Disclosure – I think this is the best Homeschool Curriculum and below is my honest opinion. We have used it for over 4 years with 2 kids and we are considering doing it for this school year because we are not sure what this school year will look like. The links in this post are my referral links but all opinions are my own.
How we started homeschooling:
Are you looking for the best homeschool curriculum? I knew that’s what I needed to find when I started to homeschool my kids!
I am not a teacher but in 2011 I found myself living in Mexico City trying to figure out how to give my 1st grader the best education while we lived overseas. A national school wasn’t an option because he didn’t speak Spanish very well and we didn’t want him to fall behind.
We had an English Christian school but it was about 40 minutes from our house – and that was without traffic. Once I dropped him off and picked him up – I would have spent at least 3 hours in a car each day.
I figured that I could do a full day of 1st-grade homeschool in 3 hours and I wouldn’t have to spend so much time in the car every day using gas and paying tolls.
Not that he is entering 10th grade his schedule is full of advanced classes. He has AP English, AP World History, AP Computer Science, and Pre AP chemistry on his schedule. So I feel like Sonlight homeschool was a really great option for our family.
I am not a teacher:
I was terrified to homeschool my kids. I was not a teacher. I was not a very good student – so I was afraid I would not be able to give my kids the tools they need to love and thrive in school.
I wanted to find a Christian homeschool curriculum that made it very easy to teach my kids. I was not a mom who could put together a homeschool curriculum books. I also did not have access to books, co-ops, and resources since I lived outside of the US.
I talked to other homeschooling parents about homeschool programs and learned there are MANY options out there. You can buy a language art course from one place and social studies from another – but I didn’t want that.
I wanted a Christian based homeschooling curriculum for all subjects. I needed to have lesson plans and educational resources.
Sonlight was the answer to ALL my needs! I just picked what grade I needed and EVERYTHING was in the box!
- FULL Lesson Plans in a giant binder to stay organized
- Every single book I needed
- Questions (and answers) based on the books we were reading
- Science project materials – yes it came with pieces of foil, batties, etc, to do Science projects!
- DVD with math lessons, worksheets, and answer key
- There is more – and I will update it as I go through it!
Sonlight is a Christian based homeschool curriculum, but you could opt-out of the Bible class books and most of the other subjects are not Christian based.
You can click here to check out a sample of the 7th grade Language Arts Lesson Plans. You can actually check out samples from every grade!
They also offer electives like:
- Art
- Foreign languages
- Computer Science
- Physical Fitness
- STEM/STEAM
- Health
- Music
- Driver’s Ed
In the first few weeks, we got adjusted to homeschooling and it worked great for my kids learning styles. When my middle son was old enough for Kindergarten, I was able to homeschool both boys at the same time.
Which Curriculum Is Best For Your Child or Family?
I love Sonlight because it gives me all the resources I need to be a good teacher. Some parents may have the ability to put together a homeschool curriculum based on everything they find online for each grade level.
If you want something that is “turn-key” equivalent of homeschooling, Sonlight is exactly what you need. They use a lot of Usbourne Books as part of this homeschool curriculum.
Once you use it for the first year – you may learn a few things about your teaching style and your kid’s learning styles. For example, this year I decided not to get the complete packages for my 2 younger kids. We picked a few read along books from each curriculum so I can read the same book to both of them at the same time. This will also give them the flexibility to read more books that they can pick out from the library.
You can change things and pick world history instead of US history.
Is homeschooling affordable?
Yes, Sonlight makes it very affordable! The whole package for my 7th-grade student is $733. You can put down 40% and then pay the balance over 6 months – interest-free! You will also get free shipping.
The first payment may be cheaper than your school fees and school supplies. It is definitely cheaper than a private school.
How much time will I spend homeschooling my kids?
This is completely up to you. We spent 3-4 hours each day doing homeschool work. Some days we would save the readers until before bedtime. Some weeks we would try to get everything done in 4 days so we could take a long weekend break.
There are things you will have to help your kids with – but you will have the resources you need. You will not have to be available 100% of the time – your kids will have many activities they can study on their own and you can check their work.
I do not have experience with any other homeschool curriculum, but that is because when I ask other people for a Christian curriculum, I get overwhelmed by all the options. So if you are looking for an all in one homeschool option – check out Sonlight.
They had advisors available to help you pick out exactly what you need to homeschool your kids!
Sonlight is a literature-based curriculum, so they have tons of great books to read out loud together. The kids devour plenty of books on their own, too. No boring textbooks – these books really engage in what we’re learning.
Final Thoughts:
- If you are looking for the best homeschool curriculum that has everything you need in 1 box – you should give Sonlight a try. (They have a great return policy.)
- It is affordable
- You will love the flexibility – we loved to take breaks during the offseason so it was less crowded and cheaper to travel
- You know exactly what your kids are learning and you can turn everyday life into learning experiences
Use this link for Sonlight.com and save $5 on your purchase of $50 or more.