Homeschool Science Review-Sonlight
Hey everyone! I did something daring that I’ve been wanting to do since I started homeschooling. When I first started teaching my kids it was mostly just a Good and Beautiful science unit during the summer. I have four very rowdy children. They already have exhausting, short attention spans. However, when I got them all together, it made it way worse. As we tried this and more science units I couldn’t get my children to sit still. I do love the Good and the Beautiful science units with their beautiful illustrations and fun experiments. We might still use some of them later on. I especially like the changes they’ve made to their units. They’ve added more learning videos, the option to view experiments instead of watching them, and student journals. I feel like these changes will make it easier for my children to pay attention.
Nonetheless, I needed something that split my children up for science. I especially didn’t feel like I should continue to teach my 5th grader the same thing as my 2nd and 3rd grader. I’ve considered many different curriculums for science, but I kept looking at Sonlight. I loved the idea of sitting on my couch and reading my kids Usborne, DK, and other books that my children have loved for years.
I have always loved the idea of a Sonlight education and was ready to try it out. Here are some of the things I’ve enjoyed about the Sonlight science curriculum. I love the simplicity and shortened lesson time of Sonlight. There science units are split into lessons that only take 15-30 minutes 4 or 5 hours a day. The first day I tried Sonlight with my two younger, elementary children we were reading a Magic School Bus book and the kids begged me not to stop. I was sold. The short, daily lessons usually come with a 3-5 worksheet questions for the children to answer. The questions usually list which page the answers are on. The principles are taught well despite the short time the lessons take. There are extra adventures included with each weekly lesson to dive deeper. These dive deeper expeditions usually have a field trip feel to them. Furthermore, despite the shortened lesson time, the lessons are packed with information. The children see beautiful literature and illustrations to teach scientific principles in a way that children can enjoy it. I also love that my preschool child can sit on my lap when I am reading the books to the older children.
“The teacher who allows his scholars the freedom of the city of books is at liberty to be their guide, philosopher, and friend; and is no longer the mere instrument of forcible intellectual teaching.”
Charlotte Mason
kidadl.com
Sonlight science has been just what we needed. It might not work for every family, but it sure works for ours. Each assignment is just the right length for my children’s attention spans. Also the visually appealing and children friendly books help my children want to pay attention and learn. For these reasons Sonlight has blessed our lives and our homeschool.