Earlier this year I heard about an opportunity to try out BookShark in exchange for doing an online review. Of course I said yes, its a win-win right?! I get to try out a neat curriculum and I get to share it with ya’ll! SCORE!
For those who are unfamiliar, BookShark is the sister company to Sonlight. I used Sonlight Core A with my kids last year…well, we are doing school year round so I am actually still using it. I have been happy with Sonlight so far so I was excited to check out BookShark.
What makes BookShark different? According to their website
“BookShark is a complete, literature-based, homeschool curriculum developed for Pre-K to Age 16 students. Our curriculum uses a variety of educational resources including literary fiction and nonfiction, biographies, illustrations and hands-on experiments to deliver an engaging and complete education that extends beyond textbook memorization.”
The main difference is that BookShark tries to stay religiously neutral and Sonlight is overtly Christian. I think it is safe to say it is overtly Protestant. When I spoke to a BookShark rep at a homeschool convention she said “BookShark is Sonlights religiously neutral cousin.” Seems to be pretty accurate from what I have seen.
My first reaction to hearing the words “religiously neutral” were negative. Honestly, as a Christian I find that those words usually mean “anti-Christian” but in this case I have been pleasantly surprised. It should be noted that BookShark is not anti-religious or anti-God. The curriculum simply encourages parents to have conversations with their kids about what their family believes rather than teaching a specific perspective.
Why would you choose this approach? I can think of a few reasons…
- You are of a different religious belief.
- You have a Bible curriculum your family has already invested in and enjoys so you don’t want to pay for something you won’t use.
- You plan to use the curriculum in a group setting (such as a coop) and you don’t want to include a Bible curriculum.
Of the three reasons listed above I tend to fall into category 2. I have enjoyed Sonlight’s Bible/History program but there are many other Bible curriculums I like and would want to try so it is nice to have the option to exclude the Bible portion, even if for a short time.
If you choose to purchase math through BookShark, they offer Math U See, Saxon, & Singapore. I appreciate that they give you options for this subject since it tends to be a difficult one.
BookShark only goes up to age 16 rather than 12th grade. This isn’t a big deal for me because my children are so young but it is definitely something to keep in mind. Another difference between the two curriculums is that BookShark only offers a 4 day curriculum whereas Sonlight has options for both 4 day and 5 day. This simply comes down to preference. You could easily use your day 5 as a catch up day or a day to go to coop or other extra curricular activities. You could even just take a break and only do school 4 days a week!
When I opened my BookShark box I couldn’t help but get excited. There are SO many cool books included in the curriculum. Chapter books, picture books, a timeline, a map, even some dry erase markers! Pretty much everything you need is provided. You can go to the BookShark website to see a list of everything that will be included for the level you are looking to purchase. It is incredible how much you get!
The History and Language Arts Instructor’s Guides are very easy to follow and include any activity pages you will need to complete. There is the option to purchase Handwriting Without Tears &/or Explode the Code if you choose.
I got Level 1 Reading with History and Level 1 Science (ages 6-8). Simeon LOVES science and I know that he is really going to love this one. Level 1 is all about Animals, Astronomy & Physics. It comes with an Instructor’s Guide including a schedule, books and a science DVD and kit to use throughout the year.
The instructor’s guide is exactly the same as what I am used to with Sonlight. Day 1 – Day 4 instructions and notes including a shopping list of things you will need next week when applicable (usually for science).
Pros:
- No guessing. You open your guide and know exactly what to read and do.
- Divided into 36 weeks so you have the whole year at your fingertips.
- Activity sheets included. You can also make copies if you are teaching multiple children.
- No need to buy an extra book unless you choose to do so.
- Once you have organized your guides in the binder provided it is very easy to flip to the week you are on and have all the subject’s schedules together.
- Multiple ways to organize your binder or you can use the instructions given.
- Great books!
- Good resale once you are finished with the curriculum.
- Great option for families who want an all subject option – 1 stop shop!
Cons:
- Type A personalities may become focused on completing all the tasks so they can “check the boxes”
- If you have multiple subjects with multiple IG’s it could be overwhelming.
- Because it is divided into 36 weeks rather than just 36 lessons it is possible to start feeling behind if (life happens and) you miss a week or two…or three.
- Could be potentially expensive and overwhelming if your children’s age gap is just right so that you can’t use the same level with multiple kids but they also need lots of help and can’t do much work independently.
- The books and timeline are religiously neutral so families used to a Christian curriculum may miss some of the missionary biographies and Bible timeline characters. For other people this would be a pro.
As we finish up Sonlight I really am excited to move into BookShark. I plan to use another Bible curriculum we enjoy so we won’t miss having it in the IG. I LOVE the literature based philosophy of this curriculum and I think they do a good job choosing quality books and not including a lot of “busy work” in the schedule. Our favorite time of the day is sitting together and reading aloud and with this curriculum I have a great stack of books to go through and enjoy! The IG actually has a note to parents encouraging them to skip what they don’t need/find helpful and to enjoy the time with their kids. I am 100% on board with that philosophy and appreciate the encouragement.
Note: Although I received BookShark level 1 curriculum for free in exchange for a review, this in no way effected my ability to give an honest opinion on the curriculum.
