May I proudly present....... (drum roll)
The 2014-2015 Sonlight/Bookshark Blog Roll!
This blog roll will give fellow "Sonlight-ers" a place to connect and meet. Feel free to bookmark or pin this page and refer to it anytime you need some inspiration.
Are you a blogger using Sonlight for the 2014-2015 school year?
If so, we would love it if you would join the Sonlight Blog Roll. You don't even have to be using a 'complete' sonlight core. Anyone using and blogging about Sonlight is welcome to join.
UPDATE: I received an email asking if "Bookshark" users are welcome to join. The answer is...yes! We would love to have you included in our blog roll.
Here's how to do it:
STEP 1) Scroll down and grab the button code below and display it proudly on your blog. All entries must have a link to this blog roll somewhere on the main page of their blog or you will not be allowed to participate. This is so we can get the word out about the Sonlight Blog Roll.
STEP 2) Next, use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this page to link up your blog. There is absolutely no weekly posting requirement--just link up and have fun.
NOTE: Please include your blog's name with the core(s) you are using in parenthesis (if applicable). Example: The Attached Mama (Cores P3/4, B, and F)
STEP 3) Leave a comment on my blog letting me know you linked up so I can come check out your blog.
Are you a NEW SONLIGHT user? If so, follow this link when registering for your Sonlight account. It can save you $5 off your first order of $50 or more. (ENTER REWARDS ID:
Post a link to your blog here after grabbing button code (below):
Button Code:
Please select the size of button/banner you prefer by copying and pasting the code onto the main page of your blog.
Do you still have questions? Please feel free to contact me in the comment section below. I would be glad to help!
Thanks so much!
Cathy aka The Attached Mama
The 2014-2015 Sonlight/Bookshark Blog Roll!
This blog roll will give fellow "Sonlight-ers" a place to connect and meet. Feel free to bookmark or pin this page and refer to it anytime you need some inspiration.
Are you a blogger using Sonlight for the 2014-2015 school year?
If so, we would love it if you would join the Sonlight Blog Roll. You don't even have to be using a 'complete' sonlight core. Anyone using and blogging about Sonlight is welcome to join.
UPDATE: I received an email asking if "Bookshark" users are welcome to join. The answer is...yes! We would love to have you included in our blog roll.
Here's how to do it:
STEP 1) Scroll down and grab the button code below and display it proudly on your blog. All entries must have a link to this blog roll somewhere on the main page of their blog or you will not be allowed to participate. This is so we can get the word out about the Sonlight Blog Roll.
STEP 2) Next, use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this page to link up your blog. There is absolutely no weekly posting requirement--just link up and have fun.
NOTE: Please include your blog's name with the core(s) you are using in parenthesis (if applicable). Example: The Attached Mama (Cores P3/4, B, and F)
STEP 3) Leave a comment on my blog letting me know you linked up so I can come check out your blog.
Are you a NEW SONLIGHT user? If so, follow this link when registering for your Sonlight account. It can save you $5 off your first order of $50 or more. (ENTER REWARDS ID:
DH20271164.)Post a link to your blog here after grabbing button code (below):
Button Code:
Please select the size of button/banner you prefer by copying and pasting the code onto the main page of your blog.
200px by 200px Button for Side Bar
150px by 150px button for Side Bar:
125px by 125px Button for Side Bar:
200px by 600px Banner:
Thanks so much!
Cathy aka The Attached Mama
My blog and the blogs linked to this page are not affiliated with the Sonlight Curriculum company in any way. We are just fans and users of the curriculum. The views expressed in these blogs do not represent Sonlight or their employees.
. The program is called "Five in a Row" because a single book is read five days in a row. (This is called "rowing" a book.) Each day a different subject is covered which pertains to something discussed in the book. (Note: You can see what a typical week of FIAR looks like for us 
). Non-picture books force the child to imagine the story for themselves (picturing how the setting and characters might look or sound like). They also help build attention span. 
tales included in Sonlight P4/P5. Sonlight includes this in their core because they feel that these are classic tales which have a unique historical and cultural importance. However, I have heard some people complain about these stories because in the stories Brer rabbit lies and cheats and generally gets away with it. Although the stories are lighthearted and funny, their are some parents who don't even like to expose their chidlren to character traits like that at this age. (Espeically when cheating seems to get the character ahead in life!) It is Sonlight's opinion that parents need to talk with their children about right vs. wrong while reading the books. And that books alone can't teach character lessons. In fact, most of Sonlights curriculum is centered around the conversation that is supposed to happen naturally as you read these books. However, if you feel like stories like this are not something you want to bring in your home, you probably aren't going to like Sonlight in general. Another example would be Sonlight P3/P4 core are classic fairly tales. In sonlight's opinion, these fairy tales and nursery tales are an important part of our handed down traditions in literature. Sonlight feels that it is important that children be familiar with some of these stories since they are referred to so often in our culture. On the other hand, some parents don't like fairy tales because of some of the topics that come up. (For example in Hansel and Gretel, their step mother tries to get rid of the children by leading them off into the woods alone!) As far as this issue is concerned, there is no right or wrong answer here. I just bring this up so that you are aware of some criticism that Sonlight has received and you can decide what is right for YOUR family. I also brought up some of the more controversial stories in both the preschool cores so that you might be able to check them out from the library and see if you have a problem with them. The majority of the people I have talked to love Sonlight. However, some have complained because they don't like some of the books sonlight chooses based on character issues. You have to decide how you feel about this.
the topic of slavery is brought up which wasn't something I would have planned to talking to my 3 and 4 year old about. However, I think that all of the books are written with taste and sensitivity and in a way that even young children can understand.
) and I was seriously crying my eyes out at the end of it! Over a picture book! So they are truly great books and touch on a lot of important subjects that I never would have thought to bring up on my own. Plus, we have been doing a lot of neat things.
by Virginia Lee Burton. 
by Sam Godwin. This book does a wonderful job of explaining the water cycle in a way that even very young scientist can understand. The book is also pretty funny. I enjoyed reading the dialog between the mommy seal gull and the baby sea gull. 
DVD. It is also available as a standalone VHS if you have a player.) We learned some new vocabulary words including evaporate and condense. I am a big fan of the Magic School Bus series. I think it does a great job of explaining science topics in an entertaining way.
, pages 10-11. This is one of our books from 
. It is an animated movie where some kids need to find a way to power the rides and attractions at their fair. They turn to steam power and the book does a great job of illustrating the basics of steam engines. I am not sure how much Marcus and Sophie got from this video. (It is probably more geared toward older kids.) However, I heard them explaining steam power to their dad one night...so obviously they got something from it. If you have older kids, I highly recommend checking to see if your library owns a copy of this video. 
History- The Role of Steam Power in our History
by Richard Scary. 
" where they attempt to introduce children to music by composing music for the story while a narrator reads aloud the book. Well...they have one of these for Mike Mulligan and it is awesome! This CD tells the story of Mike Mulligan using an original composition of music played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. (Very similar to how the story Peter and the Wolf is told through music if you are familiar with that.) I was surprised that I have never heard this CD mentioned on any of the FIAR message boards or blogs. 
