sonlight vs heart of dakota

[BrooklynsMom03]

Try as I might...I can not do an effective search to find a thread that talks about the differences in these two programs.....if someone knows I would be so grateful for the links to the threads! Thank you so much...

The reason I ask...is my friend wants to start a school in our area...and she is into Sonlight...and wants to know if we would be interested...in joining the 1/2 day 5 day a week school...I just want to have a list as to why Sonlight would not be our choice of curriculum....

It is so funny because last year I would have jumped at the chance to not have to homeschool...but have this opportunity...now I am like...I can not give up HOD!! It sounds appealing in many ways....and I love the 8 to 12 schedule....but I love HOD more!!! We have not even completed our first year of it...yet I just feel we are on the right path of learning for my daughter....I dont know if we will continue thru high school....although my daughter did ask me the other day if I was going to teach her college too! lol....but for now this is where my heart is....and where my daughter is being successful...and learning....Now if they would only consider having all the children buy HOD and do that ....I might think more seriously about it!!! lol....Beth in Idaho

[momofgreatones]

Have you used SL or are familiar with it? I used SL before HOD and all I can say is that there is no. comparison. at. all. I was sold on SL's concept and convincing marketing in their catalog, but was sorely disappointed after using two cores. I hate to be so negative about another curriculum provider but in my opinion SL is nothing more than a glorified book list. A list of books to read through. There is no interaction with the books beyond a few comprehension questions in the IG. Some of the books are good, some aren't. There are some sketchy choices in there, and not age-appropriate or engaging in many cases (esp. the read-alouds). HOD's book choices are light years away...HOD's book choices are rich, God-honoring, and are more pure in content - untainted by modern book trends, dug out of a treasure chest from yesteryear if necessary. Fabulous book choices and CM interaction with those books...exactly what I wanted when I tried SL, but am getting with HOD.

Sorry to be so negative But I just want to be as honest as possible since SL is an expensive investment and HOD is a precious treasure not to be cast aside! Since you are enjoying it so much and it obviously resonates with you, why switch?

[BrooklynsMom03]

I wasnt thinking of switching!! I was just trying to see some of the differences...since I have not used SL before...but my friend brought one of the Cores over to look at I knew it wasnt for us....but she wants to use it in this school...and I am okay with that..but since I have no real knowledge if it personally...I was looking for some differences .....in the two...so I could explain why I couldnt support her school with our attendance! No I am not leaving HOD!!! Love it Love it Love it!!!!!! Beth in Idaho

[Heart_Mom]

I only have a moment, but I wanted to add this: I originally wanted to be able to use SL because I really love just reading to my children. But for my family, so many of the books are just not appropriate, even when you use them with children at the upper age range listed for each core. I agree with the pp that HOD's activities really help children to interact with and remember what they are learning. Also, HOD's Bible component is so integral to the program! Bible is the most important aspect of our homeschool, so it is right to have it in the center. SL does have a Bible component, but is mainly separated from the other study areas (like science and history).

Hope that helps!

[GinainMD]

We used Sonlight for our oldest dds prek/k year before trying to compile our own course of study and then blessedly finding HOD last year. With Sonlight we started with a stack of books each day and went through them all reading here and there. It felt very disjointed to me and it was WAY too much just sitting still and listening for my dd. Sonlight lacked the hands on activities that HOD uses to engage the children in learning and help cement it for them. Also, even at the pre k level there were some topics that were to mature for my sensitve dd. HTH

[Mumkins]

SL vs HOD has been a bit of a struggle for me. The books, for the most part, are different. SL uses a lot of books with pictures, which my kids enjoy. But also a lot of books that have content we don't wish to cover and/or not at such a young age. For example, the one of the spines in grade 1 and 2 is an Usborne book with tons of illustrated nudity. For me, I've felt I could teach it easier, because all you do is read and have a couple discussion questions. And then maybe have them mark it on a premade map and colour a time line figure and stick him in the time line book. But, it doesn't have connection with the books. It doesn't have character training. They introduce books much too early, in general. Twenty and Ten and Family Under the Bridge is a Kindergarten book with them. Here they're used in Preparing. Plus, they just don't cover all the stuff HOD does. When I was looking, I kept looking at Preparing, CTC and RTR and that would all be covered under SL's world history, but they only used a few of the same books and they weren't the ones I was really looking forward too. I can't wait to get to A child's geography, What in the world?, the Draw and write through history and the student notebook pages, just to name a few things. I also like how HOD will cover learning about the Greeks and Romans without making their gods seems glorified. But the most important thing I want is for my kids to relate everything back to God, see how His whole world interconnects and that's not what SL is about. While ultimately I want my children well educated academically, I care far more about their spiritual well being and how they develop a relationship with God. I feel that is better accomplished with HOD and since HOD also provides a wonderful academic education as well, it seems to me that it would be the better choice.

[striving2Bprov31]

I agree with all of the posters so far!!

I own 2 sonlight cores and tried it for about 3 weeks before HOD. Can I tell you in that 3 weeks there was tons of stuff I skipped in the books because of blatant contradiction to our beliefs!! I couldn't believe it!! My daughters first independent reading book assignment was about an indian man and his life, and he continually spoke in this book of the 'great spirit' and how all religions are just alike, saying that everyone's god just has different names!! I was dumbfounded at how it could be called a christian curriculum. I couldn't put that book in my daughter's hand and say, "Enjoy your reading assignment, dear, and by the way, we are going have to discuss why that entire book is a lie!"

Anyway, I am sorry, I don't mean to be negative about another curriculum either, but this was just the truth about our experience. Just wanting you to know what you might be getting into.

[BrooklynsMom03]

I would love to know some of the books and what is offensive about them? I do love the way HOD has everything come back to God and the Bible is a big part of it which I love...What is the draw for SL for so many Christian families? Beth in Idaho

[John'smom]

I've personally never used Sonlight although I've looked at it. I could never buy it even though we LOVE to read books. They have an article on their site entitled "27 Reasons NOT to Buy Sonlight". They say if you agree with any of those, you would'nt want to use Sonlight. I agreed with too many of them. If you just google the phrase above you should be able to find the article easily. If you're using HOD, you probably agree will see several reasons NOT to use Sonlight. Just thought maybe that would give you some info to discuss with your friend.

[pjdobro]

I agree with Edwena. I read the 27 reasons not to buy and there were several reasons on that list with which I agreed. They list these on their website and in their catalog and tell you not to buy if these fit you. Here are several of the ones that fit me:

2. They want a curriculum that revolves around hands-on activities.

6. They would rather not address false, foolish or questionable ideas.

Parents who object to Sonlight Curriculum on this ground may

1. believe it is wrong to mention or teach about beliefs or practices that are different from their own;
2. want to begin introducing these ideas much later than families who love Sonlight tend to;
3. lack the time or confidence to process difficult or controversial ideas with their children.

9. They want a more "Bible-centered" homeschool program than Sonlight offers.
11. They don't want any sad books or heavy content.
21. They want a curriculum whose primary focus is on "character development."

These are just a few of the 27 that really resonate with me. There are several others, but they are similar to these. When I looked at it several years ago and I saw a book about another religion in the early years and another book that dealt with a very tragic story, I knew it wasn't for me. Though I don't want to shelter my children entirely, I feel like the early years are the time that need a solid grounding in Christ. Other cultures and religions can be introduced much later when they are much more mature. I don't feel that my young children need to be bogged down in heavy or sad material either. HOD balances all of these needs wonderfully and offers hands on activities, notebooking, and narration to help cement the ideas that dc read about. With HOD you aren't just reading a book, you are connecting with the book and the ideas that the author had when writing it. It's what Charlotte Mason intended for dc, to make relationships with the books and ideas of people who have gone before and felt passionately about their subject.

[Tabrett]

I have used 5 cores from SL. What ages are your dc? I have used both pre-k cores, 1,2, and 7. I loved SL, when I only had one dc (my oldest dd is 9 years older than my 2nd dc). My main concern and something you should ask is- How is all the reading aloud going to be handled as far as class management? SL has so much reading and it is better to break it up to help keep dc's attention. SL uses a lot of Usborne books that have lots of small graphics like a comic book. Usborne books are designed for a dc to hold in their hands so the pictures can be studied. How will this work in a classroom setting? Even if all the dc had their own copies of the Unborne books, how will you know if the dc are looking at the correct picture that goes with the text? I used to have to point at what picture the text was referring to. How will narration be addressed? Will all the dc individually narrate back what they have heard read? Narration is very important in SL because there are no "worksheets" for the read alouds.

How will reading be taught? Just like HOD, in SL the dc reads aloud to you. How is that going to be handled in a classroom situation? What about the dc being on muli-levels of reading? How will the phonics/reading instruction be taught?

Honestly, SL is not designed for classroom use. It is designed for a tutoring like situation. I am not sure how SL could be properly taught in a classroom with the types of books and methods used for teaching.

[KristinBeth]

There are some things I like about Sonlight (I used P3 and P4 before finding HOD) but I left it by the wayside for the most part since I had a heart change. At first I was all for teaching children about other cultures right away - I think mostly because I was interested in reading the stories myself (I've always liked world history better than American history). I liked the "lots of books" aspect too, and so did my kids - when we go to the library they pick 10 books (I have to stop them at 10) and will want to sit and listen to all of them at the same time, every reading. But over the past year the Lord really worked on my heart and guided me to teaching more about Him, less about everyone else - at least for now until the kids are more mature and understand the Bible more, and that God is not just another religion. I wanted my kids to have a heart for missions but that's up to God really, it's more important that they have a heart for Him. Carrie's thoughtful presentation of her philosophy and her heart for Christ really was an answer to prayer, since I didn't know how to get that Christ-centeredness on my own.

My final decision was cemented on another homeschool forum (that includes both Christian and secular families). Several times, new homeschoolers have asked what curriculum they could use that was NOT Christian, as they were not believers, and each time, lots of people spoke up and said Sonlight. Each time, there were secular homeschoolers who said they used it because it was "not really Christian" and "easy to leave the Bible part out". It really showed me that HOD was the way to go for us.

[momofgreatones]

Specific books we didn't like with SL...Well, we didn't finish either of our cores, but I know the Usborne books spring to mind. I hadn't had experience with Usborne books before, but the core I was using with my 2nd and 4th grader used them extensively. The one used as a history spine is evolutionary and Godless in content, and I believe is the one the pp mentioned as having illustrated nudity. There was another Usborne book used as a science spine and it has a graphic description and illustrations of, ahem, basically everything there is to know. I didn't discover it fast enough, and my youngers had already seen and read it, and are still scarred to this day (they mention it every so often) . I want those topics brought up on our schedule in our own way. I also dislike the format of Usborne books where it's basically a book of illustrations with captions. Anyway, I couldn't get them out of my home soon enough. That was one of the draws to HOD for me, nary an Usborne book to be found. I believe there is one used in the Preparing extension package and I'm fine with that one. I believe it requires a much higher level of thinking to learn from (and write, for that matter ) a curriculum that doesn't rely on encylopedic style illustrated books such as Usborne. Again, to me, another aspect in which HOD is far superior to SL.

[creativemommy]

I haven't used SL but it was one of the curriculum choices I looked at in-depth before beginning our hs journey. I remember reading the 27 Reasons Not to Use SL article mentioned above and I agreed with too many of them, too!

In the end for us though, it came down to using something that was filled with books but NOT hands-on actitivites (SL) vs. something that WAS hands-on with good books (HOD)! Now I realize there are so many more reasons why HOD is a better fit for MY family (but that's another post).

I think you could easily tell your friend that HOD is what works for you and your daughter and share the reasons why, rather than focus solely on why you don't want to use SL. She should honor your choice & decisions. (Although I know sometimes certain hs families look down on you if you don't use what they use ~ which is sad. )

[my3sons]

Beth - I am glad that you know where you stand on this decision already! I can see the practical need for you to decide how best to let your friend know your decision not to use Sonlight - in a way that is honest yet hopefully does not offend her. Maybe you can borrow some of my reasons I would share with my friend if I was in your situation...

*We've always wanted to homeschool within our own home, with just our own family.
*I am homeschooling because I want to be my dc's teacher.
*I want our own dc to be each other's best friends, and being home together encourages that.
*I need special 1:1 time every day to share my faith with my dc, and while other moms may get that done in some other way, I know I have to have time every day to be able to do this in a personal way.
*When my dh calls home during the day from work, each of the dc love to talk with him. They need to be home to be able to do that.
*We like to be in control of what we do each day, and having a certain place we have to be each day for a certain amount of time is something we don't want to be committed to do.
*We like the Charlotte Mason method of choosing living books and savoring them, which means we'll spend more time in fewer books rather than reading so many.
*We want Bible integrated in every subject, rather than as a stand alone subject.
*We want our dc to get out their Bibles and use them every single day within our homeschooling.
*We like the short lesson Charlotte Mason style of learning, with bite-sized readings and skill-based follow-ups.
*We want our dc to take over the bulk of their own reading when they turn 9 or 10 yo, so they can retain what they've read better, and so we can spend time in deeper discussions, more connections, and learning new skills, rather than so much time reading.
*We want fine arts integrated in our daily learning, such as music, poetry, art study, etc.
*We want the LA skills of copywork, oral narration, and written narration integrated with history and science as a part of our daily learning.
*We want the organization of the Student Notebook, as it teaches my dc much about organizing their work.
*We want our dc to learn to put together their own portfolio each year.
*We like the moral discernment for book selections and Godly character trait discussions taught in "Drawn into the Heart of Reading", as well as the reading skills focus.
*We want our dc to complete the step-by-step projects in the History Project box as they teach valuable life skills too, such as cooking, project development, and direction following.
*We want our dc to become the scientists themselves by doing their own experiment every single week. I know I would not get the science experiments done otherwise. We also like having them do their science in our own kitchen and our own home, as it often results in them repeating the experiments or taking them further later in the day or week.
*We want to use living books for science.
*We want to customize our school choices for each of our dc, and make sure we are not reading too mature content too young for them.
*We want our dc to learn to do their own Bible Quiet Time first thing in the morning, and HOD has that as part of their plans.
*I like variety in what I teach each year, and HOD changes my teaching time each year.
*I want to choose the proper placement for each of my dc, rather than having them placed together in whatever core is being offered.
*We want our dc to learn to use media resources for research, such as the Internet, audio CD's, or additional books, but we want to be sitting with them as they do this to be sure we are monitoring what they are viewing/reading carefully.
*We want daily hands-on activities that are short, doable, and fun.
*We want to finish school in a timely fashion so we have time for the dc to explore other interests.

I hope something here helps, this is just off the top of my head. Most of these reasons are for you - for you to have in mind so you know why you chose what you chose. They don't all need to be shared with your friend, probably just a few will do. Probably the ones I listed first would be best to share with her, as they have more to do with the schooling being done out of the home than with "Sonlight". Sonlight and HOD differences will be a "hot button", I wouldn't push it unless you have to. Vague is sometimes better. If she is happy with Sonlight, no reason to rock her happy boat. No reason for you to jump in her boat either though.

I have found that I have to be alright with my decisions, and know in my soul they are right for our family. I have learned to be able to stand alone sometimes because of this. There are people who are my friends and even who are part of my extended family that don't agree with my decisions. They have not been convinced that what we are doing is right. I do not try to convince them or win them over. I have found time does that for me. As my dc are growing and maturing, there is something special about them. I'm not trying to be prideful here, but they just are different. They are innocent. They have an easy rapport with each other, with my dh and me, and socially with adults and dc alike. They know their academics. They know their Lord. It shines through, and slowly but surely, others are having a grudging respect for that. They are not perfect, but they are not as much "of this world" as I was at their age. I love that. The Lord must too. I am praying for strength for you as you discuss this with your friend. I hope something here has helped!

Love in Christ,
Julie