As homeschoolers we have complete freedom to educate our children as we see fit. We have control over our schedules, our curriculum, etc. While having the freedom to choose is awesome, it can also be overwhelming sometimes.
I have seen many homeschool curriculum companies adding planning/scheduling help with their curriculum. Having a plan already laid out can help you visualize how the curriculum works, and even if you don’t use the exact schedule it offers a framework for you to work with. Sonlight is one of those companies. In particular, I’d like to talk about their homeschool science scheduling which is built into their Discover & Do Science Curriculum.
{I received Sonlight Discover & Do Science F for free and was compensated for my time in writing this review. All views are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.}
A Little About Sonlight Discover & Do Science
Sonlight Discover & Do Science Kits are designed to provide everything you need to complete a year of science in your homeschool, including lab supplies.
“Teach your children to think like a scientist, to use the skills and practices that real scientists use. Each weekly experiment helps bring to life the scientific content read each week. Sonlight’s great books provide the context, while the experiments help students apply scientific practices and principles to the topics they read about each week.“
Discover & Do Components
- Instructor’s Guide – The Sonlight Discover & Do Kits are anchored by the extensive Instructor’s Guide.
- Quality Literature – Each level has hand selected literature to serve as the context for the science. Bright colorful science text, picture books, and more!
- Worksheets – Weekly worksheets that correspond to the reading a provided, along with an answer key
- Hands-On Science Experiments – Every week there is a hands-on science experiment to be completed. Detailed instructions and most of the supplies are provided in the kit.
Homeschool Science Scheduling with Sonlight Science
Sonlight Discover & Do Science curriculum offers you the choice of either 4 or 5 day a week schedules. In my early years of homeschooling I planned and we formally schooled 5 days a week. But as we progressed farther into our schooling I realized I wanted to switch to a 4 day homeschool week. I love that Sonlight provides you the opportunity to choose what is best for your homeschool.
Planning a 4 Day Homeschool Week
Using a 4 day homeschool week schedule allowed us down time, time to catch up if we were behind, and room for fun field trips and play dates with friends.
Keeping that one day a week open was life changing in our house! I have found that building in “relief” time is SO important. It allows projects to overflow and take on a life of their own, it allows for sick days and pop up field trips, and for a struggling learner to get the extra time and help with something without feeling behind.
So when I ordered Sonlight Discover & Do F I chose the 4 Day a week lesson plans. (Yes they send you completely different plans based on whether you choose 4 or 5 days a week!)
How Homeschool Science Scheduling Works with 4 Day Weeks
The main thing to remember with scheduling 4 day weeks vs. 5 day weeks is that the daily workload will most likely be a little more because you are covering the material in less days. I have never found this to be a huge issue as with homeschooling you can typically cover material in much less time then you would in a classroom. Plus with scheduling a 4 day homeschool week you have automatically built in extra time in case you get behind on something.
The Sonlight Science Homeschool Science Scheduling is 36 week schedule where you look at one week at a time. The scheduling sheet leaves you a place to write in the dates you are completing that week, as well as everything you will need to do each day.
Homeschool Science Scheduling with Sonlight Includes:
Each schedule sheet is set up like a grid for ease or use and includes:
- 4 Day Columns
- Lists books to be read from (with exact page numbers)
- Optional activities
- Supplies needed for the week
- Shopping/Planning notes where you are informed of things needed for the coming week
The planner even incudes summaries of what is read on the pages assigned in each book!
The majority of the weeks have students reading and doing accompanying worksheets for 3 days, and then a hands-on experiment for the 4th day. I like that the schedule is consistent. It helps kids to know what to expect and helps you plan your other subjects accordingly.
More Planning & Scheduling Resources
Homeschool Planners & Planning Resources – This collection of homeschool planners and planning resources is sure to spark some ideas and help you streamline your homeschool planning process!
You may be asking yourself, “Why should I use a homeschool planner? Or even spend so much time planning?”
The short answer is to save yourself time and frustration throughout the year. When you take the time to organize your thoughts and plan out your homeschool year, it helps to keep you on track when you are in the swim of busy life.
Homeschool planning also helps you visualize what you want to accomplish and create a plan for doing so in the time you have allotted.
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