Disclaimer: Complimentary Product Received.
Cash and I review a lot of curriculum. But we’ve never used anything quite like Oak Meadow. Since this is the year of our infamous “Grade Skip” for my Gifted Learner, I wanted to look at something that would offer an easy transition and that we could jump into immediately without having done their previous grade levels.
We found all that and more in Oak Meadow, Grade 3. The curriculum contains everything you need for:
• Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Math
• Science
• Art & Crafts
• Music
• Health
There are 36 Weeks of lessons, and it has all of the lesson plans and assignments for a full academic year. In your Grade 3 package you’ll find a Coursebook with lesson plans, a Resource Book of teaching tips, an overview, worksheets, and recipes, and Music book (Oak Meadow Advanced Recorder).
Also included with the Core materials for Grade 3, are :
• Handwriting: Cursive Practice by Highlights Learning
• The Velveteen Rabbit
• Charlotte’s Web
• Winnie the Pooh
• Cooking Class Cookbook
• Wishtree
• The Wind in the Willows
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
• The All-New Woodworking for Kids
You can purchase most of Oak Meadow’s books and Core materials individually, including a Yamaha Recorder for Music and Craft Kits. And the K-3 Essentials package, which only needs to be purchased once for use in those grade levels, can be added on as well if you hadn’t purchased it for a previous grade. It includes The Heart of Learning, OM Guide to Teaching the Early Grades, OM Crafts for the Early Grades, OM Circle Time CD, and Healthy Living From the Start.
First let me say, this was not what I was expecting. I’ve reviewed lots of curriculum in the past but had not yet run into a curriculum like Oak Meadow. Before the review had even began, I’d heard a lot about Oak Meadow, but still wasn’t sure what to expect. Parents that use it, swear by it, and the only downside I had previously encountered was price, though any opinions on that end were quickly amended with a declaration of “It’s worth it.” Considering, I was reviewing a complimentary product, I could evaluate it objectively on merit alone and decide at the end of the review if the product and price were comparable.
Well, it is. I can also say, It’s worth it.
This curriculum is an investment in your child’s education. Even deeper, it’s an investment in who you want them to become as people. That’s a pretty deep statement and a heavy burden to put on a curriculum – but as homeschoolers we have the freedom to provide our children with the most enriching materials we can find for them and the only administrative opinion in that decision is within your individual family. So spend the money. A good education is money well spent. If the desire to add Oak Meadow to your homeschool is there but not the finances, I encourage you to investigate their site for payments options. They are there. This is doable.
Now, let’s get into the curriculum itself.
This is not the strict, schedule heavy curriculum you might be use to. You work at your own pace, choose what you’d like your children to tackle, and go deep. As Eclectic Unschoolers, I thought we were already there. Our learning is primarily child led and very hands on. Oak Meadow taught me that I was only scratching the surface of what a deep study really looks like. As a Mama who felt she had it mostly together, I was shook.
Using a Waldorf philosophy, Oak Meadow teaches your children to self assess, manage their time wisely, and best of all, THINK. There are tons of free choice projects, reflective writing, real life math application, and beautiful things throughout. Do not neglect to learn with your child, and best of all to slow down. I found myself working beside Cash on assignments. And becoming a better person because of it.
Let’s talk about that “schedule” again. Cash has always been very involved in deciding what and how he learns. Each Week – in the Coursebook – you can work on your weekly planner. For my Planner Parents, you’ll love this. Your planner is blank, but you fill in what things you would like to work on and when. At the top of the calendar, you are given the subjects, and along the sides the days, 1-7. We often have classes on weekends and skip a weekday, so I loved that they account for how different our homeschools are. Under the subjects, you are given a suggested number of days for each subject area.
Language Arts – 3 times a week
Social Studies – 3 times a week
Math – 3 times a week
Science – 2 times a week
Arts & Crafts, Music, and Health – 1-2 times a day and a minimum of 3 times a week
On Sunday nights, when I sit down to plan out that week’s schedule, Cash sits with me and picks what he wants to do, which is often dictated by the week’s planned outings. For my Nature Schoolers and Outdoor Lovers this entire curriculum thrives in Nature and is very portable. If your kid likes strict regimen and sitting still completing worksheets this is probably not the curriculum for you. Your kids will be creating art, cooking treats, recording observations over time, and becoming Makers. Oak Meadow helps you produce a “Renaissance Learner” that explores a number of disciplines.
To explain everything you’ll study in Oak Meadow Grade 3 would be more than you want to read here. Instead, I’ll highlight a few of our favorite things:
1. Writing in Cursive
2. Place Value up to 12 digits
3. Drawing a Multiplication Chart
4. Writing in Hebrew
5. Recording the Moon
6. Making a Water Clock
7. Studying the Ancient African Civilization of Kush
8. Reading The Wind in the Willows
9. Experiencing Form using Clay.
10. Telling Stories around the fire.
If you’re looking for a study that will do more than simply teach your child, this is it. To say that Oak Meadow is a spiritual learning experience would not be an overstatement. I’m a convert. And so is my son. When you see your child, going through the course materials and get excited about what he’s about to learn, you’ve definitely chosen a winner.
Thank You Oak Meadow and the Melanated Gold Review Squad for giving us the opportunity to review the Grade 3 Curriculum and for giving us yet another wonderful option to share with fellow Learning at Enthusiasts.
Reviewed Curriculum Link: https://www.oakmeadowbookstore.com/PreK-8-Curriculum/Third-Grade/Grade-3-Package.html
@Mamasweetbaby 
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