Oak Meadow 6 Review

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It’s that time! We’ve been doing yearly reviews of Oak Meadow for years, I am STOKED to be giving you a closer look at Oak Meadow 6 today! 

Oak MeadowNeed curriculum for a younger child?
Oak Meadow Reviews: Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Oak Meadow’s Sixth Grade program has been going wonderfully for Bug. He’s been working with the curriculum for years, and every year when we start a new level, I feel like I have a big ‘ole light bulb going off above my head. I know reasonably that a curriculum will build on itself and grow with the child from year to year, but seeing it in action is something else entirely.

If you aren’t familiar with Oak Meadow, this is a complete curriculum-in-a-box that just happens to think outside of the box. The curriculum relies heavily on nature and works with your life and routine instead of against it. For example, when your kids are little, chores are a part of the school day, and as they grow older, they are encouraged to spend time outdoors and exploring their world. It’s been called gentle, and creative, and complete- and it is all of those things, and so much more. You can read more about their philosophy on their website, and see more of our experience in our archives.

On to Grade Six! See What’s in the Box, and read about our experience:

What’s Different?

OM

I am sad to report that Bug is totally different. Bug is getting older, and for the first time ever, he gave me a bit of a hard time for wanting to photograph his school work. He’s normally quite easy going, but these days he is more likely to get embarrassed (see that awkward laughter ^^^^) and want me to take a step back.

Oak Meadow Grade Six is prepared for this change. The curriculum includes student books for Bug, and a teacher’s book for me. The student books are intended to be used quite independently. This year, the books have additional lines down the sides of the pages for Bug to take notes, a student planner for him to organize his week and track his studies, and assessment pages for us to evaluate where he stands. The books include the crutches he needs to be independent and tools for me to support him.

OM1

Each year has come with higher expectations with writing, and this year has again made a leap into expecting more writing, with more detail. Every day it seems like Bug is writing anywhere between 1-3 pages, with assignments in language arts, history and science. He’s taking notes, writing responses, coming up with creative stories, and so much more.

Because of the additional writing, I feel like he’s taking more time on the curriculum this year as compared to previous years. That too, is to be expected as the kids grow up. I feel like the progression from fourth to fifth to sixth grade has been very purposeful and smooth, so we only had a little difficulty in the first week or two getting used to the slightly longer school day.

This year also includes tests and assessments, as well as rubrics to make evaluating your student’s progress easier. We haven’t done many tests in the past with Bug, but now that we are moving closer to middle school, I feel like it’s important to start teaching him study and test taking skills.

A Closer Look at the Curriculum:

Oak Meadow Grade 6

One of my favorite things about Oak Meadow is how they tie together language arts, history and art. This year is all about ancient civilizations, which lends itself to many fun activities.

In history, the kids will read a selection from their student books, then they’ll do mapwork, hands-on activities, acting, art . . . basically all the fun things you wish you could have done in history class.

Your student may create clay figures like they did in the stone age, or study renaissance art and try their own drawing, or act out a Shakespeare play. They can research and learn more about the important people who lived at the time, and write a creative journal entry from their perspective.

In language arts, your students will use vocabulary from their history studies (and sometimes science). They’ll work on writing skills and learn to write essays. They’ll read fiction to complement their history studies.

OM3

Sixth-grade science focuses on basic life science. The student book includes reading which teaches scientific concepts in a clear, child-friendly way. Then, the student chooses from experiments, additional research projects and writing assignments to round out their week. The activities are hands-on and balance well with the additional reading.

Observations

Final Thoughts:

I *love* this level. Granted, I love everything we’ve tried from Oak Meadow but I REALLY love the sixth-grade level. It’s been interesting to see the progression the curriculum and watch it grow up with Bug. This year, I really feel that the challenge level is just high enough to make him really think (and feel quite grown up) but not high enough to overwhelm his (admittedly oversensitive) nature.

Cat

I love that the curriculum still ties in everyday life to his activities. For example, this week in science he was learning about making observations, and he spent the week keeping close track of our cat. He watched the things he did, and made inferences as to why he behaves the way he does. It was such a simple way to learn about observing little things, but it was a fun activities that all the kids enjoyed together.

Everything in Oak Meadow feels like that- simple and easy. I love that this program helps us find reasonable learning opportunities. Because the history and art and activities and literature are intertwined, lessons don’t seem overwhelming or time-consuming. It all just flows from one activity to the next. It’s laid back.

I love laid back.

 

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479 Comments

  1. I would love to have the 7th or 8th grade level! My oldest would love this program to death. She did their 6th grade science (a hand-me-down from a cousin :)) over the summer just for fun, because she liked the book so much, so I know she would enjoy their full curriculum.

  2. This sounds like a great curriculum. My girls are in 6th grade and the science sounds like it would be a great fit!

  3. Would absolutely be thrilled and would truly LOVE to have OM’s third grade curriculum! =) Thanks a million for the chance!

  4. I look forward to getting to this level. I want my girl to stay small, but as a former 5th grade teacher, I just love this age range!

  5. We would choose grade 6 because that is what our boys will be doing. But I will probably be buying Kindergarten as well for my two younger children. Thank you again for the site, the review, and the chance to win.

  6. It would be an absolute blessing to have the third grade curriculum for next year! Thank you for the opportunity to win . I’m excited for the drawing!

  7. Thank-you for the review on the 6th grade curriculum. This would be the level my son will be progressing in to shortly and it sounds like it would be interesting for him. Would love to win it!

  8. We would LOVE to win! I think we would be going with the k or grade 1 curriculum 🙂 Would be a nice late birthday present (my birthday is tomorrow) The curriculum just sounds so perfect for us!

  9. What an inspiring curriculum! It will be hard to decide between the 5th and the 8th grade for my 2 grandsons. I especially like the thoughtful composition challenges in your curriculum and the way you incorporate the spelling and grammar.

  10. That sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to win this curriculum. I would need 6th grade for my girls.

  11. I would love to try out Grade 5 because that is the grade my oldest is going into. Love all the hands on work.
    Thanks for Sharing.

  12. I would love to try a curriculum that does not have many consumables.
    I would love to try 2nd or 5th grade

  13. Amazing giveaway!! Thank you for this awesome opportunity! I would love to receive the Kindergarten curriculum, the First grade curriculum would be wonderful for the future classroom.
    Thank you so very much for this chance!

  14. I think this looks like a great fit for my daughter. I would choose 5th grade, but I’d also like 3rd or K.

  15. I would love to try this curriculum! I requested a catalog and it appears to align with what we’ve been doing, but I have a hard time committing to something new.

  16. I would probably choose level six. My son has Aspergers & ODD, so it is hard to try out new things. I usually cannot afford to try new things,so I like the chance to try this out.

  17. Oak meadow sounds like my 4th grader would really enjoy it. It would be fun to try something new. We need a new challenge.

  18. This is an awesome opportunity for a family new to homeschooling! The curriculum sounds intriguing in its format. As we are just starting I’d love to try the first grade level, we have been doing lots of early learning already and ì worry how to proceed into grade school.

  19. It would be hard to choose next year we’re looking at grades 2 4 and 6. The review on grade 6 sounds so good, maybe that one!

  20. I would love to try the Kindergarten level. We are a personalized learning pilot school and I think this would help my learners with their learning success.

  21. I have been eying Oak Meadow ever since we began homeschooling. I’m not sure why we haven’t tried it yet. I like the idea that it appears that its natural learning. It’s like you go about your day, but filled with so many learning experiences. I would love to try 3rd grade.

  22. I have a 7th grader and 6th grader this year, so I would probably do the 7th grade for next year. Thanks so much for offering this!

  23. I am so excited because I have been following your posts on Oak Meadow and I can’t wait to try it with my kids! I have one who is in 4th this year (and I pieced together my own curriculum) but I plan on using Oak Meadow next year! I also have a little one that will hit the preschool age soon and I will see how the preschool program works for us! Thank you for so much insight and information!!!

  24. This curriculum looks great! I would love to win grade 6 for my son. It really looks like it would be a good fit for him.

  25. Looks like an all inclusive curriculum which is high quality and that is hard to find. So I would be thrilled to be able to use it with a 3rd grader.

  26. I currently homeschool an 8th grader and a 6th grader. So next year I would need 7th grade curriculum. It would be exciting to use new curriculum! Ours has gone through many hands and years!

  27. We are currently using Moving Beyond the Page but have been wondering if Oak Meadow would be a better fit.

  28. This looks like a great all in one curriculum. I usually piece together each subject but imagine this would make things much easier for me when it comes to planning.

  29. Oak Meadow seems like it would fit my children to a tee! I have a 7, 8, and 15 year old ( all boys) and we love theme units and I think this would be great for both of the younger boys! I would probably choose 2nd grade. Thanks for this opportunity!

  30. This seems so well put together, I think this is the curriculum for my family, 7th grade is coming up soon as well

  31. I wish I’d known about this curriculum 6 years ago! But I think I would choose Preschool level for my youngest, or Grade 3. Hard to choose! Thank you so much for the chance.

  32. Your review highlights all the creative parts of Oak Meadow and makes me want to try it again. I would choose 6th grade for my soon-to-be 11-year-old daughter.

  33. I’ve been quite curious about Oak Meadow for a few years now and your reviews made me more so. I would like to try year three with my oldest!

  34. I would love to be able to win Oak Meadow’s 1st Grade curriculum!! We are at the beginning of our homeschooling journey. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worthwhile.

  35. I’m thinking 3rd or 4th for My Daughter with delayed Learning/HF Autism…..Thank You for this opportunity!

  36. Being a beginner homeschool this year has not been easy. So trying a different curriculumn could show me as a parent what else is out there. My son would benefit from the oak meadow 6 curriculum I believe.

  37. Currently we have 2nd grade, 4th grade, 6th grade, and 9th grader…so we would love 3rd, 5th, 7th, or 10th grades, or any grade in between 3rd and up. 🙂
    Thank you!

  38. I continue to read every review you have released and others. I also frequently stalk their site. I believe the curriculum will fit my family well but unable to make the jump to using it because of budget restrictions. Hope I win for either my rising 4th grade son or my 1st grade daughter. But leaning more toward using it for my son.

  39. This giveaway of a level of Oak Meadow will be such a blessing to a family, thank you for the giveaway!

  40. Do you feel that oak meadow grade levels parallel the public schools? This will be our first year and I am wondering if purchasing the “next grade” for my kiddos is the appropriate thing to do or if it is a bit more fluid i.e. based on where that current child ‘s interests lie? Thanks

  41. I’ve been following Oak Meadows FB page and website for a year now. I love so much of what I read about them. We’d love to have an opportunity to check out their curriculum. Thanks for the review! 🙂

  42. That’s a hard choice, I think I’d pick 5th grade. (But K and 2nd are other options, decisions, decisions)

  43. Thank you for your in depth review! I’ve found it hard to find reviews that really give you an understanding of what “a day in the life looks like!” We are looking forward to trying 2 and K next year.

  44. I’d like to try out 1st grade. Im homeschooling in multiple grades and i feel like Oak Meadow would be a great fit for my daughter.

  45. I would love to win a year of Oak Meadow, I keep looking at the8th grade, but there are so many great options I find it hard to choose which one.

  46. I appreciate the good, detailed review of this program. I am leaning toward 8th grade, my daughter would love this for next year.

  47. We love Oak Meadow and have followed it loosely for the last couple years. We are now ready to jump in with a full year. We would be using 4th Grade.

  48. I’ve been homeschooling for years and I”ve never tried Oak Meadow. I’d be interested to see what it is all about.

  49. I really would love to win this! We’re starting kindergarten this year and coming up with the funds for the curriculum is proving to be harder than expected! I’ve looked through oak meadow and this is exactly what we’re looking for as a curriculum!

  50. I need the 7th grade curriculum for my daughter. I don’t have any curriculum for junior high for her or know where to get it and she needs something like this. I’ve looked into it but couldn’t afford it. This would mean a lot and take a load off. I am dealing with two progressive neurological conditions and am worried without this she’ll have to return to public school where neither one of us wants her to go. We would love to try this curriculum out. Thank you for the excellent review.

  51. I really hope I win this. I cant afford to use OM and this would be an amazing chance, I would pick the grade 2. 😀

  52. I was just curious, do you use OM with your younger kids too? How do-able would you think 1st and 4th grade would be? I think this curriculum looks so awesome,I’m sure my kids would love all the hands on, art, and nature, …and I’m also trying to gauge reality. Oh I also have a busy almost 2 year old running around too;). Any advice? Thx!

  53. This is a wonderful giveaway! Thank you for sharing and for giving us the opportunity to win it. I would choose 4th grade for my daughter, Alyssa. It seems like a perfect fit and would be a blessing to win it. I’ve never used this curriculum before but I read many rave reviews about it.

  54. I’m very excited to join our Oak Meadow journey this fall! This curriculum seems like a perfect fit for our daughter’s personality!

  55. I think Oak Meadow would be perfect for my girls, thanks for the great review! Can’t decide between 6th or 8th grade.

  56. I would be hard pressed to choose but I guess 3rd. My two are 1st/2nd so this would be our best choice. I had not heard of them before so thank you.

  57. I would choose 2nd grade. I just bought the kindergarten and first grade, would be lovely to have an additional one for free!

  58. I think I would pick grade 2 or 3 at this point. I would be beyond excited to win this! My child really needs this in the life right now and I cant afford it.

  59. Wow, this is amazing! I would choose 2nd grade for my son if I won. We started homeschooling him last year, and I admit it wasn’t as easy as i’d hoped it’d be. I’ve never heard of Oak Meadow, so i’m really excited to have come across your review. We have been looking into other curriculum for next year already because we felt like our son struggled with phonics a lot with the curriculum we used.

  60. Thank you for your guidance and posts on Oak Meadows. I would choose 4th grade for positive. Love this giveaway. Thank you so very much for the opportunity to enter. 🙂

  61. I would choose the Kindergarten package. Thank you for this amazing chance. It would be a huge blessing. Fingers crossed.

  62. I would LOVE to use 4th and 1st grade with my kids this next year. This curriculum looks like it would be a beautiful breath of fresh air for our family!

  63. Sounds fantastic! I am in love with the idea of Oak Meadow but have yet to try it. Thanks for the opportunity. Blessings!

  64. I love looking through your blog, we are still working on preschool but I’m always looking for great deals on higher level curriculum. I’m loving all your great printables as well! Thanks so much!

  65. I would love to do oak meadow’s programs. I’ve heard so much about them. My daughter will be going into preschool so that’s the curriculum i would be interested in. Thanks for the chance to win!

  66. We’ve used OM in the past, but have used more of an unschooly approach due to our financial situation. We would LOVE to get our hands on the second grade OM curriculum for next year!

  67. Entering to win, it will be to God if I win or not. If God wants us to use this curriculum, I will win. It sounds interesting and a bit different. Different is good.

  68. I am wanting to look over the 1st and 2nd grade curriculum before I decide. I have been curious about this curriculum and plan to go over all your reviews this weekend and investigate it further. Thank you for the opportunity and the information!

  69. I would love to get the 3rd grade set for next school year! Just beginning our homeschool adventure next week with 2nd and Kinder.

  70. This curriculum sounds so beautiful and encourages the love of learning. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and the awesome sale!

  71. We have used Kinder Oak Meadow in the past. Next year, we would be ready for 2nd grade Oak Meadow. The pace, the centering it gives us and the focus on nature make this curriculum a favorite of mine.

  72. I would choose the 1st grade curriculum. I have a son going into first next year! ! Thank you for sharing this giveaway! !

  73. My daughter would love to try the 3rd grade curriculum, oak Meadow does seem like the best fit for her. Today she turned 8.

  74. Sounds wonderful – have been looking at Oak Meadow. We would get the middle school (about 8th grade).

  75. We focused on unit studies for Kindergarten. I think my little one is ready to dive into full-fledged curriculum, so we would need first grade! 🙂

  76. This would be amazing. I am trying to come up with something that will work for my son for next year. He is definitely an outside the box kid. Oak Meadow looks amazing, but isn’t in our budget. I’d love to try it.

  77. we have kids ages 14, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2…..so not sure what I would choose, Probably a 1st or 2nd so all the younger ones could learn together.

  78. How amazing! I would love to win grade two or three, as I have kids who will be in third, second and first (ish) next year. I appreciate all you offer to your page friends. Thanks for the chance!

  79. I would mos.t definitely choose PreK. I have an upcoming 4 year old and would love to try a new curriculum this year. He is autistic with a significant speech delay so I love the idea of a hands on, go at your own pace, laid back curriculum. Thank you

  80. I would choose grade 3 or 4 for my youngest. I keep looking at this curriculum as a nice change that he would thrive with. The only hesitation is cost since we have older materials on hand from his big brother and sister.

  81. This is an amazing giveaway!! 🙂 We would be looking at the second grade curriculum for our young lady. Good luck to all!

  82. Thank you for your awesome review. Never heard of Oak Meadow but would love to try it! Grade 3 program would be great! Thanks!

  83. We would choose Grade 4 for our oldest son. It would be a great opportunity to try Oak Meadow and then add my younger to OM for Grade 2.

  84. Sounds like an AMAZING curriculum! Thank you so much for the opportunity to win. Sounds PERFECT for my son who will be starting 4th grade next year. He is brilliant but gets bored and then distracted with many of the curriculum choices we have tried. We would love the chance to use and review this resource. THANKS AGAIN!!!!

  85. It’s only my 2nd year of homeschooling, and I’ve never heard of Oak Meadow curriculum. I have a 2nd and 4th grader this year. So I will probably choose the 5th grade to do for next year for my daughter.

  86. I have always been interested to try Oak Meadow. I have a 5th grader coming up and I would love to have him give this curriculum a whirl.

  87. We have been searching for a curriculum that fits our everyday life! This sounds like it! Thank you for the opportunity to win.

  88. I would do 4th grade to be sure the challenge is where my oldest needs it to be and then I can use it with my younger when he reaches that level as well.

  89. I would choose Kindergarten for my twins. I love the way people explain that the curriculum ties subjects together. The whole child approach to learning is what I consider ideal.

  90. We’ve been looking into Oak Meadow for awhile now but have been nervous about the cost. It would be nice to enter into first grade with a full curriculum!

  91. I liked the idea of Oak Meadow from the first time I saw it a couple years ago, but just couldn’t get myself to spend that much on a comprehensive curriculum that we might not like. (Cheaper to replace only one or two items if we don’t like them, when bought as a pieced together curriculum.)

    If I won, I’d choose first grade.

  92. OAK MEADOW IS INDEED A GREAT RESOURCES FOR HOME SCHOOL PARENTS,IT WILL BE GREAT TO HAVE A VARIETY OF THE PRODUCTS SO THAT WE CAN PROMOTE IT IN OUR HOME SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

  93. Oak Meadow has been on my radar since I decided to homeschool my son but it’s currently cost prohibitive. We would go with Level 2, if lucky enough to win. What a great giveaway!

  94. Need any level of middle school grades, so probably would start with Grade 6 & move on from there. Would really love this!

  95. OMK! We are just getting into Oak Meadow, and are looking at buying used just to make sure it’s a great fit for us before spending the money for OM1 next year. So far everything we’ve seen and been told has been amazing! We’re so excited to start this journey, and winning a set of new Cirriculum would definitely start us off on the best foot. 🙂

  96. I would probably purchase the grade 2 or 3 level for my munchkin for next year. I’ve been eyeing Oak Meadow for a while now since I feel like we need a revamp of our curriculum. This give away is amazing.

  97. This will be our first full year using the Oak Meadow curriculum. We loved it so much! Thanks for providing the amazing reviews. It’s wonderful to see what’s to come!

  98. I really appreciate your reviews. We are in the middle of First grade right now and really loving it. 🙂 I look forward to next year and 2nd grade. 🙂

  99. I love the beauty of the Oak Meadow curriculum, and would love for my children to continue to use it year after year. Thank you for your reviews- I love the sneak peeks. 🙂 Thank you for the generous giveaway, and the chance to win.

    Also, I wish the Oak Meadow came with an orange cat like yours. What a snuggly, handsome cat. 🙂

  100. With 6 children in school here we could use any grade! 🙂 But I choose 4th – it looks so interesting. And I like the independence of the student in the syllabus. Thank you!

  101. Over the years I have heard you rave about Oak Meadow. This year is no different. I love how this grade gives him more independence but still give you the parent educator tools to help guide him as well.

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