Where to Find Answers ...

Have you ever wished you had a place to go where you find a wide variety of resources to answer your questions? I'm sure you have had the same experience that I have had in starting a search on the web for information, and following one little carrot after another on a long string of rabbit trails, which may have produced the answer you were seeking ... or it may have spawned a whole new set of questions.

I'd like to save you that long trek through the web, so I have created a website on which I link a variety of articles, podcasts, webinars and videos. Searching this blog will also provide a variety of posts concerning various topics related to homeschooling. While these resources may not answer all of the questions you have, they are easily accessed from one point, and should provide a good foundation from which to start.

Of course, if you have more questions, you are welcome to e-mail me at klutman@sonlight.com and I would be glad to answer them for you!

Happy trails to you ...

Kelly

Have a Tête-à-tête …

The term is borrowed from French, meaning “head to head,” which is a great description of discussion in the homeschool environment. Of course, the French term implies a private conversation between two people, and your discussion can include several family members, but I think you get the idea.

Narration can be part of this discussion. When you have read a book out loud to your child, or your child has read a book independently, you can use narration to determine how much the he or she grasped the content. If the book was non-fiction, ask your child to share details from what you read. Does this request leave him or her stymied? Lead off with a question, or ask your child for information regarding a particular person or event that was read. If the book was fiction, ask your child to retell the events of the story. Doing this helps him or her to practice following the plot of the story. After your child has completed the narration, you can expand on the retelling of the story by asking clarifying questions, helping your child to further explore the action in the story or the choices made by characters.

Take narration a step further and you can combine fine arts and kid creativity by having your children reenact the story. Costumes and props can be simple or they can further expand the visual aids you employ in reviewing what was read. Have artistic children? Let them draw or create 3D representations (we call these dioramas) of the story. Incorporate other subject skills by having them create a newspaper article or another form of creative writing that will go far beyond the traditional book report. Remember the enticing presentations at the end of Reading Rainbow? Those children were “selling” the book that they had read, providing just enough information and personal testimony to catch your attention and make you want to read the book, too.

Any of these methods will demonstrate your child’s grasp of the book content, and make the most of his or her creative nature.

Preparing For The New Season

Earlier this month, I was blessed to join the rest of the Sonlight Consultants in Littleton where we spent 3 days learning about new products and new developments that will be introduced in the 2013 Sonlight Catalog. This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to network with other Consultants and share ideas on how to support customers and share Sonlight with new homeschoolers.

It's always a treat to be in the Sonlight offices and be able to talk with the employees that work so hard to support Sonlighters around the world. Here you see a picture of me with Sarita Holzmann, one of the company Founders and President of Sonlight. She has such a heart for homeschoolers and works diligently to seek out great books to fill our programs with content that takes you and your family around the world and equips you to explore characters and life choices as you discuss the material with your children.

While at Sonlight, we especially enjoy venturing into the warehouse - wandering the aisles, looking at the vast inventory of books that make up all the Sonlight programs, even stopping to flip through the pages of a book we haven't seen before. I get particularly excited to see the row of library carts filled with books waiting to be packed and shipped to a family somewhere in the world. I can picture their "Box Day" experience, just like I enoyed with my boys ... a large box in the center of the living room, packing peanuts or crumpled paper strewn around, books piled on the floor or coffee table, and a boy with a new book on couch, chair or floor. Wonderful times!

So what do you have to look forward to in the new catalog? I can't give you all the details, but there are some fascinating new computer programming courses for 4th graders and older, along with some exciting changes in the high school levels. And there are always a few new books added as Sarita and her team find titles that will engage your children's minds and light a fire in their hearts.

Stay tuned ... the catalog will be out in about a month!

Kelly