Oak Meadow

by Katy
(Lakewood, California, USA)

Product: Oak Meadow
Subject: High School Chemistry, Elementary History, Language Arts, Science

Levels Used: 5th grade, 3rd grade

Dates Used: 2010-2011 school year

Likes: I absolutely adore this curriculum and was so happy to have found it. I especially love how the elementary subjects are combined, such as History and Language arts for 5th grade. I was naturally drawn to that approach already so this curriculum fit right in with my style.

The introduction of circle time for the 1st-3rd grades works well even for the older grades. It allows the students to begin with a morning ritual that signifies the start of our day and brings focus. This works well for secular or religious families because you can incorporate your own morning prayers, meditations, verses or poetry to go along with it.

This curriculum has just enough structure so that I know what to expect from each week but enough flexibility to allow us the freedom to move along faster or slower according to our own life needs.

I love how the curriculum for the elementary is basically broken up into 5 pieces, one for each day. It's accomplish-able chunks that don't feel over whelming. Also, we can do one subject all in one day if we feel like it.

The High school chemistry is also broken up into manageable chunks too. It includes lots of experiments to supplement the book learning.

I also like that you see the elementary reading list up front. This saved us from purchasing a lot of books we already had or that can easily be obtained from the local library. I also like that you can purchase the complete set or individual subjects. I prefer to use a different curriculum for math so I like that I am not locked into purchasing something that I really won't use.

I have found the curricula to be well rounded and absolutely lovely. It's rich content combined with ease of use earns it a thumbs up from me!

Dislikes: I am a bit lost with all the art materials that haven't been used. I am hoping they will come into play with the lessons we still have to do. Otherwise, there is not much I dislike about this curriculum.