Sonlight Review
If you're looking for a Sonlight review from a veteran homeschool mom that has seen lots of curriculums and learning styles, then you have come to the right place.  Sonlight is a literature based homeschool program. Their products are mostly non-consumable and can be reused for younger children to help save money.
Their "Core" packages come with lesson plans and books all gathered for you in one place. You don't have to use the complete Sonlight package and can pick and choose the parts of the program that you want to use. Pros: - Good literature program
- Schedules laid out for you
- Forums to help if you get stuck or need advice
- Good resale value on books and instructor's guides
- K-12 materials
- Scholarship program for Sonlight users
- Money back guarantee
- Science kits with all materials you need
- Language Arts program is tied to the Readers in the Core package
- World History throughout, not just North American history
- Christian based but not afraid to confront controversial issues
- Online or catalog shopping
- Can use for multiple children in multiple grades
- No tests for Literature or History - mostly oral review
- Activity sheets for Language and Science
Cons: - LOTS of reading for Mom and/or children
- Expensive - usually $350-800 per child per year (not as expensive as some video programs though)
- Some families don't like the work load required on the schedule
- Not enough testing for some families who want their children to get lots of practice taking tests
- Some questionable books (although they warn you which ones they are)
- Time - takes a good part of the day to complete everything on the lesson plans
As with any homeschool program, you need to decide what is important to you when looking at what is available. You also need to take into account your child's learning style, how they learn best, and what plans they might have for their future. If you keep in mind that you are looking out for what is best for your child, you should be able to find a program that is a good fit for them (and you).Included in this Sonlight review are ways to adapt Sonlight to fit your style: - Don't use the controversial books if they bother you. Check the frequently asked questions.
- Don't use the guide if you don't want to. Plenty of people use the books listed in the Sonlight catalog at their own pace and in their own order.
- Make up your own quizzes and tests if you feel that there are not enough tests. Or you can type out the oral comprehension questions and have your child answer them on paper.
- If you don't want to spend as much time doing school work as the guides tell you, just cut back on the read aloud books that you will read for the year.
 The CORE curriculum includes Bible, Read Alouds, Readers, and History. It comes with all the books you will need for these subjects along with instructors guides. The instructors guides give you structured lesson plans, comprehension questions you can ask orally and background notes related to the subjects your children are studying.
You can also purchase Science, Language Arts, Math (Saxon or Singapore), and Electives from Sonlight, but they are not included in the CORE programs. This way you can mix and match the subjects and products you want to use. I hope this Sonlight review has been helpful to you. If you need a homeschool coach, feel free to contact me. Or if you need some homeschool help, you can post a question at the bottom, of my homeschool questions page and I will personally answer your question.
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