Island of the Blue Dolphins

I discovered Sonlight 16 years ago and boy, am I glad I did! The high interest level of Sonlight books have given my active boys (and my more tranquil daughter) the opportunity to hear and learn from great books even if they couldn't sit still very long. Even in high school, we choose some books to read aloud because we enjoy books together and it has become part of our DNA. Although this photo is staged, 17-year-old Nathaniel really can maneuver a soccer ball while he reads or listens to Christie read. He is studying Core 300 and British Literature in his twelfth and final year of Sonlight. His three older siblings all used Sonlight from 6th grade through high school, graduated college, and are now working.  

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.

"Learning through literature enables my kids to feel like they know the characters and to gain a deeper understanding of the past and the world around them. We considered going back to a textbook approach for high school, but after one tedious chapter in a history book, we were reminded what a difference Sonlight makes. My younger kids could answer the test questions better than my high schooler who read the textbook because they'd been reading about the same period in The Story of the World. Making history come alive is a much better way to learn!" In their family's ninth year of Sonlight, Anna (11, Level 100) and Ellie (8, Level D) are eager to open their Box Day treasure.– Bethany N of Yorktown, TX