SONLIGHT FAMILY STORIES TOUCHING TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS AROUND THE WORLD We all love a good story. I’ve read about 13,000 books in my quest to find the absolute best stories on which to build Sonlight Curriculum. But those stories aren’t the most important ones in Sonlight’s view. The most important stories are the ones that families like yours live out every day. They are the stories of families growing closer, learning together, and living out the adventures God has for them. As Sonlight celebrates 25 years of inspiring a love to learn, we compiled this book to share some of these stories with you. So browse the photos and read the funny, touching, and heartfelt anecdotes from families whose lives have been changed thanks to their decision to teach their children at home with Sonlight. As you read, be encouraged at the hope of where your own family story could take you! – Sarita Holzmann Homeschool Mom and President of Sonlight Curriculum vii It was Box Day for my pre-k'er Beckett (age 4) and he was so excited. He managed to open the box before I could find the scissors and immediately started going through his new books. He piled several on his lap and announced that those were the ones he wanted me to read to him right then at that moment. I love homeschooling my kids, of getting to read to them, answer their questions, love seeing SL books spark interest in their eyes. And I especially love when they'll bring something up out of the blue that we've learned about in school. They're boys so because they are so restless I wonder if they are even hearing me read a story, but it turns out that they were listening and they did get what I wanted them to get! Sonlight is definitely my kind of curriculum because I love to read. It really is what I would've liked to have had growing up instead of going to public school. I'm already looking forward to completing more Cores (just so I can do them, too) so I hope we homeschool through high school! — Andrea Birmingham, AL When my husband got a job in Italy I felt a desire to homeschool that I never had before. We used Core B for our first year. It was amazing to be reading about things parts of history that we were able to see and touch. We see Mt. Vesuvius out our kitchen window. To be able to walk the streets of Pompeii was an amazing extension of what we had read about in our Sonlight curriculum. I am so glad that we chose Sonlight! The IG's make homeschooling so easy. — Christian United States We love the literature-based curriculum and our huge Sonlight library. We have been using Sonlight with our children Matthew and Melissa for 12 years. Matthew really enjoys the science programs. [In this photo] He is shown doing a Chemistry experiment from last year. Matthew (17) is using Core 400 in his twelfth year with Sonlight. His sister Melissa (14) is using Core H. Debbie V. Greeley, CO — David Greeley , CO Our School is different Our school is different, sometimes weird, but cool, My brother and I, we really like our school. We are able to study wherever we go, At the moment we live in Brazil, you know. We enjoy reading the Bible, music and arts, In our school, we go to our classes with happy hearts. Studying math and learning three languages to read, It's great, we can do it all in our own speed. Sometimes our brains just get tired to think, Then we simply take a break to eat and drink. We love to be together night and day, Whenever we want we can study or play. Reading, writing, science or playing ball, English, German, and Portuguese, we know it all! Our mom is the best, sometimes school can be rough, But we are good students, we are so tough. Late at night the last book is being red, Only after that, we go contented to bed. — Eva Brazil 1 Sonlight gives my children a love for learning, and if they love learning, they can succeed in whatever they decide to do in life. Great books make History and Science come alive. Through reading, their vocabulary grows and they learn proper grammar and writing. It's exciting to see them seek out more information on a subject, and for fun, reenact what they're learning. Cameron (11) and Jackson (9), in their third year of Sonlight adventures, are exploring Core F. — Kathleen Rocky Mount, VA The twins are finishing up their Core D books before they play. The kids love our reading time so much that every day they beg to do it first. It is the most precious time of the day for me as we laugh and cry together. We are creating wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. I believe when the kids look back at being homeschooled they will fondly remember our read aloud time the most. — Kim Peoria, AZ I like SONLIGHT! Homeschooling gives me the opportunity to spend more time with my family. I take more joy in learning because there are tons of exciting books to read. Here I am, reading aloud to my cat. "SOCKS" is authored by one of my favourite writers from Core B+C. SONLIGHT is also Christian-based and all the Bible studies draw me closer to God. I especially like the memory verses because I enjoy singing. Naomi (11) is doing Core D+E this year, but loves to revisit the books she read in the earlier cores. — Lee Malaysia This is Joshua with another one of his favorite books. The Bee Tree. He loves all the 'funny names' and gets me to read this book at least twice a day. I started Joshua with his home school curriculum 6 months ago. We chose Sonlight as we found it offered so much literature. Joshua now 2 1/2 follows me around the house asking me to read his special books (Sonlight). We are an Irish family and delighted that Sonlight ships to us and we cant wait to order our next curriculum. I'm so thankful that Sonlight has helped us develop our sons love for books and reading. I think I'm just as excited as he is for the next box day. — Sara Ireland 2 After reading this story: "How to dig a hole to the other side of the world." We wanted to reenact the story and hit the sand box to dig to the other side of the world. Well we didn't quite make it there but it was fun trying!! Thanks Sonlight for making learning fun and and real! — Sophie Canada Sonlight is way more than a series of awesome books to read; it is the habit of sitting down on the sofa and digging into a good book and thoughtful conversations. These times pull our busy family together in spite of a wide variety of ages, interests and energy levels. I was hesitant to invest in a program that at first seemed like 'just books.' But the traditions and values of family time, discussion and critical thinking that our family has developed because of the encouragement I get from the Instructor's Guide is worth far more than I ever dreamed! Here, Ethan (10, Core F), Tristan (4, Core A) and Kian (7, Core F) squeeze in to hear Mom read a Sonlight favorite. They and 13-year-old Zara (Core 100) have used Sonlight since the beginning. Stephanie R. Mullica Hill,NJ — Stephanie Mullica Hill, NJ Kelly (age 8) and her dog Sonny (age 10) are enjoying a Sonlight book together at home. Sonny says you are never too old to learn something new! Sonlight gives us a variety of topics and a wide variety of books so there is something everyone finds interesting. — Alison A Pelham, AL Grandad, visiting from several states away, can share precious time with the boys while doing some of our Sonlight reading. The best thing about Sonlight for us so far is all the reading together the program encourages. Sounds so easy but seemed so hard before we started making it part of our regular school day. Thanks, Sonlight, for the memories! They will always remember reading with their Grandad. — Amanda A Wake Forest, NC 3 Sonlight has given our oldest son, Josh, the ability to think outside the box while instilling in him a love for missions. Josh went on a mission trip to Honduras this past school year and was able to put his Sonlight education to great use. Below is an excerpt from his account. "During the week, one of the team members (a trained occupational therapist) asked me if I'd do her a favor. She then explained that she needed a baby seat for a Honduran toddler with cerebral palsy. The little girl was unable to sit up on her own, and she had to be constantly held. A seat would give her mother a safe place to put her so that she would not have to hold her all the time. The only available resource to make the seat was in the form of a cat litter box. Another boy and I worked on it over the course of the afternoon. After using an inordinate amount of duct tape, along with some bubble wrap, a bath towel and a canvas tool belt, we were able to come up with a workable seat, complete with a seat belt.