Here is what we think so far:
1. The fairytales - There are some familiar stories and some that are new to us. At the beginning of the year, we used these stories to learn the lowercase alphabet, trying to learn one or two letters a week. Both children enjoyed hearing these stories at night and again in the morning. My only complaint about the stories would be that they tend to use archaic language and sentence structure for no discernible purpose, and that some of the themes tend to have the "brave night rescuing the damsel in distress". In Waldorf thinking, these archetypes are purposeful in that they present the fundamental issues of life in a symbolic form. Personally, I have found it is possible to tell stories that achieve the same goal while showing both girls and boys as strong, capable, and confident beings.
2. Painting - Painting "Waldorf" style at this age basically consists of wet-on-wet watercolor painting using only the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. The Goethe color wheel is very important in Waldorf thinking as is the actual experience of painting itself. My kids were bored of it after the first lesson. I'm just glad I didn't spring for the Stockmar paints. (Recommended Waldorf *supplies* can be very expensive.) We have been doing a lot of painting and experimenting with color, but definitely more freestyle than Waldorf-style.
3. Beeswax and crayons - I did buy sheets of colored beeswax, and I had purchased Stockmar block crayons several years ago. The beeswax was wonderful for C., who had the patience to let it warm and was able to make small figures with it. G. was very frustrated because at 4 years old he just wasn't able to manipulate it. He was much happier working with clay. I like the beeswax because it feels and smells wonderful and can be reused over and over. And I highly recommend investing in beeswax crayons. The colors are brilliant, they are easy for young children to hold, they are great for shading and again, feel and smell wonderful. You'll never go back to Crayola!
4. Knitting- I love this idea. Love it. I was so excited to teach C. how to knit and how to learn myself. Well, apparently I don't have the knitting gene because I just can't do it. I've tried finger knitting, I've bought books for kids, I've had my mother show me, my mom bought me a kid's knitting spool - all for nought, as I am a complete idiot when it comes to knitting. Bummer! At least I can sew so C. has done some simple sewing projects this year, including sewing sachets as Christmas gifts.
5. Math - The math portion of the curriculum did not work for us at all. The way it was presented was confusing to C. and, frankly, to me. Making up stories about math gnomes wasn't working for us and C. was bored by the math activities suggested. I understood that the goal was to reach the child's imagination, rather than a dry intellectual approach, but C. was ready for more than what I could come up with on my own and the ideas presented in the book. In December, I purchased a total math curriculum which so far has been more successful for us.
Science is not really presented at all, so I have supplemented with science kits and ideas from websites, et cetera. Science in Oak Meadow has to do with observing the natural world, which we do every day, but C. wanted to do "experiments."
Overall, I would say some aspects of Oak Meadow work for us, and some do not. It gives wonderful guidance through the Home Teacher's Process Manual and the Syllabus. It is not rigid and one can progress at one's own pace. I love the appeal to the child's imagination and the focus on the natural world and natural materials. The only reason the math and science did not work for us was that C. was bored and asking for more in these two particular areas.
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