Keeping Homeschool Fun: Sonlight Unit Study Review
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Our homeschool year begins in February, which means the middle of our school year is smack dab in the middle of winter.
I’m going to be honest, there are things about winter that I like, but it also wears on me. I do not thrive in winter and our homeschool can start to feel somewhat monotonous.
It’s important for me to be intentional about injecting some fun into our days in a manageable yet meaningful way.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Climbing Out From the Mid-Year Homeschool Slump
One way that I like to counter the feeling of monotony is by adding in something new.
A perfect example of this would be a unit study.
It’s not something that is going to completely replace your curriculum and it won’t span an entire year.
The issue is that constructing your own unit study can be time-intensive. Thankfully, there are some great options out there if you’re looking for a done-for-you unit study.
A curriculum that we’ve been using for a couple of years now is Sonlight. It’s a literature-based homeschool curriculum that is beautifully curated down to the tiniest detail.
We’ve been using their History/Bible/Literature core as well as their science.
However, something that is new to us is their unit studies.
Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study
While this is not a paid review, Sonlight did graciously offer this unit study in exchange for a review.
If you know me, you’ll know that our family’s use of Sonlight curriculum predates any collaboration I’ve done with them.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a unit study, but I’ve been very impressed thus far.
I love that this unit study on butterflies is something that fits in perfectly with the spring season, making it just the right fit for our homeschool this time of year.
What You Get
This unit study has everything you need to study butterflies for four weeks.
You’ll receive:
- Three books about butterflies
- An instructor’s guide
- Activity & craft supplies
The only things that are important to source yourself are the caterpillars. However, in the instructor’s guide, you’ll get explicit instructions on how and where to get them.
How to Use It
The heart of Sonlight is literature. That is what your core will be to teach your children.
However, the real magic of this curriculum is in the instructor’s guide.
Your entire unit study is carefully scheduled out for you with guides, prompts, and instructions on what to do.
My recommendation is to sit down with the instructor’s guide and read through it. That way, you’ll know if there’s anything you’ll need to prep ahead of time (such as purchasing caterpillars).
It’ll also give you an idea of the flow of the program. While Sonlight is scheduled for you, in my experience, it is also simple enough to switch things around to suit your family’s needs.
This is a 4-day program, leaving lots of flexibility for you to make it work into your own family’s homeschool schedule.
Our Experience
As usual, I was blown away by how beautiful everything is from Sonlight. I’m someone who loves routine and is an avid fan of literature. That makes Sonlight a delightful fit for us.
Books are a massive part of our homeschool and so this unit study suits our family so well.
The picture books are colorful and engaging and will easily appeal to all three of my children, whose ages span from 5-9.
I’m not great at prepping for crafts and activities, so I really appreciate that all that is done for me. It makes it much more likely that I’ll actually DO the crafts and activities with my kids.
The one thing that we have to modify is finding caterpillars, as we do not live in the United States.
Aside from that, this is a unit study that will be great for any family around the world.
I also appreciate that the lessons are short. This means that we can integrate this seamlessly into our existing homeschool schedule.
Nature study is not something that I’m naturally good at implementing, but this unit study makes it easy!
Who Is This Good For?
So, who should purchase this unit study?
I personally think this is a great option if you have young learners and you’re taking a gentle approach to introducing academics.
If you’re looking for a fun way to do some nature study, this would be a really great tool to do that.
Finally, Sonlight’s unit studies are a great choice for homeschool families looking to study a specific topic together.
You can choose to do this over the summer, or during your school year to add some renewed interest into your days.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, I’m happy with this curriculum resource. Sonlight produces products that are high-quality and well-thought-out.
I always deeply appreciate the respect that they have for homeschool parents. It is evident in the way that they curate their instructor’s guides.
This butterfly unit study is perfect for us in this season. Instead of just putting one foot in front of the other for the rest of the homeschool year, this helps to add a bit of change and interest into our days.
Plus, it will encourage us all to get out into the sunshine a little bit more as our spring days approach.
Sonlight offers so many wonderful products. Go and check out their homeschool curriculum here.
