Wednesday's Website

Just a newer Montessori blog today!

Montesecrets: An insider's guide to Montessori
http://www.montesecrets.com/

Check this one out! Make sure you go to the actual blog site, not just adding it to your reader! There are a ton of resources on the actual page and MANY more to come!

In His Words!

Directions:Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write down exactly how they respond. Please join in!
1. What is something mom always says to you? What are you going to play with?
2. What makes mom happy? when I know what I want to do
3. What makes mom sad? when I hit
4. How does your mom make you laugh? silly noise or silly face
5. What was your mom like as a child? a baby
6. How old is your mom? 28 (Actually 34 but better than I expected!)
7. How tall is your mom? very tall, even taller than me (Try 5 feet tall!)
8. What is her favorite thing to do? work
9. What does your mom do when you’re not around? play computer (More or less!)
10. If your mom becomes famous,what will it be for? making movies (I have never made a movie!)
11. What is your mom really good at? writing words on your computer
12. What is your mom not very good at? playing with light sabres (So true! so true!)
13. What does your mom do for her job? babysitting (remembering our time w/ Little C)
14. What is your mom’s favorite food? food that I do not like...sometimes
15. What makes you proud of your mom? you help me
16. If your mom were a cartoon character,who would she be? in a cartoon from a movie
17. What do you and your mom do together? watch movies (We were watching a movie!)
18. How are you and your mom the same? we both play with each other
19. How are you and your mom different? you are taller than me
20. How do you know your mom loves you? you say I love you Josh and I say I love you mommy!
21. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go? to the grocery store (Ugh, I hate going to the grocery store!)

What a funny guy!

(ht: Megret! )

Montessori Monday

Ugh, sorry...apparently I forgot to post last weeks Montessori Monday...I thought I had one scheduled?!

This week we made Crock pot Applesauce from this recipe! As always, cooking is a great Montessori Practical Life activity. I peeled and sliced the apples into wedges, Josh chopped them into pieces. Then we measured and added the ingredients together. While the crock pot did the cooking we

wrote out a new cookbook page!

Finally, we tossed out the cores and skins for our squirrel friends! Check out the picture, can you see the core clenched in the squirrels paws?

St Patrick's Day Planning

I am planning our next couple of weeks and thought I would share it with all of you! We are going to do a fun Leprechaun/Rainbow unit! Besides, if I post it here, I can plan on my laptop and print easily at the desk top computer...since we still do not have my laptop "printer ready!"

As always, this is just the list of activities I will pick from... not a list of everything we will do. There is no way we could do everything on this list! Besides, we will probably add other activities on days we are not "feeling it!"

Circle Time

• Poems and Songs for St Patrick's Day
• Chapters from Shoefull of Shamrock by Mary Francis Shura (Prob. at bedtime!)
• The Night Before St Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing

Coloring Sheets

• R is for Rainbow
• Shamrock Hat (My Fave!)
• rainbow color sheet

Practical Life

• Shamrock trace and color
• Fuse bead rainbow!!! (oooh, definite!)
• Hole punch activity
• Lacing Shamrock (If I get to making! But we really need to take this further...real sewing?)
• Maze (Josh enjoys mazes...remember do finger solve first!)
• Handwriting a-z

Sensorial

• Dominoes
• Make a book of colors
• Patterning

Language Arts

• Minibook (Silly Leprechaun story! Not sure about this one)
• St Patrick's Day Riddles book (Josh loves riddles right now!)
• ABC dot to dot
• Sight word spelling with tiles
• Sight words
• Word book

Maths

• Roll and color dice game !!!!!
• 1-30 dot to dot

Crafty Ideas

• Dancing Leprechaun
• dot painters rainbow
• Rainbow mobile Definitely will do this one!
• Tissue Paper Shamrock

Science

• Milk food coloring activity! (Science Journal results!)

Please, let me know if you find something on here that you use! Or if you find a great activity you will do with your Children!

Thankful Thursday!

Gaining a bit of perspective...

Today I am oh so very thankful for...

• My funny, smart Joshua. He has been a blessing and a challenge but never boring!
• Andrew, he has been so much more than I ever could have dreamed.
• Our warm comfortable home.
• Lovely neighbors, esp. S, M & E.
• Parents and In Laws who love us and are supportive of our decisions and dreams.
• You, the community who I have gained so much, in so many different ways.
• Spring and especially breaks in the winter like we had the past 2 days!
• The unexpected opportunity that often presents itself when most needed!
• Old Friends who really know me.
• A's new job...and actually A's old job.

I live a happy blessed life. I hope the same for all of you!

Shannon

Sheesh!

Been a weird couple of weeks and not really looking as if it will calm down too much! SO... I thought I would just provide all my lame excuses now and apologize ahead of time for crazy, sporadic posting!





My list of crazy-making~

1. Started with my husband's job becoming ...well...at risk. (And the constant stress that caused!)


2. The continuing search for the perfect Kindergarten, we have applied for a place in 3 different schools with LONG waiting lists. We will find out next week where we fall on the list for 2 of the 3, and the 3rd a few weeks later.


3. I finally convinced Andrew to call a Friend who had previously offered him a job.


4. Andrew's interview etc... done on the sly.


5. The job offer and our decision to yes accept.


6. Waiting to tell the new place or anyone else because of insurance issues. (A has type 1 diabetes which = $$$$)


7. Newest craziness is deciding if we should try and sell our house to move closer to new job in "these trying economic times!"

It will all work out but for now it is making me on edge to say the least! We are really looking forward to Spring and I will end this rant with a Spring like picture!

Here is Josh playing outside yesterday! Can you see him squinting in the sun?

B-I-N-G-O and more games I love!

I just love finding fun ways to reinforce skills we are working on. I have found Bingo to be a great way to do just that. It really is a great game that can be played in a variety of ways depending on your needs! We own 3 different versions but have been able to use them since Josh was quite young and will be able to continue with just a few alterations to game play!


The first Bingo that I used with Joshua is the Colors and Shapes Bingo!

• The first use is just to work on colors, "put your dot on a red shape!"
• Next, working with shapes in the same way but still only using one parameter, "put your dot on a rectangle!"
• Finally, to work on both skills and as a great LISTENING activity, "put your dot on a red rectangle!"

We also own Alphabet Bingo!

• First use would be to just reinforce the letter you are learning, "put your dot on the letter t!"
• Next to work on sounds, "put your dot on the letter that says /t/ or tuh!" (Montessori style would have you do these 2 activities the other way around learning the sound before the letter name.)
• Another activity could be to help child to isolate sounds in words, "put your dot on the letter at the beginning of turtle or end of pot!"

Finally, and possibly the most flexible is Number Bingo!

• First for number recognition, "put your dot on the 16!"
• Addition, "put your dot on the answer to 8+8!"
• Subtraction, multiplication, easy division....
• Place Value, "put your dot on the number made from 1 ten and 6 ones!"

Also do not forget how easily the numbers, shapes and colors could be converted into a foreign language game, "put your dot on ocho, or verde, etc..."

Writing Workshop/Art Shelves!

So I never did find the shelving I was searching for, but it is always best to just make use of what you already have. Here is my plan http://sjbacb.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-latest-scheme.html

Here is what I did so far...What do you think???

I combined the art and writing shelves together since so many of the materials overlapped. It has been working really well for us so far. This shelf is in the dining room, underneath the bar that we have never used.

TOP SHELF~ Tray with letter stamps and stamp pad, sand tray with black sand, letter tracing with wipeoff pen, basket of assorted paper.

SECOND SHELF~ Stencils, Pencils and Pens, Colored Pencils, Sandpaper letters, Magnetic Drawing Board.

THIRD SHELF~ lowercase wooden pieces for HWT, basket of crayons, scissors and hole punch, markers, ruler.




FOURTH/BOTTOM SHELF~ Perler Beads Bucket and trays, Tackle box with craft items, notebooks on top of junk drawer.


I still have a few more things I want to add but it is sure nice to have it all up and running. When we do our Preschool time, the days we do not go down to the Montessori room, we do work at the dining table. So this set up works really great! SO what do you think? Any suggestions?

Wednesday's Website

Go to this site right this minute if you want to find great "teacher approved" educational websites for your kids.

http://www.topicbox.net/index.php

Montessori Monday

Idea from Karen at http://www.amontessorimarketplace.com/teachertraining.html. I took one of Karen's classes more than a year ago! These are GREAT for homeschooling Moms, she actually provides you with her entire album to download as the class progresses. There is no real work involved just an open discussion of the lessons within her albums.

This is a simple activity for any child learning to write their name. I just created mine in Microsoft Word adding a picture of Josh at the top and appropriate lines. I then printed it out, wrote his name and laminated the whole card. He can now use a wipeoff crayon or marker and trace over the top and wipe it with the felt before he puts it back. Easy to make and great practice!

Also check out Montessori Monday at http://athousandjoys.blogspot.com/!

Getting Back on Track!

I have so many crazy schemes up my sleeve right now I feel as if I am drowning in half finished projects and not really accomplishing anything! uhhh well, it will get done!

Anyway...thought I would give you a preview of what we have been up to and where we are going. (actual blog entries pending!)

• Science Journal~ Josh and I have started a science journal. We do a science "experiment" and fill out a journal entry with drawings and writings.
• Writing Workshop shelves~ almost finished but have been more of a challenge then expected.
• Art Shelves~ see above
• Cooking Mama and me~ Planning to try to do more of these again, it was such a fun time for us!
• Fine Art inspired learning
• New work on the math shelves!
• Love unit

Stay tuned!

Wednesday's Website

A LOVELY blog I recently discovered http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/. Speaks right to my heart. Warning...have a tissue box handy!

Montessori Monday

The Practical Life part of Montessori work is all about helping children to learn to do things for themselves, establishing a sense of independence. However, another important aspect of these types of activities are training the hand, with fine motor activities, to be able to write. Josh has not chosen work from this shelf in ages.

So, to spice things up a bit, I am working on developing new works that he "cannot resist"! The first of which is a super cool tea party set like this one. He is through the roof excited to use it and gives us a chance to practice manners, as well as pouring etc...


Please visit Koko's Mama at A Thousand Joys for more Montessori Monday!

Thrifty Thursday!

Found these great Montessori inspired videos at the thrift store for a dollar each. Here is a link if you are interested. This a great time of year for a quality video that encourages movement and independence. As the video states, "Little Kids Doing Big Things!"

Montessori Monday

Well, I do know the day, but for organization sake let's just go with it! Been a crazy week or so...

We are working on addition right now! Along with the traditional Montessori Addition works like the Addition Strip Board and Snake Game, I created a more traditional classroom work for Josh. Since we are planning on sending him to a traditional Kinder. I am easing him in Montessori style. The blue items in the dish are just the glass rocks you can find at any store in the garden area. I picked ours up at the thrift store. I then printed the adorable flash cards off from 1+1+1=1. (a great blog by the way! Especially for Momma's of toddlers!)
Here is a quick pic of the work set up. Have you all put together any new trays lately or done any cool Montessori inspired activities? Feel free to leave your link in the comment section and join Koko's Mama and I for Montessori Mondays!

Wednesday's Website

http://www.colormeonline.com/masterpiece/paintings/index.html


Not exactly sure how I plan to use these but thought I would share. They are coloring book style pages of famous masterpieces. It also provides a bit of information about each painting.

Wednesday's Website

http://www.squidoo.com/math-manipulatives

Check out all the really fun ways to create natural math manipulatives!

Ugh!

I guess I am taking a bit of a break! I am having a bit of a panic about sending Josh to Kindergarten. So I am re-researching and making appts. to visit and just generally making myself crazy!

I have some posts already scheduled but am not going to worry about anything new until I have settled down a bit...

Thanks for the understanding!

Shannon

Been Meaning to Tell you...

As of Friday we are no longer watching Little C. It is his Parent's decision for there own personal reasons unrelated to us. It was definitely unexpected and we were quite upset at first. However, it really will be for the best for us!

It was much harder than I anticipated...fitting him into our lives and still doing what we need to do. Preschool was being rushed if we even could fit it in. Not to mention, errands and household duties that just seemed to never fit around nap schedule.

The hard part of everything is that Josh was pretty upset. We have known since last Tuesday. Which has given me just over a week to convince him how yes we are going to miss him but we will have so much more time for playing with our itty bitty legos and going to playgroup, etc... Luckily, he is buying it, and with the hope of future visits, is finally at the place were he is kind of excited.

I plan to just cherish the last few months of our time alone before Josh begins Kindergarten. Even bigger changes are coming for us!

Wednesday's Website

http://www.sonlight.com/p34.html

Sonlight is a homeschooling curriculum. It really seems very comprehensive and if that was the route we were taking I think I would probably use it.

But we are planning to send Josh to school in the Fall and just "afterschool" him. So, what I really use this website for is the AMAZING booklists. I check the books out of the library when I need them. I linked to the preschool list but make sure you check out the other lists as well. We are currently using the K and 1st Grade lists. They span many subject areas including Science, History, Geography, Handwriting, Literature, etc...

Montessori Monday

Taken from Montessori Read & Write by Lynne Lawrence

The question game for ages 3 and up.

After you read a book to your child or he/she reads it themselves ask questions like...

• Who was the story about?
• What do you know about them?
• Why did they....?
• How?
• When?
• Where?
• With What?
• What happened in the end?
• How did everyone feel?

This activity is great for language development, as well as checking for comprehension. Josh and I need to be more diligent about discussing books in this way. Especially now that he is reading them. It is easy to get caught up in the decoding of the words and forget about if he is actually "getting" the story!

Don't you just love giveaways??

Me too! Go to A Thousand Joys to try to win some cool natural toothpaste!

Wednesday's Website

http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/

If you have not already done so...sign up for the Kids Craft Newsletter. It comes every month or so and is packed full of thematic craft activities. Also check out the website and make sure to skim through the archives.

Training Tuesday meets Sex ed...ish!

Apparently, Josh has some major confusion about the differences between boys and girls. And...all of a sudden it is coming up all the time. He keeps asking me about my penis (as in "Mommy is your penis sometimes still wet after you wipe?") and no matter how many times I explain that I do not have one he is insistent that I do. As a matter of fact, he often just looks at me like I am crazy and says, "Are you sure Mommy?"

So anyway, Today we will have to have the talk...or at least the first and probably easiest of many "talks" to come. (Complete with age appropriate books!)

Wish me luck!

My Latest Scheme

Josh is really into writing right now. So I am working on setting up a writing area for him. I have been really inspired by...

• The Write Start: Young Writer's Workshop
• The Write Start: ...Deconstructed
• Word Wall Bricks
• Ground, Grass, and Sky Alphabet
• Ground, Grass, and Sky paper
• Sentence Building Idea

Supplies I have gathered...

• Lowercase wooden pieces
• HWT workbook
• Pencils
• Chalkboard and chalk
• Story paper
• HWT paper
• Notebook for a Journal
• Word Cards
• Stencils
• Magnet Board & Letters
• Foam Letters

Things I still need...

• The perfect shelf system
• Envelopes (I am out right now!)
• Hmmm...what else???

Montessori Monday

I have an article to share today for Montessori Monday! Check out this wonderful article written by Lori from http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/. And if you need any materials make sure you check out her website. It has items to purchase as well as some amazing freebies.


http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/Homeschooling-with-Montessori_ep_83-1.html

Next week we will actually have real pictures! Of a real Joshua ...doing real activities...I hope.

Games We Just Love!

We are spending a lot of our time right now playing board games! Josh is really into them. I thought I would share our favorites.

Obvious Choices

• Hi Ho! Cherry-O (Ages 3 - up) This is a super simple counting game. We have actually outgrown this one but he refuses to get rid of it.
• Memory (any version) (Ages 3 - up) Simple matching game that comes in many different varieties, also easily made!
• Chutes and Ladders (Ages 3-6) I like to play this game on a day when he has spent a lot of time in trouble. It really CLEARLY shows kids the power of their choices. If you choose to misbehave you "fall down", if you are kind etc... good things happen.
• Cranium Cariboo (Ages 3 and up) Simple game of matching letters, numbers, shapes and colors. I really appreciate that many ages/levels can play by choosing different things to match. It also comes with a second version of cards to use for advanced players.
• Boggle Jr (Ages 3-6) Another great game for varying degrees of difficulty! You can just have the child match the letters to the card, using the picture to identify the word. Or, you can cover the picture and have the child read the word. Finally, cover the word and have the child spell it using the picture.

Lesser Known Games

• Buggo by Ravensburger (Ages 5 and up) Adaptable game of counting. We play it as an addition game but could easily be played as a simple memory or counting game. Josh actually shrieks with laughter every time we play this.
• Globe game by Leapfrog (Ages 3 - up) Could not find a link...Strange! We just love this geography game that even comes with a blow up globe.
• Great State Junior (4-7) Another fun geography game. Believe me...we can use all the practice we can get! This is a great one to help with U.S. Geography.
• Tell A Story by Ravensburger (4-8) We really could not believe how much fun we had with this game. You pick a set of cards and then put them in a rational sequence and tell a story about them. There is a bit more to it than that but you get the idea. It was super fun and it was amazing to hear the stories everyone came up with!
• Rivers Roads and Rails by Ravensburger (5 and up) This game is probably our all time favorite. You could easily play this with anyone 4 and up. So fun! It is very similar to a domino style game but you are matching 3 different transportation modes. Your piece may have a river, road, and/or rail on it or any combination and you need to find a match.

Crazy Choice

• Hulk Smash (6 and up) I was totally against getting this game! I knew who would be stuck playing it with Josh and I was not going for it. However, for Josh's Birthday he got a gift card and insisted this was all he wanted. UGH!!! Well anyway, we gave in(after 3 mind numbing hours in Toys r us, "JUST PICK SOMETHING!")...even though the age is way too old, and it involved playdough, and mild violence. BUT friends, I tell you, this game is fun and EDUCATIONAL! Pretty much all you do is roll the number dice and ADD UP the 2 numbers. Move that many places, either with one or more playdough vehicles(more math!). Then you might be able to smash a playdough vehicle with a green hammer like fist. And really...who does not love a bit of playdough smashing?

Most of these games we bought at thrift stores and yard sales. I am always amazed at the good deals you can find if you are willing to look. A word of advise, COUNT the pieces before you buy it if at all possible! And, if you cannot make sure it is worth the price...as in you could do something else with the pieces.

Wednesday's Website

http://mrsriley.com

This is an amazing site I just stumbled upon in which you can create your own sets of 3 part cards by just dragging the picture you want onto the format you choose! Super easy. I have already made 3 sets!

Warning: This site is in a beta trial so is free for now! I say use it before we lose it!

Training Tuesday

This week we spoke of Safety. We spoke of the different types of people we know and our family rules about staying safe.

We also read Don't Talk to Strangers, Pooh! by Kathleen W. Zoehfeld and Watch Out for Strangers by Alex Ramsey. Both I like because they talk about how even though you may know people through your parents they still may not be safe! (especially the Watch out... book!)

A helpful discussion that inspired me to talk to Josh...
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MontessoriForEveryone/~3/503050425/stranger-danger.html

Montessori Monday

Montessori has been a little slow lately with the holidays and just general craziness. As a matter of fact we have not even entered the classroom in awhile! We have been working at our dining room table most of the time.

I am in the midst of planning a revitalization for our classroom work but in the meantime am just enjoying the easy morning sessions with a big mug of tea.

HOWEVER I have been meaning to share a really amazing MONTESSORI supplier with you. This is an incredibly generous mom who homeschools her girls in the UK. She makes BEAUTIFUL cards and has them available for free on her blog. So without further rambling I give you

http://www.sarahsellers.co.uk/montessori/
also check out her
http://www.sarahsellers.co.uk/homeschoolprintables/

both are wonderful resources. My personal favorite is her continent cards on the Montessori page!

Embracing Winter

We are doing a Winter theme right now. I guess I figure if you can not do anything about it you might as well embrace it. (However I did just see it will be a HIGH of 12 next week sooo... we will be embracing it from the indoors!)

Anyway here is what I planned...

LANGUAGE

• Winter clothes book http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/winterclotheswritingfillin.doc

http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/winterclotheswritinghatscarf.doc

http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/winterclotheswritingcoatboots.doc

• Mitten reading puzzle http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/phonics/downloads/mittenpuzzleCVC.doc
• Shelf work

MATH

• Symmetrical snowflakes http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/symmetrical%20snowflakes.doc


• Bit more symmetry work http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/lines-of-symmetry/


• Snowman Grid Game http://www.prekinders.com/gridgames/snowman20.pdf


• Snowman addition fun http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SnowmanAdditionFun.htm


• Calendar activity http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/Fill%20in%20Calendar.doc
• Shelf work(present tens and teens boards finally!)

CULTURE

• Animal Tracks http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/Animal%20Tracks.doc


• Astronomy Cards http://www.sherriallen.com/learningcentral/


• Snow info http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/
• Shelf work
• Experiment with melting snow

ART/CRAFTS

• Tealight holder


• Complete the snowflake http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SnowflakeCompletetheDrawingPages.htm
• Watercolor work! (http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2008/07/watercolor-resist-snowflakes.html)

SENSORIAL

• Fake snow!


• Sequencing cards http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SnowmanEaselArt.htm


• Visual Discrimination Cards http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/snowflakememory.doc
• Shelf work
  

PRACTICAL LIFE

• Tracing practice ~great for developing fine motor!http://www.makinglearningfun.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.makinglearningfun.com/Activities/snow/SnowmanTraceandColor.gif


• Of course other trays that are already on shelves and maybe a few snow/winter themed for fun!

MORE IDEAS

• http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/topic/season/winter.html


• http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SnowSnowmen.htm


• http://www.prekinders.com/winter.htm

We will work on this for probably the next couple of weeks or until our interest is gone. We will also continue to use our basket of workbooks that he is real "INTO" right now!

Watercolor 101

Thanks to those who left advice! I have also been researching on my own and figures I might as well share some of what I have found!

An entire watercolor tutorial! We will be doing this as soon as I buy new watercolor paints
Cool watercolor activity. Stay tuned for info on an entire snow theme we are doing!
A watercolor techniques lesson.
The only recommendation for what type to buy was for this brand! So expensive though...
color mixing with watercolor

Watercolor must haves...
any watercolor paper (this is just the type I found in my stash!)
watercolor paint (I would like to try something other than these caketype paints!)
...and what I am most lacking...

Wednesday's Website

http://www.education.com/

Check out their worksheet section and activities section! I have been busy planning some fresh new work for us (stay tuned...) and have been finding a ton of ideas on Education.com. For example... how about Super cheap sandpaper letters anyone????

Training Tuesday

This past week we worked on using watercolor. But frankly, I am really frustrated! The paints we have are cheap and light and somewhat useless. So I found watercolor pencils and thought we would give those a try. I seriously do not understand how to use these.

We tried painting over a drawing with water but it does not do much. Anyone else have any suggestions? I am willing to buy different paints but any ideas what?

So for this Training Tuesday, I beg all of you to train me! Watercolor 101...

Montessori Monday

My sweet Cousin-in-law sent me a new Montessori book Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook by Maria Montessori at Christmas this year. Needless to say I have been pouring over it since it arrived.

I just love Dr. Montessori's description of the 3 period lesson (a way to teach a Child terms):

She says:

• Period 1. Naming. "This is thick. This is thin."
• Period 2. Recognition. "Give me the thick. Give me the thin."
• Period 3. The Pronunciation of the Word, "What is this?" (Montessori, 58)

I, personally, need to work on incorporating the 3 period lesson into my style of teaching with Josh. I often forget but I love the clean way it expands his vocabulary.

Hi All

We are on Christmas break and I forgot to let everyone know! I should be back and running with Montessori Monday on Monday the 5th.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! And Happy New Year!

From My Family to Yours

Merry Christmas!

Hope you have a blessed holiday!

Wednesday's Website

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

This website tracks Santa's progress around the world...showing "real" pictures/glimpses of him on Christmas eve. It is too fun and quite a thrill to share with your kids on Christmas eve! So if you go in for all the Santa-ness of Christmas, be sure to check this out!

Training Tuesday

This one was an obvious choice for this week! Gift wrapping...of course! Joshua has been pretending to wrap gifts with all his old baby blankets since my birthday in October. So we just figured we might as well put him to work. You may recall that Josh was buying gifts for all of us with his coin rolling money/allowance. So I saved out all those gifts for him to wrap.

He did pretty good! Lots of tape and I am not sure everything is completely covered but he sure did work real hard at it.

Montessori Monday

It is Christmas this week so I just have a quick and easy one today!

After the holidays, cut the picture part of a few of your Christmas cards off and punch holes around the edge with a hole punch. Tie a length of string onto one of the holes. Using a needle, a taped end, or an end dipped in glue and allowed to dry overnight, have your child lace/sew the cards. This is a great activity for practicing early fine motor skills. Save them from year to year, keeping only the best/thickest cards!

Legos!

Here is one of the many latest creations by Joshua. As you may know, he is obsessed with Star Wars. In October, he received a grocery bag stuffed full of Lego Star Wars kits from a family friend whose son no longer wanted them. If you have ever gone down the Lego aisle See! you probably realize that this was hundreds of dollars worth of Lego kits. We were very thrilled and appreciative!

What I love about this picture is that after building a Lego kit he is able to figure out how to build his own version of a Star Wars ship and he created and designed this one entirely on his own.

Love it!

I am Officially...

LAME and Boring!!!! If you want to play along just bold what you have done!

1. Started your own blog 2 in fact...
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band School and Video Game variety!
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (to Josh)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child I adopted a Grandma at a Nursing Home as a child and she died the night before I met her. TRAUMATIZING!
16. Had food poisoning Worst I have ever felt in a shortish time!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked Safety People Safety!
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill Mental health is just as important!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run Playing with Josh, that is!
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke As long as video game Karaoke counts!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted at Cedar Point when I was about 5
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business When I was a Girl Scout we started a book making business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check My Mom would be so proud!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy I still have all my Barbie dolls.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job I guess I was laid off but I felt fired!
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle Which may be why I have not broken a bone...
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper I was on the cover for 1st day of school 2 years in a row when I taught in Big Rapids MI!
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating Have you met me? oh yeah...no
88. Had chickenpox TWICE!
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous Bozo~I was on the show.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake Nope but I have swam in several of the Great Lakes though!
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone not that I ever use it...told ya...LAME!
99. Been stung by a bee Nope...never!
100. Read an entire book in one day Most every book I read!

HT: LaPaz Home Learning

Wednesday's Website

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/index.htm

Tons of activities, crafts, printables, etc... It is based out of the UK but is certainly packed full of many wonderful ideas for any family!

Check it out!

Training Tuesday

Hand washing!!!!!!

AGAIN!

So I noticed Joshua soaping up his hands the other day! I was standing off to the side unnoticed and he was just rubbing and rubbing the soap. I was soo proud, that is, until he leapt off the stool and raced out of the room...you know without using ANY water at all!

Of course, I called him back in and we embarked on the latest Training Tuesday session. Well now he is racing through the hand washing but at least he is using soap and water! If only we could get him to also dry his hands on a towel......

BOYS!!!

Montessori Monday

Idea from Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton.


The Trans Game~

I made this game by filling 3 empty baby food jars. One with water, one with dirt, and one with air! These jars represent the different places transportation occur; air, land, and water. Then, I printed off cards that depict different modes of transportation like these!



All the child needs to do is sort the cards next to each jar into the appropriate type of place for transportation to occur. Make sure to mark the back of the cards with a symbol for self checking!

For My Friends at Early Learning Printables

Here are the links!

http://sjbacb.blogspot.com/2008/05/crafts-made-from-recycled-materials.html
http://sjbacb.blogspot.com/2008/05/recycled-material-crafts-continued.html

Quick Hello to everyone else and feel free to revisit all these great crafts made from recyclable materials!

Still Shopping?

Check this out! Cool toys and books! Free Shipping too!

http://www.underthelamb.com/index.php

Wednesday's Website

Here is a fun one to help with lunch or to find different cooking ideas you can use with your kids!

http://littlenummies.net/

I especially appreciate the easy to follow directions and often times diagrams!

Montessori Monday

Idea borrowed from Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton~

I have been planning on making a timeline with Joshua for a longtime! Lesley Britton has a couple of different timeline ideas that she recommends for different aged children.

For the 3-4 year old
Create a timeline of your Child's day.
For the 4-5 year old
Create a timeline of your Child's life. She suggests using photographs to represent each year.
For the 5-6 year old
Create a timeline of homes through the ages. You could easily find pictures online of homes such as caves, Roman Villa, Tudor, Victorian, and Modern Homes.

We have already done the Child's day timeline about 2 years ago. Josh loved keeping track of what he was doing on it. With the Child's life timeline I would like to adapt it a bit to reflect his different milestones, especially as a baby. I think this will be helpful with his understanding of Little C and where he is at developmentally. Josh is a bit frustrated with Little C's lack of vocal skills etc...

More Human Body Work

Josh decided to create a skeleton all on his own! He chose to use paper, scissors, glitter glue, and markers. I added paper fasteners when he could not come up with an idea to attach the body parts. He cut out and decorated most of it entirely by himself. I only helped with the hands and feet.

Love it!

Our Advent Schedule

I have a confession...

I am totally lazy...especially during the Winter. Living in Snow up to your you know what Michigan just makes me want to stay in PJs all day and watch movies. But I can't or at least I shouldn't so instead I have to make....err I mean motivate myself to join the living...

This is a super simple task during Advent because I just make an Advent calender to give us at least one special activity to do every day. I keep these pretty simple and with minimal ingredients or I will just find an excuse not to do it!

So anyway...here is our list...

1. Write list for Santa
2. Cinnamon and applesauce ornaments http://sjbacb.blogspot.com/2008/12/ornament-ideas.html
3. Visit Santa at the mall
4. Set up Josh's Nativity http://www.fisherprice-littlepeople.com/
5. Paper chain for Josh's bedroom tree or maybe http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheCraftyCrow/~3/475437202/pom-pom-garland.html
6. Fireplace, movie, popcorn night
7. Set out the race track with Daddy and race cars
8. Sew stocking http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/paperstocking/index.shtml
9. Paper snowflakes
10. Foam Frames
11. Play in the snow and come in for some Hot Vanilla (Josh hates chocolate!) http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50502
12. Hand print tree or wreath http://just4funwithsandy.blogspot.com/2008/11/we-made-christmas-trees-with-our-hands.html
13. Activity with Daddy
14. Watch the Polar Express
15. Make Crystal Snowflakes http://www.recipegoldmine.com/crafts/crystal-ornaments.html
16. Make new ornaments for our tree http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheCraftyCrow/~3/475437202/pom-pom-garland.html
17. Paper strip ornaments http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/12/sent-in-by-you.html
18. Make Snow trail Mix http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50520
19. Put up Josh's Bedroom Tree
20. Gingerbread houses with graham crackers
21. Watch the Grinch and Eat popcorn
22. Make Christmas cookies
23. Decorate a white felt stocking
24. Open presents from Mommy's Aunts and Uncles!

So, anyway, I just type these all up and print them on paper strips and stick them in this tree shaped drawer system. I found it last year when I was in the check out at Target. We have a Starbucks in ours and I saw the tree and knew I had to have it for Josh. I had been drooling over one of those really expensive wooden ones for awhile but this works great and I saved a ton of money! But really you could just make a paper chain like this easy but adorable idea!

Enjoy your holiday season!

Shannon

Human Body Puzzle

I wanted to share a puzzle that we LOVE! It is Your body 5 layer puzzle by Beleduc. It comes in a boy version or a girl version and is anatomically correct!

The first layer is a clothed child, then skin, muscle, organs, and finally skeleton. Josh loves this and is really learning a ton about the human body. It is great for your littles to learn body parts, and not to mention puzzle skills. Josh is going more in depth to discover the different organs and more about how the body works!

So anyway, we love it and I would definitely recommend it as long as you are aware that the boy has a penis (VERY tastefully done!).

Ornament Ideas

Josh and I make ornaments for our tree every year and in a past life I was a Kindergarten teacher. So, I thought I would share some of the ornaments I have made with Children. Hope you find a bit of inspiration...

• Craft Stick Frames ~ With my Kindergarten students, we made tree shaped frames EVERY YEAR! Easy and great gifts! All you need is a photo of the child, 3 green sticks, 1 brown stick, green construction paper, and decorations. Just make a triangle with the green sticks, glue together. Glue the green paper to the pack, trim to fit. Glue the brown stick on as a tree trunk. Allow the child to decorate then glue the picture into the center.
  
• Paper chain ~ This is a good one for the little ones since it uses skills they are/or need to be practicing. (cutting, gluing/stapling, listening) Make it more fun with scrapbook paper etc... Also, if you cut the strips thinner they make a chain that is suitable for a tiny tree. (Perfect for the Kid's room!)
  
• Bead ornaments ~ Super easy! Children can just string beads onto pipe cleaners and either the child or adult can bend into desired shape. (Candy canes, Bells, trees, hearts, wreaths, etc...)
• Foam ornaments ~ Cut desired shape out of foam (we did this last year with a tree). Child can decorate with beads, buttons, rick rack, etc... Glue ribbon on back.
• Cinnamon clay ornaments ~ Mix 1/2 cup cinnamon with 1/2 cup applesauce in a large zip lock bag. Allow child to squish until mixed well. Roll out with rolling pin or just flatten with your hands. Cut out Christmas shapes with cookie cutters. Poke a small hole at the top for hanging. Allow to dry over night (at least!). String with ribbon and hang on the tree.

Around the web...

http://lets-explore.typepad.com/weblog/2008/12/simple-reindeer-ornaments.html

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/12/04/pom-pom-ornaments/

http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2008/12/felt-ice-skate.html

http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2008/12/yarn-star-ornam.html

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/12/sent-in-by-you.html

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/12/02/candy-cane-crafts-for-a-crowd/

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/christmas.html Tons of great ideas!

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/paper_christmas_tree_fan-e194.html

Wednesday's Website

As some of you know, we have decided to send Josh to Kindergarten in the Fall. I am sure I will be posting more on that in the next few months.

But for now, I wanted to share with you a website that was invaluable in helping us to narrow down our many school choices.

http://www.greatschools.net/

You just put your location in and they give you a huge list of schools. From there you can read parent reviews, see test scores, find just tons of information that can help you in making such an important decision for your child. Even if you are not planning to send your child to school, it may be helpful to be armed with such information if need be.

Montessori Monday

Idea borrowed from Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton~

We are working on sight words with Josh right now so this idea from Lesley Britton's book really caught my eye!

Words Around the House (recommended for ages 5-6)
This is another easy to set up game for language and reading development. All you need are index cards with the names of household objects written on them. You read the word with the child (or have child read it) and they place the card near the object. I thought this might also be fun to do with sticky tack, having the child attach the word to the object.

A fun extension for this one would be to do the same activity but with the name added in a different language under or instead of the English label.

You could also make this for younger children by adding a picture to the card.

Teens Work

Josh has been STRUGGLING with the teen numbers! I have tried EVERYTHING. I finally broke out the Addition Snake game that I have been hoarding and set up a bit of teen work with those. It helped...sort of...a bit.

I had wanted to do the teen boards like these from montessorimaterials.org (scroll down!) but we have been just struggling with the printer. (I have a new one now and will be printing the teen board out today!)

Finally...a couple of days ago I saw it click! He was setting up a set of flashcards in a row, just doing a quick get out of your chair activity before we did more phonics work. He was having the usual prob with the 16, 17, 18 area and I just pointed to the second number on the card and said, honestly in frustration, look Josh it is just 6, 7, 8, just like you did before but just with a 1 first. And...it clicked...he got it and seems to even be able to count it aloud just fine now. I guess it was just finally his time to figure it out...funny though.

Especially since he used to be fine with it but somehow got it all mixed up. The mind is a fascinating thing...

Wednesday's Website

Today's website is more of a general homeschooling, rather than Montessori, help! Everyday they post a homeschooling freebie, many of which I have found helpful now or worth saving for the future. If you sign up for their list they send you an advance email of what will be offered in the upcoming week. Oh yeah, and an extra free downloadable goodie!

Check it out~
http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Training Tuesday?

Remember the days when I was organized? When I used to do Training Tuesday regularly? Well I really would like to start it again...but maybe with a bit more flexibility. I will Blog about it on Tuesdays but do the lesson whenever it happens throughout the week. I think that will work better for us! SO....

We have started with crumbing a table. Last week we had a particularly crumby breakfast in which Joshua excused himself to use the bathroom toward the end of the meal. Which allowed me to see the HUGE mess he had left. I sighed and was about to clean it up when it occurred to my too sleepy brain that he was quite capable. SO when he returned I sent him to get his brush and dustpan. Like this but we paid much less and it came with an upright vacuum! I quickly showed him how to brush his crumbs gently and he cleaned up his mess.

Montessori Monday

An oldy but a goody...

I keep forgetting to do this but it is a "must do" this week!

The Command Game

Supplies needed

• index cards
• list of verbs (action words)
• child
• marker

Write a different verb on each index card with a marker. Make sure they are verbs that your child can perform, such as run, jump, walk, spin, etc...

Child reads word and performs action. An extension could be to write a sentence on the card for the child to read and perform, such as touch your nose, find a red ball, etc...

As Requested...

Amber requested I expand a bit on my previous post in which I said that we are working on planning ahead to behave right now.

Just a bit of background first...
We try to use Love and Logic as our discipline tool. It is, in short, giving your child choices to teach them to make appropriate decisions on their own. There is much more to it but...

Anyway, Joshua's behavior lately has been quite undesirable...to say the least. We pretty much figure it started when I began watching Little C. Sort of the old Only child syndrome. Although it is understandable that he is struggling with sharing Mommy, that does not make his behavior acceptable. We believe that as parents it is our job to teach Josh appropriate ways to behave.

I have pinpointed several times throughout our day in which Joshua has the hardest time choosing to behave. As an example, one such time is when Little C is dropped off. So now, when the time is approaching we talk about what he can plan to do during this time so that he does not make inappropriate choices. The conversation might look like this...

Me~ "Josh it is almost time for Little C to arrive, have you made your plan for what you will be doing?"

Josh~ "I will help you, Mommy."

Me~ "Well, Josh, that does not seem to really work for you right now...have you made your plan for what you will be doing?"
(The repeating is a Love and Logic trick!)

Josh~ (sometimes comes up with a plan but often gets frustrated with me not letting him meet them at the door. If he does not choose something, I might say...)

Me~ "You could build a tall tower for little C to knock over after breakfast or we could get out your Lego's for you to use at the table, which one would you like to choose?"

Josh~ (sometimes chooses, sometimes comes up with his own plan. I allow this most of the time as long as it is appropriate. L & L would suggest making him pick from the choices and in some situations I agree but here I am okay with him planning his own activity!)

When the doorbell rings, I remind him to stick to his plan and most of the time he does. Occasionally, especially if C's mom is taking awhile, chatting etc... he comes in the room. I see how he behaves...keeping a close eye on him and if he gets even a bit silly I remind him by saying something like, "Josh are you following your plan?"

If this is not enough to send him back to his plan it often will lead to a timeout in his room which also accomplishes my immediate goals of showing him his behavior is unacceptable and ensuring that the drop off time is calmish for Little C and his Mom.

We have been pretty successful with this for the past few weeks. Josh is quite an active child and seems to need to think ahead in situations that might excite him. He is very fond of the baby and wants to play with him but is really struggling with a way to play with a 1 year old who is just walking. So for now, we are making many plans throughout our day so that he can be successful and learn what is expected.

I am also going back to a more scheduled day which generally looks like this
8am Drop off
8:30 Breakfast
9am Boys play! With me, right on the floor with them to help with appropriateness!
9:45 C's Bottle and down for nap
10am Preschool
12pm Wake C and begin Lunch
1pm Josh on computer and C and I play
2pm Both boys nap
4pm Josh can come down and little C is generally gone by now.
This is a tough time because Josh wants me to play but I am often exhausted and trying to get dinner started. I would like to find a solution here...any ideas?
5:40 Daddy gets home and I finish making dinner
6pm Dinner and evening activity
7:45 Get Josh ready for bed
8pm Josh in bed, Mommy and Daddy passed out in family room from utter exhaustion!

Hope this is helpful! Please feel free to ask any questions and make any suggestions! I will answer in the comment section if it is a quick answer/comment.

Working Together!

Many of you know that we host pretty much all the holidays in our home for both sides of the family...at the same time. For the most part, it works out well. However, for me, it is a LOT of work. I have been going a little crazy this week trying to clean the house and plan the meals and still taking care of both of the boys.

Yesterday, after breakfast, I was cleaning in the kitchen. The boys were driving me a bit crazy...under foot and all. Then, Josh asked if he could run down and get his duster to help. Well I of course agreed but I figured it would be less help and more of a hinderance. Apparently he had a plan, we are working on planning ahead to behave right now. So anyway, he also brought up his vaccuum and handed it to Little C. So for the next 10 minutes, Joshua dusted and Little C vaccuumed and I got some actual cleaning done!

Dr. Montessori would have been so proud!

This is How We Roll

Hmpf...I crack myself up!

Anyway...Josh finished rolling this entire container of pennies in about 2 days of short sessions. He did need a bit of supervision (read double checking!) to make sure the penny count came out right but he did really well.

All we did is have him stack pennies in little piles of 10. Then he counted 5 piles and we stuck them in the wrappers. Easy!

Now why did I let them sit there for 6 years on my kitchen counter???

Wednesday's Website

When I first started on my Montessori journey with Joshua I discovered this amazing website with all of these super helpful ideas and pictures. I immediately realized that not only would I never have such an elaborate set up but I never wanted too! This woman is amazing and way beyond me!

But seriously, check out all the pictures, you are bound to find an idea you could use with your children. Prepare to be a bit stunned!

http://www.monthome.com/index.htm

Montessori Monday

Idea borrowed from Montessori Read and Write by Lynne Lawrence~

I do not know about you but I CANNOT get Josh to do the Mystery Bag activity without cheating. So when I stumbled upon this idea I knew my problem was solved.

Lynne Lawrence suggests, at around age 4, to play a game called Guess the Object. All you need is a drawstring bag filled with small objects and 2 willing participants. You have one person reach into the bag and describe an object. The other person may then guess what the object might be. When guessed correctly the 2 may switch roles. I love this idea because it provides for a wonderful language exercise teaching the child a wonderful lesson on adjectives while also having a sensory experience.

Thanksgiving Plans

Since I was planning the next couple of weeks for Josh, I thought I would share it all with you! Hope you find an idea you can use.

• I bought a large bag of mixed, in the shell, nuts. For the first week he can just sort them and if/when he needs an extension I will print off the 3 part nut cards, just scroll down.
• I turned this Thanksgiving corn craft into a tray by leaving the paper corn nibblets in strips for him to snip. Everything else is cut out and ready to be assembled.
• Check out http://www.prekinders.com/thanksgiving.htm

I am personally borrowing

http://www.prekinders.com/pdf/thanks_a_lot.pdf A book from the Raffi song Thanks a Lot!

http://www.prekinders.com/pdf/ThanksgivingGridGame20.pdf A counting game using dice.

http://www.prekinders.com/pdf/TurkeyCounting.pdf A counting/graphing game using unifix cubes.

• Turkey Dot to Dot from makinglearningfun.com
• Pilgrim book from hubbardscupboard.com
• Turkey Number Assessment from makinglearnignfun.com
• Adorable Pilgrim Puzzle from dltk-holdays.com
• An easy sewing project from Jenn's Blog!

Don't know how much of this we will get to do but it will sure be a fun couple of weeks! We are pretty excited about Thanksgiving this year. We have not seen too much of Andrew's parents this summer and they will be staying with us for a few days. Also it is just nice to have several days in a row to spend together! Not to mention...the pumpkin pie...yummy!

Our Fall so far...

We have been very busy this past month and a half. Here are a few highlights!



Here is Josh with one of his Columbus Day projects. He created the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria out of an egg carton, play dough, toothpicks, and paper for sails. I have yet to come up with a quality read aloud for young children about Columbus. They are either misleading or just way too complex. Any suggestions for next year??








Here is Josh at our Camp reunion canoeing with me and Andrew. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful.













We also continued with our preschool work. We have been spending less time in our preschool room and more time at the dining room table. Josh seems to be drawn to doing work in workbooks and worksheets right now. I am planning to come up with a few new items to put on the shelves to see if we can renew interest in Montessori but if not I have no problem with just following the child!

Oh yeah...here he is using the cards from Jo. He loved these and even made them into a book when he had finished this counting game.


We have 2 giant trees in our front yard so we have enjoyed many fun Fall days jumping in the leaves!












We also made our annual trek to the Pumpkin Patch. We try to always get a picture of Joshua next to this scarecrow sign. This one turned out especially cute! We did a corn maze and checked out the farm animals but we went to a local grocery to buy our pumpkin because I just cannot pay $20 for a pumpkin. We ended up spending $6 for 2 local grown, one fancy and one regular.

And finally, here is Joshua in his Harry Potter costume on Halloween. We went trick or treating this year which was a first. Because of Joshua's restrictive diet, we just traded Josh his candy for the more nutritious treats we had waiting at home. He was thrilled since not only is he unable to eat much of the dyed candy but he also strongly dislikes (read totally hates!) Chocolate! We had a fun time since it was a beautiful night...very strange for Michigan. It is usually raining, sometimes even snowing on Halloween.

Thanks for visiting!

Shannon

Wish I Had Remembered My Camera

Today we got out the giant bowl of rice I keep packed up under the art table. Josh worked at finding coins and making a pretend cake while I ironed the fuse bead creations we had made. When I finally joined him I realized that the coins were covered in... I do not know... something yucky. So we grabbed the vinegar and salt that I had remembered from Chasing Cheerios (Thanks Melissa!) and we got to work! They shined right up and I had Joshua use the "chopsticks" from Let's Explore to pull them out of the solution one by one. He did great and it was nice to see all the Montessori work paying off in a semi real world setting.

In the midst of all the fun, Joshua says "Mommy this is just like our work in preschool!" Hmmm, just what I was thinking.

Not going to give a bunch of apologies or explanations for our absence...I just needed the break.

Shannon