Category: Oak Meadow Curriculum
These blog posts feature lessons, guidance, and activities that come directly from Oak Meadow’s homeschooling curriculum.
How long is a typical homeschool day?
Many homeschooling families wonder how long a typical homeschool day should be. The answer is that this varies for each student and each family, and will change as the child gets older. In the early grades, the parent is completely involved in the learning process, but as the child moves through the grades, more and
Continue readingTeaching Reading & Writing: Oak Meadow’s Approach
In the early grades (K-2), Oak Meadow’s primary focus in language arts is building a strong foundation of skills needed for reading and writing. Our approach is gentle and no-pressure; we believe children begin to read and write when they are ready. The development of literacy is a complex task that involves two primary skills:
Continue readingOutdoor Activities for Homeschoolers: Take Inspiration from Literary Adventures!
Literature often inspires nature activities, and it’s fun to carry literary themes into the outdoors. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George tells an amazing story of a boy who decides to live in the wild, and he finds a hollowed-out tree to make his home. Older readers may be intrigued by Call
Continue readingPaper Marbling
This craft activity is taken from Oak Meadow’s 6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Curriculum. Paper marbling, an activity in our 6th Grade Ancient Civilizations course, is a beautiful craft activity that unleashes your child’s creativity. Use this handmade paper to frame your student’s work; or you can marble envelopes along with sheets of writing paper to
Continue readingNew MLA Guidelines for Citing Sources
When writing a research report or an essay, it’s important that you know the rules and guidelines for writing a bibliography, using images, or using quotations from research sources. Oak Meadow students are asked to use the MLA style of creating and formatting citations. Quick Guide to MLA Citations In 2016, the Modern Language Association
Continue readingOak Meadow and Waldorf
by Lawrence Williams, EdD, Oak Meadow president and co-founder Click to view a PDF version of this article Since its inception, Oak Meadow has been strongly influenced by Waldorf education. In 1973, I spent a year training as a Waldorf teacher, and it was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. When Oak
Continue readingI didn’t think I wanted to homeschool at first…
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Amy Tudor. You can follow her homeschooling adventures on Instagram at amy.tudor and find her articles in Taproot magazine. We’re thrilled to have her share her homeschooling story. Homeschooling never appealed to me. We live in a remote Vermont forest with very few other children nearby. My
Continue readingKnitting Suggestions
Rhythmic handwork is part of Oak Meadow’s coursework for grades one through three. For this post, K-8 Oak Meadow teachers teamed up to offer some suggestions and simple alternatives that will help to meet the “heart” of handwork, specifically in teaching the technique of knitting. Meg Minehan: My suggestions are to first try finger knitting, the
Continue readingThe Benefit of Traditional Tales – Part Two
“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.” – Sleeping Beauty Fairy tales and other traditional stories offer children many chances to witness the struggle of “good” versus “evil.” By introducing this in oral story form, children can connect with the parts that are important for their individual development at that point in time.
Continue readingThe Benefit of Traditional Tales – Part One
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein Fairy tales and other traditional stories are an essential part of childhood development, which is why they have lived on for centuries as a rich oral tradition and have remained
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