If any of you use Sonlight Curriculum, you know that the giant box of books you get with one complete level can be overwhelming. Add a second level and it can be downright intimidating. This was my experience at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Now, Sonlight says you can combine kids that are within a couple years of eachother, which mine are, but I decided to do things the hard way. I decided they each needed their own core.
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Sonlight Box Day Arrives
I purchased level F and level D. Any experienced homeschooler knows that box day is almost better than Christmas (almost) and an occasion to be celebrated. When the boxes arrived and I nearly threw out my back carrying them into the house, I opened those puppies up so I could bask in the glow of the treasures they held. Shiny new books.
Once the unboxing was over, and I beheld the sheer volume of my curriculum purchase, there was a small moment of panic. Then I decided I would need to do something I resist and run away from more than anything. I had to make a schedule.
Tips for Scheduling Sonlight Curriculum
Tip 1: Put Everybody’s Schedule on the Same Page
I find the easiest way to make a schedule is by using a table in Word.
They have pre-made templates of different colors. I use two different color tables on the same page, so I can see each of their schedules at the same time. If you have several kids, you might need several pages. At least post all of the schedules where you can see them all at a glance. This might get confusing, so I’ll just show you a picture of my schedule.
You’ll notice on this schedule that there are a few things scheduled for after lunch. These are just fun classes from their enrichment program and we are very flexible. We are done with core work by lunch time.
Tip 2: Encourage Independence
Sonlight is not meant to be done independently. It is meant to be teacher lead and family style, which makes doing two cores very difficult. Here’s my solution. Hand your oldest the schedule, and let them do as much as they can independently. This worked very well for us, as my oldest prefers to work independently, and my youngest wasn’t quite ready to work on his own. There are always going to be subjects that need to be teacher lead, but I don’t feel that History/Bible/Literature need that much parent attention for older kids. I prioritize what needs to be taught, and leave the rest up to them. It worked very well for us and my oldest still got a full, rich Sonlight experience.
Tip 3: Stagger Teacher Lead Subjects
When making your schedule, don’t schedule subjects where multiple kids will need you at the same time. For example, my oldest does Math U See so he can get the teaching part from videos, but he still usually needs my help with his math lesson. I originally scheduled his math time while I was doing history and science with his younger brother. That resulted in many disruptions so he could ask for math help, and we quickly realized that we needed to change the schedule a little bit. By moving his math to a different time slot, we were able to get through things much more smoothly.
Tip 4: Be Flexible
I don’t like putting a schedule on paper because then it’s hard for me when things come up and we don’t stick to it. The main purpose of making a schedule is so it can flow into a nice routine. If you start with a strict schedule, it will help you order your day and see how you really can get everything done.
Flexibility sometimes also means changing direction if something isn’t working. Although we had a great schedule and were getting everything done, it became pretty clear that Sonlight was not a good fit for my youngest. I shared My Experience with Sonlight Returns in another post. Even though it wasn’t a good fit, the schedule was not the issue at all. The schedule I made worked for the few months that we did two levels of Sonlight and I know it would have continued working had we continued with Sonlight.
Are You Ready to Try
If you need to do two levels of Sonlight based on your kids’ ages and stages,
then go for it. Taking a little bit of time to structure your homeschool schedule will help the day flow smoothly and you will be able to get it all done (on most days anyway).
I hope you find this post helpful. As always, I am happy to help you on your homeschool adventure. Feel free to leave me a comment or connect with me on social media.
Other posts you may like:
Seventh and Fifth Grade Homeschool Curriculum | Mid-Year Update
Homeschool Planning: Yearly Schedules | My Homeschool with a View
Am I Using the Best Homeschool Curriculum | My Homeschool with a View
