An added bonus of Sonlight is teaching your children not only to be good readers and awesome authorities on history, but also to be good listeners. The reading aloud part of the curriculum is huge. I did not understand how much so until I watched my boys listen quietly and attentively in group settings while their peers seemed unable to even sit still. I quickly understood this had been a bonus of all the times they had sat listening to me read to them as part of Sonlight. My oldest is now a senior and I know Sonlight has helped transform him into the awesome young man he has become. In their eleventh year of Sonlight, Cameron (18) and Cody (15) share Core 300 while Hunter (11) enjoys Core E. 

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.  

My daughter has an understanding of history and geography that goes beyond that of most adults. She loves to read and has a vocabulary much larger than one would expect for her age. A large part of this is because of the great Sonlight books. We love using Sonlight because I am confident that all the planning is done for me. I don't have to scramble to make sure I am covering each time period adequately. Krystal (12) has used Sonlight since first grade. Here, she enjoys a Science G experiment where she identifies powders by testing their reaction to different substances.