Cadron Creek

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to review many homeschool products over the next several months. I feel truly blessed to be participating in this review group and I'm looking forward to trying out the products and giving you my honest opinion.



Can I tell you a secret? The mere mention of Anne of Green Gables simply warms my heart. I have imagined cuddling with my girls and reading this series with them since before I had daughters. I have watched the movies more times than one should probably be allowed to...actually, they are my favorite movies. So was I excited to find out that Margie Gray from Cadron Creek had created an entire in-depth unit study based on the Anne of Green Gables book? Um, you could yes!

Where the Brook and River Meet is written with the Junior/Senior High Student in mind and can be completed in one to two years. Using this study, your student will be taught with a classsical approach, as this is how Anne learned. Students will not only study literature, but also about the "personal challenges of growing up" and the Victorian Era.

The unit study covers such subjects as:
Bible/Religion/Character
Literature/Language Arts
Social Studies
Economics
Fine Arts
Occupational Education
Physical Education
Health

The author suggests having a separate science, mathematics, grammar, Latin, and possibly spelling curriculum. She also includes suggested methods of grading and evaluating high school credits, which I thought was quite helpful. I also really liked her idea of letting the student decide what grade they would like to earn in each of the included subjects and signing a "Reading Contract".

For example, in order to obtain an 'A' in Bible, the student would be required to read a total of 12 books (which are listed). Reading 7 of the books would be the minimum requirements for a 'B', and 4 for a 'C'. There are 'Reading Contracts' for the subjects of History, Literature, and Occupational Education as well. I like that the student will know up front what is required of them and I like the challenge of them choosing a goal and going for it.

Where the Brook and River Meets includes 9 units, each covering a few chapters of Anne of Green Gables each. A unit has a suggested 4 week plan, including research topics, assignments, suggested field trips, and memory work. Honestly, there seems to be way more than any one family could possibly do. I actually appreciate that. I would rather have a myriad of activities and assignments that we could pick and choose what worked best for our family from, than a few activities that left me feeling like the study was lacking.

I also think its important to mention that this is a study that does not require a parent to be heavily involved. With a mature, independent student it would be easy to sit down with them once a week, choose the assignments you want her to do, and let her complete them on her own.

It should also be mentioned that this is not a buy-the-manual-and-you've-got-everything-you-need type study. As stated before, there are MANY more required reading materials than just Anne of Green Gables, so you should expect frequent library trips. There are also other supplies, such as craft supplies that will be listed at the beginning of each week's planning guide. And I have to tell you, I was a little shocked to see 'a sheep heart' listed as one of the week's supplies in Chapter 30. This is for a dissection project! There are also four other required resources (in addition to Where the Brook and River Meet) that you would really need to purchase. These include Anne's Anthology, The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, The Green Gables Letters, and Writers INC. All of these can be purchased from Cadron Creek.

Where the Brook and River Meet can be purchased for $65 or you can purchase Anne's Daily Pack which includes the other four required books for $150. Cadron Creek also offers a unit study based on the Narnia books for 4th-8th grade students called Further Up and Further In and a unit study based on The Little House on the Prairie for younger elementary called The Prairie Primer.

You can see reviews of all of the Cadron Creek studies on the TOS Crew Blog.

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