In Praise of Oak Meadow

We started using the Oak Meadow homeschool curriculum this year with my youngest. I have been homeschooling for quite awhile now, but have always put together our own curriculum. I have never ordered a "boxed" set before. I thought that boxed curriculums were textbook-esque and smacked too much of traditional education to fit us. I also wanted to stay with a Waldorf approach for my son. Oak Meadow started out as a Waldorf school, so it is very much in line with what I was looking for. I also was looking for a way to make better use of my time. With a 5th grader, it is sometimes hard to pull together two customized plans for the children and still have time to work part time, play with the kids, have time for my husband, keep gluten free meals coming and be able to walk through the house. (You get the picture.) I took a deep breath and took the plunge with a "boxed set". We ordered Oak Meadow first grade, and I couldn't be happier with it. The approach and pace is perfect for my family. The lessons incorporate real, living books, lots of arts and crafts, and the curriculum is heavily nature oriented. It has helped me so much to get the educational plans I have for my son in place, but still have time to do the other things that I need to do. Next year, I am planning on switching my daughter to Oak Meadow curriculum. She will be in the 6th grade, and the reviews I could find for the curriculum sound great. My advice to the DIY crew out there, is don't be afraid to try something different. There is so much to be said for putting things together yourself, but also great not to spend your time reinventing the wheel.