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!

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