As a homeschooling support group leader, I get asked this question a lot from newbies. Every one wants to know what curriculum I use and why. If I use it, it must be good. . .because after all I’m the support group leader right? And if you have the right curriculum, it must be that you’ll be successful in this homeschooling endeavor; or so the reasoning goes.
I always hesitate to answer. I do love my curriculum. But that’s because it’s the right fit for my family and my situation. However, I have now been asked so many times I feel compelled to answer. . .but not without a disclaimer first.
You do not need a pre-packaged curriculum to do a good job homeschooling. You don’t need a particular curriculum either. You do need some plan of action but what works for my family, may not work well for yours. I know people who are whole heartedly convinced that classical is the best method, or Charlotte Mason, but after watching numerous friends graduate their own kids and send them off to college, I have to be honest and say that I really can’t see it matters all that much.
So if I don’t think that you have to use a prepackaged curriculum why do I spend all that money? Keep reading to find out why Sonlight Curriculum is worth it to me.
Why We Use Sonlight
First of all, you have to understand that I have 5 little kids and that to do anything during the day is a major effort. You also have to understand that New York State is very regulated as far as homeschooling laws go. The part that is particularly cumbersome to the flexible approach is the daunting list we have to turn in at the beginning of every school year laying out what we’re going to do. (Then we’re held accountable to 80% of it!)
So one of the primary reasons we started looking at pre-packaged curriculums was to make my job easier. I already know what we’re going to do so I don’t have to scramble to find stuff to put into the IHIP. I have a lesson book with all of her assignments in it so I can just check them off as they’re completed and then when it comes time to write quarterly reports. . .it’s basically done. Yes–I know there are software programs and other products that will keep my records for me but I prefer this bc everything is all in one place. It’s just easy.
I Hate Curriculum
The other reason we chose Sonlight is that it is a “literature based approach to learning”. This means, as it implies, that my kids get the bulk of their lessons from great pieces of literature.
I hate workbooks. It’s just a personality thing–we don’t really get along that well. I would much rather do something to teach, play a game to review or give an assignment that provokes thought and creativity. You’d think I’d want my kids to do some workbooks as they can often do them on their own. . .but I’m just not a big fan. (Just to be clear that doesn’t mean they are bad–I just don’t like using them.)
Sonlight was the most “non-workbook” approach I could possibly find.
A Good Investment
We love books. It makes sense to us, even if we weren’t using a curriculum, that we would own lots and lots of books. We actually have a small library in our apartment with at least a couple hundred titles. When I spend the money buying books to teach via a literature based approach. . .it makes sense. My kids read their “books” over and over again and they don’t necessarily see them as school but rather as something fun to do on a quiet afternoon.
So this is why we use Sonlight. Or rather I should say, this is why Sonlight is a good fit for us. But don’t take my word for it–go find something that is a good fit for you and your family be in Sonlight, Time 4 Learning or something else!
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