Opening in September 2026!
Faith-Filled Learning for Curious Children
A unique Michiana hybrid academy for K - 8th grade, blending professional Charlotte Mason instruction with the beauty of the homeschool journey. Serving South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and the surrounding area.
Children are born persons, capable of great thought and understanding.
At The Oaks, we utilize the time-honored instruments of a Charlotte Mason education, nourishing the mind with living ideas.
The Charlotte Mason Philosophy at The Oaks
The Oaks is built upon the foundational principles of the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education. We believe, as Mason did, that "children are born persons," capable of great thought and deep understanding. Our approach will emphasize:
☑️ Living Books: Moving away from dry textbooks, we will utilize rich, engaging living books that bring subjects to life and inspire curiosity.
☑️ Short Lessons: To maintain attention and foster habit formation, lessons will be brief and focused.
☑️ Narration: Students will be encouraged to "tell back" what they have learned in their own words, fostering comprehension, retention, and communication skills.
☑️ Nature Study: Regular engagement with the natural world will cultivate observation skills, wonder, and an appreciation for God's creation.
☑️ Habit Formation: We will intentionally cultivate good habits of attention, obedience, truthfulness, and diligence.
☑️ Rich Curriculum: Exposure to a broad and generous curriculum including history, literature, poetry, art, music, science, and practical skills.
☑️ Atmosphere of Life: Recognizing Mason's three educational instruments, we will strive to create a stimulating and orderly learning environment that nourishes the whole child.
Our Curriculum
Exposure to a broad and generous curriculum including math, reading, poetry, artist study, composer study, handwriting (copywork), Bible, natural history, history, literature, geography, handicrafts/brush drawing, and practical skills.
☑️ Bible: We enjoy the truths and historicity of the Bible by studying the historical narrative portions of the Old Testament and New Testament in detail. We utilize Scripture memory, recitation, and hymn singing to better hide His word in our hearts.
☑️ History: Using living books, we work through a four year cycle of history, starting with ancient world history through the Age of Exploration, and then shifting into a focus on Western and American history through the modern era.
☑️ Science: Our focus is on observational science, what Charlotte Mason referred to as Natural History, and we enjoy the hands-on process of studying the world around us.
☑️ Language Arts: While we utilize engaging, well-written books from which children enjoy learning in every lesson possible, the books of Lore, Tales, and Shakespeare are always special favorites. Students in Form 1 are given specific instruction to aid in their reading development, narration helps build their composition skills, spelling and grammar are reinforced with dictation, and copywork and handwriting practice take place each school day.
☑️ Geography: We integrate our study of geography as much as possible with our studies of History and Language Arts. We allow students to work with maps to become familiar with the world, near and far, and use living books to help those maps spring to life.
☑️ Extras: In agreement with Miss Mason's declaration that "an observant child should be put in the way of things worth observing," our students enjoy an array of lessons on that which is beautiful and certainly worth observing. We are attentive to the works of great composers, thoughtful artists, expressive poets, and the masterpiece that is nature.
Curriculum by Form
| Subject | Form 1 (K - 2/3) | Form 2 (3/4 - 8) |
|---|---|---|
| Math | Rich Supplemental | Supplemental |
| Reading | Rich Supplemental | N/A |
| Poetry | Core | Core |
| Artist Study | Core | Core |
| Composer Study | Core | Core |
| Copywork | Core | Core |
| Bible | Rich Supplemental | Rich Supplemental |
| Natural History | Core | Core |
| History | Rich Supplemental | Core |
| Literature | Supplemental | Supplemental |
| Geography | Core | Core |
| Handicrafts | Core | Core |
| Foreign Language | N/A | Core |
*Core - The Oaks will offer thorough lessons for this subject; only plan to expound on these at home if you wish.
**Rich Supplemental - The Oaks will offer substantial instruction for this subject, but you should plan on offering additional instruction at home.
***Supplemental - The Oaks will offer lessons that reiterate and strengthen these areas, but parents should plan the bulk of the content for these subjects to happen at home.
“Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:10)
About Us
At The Oaks Academy, our ultimate goal is to instill an intimate knowledge of God in the hearts of our students and to cultivate lives marked by the power of the Holy Spirit and a profound love for truth found only in Jesus Christ. We believe that true education is not merely the acquisition of facts, but a formation of character, the nurturing of spiritual growth, and the development of a lifelong and life-giving love for learning, all centered on our Creator. Our mission is to:
☑️ Honor God by placing Christ at the center of all learning and fostering a reverent atmosphere – an atmosphere which encourages the practice of the heavenly virtues of compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, peace, thankfulness, and most importantly, of love. (Colossians 3: 12–17)
☑️ Cultivate Community by actively practicing virtues like honesty, humility, patience, gratitude, and sharing of life that builds peace, unity, and mutual support. (Philippians 4:8-9)
☑️ Partner with Families by enhancing and supporting parents' homeschooling journeys with a high-quality, part-time classroom experience. (Proverbs 1:8-9)
☑️ Empower Students to become thoughtful, articulate, and wise individuals who are equipped to engage with the world for God's glory through a rich curriculum that exposes students to living ideas and beautiful truths. (Proverbs 2:1-15)
Frequently Asked Questions
Find out more about The Oaks Christian Academy.
Cost
Simple calculation of the cost to send your children to The Oaks.
Contact Us
Join our Community
Sign up now to get the latest news and updates about The Oaks Christian Academy
The Oaks Christian Academy is located in the Michiana area. Locals have combined the words Michigan and Indiana to come up with the name "Michiana". The Michiana area comprises South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Elkhart, Niles, Edwardsburg, and surrounding areas.
User Notes
For Frequently Asked Questions(accordian embed )
Go to embedded code-To edit an existing item:Find the FAQ item you want to change
Change the text between <div class="carrd-faq-q"> and </div> for the question
Change the text between <div class="carrd-faq-a"> and </div> for the answer:
<div class="carrd-faq">
<div class="carrd-faq-q">Your Question Here?</div>
<div class="carrd-faq-a">Your Answer Here.</div>
</div>
For example, if someone wants to change the first FAQ to be about pricing:
<div class="carrd-faq">
<div class="carrd-faq-q">What are your pricing plans?</div>
<div class="carrd-faq-a">We offer three tiers: Basic ($10/mo), Pro ($20/mo), and Enterprise ($50/mo).</div>
</div>
For Pricing(HTML embed )
Go to embedded code- Edit inside the respective html pricing container. For example, for Basic Plan-
<div class="pricing-table">
<!-- Basic Plan -->
<div class="pricing-container basic">
<h2>Basic</h2>
<p class="price">$10/month</p>
<ul class="features">
<li>5 Projects</li>
<li>10GB Storage</li>
<li>Email Support</li>
<li>Basic Analytics</li>
<li>Custom Subdomain</li>
<li>SSL Security</li>
</ul>
<a href="link.com" class="buy-button">Buy Basic</a>
</div>
Delete this section when your website is customised. Thank you.