Oak Meadow/Sonlight kindergarten

[Papillon Mom]

I'm thinking about using Oak Meadow for my late bloomer/very late talker (1.5-2yo equivalent, not hearing loss related)/IQ 115-130, 4y9m dd. Problem is that I'm not the creative type and I'm also worried about the loose nature of the schedule. My dd doesn't seem to like crafts or coloring. I think she thinks I'm wasting her time:001_huh:. My dd doesn't like workbooks so that is a plus to the curriculum. Also, we already read the Beatrix Potter stories quite a lot. Is this a big part of the curriculum? Am I going to be paying an arm and a leg for these stories that we already have and craft ideas that she will have no interest in??

My daughter does like to be read to, cook, and practice letters (but doesn't know her alphabet or numbers).

I like the slow/quite nature of Oak Meadow and the fact that it will continue her learning in a systematic way but I worry that she won't like the crafts or connect with the material.

Anyone have a kiddo that didn't like to color or do crafts that still liked this program?

I have also considered Sonlight. A better fit? We are atheist but I don't mind tweaking.

Thank you for any thoughts, experiences...

Amanda

[truebluexf]

Well, SL K is easy to make secular. There are only a few core religious books. If she isn't crafty but loves to be read to, then that would be a good choice.

 

OMK is a lot of coloring and drawing, and a lot of Beatrix Potter stories. You may just want to try to pick it up used and see. Oh wait, you could also get it as an online subscription. You can then try it for a month and have access to the whole thing and decide if it's for you or not. If it is, you can continue the subscription or buy in print.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

No experience with either program but I own an older version of OM K. If your dd is a late bloomer she probably would not be ready for OM K. She might seem ready for the academic skills but you also need to wait for the child to mature in other ways before starting the program. I considered starting ds in OM K in September, when he will be turning 4.5yo. He is advanced for his age, but I feel he would get more out of the program in another year. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, but I think we'll be using the Kindergarten program from A Little Garden Flower, which is meant for 4 and 5-year-olds.

Edited July 29, 2010 by Lisa in the UP of MI

[truebluexf]

I agree, unless she really seems to understand the B Potter stories and such. I felt like so much was over DS's head when I tried it out. I should also add we did SLK for first grade, so I would go with their prek, as their stuff is really advanced too.

[melmichigan]

My best suggestion regarding which level of SL to do would be to check a few of the books out of the library from P3/4, P4/5 and K and see which your child is ready for. SL K is chapter books with little to no pictures. We use Core K for K, but my youngers are used to listening to the read alouds for the older children.

[Aurelia]

If you want to use OM, you can certainly substitute other stories for the Beatrix Potter ones, you don't have to order the K fairy tales, which is the book with the BP stories. There are other stories in the syllabus, plus you can add in Waldorf-style stories if you want, or more traditional fairy tales. You might want to look at the samples at the OM website and see if you think it would be a good fit. I am using OM2 this upcoming year because my daughter loves art and nature and is a creative/out of the box thinker, which OM seems to encourage. I know she would be bored with SL because it doesn't include enough hands-on activities. Part of her liking it will be your enthusiasm for the program. If you don't like it, she won't either, but if you present it as interesting and fun she may come around if she is initially unsure about it.

[Papillon Mom]

Thank you so much for your informed replies! My daughter understands stories at a fairly high level. We are reading Pinocchio and Stewart Little and are almost done with the Little House series. She loves the Beatrix Potter books but also loves The Hungry Caterpillar and similar books for little ones. We read a lot.

Should I simply continue reading or should I start a formal program. I want to keep on challenging her in different ways that will be productive. The Ordinary Parents Guide didn't work because she couldn't say the word rhymes and she doesn't seem to be ready for symbols yet.

Thank you a million times over. I'm worried about my different little monkey.

Thanks!!!!!

Amanda

[Aurelia]

I would just continue reading. She won't be harmed by waiting a bit, and it will give her some time to mature and speak better, which she will need so you can gauge how well she is reading, plus you're less likely to frustrate her and turn her off to reading if you don't push it. She doesn't sound like she's quite ready for that skill yet.

[Terabith]

Did you mean that her language is at the ability of a 1.5-2 year old, or that she is 1.5-2 yrs delayed? No matter what, do you know why she is delayed? (apraxia, etc) How does her receptive language test? How is her articulation? Reading is going to be very difficult if she doesn't have a solid oral language base. If she cannot pronounce many sounds, it will be tough with phonics and I would suggest a program like LiPS. How is her phonemic awareness?

 

I would probably just continue reading aloud, have her watch the Letter Factory dvd 100 times, and treat this as a prek year. I probably wouldn't do any curriculum, although the yahoo Sonlight group has a nice schedule of the PreK books. I definitely wouldn't do the Sonlight K yet.

 

I would focus a lot on building her language skills and lots of speech therapy stuff. I'd also do a lot of gross motor work and sensory integration activities, just because they are really good for all kids, and there is often crossover between speech and sensory issues.

[NanceXToo]

If you were able to find an older version of OM used, they used to not use Beatrix Potter stories. I have I think like a 1998 or 1999 edition of the curriculum, and it wasn't Beatrix Potter. And used would be cheaper, too, of course!

 

I think OM is a fantastic curriculum. My daughter and I did OM4 last year and will be doing OM5 this year. I'm going to try my son on OMK in the fall if he seems ready and willing (if he doesn't, I'll delay for a while longer, as he won't be 5 til early November anyway).

 

So with that said, I don't think you HAVE to use a curriculum with her at this stage. You could always wait six months or a year before giving it a try.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

No experience with either program but I own an older version of OM K. If your dd is a late bloomer she probably would not be ready for OM K. She might seem ready for the academic skills but you also need to wait for the child to mature in other ways before starting the program. I considered starting ds in OM K in September, when he will be turning 4.5yo. He is advanced for his age, but I feel he would get more out of the program in another year. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, but I think we'll be using the Kindergarten program from A Little Garden Flower, which is meant for 4 and 5-year-olds.

 

I agree.

 

We did SL P4/5 when my oldest was 4.5, then we did OM K the year after that (last year). OM has much more age appropriate stories that resonate with kids, IMHO. There are also more stories in the Syllabus than there are in the Fairy Tales book, which is used to teach letters. The Fairy Tales book is about 75% Beatrix Potter. You can use it or skip it and still get an amazing program with just the Syllabus and craft book. As far as whether your child will do well with OM crafts, it's hard to tell. They are high quality and fun. We adored it.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Anyone have a kiddo that didn't like to color or do crafts that still liked this program?

I have also considered Sonlight. A better fit? We are atheist but I don't mind tweaking.

Thank you for any thoughts, experiences...

Amanda

 

My eldest didn't like to draw or color. She thought it was a waste of time until we were about six weeks into it. We are secular homeschoolers (although we are not Atheists) and I got tired of working around other people's faith. I am so happy we are using OM now. Sonlight's IG has Bible readings every day and missionary stories in it. You would have to eliminate some books, but there is a secular homeschool yahoo group for those who use Sonlight secularly. It just depends what appeals more to you. :) Hope you find something you love.

[Just Robyn]

My ds - currently 4y10m - is a later bloomer too. We have been using OM K and love it. It seems to me he remembers and comprehends the stories very well so far. We have only done 3 weeks so far, so keep that in mind, but really, he remembers the stories surprisingly well. I sometimes use my hands to "show" him the story while I'm telling it.

 

His fine motor skills are not good enough for him to do the drawings on his own and have them turn out looking anything like they should. I guide his hand some. I think always having a page full of scribbles would be frustrating and he's pretty sensitive.

 

He got bored of making letter shaped bread before all the dough was formed and same for the crescent rolls. I just get out of him what I can so long as it remains enjoyable and then I finish up.

 

In short, he cannot do everything on his own, but what he can do he really likes and he is learning.

 

If you can have access to the whole curriculum for a month (I had no idea you could do that! I'm going to have to remember that when I'm thinking about buying OM 1!) maybe you can look at all the fairy tales and just write down what they are. You already have all the Beatrix Potter stories and you can get different versions of the others from the library.

[Mom0012]

I vote SL from what you say, but I am biased because it is one of my favorites and I've used it since the beginning. I know nothing about OM.

 

Lisa

[gingersmom]

Did you mean that her language is at the ability of a 1.5-2 year old, or that she is 1.5-2 yrs delayed? No matter what, do you know why she is delayed? (apraxia, etc) How does her receptive language test? How is her articulation? Reading is going to be very difficult if she doesn't have a solid oral language base. If she cannot pronounce many sounds, it will be tough with phonics and I would suggest a program like LiPS. How is her phonemic awareness?

 

I would probably just continue reading aloud, have her watch the Letter Factory dvd 100 times, and treat this as a prek year. I probably wouldn't do any curriculum, although the yahoo Sonlight group has a nice schedule of the PreK books. I definitely wouldn't do the Sonlight K yet.

 

I would focus a lot on building her language skills and lots of speech therapy stuff. I'd also do a lot of gross motor work and sensory integration activities, just because they are really good for all kids, and there is often crossover between speech and sensory issues.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Papillon Mom]

Wow! Thanks for all the wonderful responses! You guys are so great!

My daughter does not have apraxia or anything physically wrong with her. She may be atypical in her development but the only area she is clinical is in her speech. The specialists at Vanderbilt University said, would normalize on its own by age 6. She has immature articulation but her receptive language is way above average.

I have an email in to Oak Meadow asking about older versions without the Beatrix Potter. I haven't been able to find any for sale.

I went to the website but couldn't find anywhere that stated you could try it online for a month. I asked about that too.

Sonlight looks really good too. Is it workbooky?

Thanks,

Amanda

[Terabith]

Sonlight is not workbooky at all, although the yahoo Sonlight preschool group has a schedule that includes some workbooks that are pretty good. The Sonlight is mostly just reading aloud, although they do include the Developing the Early Learner workbooks, which are great. The yahoo group includes things like Singapore Early Bird math and Hands On Thinking Skills. It is a good program, based on read alouds. To be honest, when we did it, I mostly just looked at the reading list and got those books from the library. We had a bunch of them already. It's a very laid back program, and if you choose to do them, the Developing the Early Learner books are excellent.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I've used both and they are very different. Sonlight has a lot of wonderful books we still read from. Oak Meadow has more hands-on arts and crafts with a lot of nature thrown in. It just depends what approach sounds better for your child.

Edited July 30, 2010 by Cindie2dds

[Mom0012]

Sonlight is not workbooky at all, although the yahoo Sonlight preschool group has a schedule that includes some workbooks that are pretty good. The Sonlight is mostly just reading aloud, although they do include the Developing the Early Learner workbooks, which are great. The yahoo group includes things like Singapore Early Bird math and Hands On Thinking Skills. It is a good program, based on read alouds. To be honest, when we did it, I mostly just looked at the reading list and got those books from the library. We had a bunch of them already. It's a very laid back program, and if you choose to do them, the Developing the Early Learner books are excellent.

 

Yes, if you don't think SL K would be a good fit, you could use this schedule from teh Sonlight preschool group. I did that with my son and it really added a lot to the program.

 

Lisa