Our Montessori shelves

 Administrative, Montessori  No Responses »
Jun 192013
 
Our Montessori shelves

I’m so excited to finally have some Montessori shelves in our home! As some of my regular readers may know (of if you’ve read my About page), I have been working on my PhD in Child and Adolescent Development for the last five years. Well, this past weekend I finally graduated! This is a really blurry picture of me walking across the stage after I had just collected my diploma. Now that I have graduated and no longer need to put so much focus on my dissertation , I am looking forward to spending more time with my kids. One [...]

Insect sensory bin

 Sensory bins  5 Responses »
Jun 182013
 
Insect sensory bin

This post about our insect sensory bin is another post related to our homeschool preschool insect unit. My kids absolutely love sensory bins. As soon as they noticed a new bin in our homeschool area, they began bugging me (pun intended!) to play with it. This insect sensory bin was very simple to put together. I started with a base of black beans, then I added several silk flower petals and an insect on top of each petal. (I ordered the insects – which are actually finger puppets – from Oriental Trading Company.) When I finally gave them a chance [...]

Sailboat craft to float down a homemade river

 Arts and crafts, Literacy  9 Responses »
Jun 162013
 
Sailboat craft to float down a homemade river

In this post I’m sharing about a sailboat craft I did with my kids, starting with what prompted us to do it! Step 1: Read about sail boats Lately, QBoy has been asking me to read the book Sail Away by Donald Crews to him over and over. I decided to capitalize on his interest in sail boats by having the kids make their own sailboats to float down a homemade “river” similar to what I had seen in a post at Five Little Chefs. Step 2: Make your own sailboat craft I took our our craft sticks and some [...]

How to learn math

 Math, Promotions  No Responses »
Jun 152013
 
How to learn math

For my readers who work in education settings or who homeschool their children, I wanted to let you know about a free e-course that will begin next month titled “How to Learn Math.” This course is being taught by Jo Boaler of Stanford University. According to the course description: The course is a short intervention designed to change students’ relationships with math. I will release a version of the course designed for teachers and other helpers of math learners, such as parents. In the teacher/parent version I will share the ideas I will present to students and hold a conversation [...]

 Posted by at 12:00 pm

Easy-to-make fireworks in a jar

 4th of July, Arts and crafts, Science  23 Responses »
Jun 132013
 
Easy-to-make fireworks in a jar

In honor of the upcoming 4th of July holiday in the United States, I decided to introduce the kids to fireworks by making our own very easy-to-make fireworks in a jar! I gathered the following supplies: cooking oil (I used Canola oil, but I imagine just about any oil would work) a bowl a tall, empty glass jar (if you don’t have a jar, a vase would work well too) a fork food coloring To make fireworks in a jar, start by measuring 1 TBS of oil into the bowl. Then add several drops of food coloring. Use the fork [...]

This week’s deals (6-12-13)

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jun 122013
 
This week's deals (6-12-13)

Father’s Day Gifts deals from Amazon.com Looking for the perfect gift for Father’s Day? Check out these deals at Amazon.com! Is Dad a sports fan? How about 30% Off Select Sports Collectibles for Dad? Or maybe Dad is more in to electronics? June is audio month at Amazon, and select audio electronics are 50% off.   Get a surprise box of products for your child every month from Citrus Lane CHOOSE Select the plan that works best for you and your little one. Plans start as low as $21 per month. PERSONALIZE Tell us your little one’s age (from newborn [...]

 Posted by at 12:00 pm

Rock painting – a fun activity for kids

 Arts and crafts  2 Responses »
Jun 112013
 
Rock painting - a fun activity for kids

Is it just my kids or do young kids in general seem to have a fascination with rocks? QBoy, in particular, is always picking up small rocks and putting them in his pocket to take home. And both kids have a bag sitting on our counter that we use to add any new rocks they have managed to pick up. QBoy had been asking for a while to paint his rocks, so one afternoon while they kids were napping I set up a rock painting invitation to play that included: paints (in our no-spill paint cups) an assortment of brushes [...]

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Preschool insect unit activities

 Science, Thematic units  14 Responses »
Jun 092013
 
Preschool insect unit activities

This is another post highlighting some of the many insect-themed activities we’ve done in recent weeks. My other insect-related posts include: Up close with insects – see how we’ve been raising butterflies and silkworms at home! Insect-themed learning activities – see how we’ve worked on color matching, math, and fine motor skills using insect-themed activities. Ladybug unit for preschoolers – see a variety of ladybug-themed activities we did to work on literacy, art, and science Learning about insect body parts – this post includes a free printable game to help children name and identify the key body parts common to [...]

Learning about insect body parts {free printable}

 Science  12 Responses »
Jun 062013
 
Learning about insect body parts {free printable}

All insects have specific anatomy that is part of what make them insects. For example, adult insects have six legs and three main parts to their body – the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. In order to help QBoy and XGirl learn about insect anatomy, I created the Parts of an Insect game. The kids took turns rolling the dice. Then they selected a body part according to the number on the dice, and added it to our insect. When they were done building their insect, we celebrated! (Note that the Parts of an Insect game can be played [...]

Deals for parents

 Promotions  Comments Off
Jun 052013
 
Deals for parents

Today I’m highlighting some deals I’ve spotted that are relevant to parents with young children. Kids’ clothing deals First off is zulily.com. This week is “Dance Week” at zulily.com, with a variety of sales themed around the art of dance. This week features popular brands like Danskin, Capezio and many more! I’m thinking about enrolling XGirl into dance classes, so I will be taking a look at this week’s deals. In addition, zulily.com is having their Stars & Stripes sale preparing you for all your July 4th needs! I know our family plans to celebrate the 4th in style this [...]

 Posted by at 12:00 pm
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