Author: Oak Meadow Author
Planning for Success: Using a Weekly Planner to Find the Rhythm in Your Homeschooling Life
by DeeDee Hughes, Director of Curriculum Development at Oak Meadow How many times have you planned your day in your head, only to forget half of what you wanted to do? Or maybe, like me, you make lists — leaving notes here and there all over the house — and then lose track of the
Continue reading10 Reasons Why Oak Meadow May Be the Perfect Fit for You
What are you looking for in a home learning program? Would Oak Meadow be a good match for your family? See if any of the following points resonate with you: 1. Being actively involved in your child’s learning feels right to you. You appreciate your child as an individual and enjoy spending time with them.
Continue readingWhat I wish I’d known before our two decades of homeschooling
by June M. Schulte, former Oak Meadow parent When we began homeschooling in 1982, our eldest was just over seven years old, the legal age for school in Vermont. Although we were doing a lot with our children – reading aloud, making crafts, singing, dancing and so on – we weren’t quite sure which things
Continue readingThoughts on Perfectionism
By Leslie Ann Daniels, Oak Meadow teacher My Oak Meadow colleagues and I often receive inquiries from home teachers regarding their child’s desire for perfectionism and the many frustrations that accompany this need. Working with children who display perfectionist tendencies can be quite challenging, so it is a valuable issue to address. What Is a
Continue readingMy Journey with Oak Meadow
by Lucy Enge, Oak Meadow high school student Published in September 2016 My journey with Oak Meadow began in the fall when I was almost six. My parents had decided to homeschool me (for kindergarten) using Oak Meadow’s curriculum; they liked the Waldorf influence. And we continued our journey with OM homeschooling through the eighth
Continue readingHow old should my child be when starting Oak Meadow kindergarten?
In general, our kindergarten curriculum correlates developmentally with age 5 and grade 1 with age 6. Therefore, we encourage families to wait until age 5 before beginning kindergarten. However, every child’s development is unique, and so there really is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Families following a Waldorf pedagogy often don’t start first grade until their children
Continue readingMotivating Middle Schoolers
There is no doubt that middle school students can be difficult to engage at times, and this can be especially true for home teachers who are also parents. Middle school aged students hold on fiercely to their newly discovered independence, and at the same time they need some guidance while they learn to develop their
Continue readingBooks for Kindergarten Students
No matter where your student is in their homeschooling year, reading books together is a wonderful way to supplement children’s learning and engage their imagination. This is especially important for the preschool and kindergarten aged students, so the Oak Meadow teachers teamed up and shared some of their favorite books for kindergarten: Leslie Daniels: One
Continue reading12 Characteristics of Successful Learners
Successful learning may happen organically, but it does not happen accidentally. One might be surrounded with rich educational resources, but without key capabilities, those learning opportunities will go untapped. What makes a successful learner? Successful learners… …are leaders in their own learning. …engage with the world around them. …question everything. …think for themselves. …are driven by
Continue readingAddressing Concerns About Homeschooling
Homeschooling is a big step for many of us. It requires the conviction that we know better than anyone else when it comes to our children’s needs (or our own). We may have already had courageous exchanges with teachers, school officials, and other experts whose job requires them to look out for the well-being of
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