As soon as I saw Sonlight's Instructor's Guides and what awesome books we'd enjoy reading together, I didn't have to look further. My husband and I are teachers by training, so we understand the time necessary for good planning and a successful learning experience. As a mother, I also recognize that I don't have that kind of time anymore. I want to spend my days with my family, not planning for the next school day. Sonlight provides great books, incredibly organized and detailed lesson plans, the freedom to do what works best for our family, and the opportunity to teach our Christian faith. Mom and Dad here share the Good News with Lucas (5, Core A, Science A) and Carlos (2).

The Instructor's Guide helps me to be prepared each day, with lessons that I'm confident of and interested in teaching. The Markable Maps and the History Timeline Figures have given me a big-picture view of world history and geography that I lacked after all my schooling, including college! The characters in the Read-Alouds feel like family and become part of our daily discussion, teaching and training. Hanna (4, P4/5 Multi-Subject), Claire (7, Core B) and Dad observe tadpoles scooped from a neighbor's pond on a rainy day.

Thanks to Sonlight's training, my daughter Rachel is in the habit of integrating everything she learns into the 'big picture' of time and place. Before she can read anything, she looks at her timeline to understand where the story takes place in the context of history. She'll also find the story's location on the map. She loves to peruse The Timeline Book [RR120] from beginning to end. I feel she has a great grasp on the big picture. In her fourth year of Sonlight, Rachel (7) uses Google to locate where Little Pear (from Core B) took place.