Box Day!

 

BOX DAY!

So, Friday turned out to be Box Day!  I had ordered on Monday but didn't know that the curriculum package would come in so quickly.

Sonlight users all over the world usually take photos of their kids diving into their schoolbooks on Box Day- I don't think any other curriculum would be so fun to receive. Read why after the pics...

This year our box was much bigger than last year. I was suprised, even though I had read the book lists. In reality it's a lot of books. I'm excited to dive in... and the kids were too. This year we also received a Language Arts set and a Science set along with the Core package. All this is for Micah for First Grade. Allie's books are already sitting on the shelf for her Pre-school work this year because (I love this part) Sonlight Core's are 90% reusable!

Here is a blog of other posts from people all over the world on their Box Day-

Sonlight Box Day Blog

But on to our pics-

 

Why so many books? Instead of 4 or 5 textbooks or 15 workbooks, we have about 60 great books!

Sonlight provides a rich collection of living books and educational books full of wonderful information and illustrations. 'Living Books' refers to a concept from a style of education founded by Charlotte Mason in the 1900's in England. There is a whole philosophy of education that she embodied and taught. Living Books refer to real books written by one author (not a committee like in textbooks) which provide wonderful learning experiences tucked neatly inside of a book with good characters and interesting story. The 'living books' provide an exciting context for learning about history, science and the Bible as well as character training.

Here are a few other explanations about Living Books-

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A “living book” is usually written by an author who is very knowledgeable about his subject, many times in an experiential way. The author tends to write from a love of his subject, one that propels him to write with an enthusiasm that excites the imagination of the reader and carries him along as though experiencing the subject first-hand. -HomeHearts Blog

Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it’s easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.” They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form. - Simply Charlotte Mason.com

"Stories are some of the most powerful and influential things a child will ever encounter. Children should hear good stories, positive stories, and inspiring stories. Stories help children learn what it means to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. When the stories are true-about real people and real life-children should hear them more than once. They should hear them again and again, reinforcing the positive messages and incorporating them into their own character. I know from experience that the right story, at the right time, can literally change the course of a young child’s life. They’ve changed mine" -Renee Meloche

I will be sharing more about the books we are reading and our other schoolwork and also more about the Charlotte Mason style of Homeschooling.

Thanks for Reading our Story!

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