study, in the fact that they take a time period in history and world location and spend the whole year teaching you and your child through living books what and where it happened. Yes, be prepared to learn things you never did when you were in school!

Charlotte Mason explains living books like this:

"Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it's easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.”

It was through these books that I learned that history is fun! Real people, lived real lives, interesting, difficult, and blessed lives and many of their lives affected us! I am so thankful that my children never had to learn history through dry boring textbooks full of names and dates that they will never remember. They can think back to specific individuals that they read about and remember history through their lives.

Our history time was always after lunch. Full tummies and lazy children made read aloud time a peaceful, happy time....usually. When you have four children, things can change at any time! This was and will be one of my most fond memories of homeschooling my blessings.

Even though there are eight years between our oldest and youngest, we did Sonlight read alouds together. I would choose a core for each year that was recommended for ages closest to my second oldest. The older two would read the readers on their own and during our read aloud time I would ask discussion and comprehension questions to my older two the most, but engaged the younger two as much as possible.

During our read aloud time I allowed my children to draw, color, etc. Sometimes the little ones would play with playdough. Anything that was quiet and able to be done sitting in one place.

Sonlight core allowed us to learn history and geography as a family. It was an excellent tool in helping my children learn how to recall what was read and be able to discuss it. "How did this affect the people involved? Does it still affect us now? What can we learn from it? Would you have done something different if you were there? What?"

If you have not tried Sonlight yet, renting it is a great option. Purchasing new is very expensive. I always purchased it used. (Yellow House Book Rental wasn't around back then, so I didn't have this option!)  

Yellow House Book Rental has Cores available at a 60%-70% less than the new editions. Because Sonlight uses a variety of living books, many written years ago, a few titles added or deleted to the newer revisions do not change the whole of the core. 

This is how Sonlight explains the benefits of teaching multiple students at the same time. "The benefits of combining multiple students means that you save the time you would have spent juggling the extra programs, save the money you would have spent on them, and avoid much of the frustration that comes from being pulled in multiple directions. Plus, when you combine students, you build family connections as you learn and read great books together. With Sonlight’s unique combination of both grouped and individual studies, you’ll adore your homeschool experience." ~Sonlight.com  September email

Save $20 on any complete Sonlight Core now through Auguest 31, 2021! Use Code SONLIGHT

Let me give you a money saving book lovers hint. If you love reading to your children, love books that keep you on the edge of your chair, and ones that teach them at the same time, AND love saving money, then hop on over to our Sonlight cores, click on the description and find books for the time period that you are learning. Go to your local library and chekc them out, or hop on overt  Amazon and buy them!

If you are using Sonlight, what do you love most?

Enjoying the journey,

~Michelle~

 Hi! I'm Michelle, the owner and founder of Yellow House Book Rental, specializing in providing homeschool curriculum for rent or purchase, as well as counseling and guidance for homeschool families. I'm a wife of 29 years, a 22-year homeschool veteran, and mom of four amazing children ranging from 18-26, two married, one in college, and one teenager. We are just about to empty the nest. Oh, how time flew! I'd love to be friends! Send me an email and tell me about yourself.

Yellow House Book Rental links to many different sources within our blogs. A link does not equal an endorsement. We cannot guarantee the content of each site (especially its ads).   

Visit our sponsors! We receive a small commission when you purchase through these links. Thank you, the purchases do not cost you more but help support our business and ministry. We only promote those that we love and believe in!