Core B

Travel the globe on a thrilling ancient adventure

• Explore the story of the world from Creation through the fall of Rome.
• Homeschool with confidence: you get the teaching tips, lesson plans and materials you need each day.
• Learn how people lived in ancient Egypt, Greece, Europe, Africa, India & China.
• Gain worthy heroes who followed God's call and shared His love with others.
• Purchase this package and you'll get free shipping (lower 48), Forum access, a one-year guarantee and other Club benefits.

The way I wish I'd been taught

I wish I could have used this Core as a child. I would have been eager to hear such a fascinating story!

Core B and its companion, Core C, tell the story of world history. How did we get from Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden to this fascinating world with billions of people living in vastly different cultures? I created this Core especially for 7- and 8-year-olds and advanced 6-year-olds.

Bigger than a Texan-sized education

Like so many American adults, when I was in school, I was taught about American culture, American history, my state and my country year after year. And though I love the United States, I now know it's part of a much bigger world.

Because of the narrow focus of my education, I grew up with a huge gap in my understanding of the world. Other than the events of the Bible, I hardly knew anything that happened before Columbus. But as the author of A Child's History of the World says, "To give an American child only American History is as provincial as to teach a Texas child only Texas History."

With Sonlight, your children can have a well-rounded education with plenty of American and World history and culture. You have all the tools you need right here. Help them discover the breathtaking, fascinating story of God's whole world.

The purpose of Core B

Core B gives a clear outline of world history from Creation to the fall of Rome. Seem like a lofty goal for young children? Never fear. I've created a challenging but kid-friendly trek.

This program helps your children see beyond their own lives in their own town. Missionary biographies and literary characters worth imitating provide inspiration to follow God and live rightly. And of course, the captivating books of Core B convince kids that learning is a fun, worthwhile endeavor.

A quick Core B tour

Start your journey with a fun survey of peoples of the world. See how different people groups live, build homes, talk, eat and dress. Then enjoy a little book that introduces how archeologists dig for clues in the ground--clues like homes, tools, toys and pots. When paired with historical documents, these clues help us learn what life was like in ancient times.

As you move into a chronological trek through history, the story-based A Child's History of the World serves as the centerpiece of your studies. It is the most readable history I've ever seen. Virgil Hillyer writes in the tone of a wise, kind grandfather. He doesn't talk down to children--he meets them at their level. I'll let the preface of his book speak to the goal of Core B in general. He says the purpose of his book is:

To give the child some idea of what has gone on in the world before he arrived;
To take him out of his little self-centered, shut-in life, which looms so large because it is so close to his eyes;
To extend his horizon, broaden his view, and open up the vista down the ages past;
To acquaint him with some of the big events and great names and fix these in time and space as a basis for detailed study in the future;
To give him a chronological file with main guides, into which he can fit in its proper place all his further historical study. (p. x)

We reinforce the history in Hillyer's book with the fascinating pictures and snippets in The Usborne Book of World History. It gives a broad look at key ancient civilizations.

The entertaining, highly illustrated Time Traveler book provides an in-depth look at everyday life long ago. Give your children a real sense of what it was like to live in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome.

As you move through these three books, you also read stories of courageous missionaries, use your timeline to map history, explore the Great Wall of China, enjoy delightful Read-Alouds, do fun hands-on activities and more.

With Core B, you receive:

Instructor's Guide

Your Instructor's Guide has lesson plans, maps, notes and questions for the whole Core. Instead of searching for supplemental material and writing lesson plans, you get to relax and focus on the joy of teaching your children. Go to sonlight.com/3-week-samples to request the first three weeks of this guide.

Hands-on activities

Pop in a convenient CD-ROM to find tons of suggestions for developmentally-appropriate, fun hands-on activities that coordinate with each week's studies. They will keep your hands-on learners fully engaged and help all of your children make connections and grow.

History & Geography

As you sketch an overview of history, you get to:

• Recline at a scrumptious Roman feast with a nobleman and his family.
• Discover why we know much more about Ancient Egypt than we do about other civilizations such as Crete.
• Encounter mighty war elephants of India with Alexander the Great and his weary troops.
• Walk beside missionary explorer David Livingstone as he survives a lion's attack and blazes the trail for Christ's Gospel in Africa.

Bible

Get ready to tap your toes! Your kids will learn a memory verse each week this year with a delightful CD that sets Scripture to music.

Learn basic biblical doctrines (in incredibly understandable terms) with the classic children's devotional book, Leading Little Ones to God. And of course, nurture a passion for the Lord as you read and discus daily Scripture passages. This year, you'll read from the Gospels and Acts, Paul's letters to the Galatians and Philippians, the story of God's people in Genesis, several Psalms, and much more!

Read-Alouds

Reading aloud to your children builds their vocabulary, listening skills and imagination. It forms bonds between you and them. When possible, I've linked Core B's Read-Alouds with the content you're studying. The many wonderful books that aren't directly connected to your history still help your children's cognitive development and give them a passion to learn. Prepare to:

• Meet the characters of heartwarming classics such as Charlotte's Web and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
• Solve a dangerous mystery with seven young boys in ancient Rome.
• Laugh with Henry Huggins and Mr. Popper's penguins in their zany adventures.

And I must say, if you've never encountered Homer Price's infamous doughnut machine, you're in for a great treat!

Readers & Language Arts

Your children's Readers & Language Arts Program helps them progress by fostering their love of reading and writing. They get a whole stack of gripping books they can successfully read on their own. And they dive into the writing process naturally, with fun assignments and Activity Sheets that connect to their Readers. You'll serve as your children's "scribe" for many creative writing assignments and will be amazed at what they create!

Simply choose the program that matches each child's reading level: Grade 1 Readers with Language Arts 1, Grade 2 Readers with Language Arts 2, or Grade 3 Readers with Language Arts 3. Each level integrates Readers and Language Arts and gives you easy-to-use tools at your child's ability level.

Click over to the Reader Packages & Literature page to read about the specific programs, then visit sonlight.com/quick-reading-assessment to choose the right level for each child.

Bon Voyage

From Ancient Israel to Assyria, Egypt to Rome, may your homeschool overflow with learning, fun, laughter and memories.