News & Announcements

Gifts for Mom

May 9th, 2013

Happy Mother's Day! Celebrate by saving 15% now through May 19 in the Sonlight Mother's Day Sale.

Pour Scripture into your children's hearts with the catchy tunes of a Seeds Family Worship CD, or cuddle up with encouraging books that speak to a mom's heart. Want to learn a new language? Rosetta Stone is 25% off, all levels, through May 22.

What's New 2013

April 25th, 2013

Have you seen what's new for 2013 Sonlight Curriculum yet?

See highlights and latest changes at sonlight.com/whats-new.html

If your children are between the ages of 8 and 18, pay close attention to the improvements we've made to Cores D, D+E, H, W and 100–400. Innovations like:

New books that delight even reluctant readers
Teacher-friendly Instructor's Guides (IGs) that make your job even easier
Customizable course options that allow your upper-level students to create a high school experience that develops their unique talents and lets them soar

We've recently released the 2013 curriculum and customers are already weighing in:

"I am beyond thrilled with your upgrades to the high school IGs! I looked at the new [Core] 400 and saw that you had broken it all down into daily assignments like the younger Cores – NO MORE FLIPPING! Thank you, Sonlight, for listening to us and making these upper-level Cores easier to navigate." – 4wildberries (from the Sonlight Forums), April 2013

Hear Sarita speak this weekend on organizing your homeschool

April 12th, 2013

Have you checked out the Mom Mastery Summit this weekend? It's a four-day FREE event April 12-15 with 20 different homeschool speakers and presentations. It's not too late to sign up and hear Sarita's presentation on organizing your homeschool on Sunday, April 14.

2013 Sonlight E-Catalog: The Preview

March 26th, 2013

Here’s your first online look at the new and improved 2013 Sonlight curriculum. Take some time to "read all about it" in the just-released e-catalog. (Check out the "What's New at Sonlight" article on p. 162.) If you're thinking about ordering curriculum for the upcoming school year, all new products will be available starting April 1!

Explore the 2013 e-catalog

Look for these curriculum-change highlights:

• Enhancements to Core D, D+E (pp. 48, 52). Check out the completely revised, now easier-to-read Landmark History of the American People, along with the all-new Children's Encyclopedia of American History, a fascinating book that appeals to even the most reluctant reader.  

• H and W Core updates complete "overhaul" (pp. 68, 71). Similar to the innovations we made last year in Cores A–G, you'll find more intuitive Instructor's Guides (format updates make it even easier to teach), new books (see p. 141 to learn what it takes for a book to become a Sonlight All-Star) and stronger Language Arts programs.  

• Added flexibility at the high school level. You and your high schoolers can now "mix and match" level 100–400 (pp. 74–86) History/Bible and level 100–530 Literature/Language Arts courses to customize a Core program that fits their unique interests and academic goals (think robust transcript). Speaking of upper-level improvements, check out Core 400 (p. 86), which now teams two 18-week courses, American Government/Civics (updated and condensed) and Economics, paired with a 36-week Literature course (new emphasis on reading comprehension). Look for two fresh texts, Truth and Transformation and God and Politics, in your Bible studies.

• Computer programming for kids and teens (p. 131). Students grades 4–12 can try their hand at real-world coding – write their own Windows programs, create games from scratch and even prepare for the AP* Computer Science A exam.

Should you have any questions about the 2013 updates, you can learn more on the Sonlight Facebook page or "Dear Sonlight" Forum. I encourage you to ask a Sonlight Curriculum Advisor (absolutely free and with no further obligation) if you want help selecting materials that are the best fit for your family.

So take a look at the e-catalog, mark April 1 on your calendar, and get ready to order the newest and best Sonlight curriculum available! (Please note: If you place an order before this date, you'll receive 2012 materials.)

Official Sneak Peek: 2013 Sonlight Curriculum Improvements

March 15th, 2013

Here it is: your "official" sneak peak at 2013 Sonlight curriculum improvements!

We're excited to "pull back the curtain" and give you a preview – the very first look at what's new for 2013. Based on the feedback of customers, along with the innovations offered by our team, here are the curriculum improvements available to you, starting April 1:

Format updates to Cores H and W match lower Cores

Last year we made major improvements to Cores A–G. This year the "overhaul" is complete, as we've made similar innovations across Core H: World History, Year 2 of 2 andCore W: One-Year World History. You'll discover:

More intuitive Instructor's Guides – Your schedule, notes, discussion questions, teaching tips, laminated color maps and more are now all in one convenient, easy-access location.
New books – Sarita reread and evaluated all the books and swapped out some. Look for the "NEW" title listings in the soon-to-be-released 2013 catalog.
Enhanced Language Arts – We strengthened the program with a better balance of creative writing, grammar and mechanics, along with clearer parent instructions and easy-to-find placement right behind the Core content.

Cores D and D+E enhanced

Landmark History of the American People completely revised – Sarita's husband (and Sonlight's co-founder), John, worked directly with the family of former Librarian of Congress, Daniel Boorstin, to completely revise and make a great American history book even better! Now in two separate volumes, with easier readability, new full-color illustrations and many maps that provide context and aid understanding.
New Children's Encyclopedia of American History – A fascinating, visually enticing book (more than 1,000 photos) that appeals to even reluctant readers. Includes texts of our nation's most important documents (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Gettysburg Address). This book replaces the four-volume Story of the US.

(Note: If you used Core D last year and are continuing with Core E, you'll still be able to use the Landmark History and Story of the US texts you received last year with your Core D package.

Extensive upper-level updates

Customizable high school Cores – While our recommended Cores work well for most families, you now have the flexibility to "mix and match" Core 100–400 History/Bible and Literature/Language Arts courses to build a unique Core that fits your student's unique interests and goals, and builds the transcript he or she needs.
Core 400 completely revised – Core 400 now teams two 18-week courses, American Government and Economics, with a 36-week American Literature course. The condensed and updated Government course takes you on a thorough and enjoyable tour of U.S. government. A new Literature focus helps students learn to read with greater understanding (plus 13 new award-winning books and authors). Two fresh texts reveal the Bible's impact on society and explore the integration of our faith with civil government.

Computer courses your children will enjoy (and everyone will understand)

New KidCoder™ and TeenCoder™ computer programming – Hands-on, real-world programming skills – no prior experience needed by students OR parents! Be sure to check out the video that explains why some (e.g., Steve Jobs, Apple Computer) believe every student today should learn how to program a computer.

Sonlight wants to walk alongside and serve your family's homeschool needs in the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or would like assistance in choosing curriculum, remember that our Sonlight Curriculum Advisors (SCAs) are available to help, at no additional cost, throughout the year.

I look forward to serving you and your family in the coming year!

Sincerely,

Tim Heil
Customer Relations Manager
www.sonlight.com