Kid's Calendar

This calendar is great.  It is so hands on & the boys can add whatever they want to it as the month goes on.You can pick one up at Target for about $10.  Although I got this one at the thrift store (new) for $2.50.  And I have seen it there (not always new) multiple times.  

Anyway, every month we get to redo it, so it is great that we can talk about months of the year, days of the week and numbers.  We also get to discuss what fun stuff is coming up.  This includes, holidays, birthdays, parties, trips to the museum or the zoo.  It has been the perfect addition to our pantry door (right below "my" calendar).  The kid's then have the opportunity to reference it & see how long it will be until something comes up.

Little Jobs

I love that my boys love doing little jobs.  They give them a great feeling of satisfaction because they love to do them (because they ask to do them).  They are also now at the point of being very helpful (and actually time saving for me). 

This does take a little bit of foot work for a while.  What do I mean you ask?  Well you have to slow down and let them do "their job", at "their" pace & "their" way.  This took me a little time at first, because my instinct would be, "Let me do it, because I can get it finished quickly."  But what does that accomplish?  A disappointed child & a Mom who is tired because everything falls to me to do.

So, now I watch my sons do things like; put away their clothes (upstairs), feed the dog, clean up the playroom, "make" their beds,  bring their laundry downstairs,  gather up their library books, clear their dishes from the dinner table, fill up their own water cups, get their own snacks and help with the recycling.  

Now if I could just get them to go to the grocery store, make dinner and mow the lawn!

Struggling with Kindergarten

I wish I could homeschool our kids, I really do!  My oldest son, "J" went off to Kindergarten a few weeks ago and is really struggling.  I think it is a variety of things actually, but I find it very frustrating.  I have 2 sons that are 15 months apart.  We are a little threesome when Dad is at work.  We go everywhere together & do so much "stuff".  I have been lucky enough to be at home with both J & A since the day there were born.  But the plan has always been for me to go back to work when A is in kindergarten (which is next year, fall of 2011).

Anyway, we moved to a new neighborhood last year, which I love (not far from the city we were living downtown in). They have great schools, lots of parks, & plenty of kids all around.  I discovered the Montessori Method & realized how much I was already applying it to our family life.  My kids have gone to a playbased preschool two mornings a week (we had J there 2 full days last spring) for the past few years & I have done oodles with them at home.  They love to discover new stuff.

J has always been independent, so going to Kindergarten would be a breeze I thought.  I wish we could of done a Montessori school but they are all to expensive at the moment.  I am currently looking into employment at some of those schools to see what my possibilities would be for when I return to work next year (I was a teacher before being a SAHM).  Anyway, J is struggling.  He doesn't like being there all day (all-day Kindergarten is all that is offered in our state in public school), he doesn't like not being able to explore, he wants to be "doing stuff" with A & me. 

I try to down play what A and I do while he is gone, but he is smart & after 5 1/2 years of being on the go (museums, parks, libraries, activities, going to DC to visit Dad at work), he knows we don't sit around at home.  I feel so bad because I feel I am doing him an injustice.  I don't know whether or not I should homeschool him.  Should I give him some more time to adjust?  He doesn't really know a lot of kids yet.  I am not sure if I will keep them at this school or move them next year to wear ever I am teaching (it all depends on the job).

But the other day he came home with new pants on & I asked what happened.  He told me he wet his pants.  He is almost 6 (in Nov.) & I can't remember the last time he had an accident!  He has been fully potty trained since he was an early 3.  Not sure what to do, I hate feeling so up in the air.  But I don't want to create instability or teach him that I will solve every problem that he doesn't like.

Sandpaper Letters & Sand Tracing

1. Choose two letters that contrast in shape and sound. The letters  you choose should be very different so that they are easy to distinguish. For example, you might select "t" and "s." The letters should be placed in front of the child so that they can be easily viewed and touched.  

2. The letters should be traced in the direction that they will be written. Trace one of the letters with your pointer and index finger while saying the sound of the letter. Do this a few times so that it is clear to the child what you are doing. The student may start making the sound with you.  

3. Have the child trace the letter, just as you did. While he is tracing, continue to make the phonetic sound of the letter. The student may also start making the sound, but if he does not, that is okay. Once he has  done the first letter, do the same thing with the second.

4. Next test the child's recall. You can do this by placing both letters in front of him and then instruct him to, find the 't' (or 's') and feel it.  Repeat this step as many times as necessary. 

5. Now you are going to add in phonetic sounds. Place both letters in front of the child and have him feel each letter while he is making the proper sound. Let him switch back and forth or continue with one letter for a while, as he prefers. The important thing is that he is clear about what sound goes with what letter.    

6. This lesson can continue over subsequent days. Each day, you can add a few more letters. Your child should be working with an expanding repertoire of letters during each lesson. If he appears to be overwhelmed or gets confused, you can slow down and focus on the letters she already knows until he is more comfortable & confident.

7.  Once they are comfortable and confident in their letters and tracing them on the board itself.  More one to tracing the letters in the sand.  This lets them visually & independently transfer what they have been practicing on the board into the sand.

Learning to Read in Montessori

I found some great You Tube videos that I have been utilizing with my youngest son in regard to reading.  I have included the first link, however, there are 8 short videos (from 1 - 2 minutes).  They are great and will give you endless ideas on how to work with your young ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHfnRtSIhS4&feature=related

(Also under the name: Learning to Read in Montessori).

More Patterns!

This was a simple project for me to make & for my boys to do.  The one thing my son likes is that you can create patterns in more than one way.  For example, you can line the blocks up or you can build them upwards which A discovered & thought was really cool.

To make this set, all I did was take some old wooden blocks (that I found at a thrift store) & paint each side a different color (making for, 4 different colors & lots of pattern possibilities).  The other neat thing is that "two little" blocks  equal "one big" block.

Finding The Good Stuff

Counting Bears  (Walmart $4.00)

For many of us buying "authentic" montessori materials from one of the online stores is not going to happen on a regular basis.  However, I am quickly finding out that between a few online stores (such as MontessoriOutlet.com) a few websites with free print outs  (montessoriforeveryone.com or montessorimom.com) and my love for thrift stores is really paying off when it comes to collecting activities for my kids to learn & play with.

Wooden counting strips (found at a thrift store for $1.81)

I have found many games in thrift stores that are a fraction of what you would pay in Target or Kohl's & are in perfect shape.  I have also found many things that I am learning to adapt (trays (50 cents) for the sand for use with Sandpaper Letters) or blocks (that cost me $1.81) that I painted and used for working on patterns. I also went to Micheal's to get the supplies for a counting activity (wooden circles & popsicle sticks) & for the counting caterpillar.

Melissa & Doug Pizza ($3.50).  Great for sorting or dividing.

I am also a big fan of Melissa & Doug toys which I seem to find quite often at thrift stores (or on Craigslist).  I like there basic design, the fact that they are wood and that you have to use your imagination.  That said I have found a Melissa & Doug Pizza, Cake & Sushi.  I also have found Plan Toys animals & vegetables.  All of these have been great for playing kitchen or restaurant as well as learning to split things up (in half, thirds or sixths).

Orton Gillingham Training

I am excited to be enrolling in an Orton-Gillingham training course next week.  Orton-Gillingham is a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading, writing, and spelling.  It meshes beautifully with Montessori.  I really think this will enhance my educational background & give me even more skills to work with children.

I look forward to sharing some of the basics of phonological awareness, including activities and games, with everyone in the future, little by little as I continue my blog. 

BIG BOOKS!

I love big books and so do kids!  They are so engaging and for many kids they are a new novelty.  Just being able to see the pictures so big and in such detail alone can be so intriguing.

We have a few big books and every time we "read" them the boys find new things in the pictures.  We are big into picture reading, as well as finding "stuff" in the pictures.    

I often start with the questions and then the boys will quickly turn the tables on me and each other.  It is really fun to see them look so deeply into the pictures and dissect the story.

Our big books vary by subject, both fiction, non-fiction & scientific books.  Which have been great this summer as we have been outside exploring nature a great deal.  Many times we find ourselves outside in our "fort" reading.  What fun it can be to change your reading venue.  A new environment can bring up a whole new set of questions to relate to the story.

Go enjoy a good book with your kids right now!

Parachute Ball Play

FUN! FUN! FUN!

Playing with this ball is so much fun.  I remember playing with this ball in gym class as a child.  When I found one at an educational store I had to have it.  My boys and many of their friends LOVE this ball.  Everytime I get this ball out the smiles & cheers make my day (and from the sound of it, definitely theirs). 

This ball is great all the way around.  It keeps the kids active and running around the yard.  It also involves the older kids and the real young ones.  The older kids can hit this ball as hard as they want & it won't hurt anyone.  It is super lightweight (nylon material) & I fill it up with the hairdryer (on the cool setting).  It loses air every so often, (after about 10 minutes of hard hitting) but it is a quick fix with the hairdryer.

There are lots of games to play that work on gross motor skills.  Along with running and jumping (to get to and reach the ball), you can make it a hands only game (low net volleyball) or a feet only game (crab soccer).  

*This ball was about $25 at a local educational store.  Well worth it as we have been using it for about a year an a half.

 

Melissa & Doug Wooden Geometric Stacker

What a great little toy!  This one is a favorite for so many ages.  You can work with so many things. Colors is the first obvious one.  Then there is shapes, sizes, amount and sorting.  This works for young kids up to about 4 (although my 5 year old will easily fly through this, he still enjoys it from time to time).

The square one, is the one that makes my 4 year old think about how things fit together.  I like that this is self-correcting & my kids can find out the way it goes (size & shape wise).