Simply Montessori

Celebrating the shuttle launch with a little free art

2011-07-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week, but with a little boy who is very excited about anything space, we had to pause and celebrate the last shuttle launch.

To commemorate the occasion, I'm giving you a free art printable poster.

I've always loved this quote....

Just click on the above image to bring it up full-size (click on the photo again when it comes up on the new page to be sure you are zoomed in to 100% before printing), then save to your computer to print.

♥

Learning to Read in Montessori

2011-07-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

Source: google.com via Danae on Pinterest

Please click here

for an article by Hannelore Engelman explaining how children are learning to read with ease using the Montessori Method.

Hannelore Engelman is Founder and Executive Director of Montessori School of Los Altos, Co-chair of the 2007 Montessori Centennial, San Francisco, and a Member of the first Montessori delegation to the People’s Republic of China in 1990.

I hope you all had a safe and lovely 4th of July Weekend!

♥

Free American Flag 4th of July Do-A-Dot Printable

2011-07-04T07:44:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the 4th of July, I'm offering a free American Flag Do-A-Dot Printable for you.

Just click on the flag to bring the image up full-size, then right click and save to your computer for printing. It will fill an 8.5"x11" piece of paper so it is great for hanging up.

Visit this post for other great printable everyday Do-A-Dot activities.

Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!

♥

{this moment}

2011-07-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

{this moment}
one image
a tidbit from the week
held close to my heart
♥

{Free Printable} Human Body Parts, nomenclature 3 part cards

2011-06-30T06:41:00.000-05:00

I recently had a request for Body Part nomenclature cards.

Here they are!

Body Parts 3 Part Cards

Please let me know if you have any problems downloading them.

Looking for free Nomenclature cards on a certain subject but can't find them? Please make a suggestion.

♥

Revisiting: Homemade Ice Cream Right Now! {No Machine Required!}

2011-06-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

Revisiting this post from last summer....

It is still as yummy and fun this summer!

Do the kids have a little extra energy to burn off today? Do you want a quick, simple treat that the kids can make themselves (with a little help from you)? Try this recipe for homemade ice cream that uses items you most likely have in your house right now!

I discovered this recipe somewhere either in a book or online a few years ago, and used it in my classroom as an activity for parents to do with their children at an evening meeting at the school. It was a huge success!

I decided to pull it out and use it with my own children today- yum yum!

I can't remember where the original recipe came from, but I've adapted it some so I think it'll be okay if I post it for you here.

You will need 4 main ingredients:

milk, vanilla, sugar, salt.

You will also need 2 ziploc bags (either a quart and a gallon, or 2 gallon sized bags), and ice cubes.

First, put 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 4 tablespoons sugar into a ziploc bag (the smaller ziploc bag, if you are using 2 different sizes).

Press any excess air out of the bag and zip or press it closed tightly.

Fill up the gallon freezer bag with ice 1/2 of the way.

Sprinkle in 6 tablespoons of salt (regular table salt, but you can also use rock salt).

Put the first sealed bag with the milk, sugar, and vanilla inside the bag with the salt and ice, and seal the outside bag.

Shake the bag around, up & down, back & forth, for 8-10 minutes. The milk/sugar/vanilla mixture will begin to thicken and solidify. When it reaches your desired consistency, just open up the bags and scoop the ice cream into a bowl (or eat it right out of the bag).

We sprinkled on some rasberries on the top of ours, and I must say I'm always surprised how quick and easy this recipe is! It may not be the creamiest ice cream you've ever had, but it sure is good, and a fantastic treat that even little ones can help with!

If you make this, let me know what you think!

♥

I haven't tried this recipe yet (no machine required either), but I'm going to! (It requires me to make a trip to the grocery store for some ingredients, but I plan to make it sometime this week).

Have a lovely day!

I offer you peace, {and a free printable subway style poster!}

2011-06-24T16:08:00.002-05:00

To continue my subway-style printable poster series, here is a lovely quote from Ghandi's nephew.

Click here to see my previous post about how to use it in your home or classroom, including a video.

Just click on the above image to bring it up full-size (click on the photo again when it comes up on the new page to be sure you are zoomed in to 100% before printing), then save and print.

♥

Bedtime bonding and building literacy skills through the power of touch....

2011-06-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

Source: weheartit.com via Simply on Pinterest

I have a bedtime routine, as I'm sure you do with your children. We have a bath, we put on pajamas, we brush teeth, we choose some books to read together, and snuggle for a little while. During the snuggle time, I have found that the children often wanted me to rub their back or gently scratch their backs or tummies. This is a great way to bond with you child as well as to relax them before they fall asleep.

What I've also found is that this is a fantastic way to build literacy skills. It began as a soothing game where I would gently "draw" each letter of the alphabet on their back with my finger as I quietly sang the alphabet song to them. Then, I began drawing one letter at a time (out of order) to see if they could guess which letter I had drawn. In this way you not only practice letter recognition, but also expose them to the correct form in which to write the letter.

The child is feeling the letter formed from the paper's perspective.

Sometimes I will even say quietly to myself "up, down, up, down" as I trace for an "M", or ""over, up, and around" for an "e" so it reinforces the correct way to write the letter at the same time. The kids just think I'm whispering to myself. :)

For children that need a little bit more of challenge, you can write a letter and have them tell you the sound the letter makes (phonemic awareness). Or, you can spell out three or four letter words, or the child's name. I have also drawn shapes ("guess the shape" game) and numbers. For younger children, write the numbers on their back with your fingertip as you count in order up to 20, or 100. For older children, silently trace your finger to form the numbers on their back and have them guess the number you wrote.

Depending on the night and the child, our games may last only a few minutes. Other times they take longer as we move from one game to another. Sometimes, it is just plain tickles, back scratches, or cuddles.

That's the best part about this- it is mostly about the love.

♥

Giveaway Winner!

2011-06-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

The winner of the oohmoon giveaway is....

...comment number 8, which happens to be Mother Orchid :)

I know you will enjoy whichever design you select.

Congratulations, and thank you very much to everyone who entered the giveaway.

Many thanks to Katie Moon for sharing her talent with my readers.

♥

Giveaway closes tonight!

2011-06-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

Just a little reminder that the oohmoon giveaway closes at midnight tonight.

Comment on that post to enter.

Hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day!!!

♥

One more free Father's Day Printable Poster!

2011-06-17T04:43:00.000-05:00

Here is one more free Father's Day printable poster, in two color variations.....

blues & greens, and rainbow.

Just click to bring it up full-size (click on the photo again when it comes up on the new page to be sure you are zoomed in to 100% before saving the image & printing).

Enjoy!

Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

♥

Book Review: Seasons

2011-06-15T11:15:00.001-05:00

Recently I purchased the book Seasons by Blexbolex. When I originally stumbled across this book, I was immediately taken with the bright colors and unique graphic qualities of the illustrations. I found it intriguing to wade through the reviews on Amazon about the book- it seemed it was one of those "you either love it or you hate it" books. The naysayers said that the book was disjointed and didn't really have a story. Other argued that some of the selections included in the book were too mature or abstract for young children. But the more I looked at the idea behind the book, the more I wanted to find out for myself.

The author's message to his readers about the book is simple:

"Blexbolex got lost for a while in the pages of his books.

He has needed two summers, an autumn, a winter, a spring, several storms and a lot of sunshine to rediscover the seasons for himself."

The book itself is quite thick and substantial. The cover artwork is beautiful- bright and eyecatching. The binding is covered with yellow printed fabric which gives it that "vintage library book" feel.

The book begins with a page spread for each of the seasons, jumping into Spring with a picture of a bud. It moves quickly into summer with pictures of "Tee" for t-shirt and watermelon. There is a short season of Autumn with an overcoat and mushrooms in the forest, before moving to winter with snowflakes and ice skates. Then again comes the spring, with its "Thaw" and resulting "Torrent". Children jump in puddles, women hang their laundry on the line to dry outside, and families set out on road trips. The book continues on a few more seasonal cycles from here, before finally ending again with a seedling, growing up.

Here is where I come to disagree with the opinion that the book has no "story". If you read the book more than one time, you will begin to pick up on special relationships between the pictures throughout the book. A seed turns into a shoot. A plum that appears at the beginning of the book, later reappears as a prune the following Autumn. Pruning of the trees provides reserves for firewood for the winter. The spring thaw results in a river torrent. The beautiful fragrance from the blooming flowers creates an allergy on the subsequent page. The cyclical nature of the book allows for children to begin to make connections between what happens in nature and the resulting human behavior and activities that go along with the seasons. It also allows for connecting the dots between the causes and the effects of natural occurrences (drought, and a later forest fire, for example).

There is a picnic.

The people leave behind some trash....

which a bird discovers......

and uses to build his nest.

My son and I spent a while talking about this series of four pages alone. Picnics, littering and care for the environment, how birds build a nest, and the vocabulary word "debris", which was new for him. All that from four words and four pictures.

The book has some strength to it.

Here, the first clue of Autumn.....

and the bird migration is a clue for the Winter to come.

Some of my personal favorites include...

Summer's fireflies and shooting stars...

The end of Autumn's love connections and the stubborn tree that doesn't want to give up its leaves (the same tree was a late bloomer earlier in the book)....

night....

and Spring bringing the birth of new animal babies.

My children's favorites so far include:

picking out items they recognize from the Tornado (look, there is a cow, and a house!)....

the intense and creative parade spread.....

and the little boy who feels "Glum" because it is raining outside and he can't go fly his kite. This was another great vocabulary lesson- Glum was also a new word for them, as were....

...carefree & captivated. Now they know them. My son really stared at the captivated picture for a while, like it held something special for him.

They also found amusement in the camping and mosquito connection, and noticed a few pages later when it shows the people scratching red bumps with the word "Itchy".

We've read this book several times by now, and each time we find something new to talk about.

My children are 4 and under, so some of the concepts require some discussions, but that is one of the things I enjoy about this book. The simple yet visually stunning illustrations are something even my 2 year old can enjoy on her own as well.

Seasons by Blexbolex. We like it.

♥

ooh my, I ♥ oohmoon { & a giveaway! }

2011-06-13T21:16:00.001-05:00

Just when I think oohmoon can't get any better (did you catch the series last week on adorable bugs?), Illustrator Katie Moon hits me in that special Mommy soft spot in her new series The Family Circle. Today's print, the first in the series, is above. Rush over to oohmoon to get it free right now!!

I've posted before about how much I think oohmoon is great, not only because I have no idea how she finds the time to create such creative illustrations EVERY SINGLE DAY, but because she offers them for free-FOR FREE-for the first 24 hours, then only $4.99 if you miss the free time period.

I contacted Katie to see if she would be willing to offer a giveaway of one of her prints to my readers, and she graciously and enthusiastically agreed {and she didn't even make me beg}...

She's awesome.

{To win the free print of your choice}:

visit oohmoon and leave a comment on this post about your favorite print or series. Please be sure to leave a way to contact you if you are the winner.

{lots of additional entry options}:

please note: each entry must be left as a separate comment

follow this blog and leave me a comment on this post letting me know. If you are already a follower, that counts too :)
"like" simplymontessori on facebook
"like" oohmoon on facebook
follow katie moon on twitter
join the simply montessori flickr group
follow simply montessori on pinterest
tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave a link in your comment

This giveaway is open for comment entries until midnight CST on Sunday, June 19, 2011.

I will select a winner at random on Monday, June 20.

I also want to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has joined me on my new facebook page and flickr group so far. You've really touched me with your support and interest, and I'm so excited to be sharing more and learning more from you, too.

♥

New facebook and flickr pages, please join me! :)

2011-06-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Source: inspiring-pictures.com via Kaitlyn on Pinterest

In the interest in making this blog more interactive, and to increase our learning from each other, I've taken a step forward to expand a little more into the social media world!

I've started a facebook page, which you can find here.

It's very lonely right now, but I'd love it if you could find a moment to become my friend :)

I wasn't really sure how I would use this, so I put it off for a while. But recently, some of my favorite blogs have been joining, and I've loved seeing their posts in my personal facebook feed.

I'm also very excited that there is now a Simply Montessori group Flickr pool, which you can find here.

I started this in order to allow everyone to share their projects, learning environments, and materials with other readers of this blog and the Montessori community in general. I'd love to see how you make use of any of the printables from this site, too :)

To use this, simply log in to your flickr account, then join the group. You can upload and add to the pool as your time allows.

I also recently opened up a Pinterest account, which I use to "pin" lots of beautiful images that relate to Motherhood (parenthood), Montessori, and childhood. I'd love for you to connect with me here, too......

For your convenience, you can now find the links to these pages in the sidebar of this blog as well.

Can't wait to run into you in these other places!

♥

Printable Father's Day Interview Poster

2011-06-10T07:23:00.000-05:00

For part of our Father's Day present this year, I wanted to include an interview about Dad from my two oldest children. One of my favorite things that was saved from my childhood was a book where I answered questions about myself- the whole book was in an interview format. I was probably 5-6 years old when I worked through it, and the answers are so funny! It really gives you a snapshot into the child's mind and stage of development at that moment.

An interview form makes a great gift framed, and provides a lot of insight into the father-child relationship. The form can be redone from year to year to see how things change over time.

I created this printable form for you to use in two different colors. You can either print it out on paper and handwrite (or have your child handwrite, depending on their age) the answers directly onto the form, or you can use any simple graphic design software to add the text in the colors of your choice. An example of a partially filled out sample form using that method is below.

Examples of graphic design software that would work range from Paint (which comes free with many computers) to Picnik (which is free to use online), or Photoshop.

Here are the blank forms for printing- just click to bring it up full-size (click on the photo again when it comes up on the new page to be sure you are zoomed in to 100% before printing):

Enjoy!

♥

Resolving some problems...

2011-06-07T11:24:00.003-05:00

Source: etsy.com via Breeze on Pinterest

Hello~ I've been busy trying to resolve some problems related to my downloads. Scribd began charging to download my printables from their website without my knowledge, that is, until someone emailed me and let me know! {Thanks April}

So, I'm very sorry if you've been unable to access the downloads. It was never my intent to have anyone pay anything for them, and I wasn't profiting from the download fee Scribd was receiving.

With some research, I found how to "uncheck" the box that opted me into their fee based program, so I'm hoping that all the downloads should be back to "free" now. I'm also going to upload my documents into 4shared.com over the next week or so, to give you all another downloading option.

Thanks for bearing with me, and sorry about any confusion this might have caused. If anyone has any trouble in the future, please let me know & I'll try to get it resolved as quickly as possible.

♥

Don't throw that away!

2011-05-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

{Image via Terracycle}

Eliminate the Idea of Waste with Terracycle!

With great corporate partner ships (think Old Navy and Sprout), and creative projects (like turning old flip flops into that chipped soft rubbery material for playgrounds} Terracycle turns previously non-recyclable or hard to recycle waste into very useful alternatives from park benches to upcycled backpacks.

You can select your waste such as candy wrappers, cheese packaging, corks, digital cameras, neosporin tubes, scotch tape, or pens and markers.

They provide you with a collection box which you can fill yourself, or put it in a community spot or an office and collect it later.

Mail it back to Terracycle (with free shipping provided), and they turn it into cool new products!!!

The bonus: For most items, Terracycle donates money per unit collected to a charity of your choice.

This would be a great hands-on project to do with your kids!

Let them select the products you want to collect, and get started!!!

♥

Love. this.

2011-05-18T21:12:00.000-05:00

I wish I had the skill, the forethought, the "know how" to do this for my children.

So beautiful. So precious.

Yes, I cried like a baby while watching it.

I'm sharing it because, well, it is amazing, but maybe you could create your own for your next little one?

Grace and courtesy printable checklist/poster/chart

2011-05-15T15:24:00.001-05:00

The printable has various Montessori grace and courtesy lessons/manners listed on it. This can be used in a variety of ways.

Print it and keep it in your notebook to use as an observation checklist. Put a sticker, date, or an x through each lesson when your child has mastered it and uses it in everyday life. List multiple dates if you introduce and review the lesson at different times of the year. If you observe the child using one of these skills, you could record both the manner in which they used it (waited patiently in line, asked to help with the dishes, etc.) and the date.

Or, keep it in your lesson plans for long term scheduling. Put the dates in each shape for when you plan to model the skill during the year. You could also list the materials needed (if applicable) in the shape, or a related book to go along with and reinforce the lesson.

Or, print it out, frame it, and display it at child height so your child may read over it and review the lessons themselves.

Or, use it as a traditional motivational chart. Kind of like a "catch them being gracious" chart. When you notice your child displaying one of the grace and courtesy lessons from the chart, put a sticker on the shape. When they have a certain number of stickers on their chart, they receive a special privilege, book, field trip, tea party, etc. Decide with your child before you begin the chart what the rewards will be, and at what intervals they will be earned. Let them know that they may not earn a sticker every time they display their manners, but when you decide that they have mastered the skill or are using them correctly and consistently.

You could also write the definition of the lesson in the space above it (as you want to define it in your home or classroom), and then cut them up into cards and laminate them to make into a little grace and courtesy flip book. Once they are laminated, just put a hold punch in the corner of each card, then put onto a ring. Place them in a basket or on a hook in the learning environment, and the child can flip through and read to hisself/herself for review.

To use this image, just click on the photo above to view the poster in a larger size. Right click to save the image to your computer, then you can print it!

If you decide to use this, I'd love to know how you make use of it!

♥

Happy belated Mother's Day!

2011-05-15T00:51:00.000-05:00

Watch this.....

...and know you are loved!

♥

ooh moon....

2011-05-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

Have you seen ooh moon yet??

If not, you should.

Basically, talented artist Katie Moon creates one illustration per day, and provides it for free download on that day only. Yes, every day a new free download!

These are all appropriate for children's rooms, playrooms, or nurseries. If you missed one you like, she provides it for a $4.99 cost, which is still very affordable.

This is today's download, part of her Springtime Babies series. Isn't it cute???

♥

7 easy ways to cut your exposure

2011-05-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

Source: google.fr via Tristana on Pinterest

I received another great email from Fresh this morning, and wanted to pass this information along.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a hormone-disrupting chemical that lurks in food can linings, plastic food and beverage containers, and a slate of other consumer products.

It has been linked with serious effects on human health, from recurrent miscarriages in women and neurological changes in children to erectile dysfunction and hormonal changes in men. Chemical industry lobbying has kept regulators from banning the use of BPA, but there is good news. A 2010 study* found that BPA levels in five families dropped dramatically (by 60% on average) after just three days of not eating canned goods and food in plastic packaging.

Here are 7 more steps you can take to reduce your exposure to BPA:

Avoid drinking out of plastic bottles. Use unlined stainless steel ones instead.

Avoid canned foods and those that are sold in plastic containers. Buy products in glass or cardboard “brick-packaging” for a BPA-free alternative.

Choose dried beans instead of canned ones, and stick with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. If you can’t avoid canned fruits, vegetables, or beans, rinse the contents well before serving.

Store leftovers in glass containers instead of plastic ones. Never microwave food in plastic containers or while covered in plastic wrap. Use glass or ceramic containers instead.

Don’t take receipts or wash your hands after touching one. The thermal paper used by many retailers for receipts contains high concentrations of BPA.

Check recycling numbers on plastics. Types 3 and 7 are likely to contain BPA, so avoid these.

For Parents with Young Children: Unfortunately, many BPA alternatives are still being tested for safety and it is difficult to determine what products are truly better. For developing brains and bodies, cut to the chase and avoid plastics altogether.

If you feed your infant formula, choose the powdered version instead of the liquid kind.

Use glass or stainless steel containers for bottles and sippy cups.

Avoid plastic toys, especially items that will be put into mouths.

♥

{Take Action} to make BPA go away

2011-05-09T12:07:00.001-05:00

I received an email from Fresh this morning (new thinking about what we are eating) and thought I would pass the information along. There is an easy way to potentially help make a big difference in removing BPA from our packaging, our bodies, and our environment by signing a petition for Walmart to phase out BPA from their products. Here is some information from their email, and a link to one of my previous posts about BPA:

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a toxic chemical that is making us sick. It leaches into us from plastics, paper coatings and canned foods. 90% of us carry measurable amounts of BPA in our bodies. 90% of us—that means it’s everywhere, practically unavoidable.

Canada and the E.U. have already banned the chemical for use in baby bottles. But our government hasn't banned it (yet!), so let’s change the industry, starting with Walmart. They are a retailing giant with enormous influence. If Walmart commits to eliminating BPA, the whole industry will be forced to change.

BPA disrupts our hormonal system even in very small doses, and has been linked to miscarriages, erectile dysfunction, heart disease and diabetes. For more information on the harmful effects of BPA, read here. Safer alternatives are available; there’s no excuse for continued use of BPA.

A recent report gave Walmart an F rating for their lack of efforts to phase out BPA packaging, yet Walmart has pledged to take a leadership role in environmental stewardship. Let’s tell Walmart to stop the corporate greenwashing—it’s time to get serious about removing BPA from their products. If they commit to phasing out BPA, it will effectively force the entire packaging industry to change.

Click here to sign the petition for BPA-packaging alternatives at Walmart.

For more information about the effects of toxins in everyday products, I recommend reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things

This book is about two Canadian friends/environmentalists who exposed themselves to everyday products and monitored the toxin levels in their bodies.

Key concerns raised in Slow Death by Rubber Duck:
• Flame-retardant chemicals from electronics, pyjamas, and household dust polluting our blood.
• Toxins in our urine caused by leaching from plastics and run-of-the-mill shampoos, toothpastes and deodorant.
• Mercury in our blood from eating tuna.
• The chemicals that build up in our body when carpets, paint, and upholstery off-gas.

As a useful book for parents and consumers, it goes beyond scare tactics to provide solutions that we can all apply to our daily lives.

Clean it up! {How to let your young child help with the vacuuming}

2011-05-04T06:30:00.005-05:00

{ Image Credit: NurseyBangBang }

Young children love to help with daily activities that they see you complete time after time. Perhaps it is setting the table. Maybe it is loading or unloading the dishwasher, or feeding the dog. These tasks are all appropriate for young children with the appropriate supervision. However, if your children are like mine, the chores that involve cleaners or electrical power are even more interesting to them, especially the vacuum cleaner.

Our full-size vacuum cleaner is tall, heavy, and difficult to push, even for an adult. We have a lot of carpet in our house, so believe me that if I felt it was safe or "doable" for my children to help (ages 4 & under), I would be excited to let them try. But between the size of the vacuum and the concern about the safety of the moving parts & ultra-suction, this particular chore was on my "wait until they are older" list.

This all changed when I purchased a stick vacuum at a Black Friday sale this past Christmas. Not only did I get an incredible deal, but I figured it would be easy just to keep the stick vacuum to use as a quick crumbs sweeper after meals and snacks in the kitchen where we have hard flooring. It works great for this, but we came to realize it also makes a wonderful vacuum for children to use!

The stick vacuums are lighter weight, often have adjustable height handles, and have no brush roll to pose a safety hazard. We purchased a Bissell 3-in-1 Vac which has worked out great. Ours was blue, which I can't find that color anymore to link to for you, but Walmart sells one in silver or pink and Amazon sells what looks like the same one only they call it a different name:

They are light, have a reasonable length cord, and are bagless. They can also be used as a hand vac. The 3-in-1 that we have doesn't require you to buy replacement filters, you can just clean out the dirt cup and the filter with simple soap and water and let them air dry. They are generally around $20 unless you get them on sale, which is actually less than most non-working toy vacuums. They work very well to get up the crumbs and any dust bunnies or pet hair, grass clippings or glitter off hard floors. On carpeting they obviously aren't as good as a full-size brush roll vacuum, but they will pick up surface dirt and lint.

I instructed my oldest child (4 years old) how to use the vacuum, although we require him to let an adult to plug in the vacuum and unplug it from the socket. The younger children watched him and wanted to have a go, and they have done wonderfully as well. Our littlest toddler just holds a bit farther down the handle when she pushes it, which works just fine. Now instead of it being another item on my "to-do" list, my children have enthusiastically taken it off my hands (and can't wait until it is their turn!).

Happy clean home!

♥

{Mother} around the world.....

2011-05-03T12:00:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day is May 8th, 2011.

As a preparatory or extension activity, I created a way for you to learn with your child

how to say "Mother" in many different languages.

Simply mouse over the image below to visualize how to say "Mother" around the world.

Click below to open up a printable version, and save the image to your computer.

This would also be great to use as a framed sign, or on the front of a Mother's Day Card!

♥

Freebie: Printable You Are My Sunshine Poster {an alternate version}

2011-05-02T20:28:00.004-05:00

Here is another free printable poster for your enjoyment!

I have always loved the song "You Are My Sunshine", but for some reason it always seemed to me like a slightly sad song. Also, having more than one child means that I don't really like to sing to one of them that they are "my only sunshine", so I created this version to sing to my own children.

Hope you enjoy it!

Click on the image above, then right click and save the image to your computer.
I uploaded it as an 8x10.

♥

Freebie: Printable Grace & Courtesy {Manners} Poster

2011-05-01T01:09:00.002-05:00

Many things may change over time, but behaving in a polite, kind, helpful, respectful, loving, and courteous manner is always important.

Please feel free to use this printable subway style Grace & Courtesy {Manners} Poster in your home or school area as a stylish reminder about the proper behavior.

Just click on the smaller image below to bring up the larger image, then right click and save it to your computer.

If you like this one, I may create more in a series, so let me know.

♥

Don't forget to sing & dance....

2011-04-30T12:59:00.001-05:00

A few photos of her birthday at the beach....

2011-04-26T12:22:00.002-05:00

Earth Day Freebies

2011-04-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Source: myseveralworlds.com via Laura on Pinterest

Here are some great Earth Day Freebies for you!

Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd (tomorrow!).

Lowe's is giving away 1 million free trees.

Visit a local Lowe's store on 4/23/2011 to get one!

(You could use this tree for the Figs & Ginger giveaway below!!!)

Figs & Ginger is having their 3rd annual Earth Day giveaway.

Just take a photo of yourself/your family/your child planting a new tree and submit it by May 1st, and you can choose from free jewelry or a $15 gift certificate.

I did this last year and received a very cute bunny necklace in return!♥

Free entrance into the National Parks!

The National Parks get even better with a fee-free day at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees April 16-24.

Source: flickrcc.bluemountains.net via San on Pinterest

On April 22nd visit a Starbucks near you with your reusable mug or tumbler and get a free brewed coffee or tea-your choice of brew, hot or iced.

Cheers!

Visit an Origins store near you on April 22nd and they'll trade with you!

Bring in any empty cosmetic tube, bottle or jar - regardless of brand - to any U.S. Origins Retail Store or counter to be recycled or used for energy recovery and Origins will give you a free full-size cleanser. Choose either: Checks and Balances™ Frothy face wash Or a Perfect World™ Antioxidant cleanser with White Tea.

Complete this form and bring it with you.

Visit the Earth Day Network to make a pledge to make one act of green.
Help them reach their goal of One Billion Acts of Green.

Source: nothingbutcountry.com via Sugar Bee on Pinterest

Print this beautiful & free 8x10 Earth Day poster from Nothing But Country.

Another Earth Day Print is available from here, too!

Print out this beautiful poster from Virrr!

The site is in Italian, but I used Babelfish to translate.

(For personal use only)

Create your own Earth Day Art!

Want a cool Earth Day craft with the kids?

I love these handprint trees from At Second Street.

In the fields....

2011-04-20T19:07:00.000-05:00

The strawberries in the fields are ripe for the picking, so that's just what we did today!

And afterwards, we rewarded our effort with some huge helpings of strawberry shortcake.

Strawberries always make me think of summer, so I thought I'd revisit my

Summer Wish List posting

from last year.

I think the only things we didn't get to do off my additions at the bottom were:

Catch fireflies (there just aren't any around here, maybe we'll find some this year!)

Jump on a trampoline (My kids did this. I didn't partake due to I was pregnant!!)

Go Paddleboating (I'll have to search for a place to do this)

I'll be thinking of more things to add to my list this year.

What's on your list?

♥

Killing Creativity

2011-04-16T13:46:00.000-05:00

Who is killing your child's creativity?

This is sooooooooo worth taking the time to watch in its entirety.

A celebration of the gift of human imagination

{and diversity}

green child magazine

2011-04-10T02:39:00.000-05:00

Have a look at Green Child Magazine!

Free for you to browse online, it is full of toy recommendations, recipies, stories, and activity ideas for your family to help you "raise your child the way nature intended".

{Click on the cover below to read through the magazine in full screen.}

Product Review: The Tummy Tub

2011-04-09T01:31:00.004-05:00

Searching for an answer to my baby's dislike of our current bathtub,

I came across a product called the Tummy Tub.

My first thought was, it's a bucket.

Turns out, it isn't just a bucket. It is wonderful.

We have had 3 babies before this, and each time I wished for a better solution to the hard plastic, giant & difficult to store, un-ergonomically (not a real word!) designed, "typical" baby bathtub we had, and never found it. I didn't like the bathtub we had, and the babies didn't either. It wasn't very padded, they flopped and slid all over the place (including up over the hard plastic piece that stuck up between the "infant" and "toddler" halves of the tub, which can't be nice especially for little boys), and only their back and legs really sat in the water, which made the babies cold. Plus, my latest little one had a particular dislike to the bathtub, and cried and was very easily startled every time he inevitably felt insecure in the one we own despite me having my hand on him at all times. While I do take him into the bath with me (which we both love), I also bathe him by himself often and really wanted a better solution.

After reading review after review where the "slings" keep the babies cold, and the plastic tubs aren't comfortable or secure, or have the same problems mine has, or crack and pose safety hazards, or they mold or mildew, and the soft inflatable ones are designed for older babies, I figured I was out of luck. Then I came across The Tummy Tub.

I was instantly intrigued. It looks like a simple bucket, and a pricey one at that. In fact, when I first read about it, I decided against it, but looked it up again a week later when I couldn't stop thinking about it. I really wanted to give it a try. I really wanted to love it. So, I ordered it.

When I pulled it out of the shipping box, my husband said

"It's a bucket. Why did we order a bucket?"

But it isn't. Here's why....

It is designed to mimic the security and position of the baby in the womb. You fill the bottom of the tub up with a little soap and warm water to the fill line, then lower baby into the tub bottom first. The baby naturally rests his back against one side of the tub, and the baby's body curls up into a fetal position just like in your tummy. Because they aren't laying stretched out, the startle reflex isn't stimulated. The baby feels comfortable and secure. The design of the Tummy Tub is like a rounded bucket, but has a non-slip grip on the bottom so even in wet conditions, it isn't going to be sliding around in your sink, on your counter, floors, etc. The tub itself is made out of food grade Polypropylene. It has a low center of gravity to prevent the tub from tipping over. This plastic is nearly unbreakable and does not contain any phthalates, BPA, lead, or other toxic elements. It will not mold or mildew. It uses approx. 2 1/2 gallons less than conventional baby baths. Because the baby sits in the water, he does not get cold like with other baby baths. When used correctly and filled only to the fill line, the water will come up to the baby's chest or shoulders, allowing for a warm bath the entire time.

According to the website,

Babies calm down easily when put in the Tummy Tubdue to:

•the resemblance to the mother’s womb in size and warmth

•the sheltered/filtered environment

•the support from the walls and bottom

•the familiar fetal position

•the smaller water surface also causes the water to stay warmer for longer

You can also see through the tub, which not only allows me to easily monitor his body position, but it gives you a glimpse of what it might look like to peek into a womb, and see little fingers and toes like this:♥

I also like that the tub is very portable and easier to store. The shape is convenient to keep in a closet or under a sink in a cupboard. It isn't like my last baby bath that is huge and won't stand upright for storage (I tried, but with its rounded ends, you would end up hearing it slide down in the middle of the night and crash, and think you had a burglar!). Because you only fill the water to the fill line in the bottom of the tub, you could easily carry the tub elsewhere and bathe your child in their bedroom, in the garden, or on your kitchen table. It is important to note that keeping a hand under the baby's chin is necessary until the baby has head control, and the bathing child should always be monitored in the bathtub and not left alone or in the care of another child.

You can use the tub from birth through age 2 or 35 pounds. I can't say how it works with older children, though there are many pictures around of older children using the tub, it is probably up to the individual child's temperment at that point. The manufacturer points out that unlike other baby tubs, this tub can have other uses once the child has outgrown it as a tub. It can be used as toy storage, an ice bucket, a planter, for washing the car, a toy, etc. There is also a Tummy Tub Stoolavailable to allow you to sit in a chair to bath your baby, but we didn't purchase this. We just bathe him in our kitchen sink or on our countertops. The stool becomes a step-stool and seat for older children after you are finished with the tub.

The tub may seem a little expensive at first glance, but to me it is worth it if my baby enjoys it, and so do I. Making bath time a safe, pleasant and calming experience is important to me. The thought and research that went into the design of the Tummy Tubhas paid off, and when I read about less expensive "knock offs" people most often regretted that they hadn't just bought the original Tummy Tub instead.

In summary, we love it. I wish I had this tub for all of my babies.

♥

For photos of other babes in the Tummy Tub, click here.

An instructional video on how to use the Tummy Tub:

(Just FYI, no, I wasn't paid for this review. We ordered & purchased the Tummy Tub ourselves.)

Build Two Toddler Beds for $75 {Or modify for a Montessori Infant Floor Bed, too}

2011-04-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

{Image Credit}

I am loving Design Mom, especially since coming across the posting with complete materials list and instructions on how to build 2 floor beds (that accomodate crib mattresses!!!) for only $75. That means if you only have to build one, it would cost a little less than $40. How great is that?

If you wanted to use this design from infancy as a Montessori floor bed, simply modify the size of the boards to create the beds lower to the ground.

Much more chic than just a mattress on the floor, although that works too.

{Image Credit}

I'm also loving her posting about how to make a wall sized mural.

Her mural is a giant Napoleon Dynamite, flippin' sweet!

{Image Credit}

For the Children of Ishinomaki, Japan

2011-04-06T09:54:00.000-05:00

{Image Credit}

Please visit this posting at The Sleepy Time Gal

to find out an easy and direct way to assist the children in Japan.

I'll be participating by sending a box.

I'd love to be able to help The Sleepy Time Gal surpass her goal

of sending 20 boxes to help.

Let me know in the comment section if you are going to participate!!!

♥

When in doubt....the answer is: Water

2011-04-05T07:04:00.001-05:00

Source: water-baby.tumblr.com via Inga-Mae on Pinterest

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."

Loran Eisley, The Immense Journey, 1957

This may seem like strange advice, but I have discovered that when I am having challenges with motherhood, the answer often has to do with water.

Water is mysterious. It is universal. Every living thing needs water.

It is clear, with no color. It has no real flavor, but is refreshing and nourishing when we put it in our bodies. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water, and it is life sustaining. We cannot hold it in our hands, but we feel clean and relaxed when we bathe in it.

D.H. Lawrence described water as
"H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one,
but there is also a third thing, that makes water and nobody knows what that is."

That mysterious third element of water is what is so helpful in its use in parenting. Whether it is wonderment, utility, comfort, or the coolness or warmth of it, water is the solution to many parenting problems.

Bored toddler? This is usually solved by some water play in the sink or with their water table out on the patio. They can play for hours with some cups and some sort of container filled with water!

I also tend to suggest a bathtime when we have an hour to kill and nothing else to do. Put in some bubbles and Barbie dolls, some cups and foam letters, and they play until their fingers wrinkle up. This is the perfect solution to the cabin fever that strikes in the few hours just before dinner time some days, when you need a quick and easy (and productive!) activity.

Or, fill a cup with some water and give the children paint brushes. Whether it is on the bricks of your house's exterior, or on the chalkboard inside, they will love to paint with water, watch it dry, and then do it over again and again. Amazing.

Fussy baby? A bath will do wonders. The simple act of allowing them to splash their tiny feet around in warm water is so soothing and familiar that it often resets an episode of colic.
I also recommend Gripe Water. We call it a miracle in a bottle.

Sick child? A warm bath can loosen congestion, alleviate achy bodies, and the steam from a shower can calm croup. A cool bath can help to bring down a fever.

Source: weheartit.com via Jana on Pinterest

Even the sounds of water will calm. Running a bath, or playing sounds of a rainstorm or ocean waves will often lull a new baby into a deeper and more sustained sleep.

{Image Credit}

Fussy Mama? I've always been a bath kind of a girl.

A hot bath without someone knocking on the door makes me a whole new woman again.

Plus, I have some of my best ideas in there!

{Image Credit}

If you are lucky enough to live near a river, lake or the ocean, even a mini-visit there for a lunch hour can be a soul vacation.

Robert Henri said that the sea
"has some potent power to make us think things we like to think."

Henry David Thoreau said that
"it is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."

Lastly, whether you are becoming a mother for the first time or the last time, water is an important part of pregnancy. Drink a lot of water to stay off lightheadedness and dehydration. Let warm water run on your lower back to help with muscle fatigue. During the last months of pregnancy, a warm shower in the middle of the night was often the only thing that would allow me to sleep. Many women find laboring in a warm bath or shower, or having a waterbirth is comforting for both themselves and their baby.

Source: seesawdesigns.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

When I was large and uncomfortable at the end of my pregnancies, a dip in the ocean or a pool would make me feel free, weightless, mobile again. It takes the pressure off your body and eases up your joints.

And most specially, it made me feel at one with my baby, like we were experiencing the same sensation at the same time.

Next time you need help in parenthood, try turning to water.

You just might find the answer you need.

♥

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea.

~e.e. cummings

{Feed,Play,Love}

2011-04-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

Have you heard about the free "Feed. Play. Love. Parenting with Purpose" Telesummit?

You can register for free, and gain access to the telesummit including the following on the program's agenda:

Week 1- Feed: get your nourishment!

Week 2- Play: receive playful ideas & inspirations

Week 3- Love: ways to love your child and yourself

The website states they’ll teach you to feed your child’s body, mind and spirit...

Give ways to allow them space to play and foster their own ingenuity and creativity...

Inspire ways to love being a Mom, to feel confident and purposeful in the choices that you make about raising your child.

You will also receive the 2011 Feed. Play. Love. Workbook so that you have a tool to implement the strategies, techniques and ideas that you want to incorporate into your life.

You can participate by phoning their teleconference number, or by listening over the internet.

Interviews with their speakers happen every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 1pm Pacific Standard Time (that's 2pm Mountain, 3pm Central, and 4pm Eastern).

The Summit starts April 5 (TOMORROW) and runs for 3 weeks through April 21.

Your free access pass allows you to attend the live interviews through the phone or webcast.

There will be NEW information for each interview, so please refer to your (free) workbook and daily update emails.

You can also listen to a re-play of each interview for up to 48 hours after the original live broadcast.

Did I mention it is free? :)

I'm not affiliated with this conference, and this is my first year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what is offered.

Are you going to attend as well?

♥

I ♥ Heartsy!

2011-04-02T11:29:00.003-05:00

{Photo Credit}

Warning, this could become addicting!!!

Have you heard of Heartsy?

I hadn't until this morning, and now I'm hooked.

Great handmade items from Etsy at drastically discounted prices? Impossibly wonderful.

Heartsy is sort of like Groupon, or Zulily where they work with certain companies

(or in Heartsy's case, artists & crafters on Etsy)

to offer deals on great products and services.

The deals are limited in time and/or quantity, so either check back daily to see the new partnerships, or subscribe to the service's emails so you don't miss out on something great.

Here are some of today's vouchers I love from Heartsy:

{Pay only $13 for $35 store credit at the Anderson Soap Company}

{Pay only $10 to spend $30 on photography or handmade jewelry at Little Fever}

{Pay only $16 for $40 credit on handmade baby outerwear, loungewear, gifts and decor @ Nutmeg Tree}

{Pay only $10 for $35 credit at Hope Loves Cards}

I purchased this deal today, I'll share what I decide to purchase with it!

In order to get your discounts, you have to visit Heartsy and purchase the voucher, then visit the Etsy shop you chose and go shop!

When you checkout with the Etsy seller, choose "other" for payment type, then provide your voucher code in the "notes to seller" space provided. It's easy!

Happy Shopping!!!

♥

No-Sew Teepee, Great for Spring & Summer!!

2011-03-05T10:45:00.001-06:00

Check out this great No-Sew Teepee Tutorial from the wonderful Sew, Mama, Sew!

A commenter who completed this project already said the total cost for her was under $20!

The bamboo stakes are $1.49 each at Home Depot, and she bought the grommets inexpensively at Walmart. You also need 3 yards of adorable fabric to complete the project.

Or, design your own fabric at Spoonflower!!

Have fun!

If you complete this project, I'd love to see your results!!

♥

More Baby Love! ♥

2011-03-03T10:54:00.000-06:00

Great Deals!

2011-03-01T08:42:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know that Lakeshore Learning is having a great sale right now, including their Classroom Magnetic Letters Kit (shown above) for 50% off!

We love our kit, and I have posted about this kit before

{see here, & here}

and we use it like a moveable alphabet.

It also works great for the materials that Confessions for a Homeschooler creates (see here), as by chance the letters are just the right size!

So instead of $39.95, until 3/13/11 or until supplies last, the kit is $19.95.

Their 50% off sale is good for lots of other great items, check it out here!

Unfortunately, the sale is IN-STORE only, but if you've got a location near you (or a friend or family member who does), you're in luck!

Happy shopping!!

♥

Peekaboo!

2011-02-27T10:32:00.000-06:00

Thought you might enjoy a peek!

I'll be back soon....

♥

Blogging Break for a little while!

2011-01-24T09:58:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know that we welcomed our son into our family a few days ago. I'll be taking a break from blogging for a short while to enjoy him and soak in the baby goodness!♥

Quick and Easy Sorting

2011-01-18T09:26:00.000-06:00

Sorting is an important skill for young children to practice and develop. Putting items into categories is something we use multiple times a day, whether we are unloading groceries, putting away laundry or toys, or cleaning out our purse. It is best to allow a child to sort concrete objects, and in this way they will develop the ability to sort a group of objects or data just by looking at them, in their mind (abstractly). The most common way that young children sort is by color or size. Another way (even babies) can begin to learn to sort is through tactile means. Is an object rough or soft? Does it taste salty or sweet? Begin introducing this skill to your baby by making a feeling bag or basket with different "feeling" objects in it. Sandpaper blocks, small stuffed animals, bean bags, and felt are all good items to begin with.

When your child begins a journey into toddlerhood, they can sort objects by size, shape, or color as well as through tactile senses. You can mix together different types of cereal, dried beans, or use trail mix and have children sort out the items into muffin cups or small bowls. The wooden bowl set you see above I picked up at our local thrift store for $2. Around Easter is a great time to use jelly beans! I am also a fan of the little packages of erasers (see photos above) that you can order from Oriental Trading. They have lots of different options. Sometimes you can find eraser variety packs at the dollar store as well. Happy sorting!

New Freebies and Downloads!

2011-01-14T20:21:00.001-06:00

Free download of the Kindle Edition of the book

The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn

Free movie rental code for Blockbuster Express.

14CHD2X (expires Thursday, Jan. 20 at midnight).

Free snowflake matching cards from My Montessori Journey.

She had problems posting the file, so if you email her at directress@live.com, she will email you the file as an attachment.

Free Simple Valentine's Day Cards from Yellow Mums.

Free online reading lessons from Montessori Home.

According to the website, the program features the first 55 words a child will learn to read.

The Reading Game is: Interactive, phonics-based, programmed reading, classroom-proven over 20 years in 6,000 public schools, and based on proven Montessori educational principles. They recommend using it for 10 minutes per day with your child to build vocabulary.

Pink Tower counter cards from Montessori Mom.

A series of three part cards from Mrs. Lovewell including Zoology, the Solar System, Occupations, Land and Water Forms, Continents, and the Human Body.

Free Goodnights Underwear Sample.

Small, Medium, and Large Sorting Cards from Montessori Print Shop.

Entire Montessori Pink Level for free, including tracing, word cards, and much more.

From Practical Homeschooling.

And lastly,

A new Advanced Verb Tenses activity from Montessori for Everyone.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

♥

{All images copyright of the respective linked websites}

P'Kolino

2011-01-12T11:47:00.000-06:00

I've got a crush on P'Kolino. Have you heard of them? They have such wonderfully creative and stimulating non-toxic toys and furniture. The company was founded by two dads in Florida. I had to share some of their products with you!

P'Kolino Mini Puzzle Stacker, Mini Size, $17.28

P'kolino Toddler Bed and Chair - White, $200.

P'kolino P'kolino Multi-Solution Shape Puzzle - SpaceShip

P'kolino Klick Birch Desk and Storage, $198.00.

P'kolino Nesting Birds, $28.99

P'kolino Chalk Table - Birch, $150.00.

P'kolino P'kolino Multi Solution Shape Puzzle - Owl, $19.99

Book Buggee - Natural, $38.50.

P'Kolino Little Reader Chair in Green, $62.75

A Beautiful New Year's Freebie I Know You'll Love!

2011-01-04T14:22:00.002-06:00

New Year's Freebie #2:

A printable 2011 Calendar

Ez from Creature Comforts has provided a beautiful, printable, FREE calendar

to get your 2011 started off right.

She designed it so that each month's image can be repurposed as postcards or note flats once the month has passed (just cut out, address, stamp the back, and you're done).

I think it would look equally beautiful on a wall, or held up with magnetic clips on the refrigerator.

You can download the calendar here.

♥

{All images copyright Creature Comforts}

Getting Organized in the New Year? Get this Free...

2011-01-02T13:47:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!

One of my goals every year is to get a little more organized than the last year.

That's why I'm passing on this deal I found for you, if you have the same goal as I do.

Simply click on the “Like” button on the Get Organized Wizard Facebook Page and you’ll get a special coupon code to download a free 2011 Goals and Priorities Diary (normally $29) with printable pages to help you prioritize and get organized in 2011.

The pdf downloads include monthly planning pages for 2011 and 2012 as well, and all of the downloads are interactive, meaning you can type in your own data, save them, and print them.

After clicking "like", you'll receive the following simple directions to get your download. It's quick and easy, I just did it myself.

Here’s how to get your FREE copy:

1. Visit the Goals & Priorities Diary page on their site to read about the super-productive and organized year you’ll have with your new diary.

2. Click the green Add To Cart button on that page.

3. Proceed to Checkout and enter coupon code (given to you on the Facebook page after you click "like") in the final step. The Diary price will reduce to $0.

4. Complete your order by clicking either PayPal or Credit Card (doesn't matter which, as the price will be $0. You don't have to enter in any credit card or Paypal info to get the download). This will take you to the download page. Download your Diary, and enjoy!

Hope this helps you get started!!
I'm not sure how long the offer is good for, so you might want to do it soon.

♥

So this was Christmas.....

2010-12-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Ours was.....different.

I like to have my plans set and unfurl accordingly, but there was no planning this one.

A yucky bug made its way through the family this year, and all of our extended family that had plans to stay with us had to be rerouted (the day before their arrival) to another relative's house (& city!) in order to avoid infection.
So, it was a quiet, yet enjoyable Christmas with just us, with some late nights and fussy babies thrown in there.

We made cookies, popcorn on the stove, and drank custard.

We wrapped presents and made dark hot chocolate with a little cayenne pepper.

We had a fire in the fireplace.

We enjoyed the radio station with all Christmas music, all the time.

We did lots of coloring, playdoh, and dress-up time.

We cuddled under blankets and read books.

We bundled the kids up and drove around in the warm van to look at Christmas lights since they were too sick to go to the Gardens Light Exhibition as planned.

All in all, it was different than expected, but still very wonderful all the same.

Soon I'll tell you about some of our favorite things that Santa brought us this year.

I did have to run out and in desperation, purchased an all-natural cough syrup.

This turned out to be a fantastic find!

If you haven't heard of Zarbees Cough Syrup, and you have young children like I do (who aren't allowed to have the regular OTC cough remedies), or if you prefer natural remedies, I suggest you buy a bottle to have on hand in case you need it.

It is safe for children 12+ months, and is made with "a blend of special dark honeys (buckwheat & wildflower), vitamins and immune-bosting ingredients. The ingredients in Zarbee's are all-natural, side-effect-free and proven in clinical trials to be effective at calming coughs and sore throats in children and young adults."

It is also Gluten, dye & preservative-free, and contains no drugs or alcohol.

It was created by a Pediatrician who wanted a natural product safe for young children's coughs.

It doesn't taste like traditional medicine, which threw my kids for a loop at first, but soon after they took it, we noticed that the frequency of coughing had substantially decreased. They also went to sleep quicker and easier after taking this.

If you are interested in trying it out, I know you can order it from Amazon:

or, buy it from Walgreens, like I did. If you visit Zarbee's website, there is a link on the lower right hand side of the page for a coupon to purchase it at Walgreens.

Aside from this product, we found some relief from baths, cool mist humidifiers, and a tip from our Doctor to elevate the head of our children's beds with books or boards under the feet of the head of the bed just enough to keep their heads a little above the rest of their bodies to help with their coughing.

If you have any more tips, I'd love to hear them, as for some reason it appears (from new fevers today) that round 2 of a bug is just beginning.....

DIY Easy Sound Cylinders

2010-12-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

{Photo credit}

Montessori sound cylinders (like the ones above) are commercially available from many sources and suppliers. However, it is easy and much more inexpensive to make them yourself at home!

What is a sound cylinder?

Traditionally the cylinders are wooden, and there are 2 boxes containing the cylinders, one with a red lid and the other with a blue lid. In each box are six cylinders. Each cylinder contains a different material that makes a distinct sound when shaken. Each cylinder in the red box has an exact match in the blue box. The child selects a red lidded cylinder, shakes it, listens to the sound it makes, and attempts to match it with the blue lidded cylinder that makes the same noise.

Truth is, you really don't need such complicated materials to make this engaging lesson at home. All you need are some simple (free!) materials, some cheap fillers you already have around the house, and if you wish, some paint.

The first step is to gather together the containers. My personal favorite option you have is to go to a photo developing counter and ask them for some film canisters. Most photo stores save them up for recycling. When I went to our local drugstore photo counter, I told them I needed them for an educational project. The lady reached under the counter and handed me a bag of 30 canisters. They are usually very happy to give them to you.

Be sure to select the film canisters that look like this:

This type of canisters hide the contents. If you get the white kind of canisters, they are somewhat transparent and you would have to spray paint them to make them usable for this lesson (which is easily done as well).

Next, gather small-sized contents for the canisters. These can include uncooked rice, unpopped popcorn kernels, marbles, uncooked oatmeal, cereal, glitter, small balls of aluminum foil, paper clips, coins, sand, pieces of gravel, seeds, small bells, q-tips, soil, metal nails, pieces of hard plastic, thumb tacks, pieces of hay, and anything else that is small enough to fit inside and won't decompose, mold, or melt. In other words, select items that are non-perishable.

Next, make pairs of your canisters. You have choices here: you can either put a colored dot (using a sticker or paint) on the bottom or paint the lid of each pair of containers as shown above, or just leave them blank & uncolored. If your sounds are distinctive enough, the sounds will be self-correcting and your child will be able to make the pairs without the use of the colors. I didn't use colors on mine and the children made pairs without trouble. If you do choose to spray paint the lids, select a spray paint like Krylon Plastic Fusion that is made to adhere securely and attractively to plastic products.

Now, fill the canisters with a small portion of the contents you selected. Be sure you fill 2 canisters with each item. For example, you will put uncooked popcorn kernels in 2 canisters, coins in 2 canisters, and q-tips in 2 canisters, etc. This way the child will be able to make pairs. Try to put the same amount of the "sound maker" in each of the paired canisters so one isn't louder than the other. Also, don't stuff the canisters full- be sure the contents have room to move around and make noise when the child shakes them. Put the caps on and test them out. When you have your canisters filled, glue the lids on with a strong glue. If you are only going to use this as a supervised activity, you may choose to skip this step, but be sure to watch the child when they are using the materials to ensure they don't empty out the contents and/or put anything in their mouths.

If you can't find film canisters, baby food jars also work great. You will need to soak off the labels and paint either the inside or the outside of the jars entirely in black (or other solid color) to ensure the child cannot see the contents inside of the jar and matches them based on sound only. You could also decoupage paper around the inside of the jar to make it opaque using Modge Podge or other similar product. Be sure to let the decoupage dry with the jar lid off completely before filling it with the contents and sealing it. Again, you can choose to glue the lids on, or not, based on the way you will be using them. The activity is so economical that even if you glue the lids on, you can remake the cylinders with different contents over and over again to make the activity new again.

Other ideas for things that would work as containers (but are much larger & require more storage/shelf space) are margarine tubs with the snap-on lids, small tupperware style containers (you would have to spray paint or decoupage these to make them opaque as well), oatmeal cylinders, milk cartons, small wooden boxes (often found at craft stores), drugstore pill/medicine bottles or tylenol-style plastic bottles with child-proof caps (again, you would have to paint or decoupage them to make them opaque after removing the labels), individual serving-sized yogurt containers (with the snap-on lid), glitter containers or salt and pepper shakers (don't forget to tape over the holes!), empty glue stick tubes, or spice jars/vanilla bottles.

If you want to separate the cylinders in the same way as the boxes shown in the first photo above, you can either use shoe boxes or a smaller cardboard gift box, or a gallon ziploc bag. Be sure to provide a way (like a color) for each group on the cylinders and the box or bag so the child (and you) will be able to see where each half of the pair belongs.

As an extension for this activity, keep a list of the materials you use in the cylinders. It will be fun for your child to guess what is in the cylinders. You could even have them draw a picture of what they think is making the sound they hear. Then, you can tell them the actual contents. If your child is older and is completing the activity more independently, the child can use the list and attempt to match the cylinders themselves to the materials on the list.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or ideas on other containers or items to use inside the containers, I'd love to hear!

♥

Totally Pointless......

2010-12-15T22:58:00.001-06:00

...and yet fun.

I apologize ahead of time for the irrelevance of this post, but I have to to show you something that had me wasting a silly amount of time tonight. Just when my eyes were beginning to cross from looking at baby name lists (yes, still doing that!), I came across something that made me laugh.

The Ikea (Dila) Swedish Furniture Name Generator!!

Simply enter your name into the box, and push return to see what your name (and corresponding product) would be if you were in an Ikea catalog. I know, totally pointless, yet oddly entertaining. It is amazing what having pregnancy insomnia will do to your brain!

I found myself typing in everyone's name I could think of, as well as potential baby names just to see what it came up with.

A few names were transformed as follows:

Oh, just in case you were wondering,

Simply Montessori becomes this in Ikea Land:

What do you become??

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If you didn't win the recent giveaway, we still have a consolation for you.

Simply enter in the coupon code "Montessori" from now until New Year's Eve while shopping at

Ellies Pretty Things, you will receive 15% off your order. Happy shopping!

Christmas Gifts to the Earth, and a Winner!

2010-12-13T12:55:00.001-06:00

Looking for a unique, purposeful Christmas gift that opens up the focus beyond our own doorstep?

Consider a gift making your gift to another a gift to the Earth as well!

Maria Montessori said

“The land is where our roots are.

The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.”

A fun way to integrate Montessori principles into Christmas gift-giving is through Enviromental Gifts.

Eco gifts are a great way to extend on what you've learned about Geography, and to teach about giving to important causes during the Holidays.

If you are teaching your child about Christmas traditions around the world, you can tie in an Eco gift by showing and learning about the exact location on a world map that their gift will go to benefit.

Some great ideas for Eco Gifts:

Consider Sponsoring-A-Gorilla! Gorillas are a "Critically Endangered" species.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International accepts donations and sponsorships to send anti-poaching patrols into the woods to protect the Gorillas.

There are many options for Adoption, including an adopting an infant ($40 or $50), a Rescued Orphan Gorilla ($75), a Mother & Infant Pair ($100), a Silverback, the protectors of the groups ($300), or choose to adopt a Tracker ($500) or an entire Patrol ($750). The more expensive adoptions could be shared among extended family, more than one family, or a classroom.

Adoption gifts are tax deductible. Adoption comes with several benefits including online access to an adoption profile with detailed information written by their expert field scientists, online access to a ready-to-display adoption certificate with a full-color image from the groups Dian Fossey studied and that the Fossey Fund continues to study and protect (great for gift-giving), •A year's subscription to the Fossey Fund's newsletter, a four-color, fact-filled publication on gorillas, and more.

Another great gift option is to Adopt an Acre.

The Nature Conservancy gives you lots of options to help protect threatened habitats here, as you can choose to adopt an acre of:

Africa's Grasslands and Savannas

Australia's Gondwana Link, Great Woodlands

Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, An Acre of Rainforest

The Appalachians: United States, Bobcat and Moose Habitat

Las Californias: United States and Mexico, Redwood Forests

The Northern Rockies: United States

Southern Coastal Plain Forests: United States

Brazil: Atlantic Forest

Restore Brazil's Atlantic Forest through the Plant a Billion Trees Campaign, where just $1 plants 1 tree.

The Bahamas, Coral Reef

Dominican Republic, Humpback Whale Breeding Grounds

Palau, Coral Reef

Papua New Guinea’s Kimbe Bay, Coral Reef

The adoptions of an acre are $50. You can also adopt 1/2 an acre for $25.

We have adopted a Costa Rican Rainforest acre a previous year, and thought that the fact sheet and 4 issues of Nature Conservancy Magazine were very nice. If you are sending this as a gift, the gift includes:

•Special Mail Delivery with a Nature Gift Card announcing your present and all membership materials

•Personalized certificate with signature photo of the site commemorating your gift

•Colorful fact sheet about the site you have chosen

•Adopt an Acre® magnet set

•World Map containing more information about the Adopt an Acre® program

•Nature Conservancy's 2011 calendar is included with gift memberships of $100 or more. Featuring stunning photos from Conservancy supporters, this calendar is only available for a limited time.

•Nature Conservancy magazine, their award-winning quarterly publication will keep your recipient informed about the many places the Conservancy is working to protect. (Plus, they rush the current magazine issue along with the personalized certificate!)

•An invitation to create a personalized nature homepage on nature.org

•Great Places E-Newsletter subscription to our monthly e-communication with local conservation updates, enviro-tips you can use and stunning nature photography downloads

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has an Adopt-A-Species program, with about 100 species to choose from, including Polar Bears, Sea Otters, Snowy Owls, and many more. Adoption packages range from $25 to $250, and most include a plush animal of the species you adopt, photo, and an adoption certificate.

Plant a Tree in your receipient's name with Tree People.

Volunteers give their time to plant a tree for each donation they receive.

1 tree is $25, 2 trees=$45, 3 Trees=$65, and 4 trees is $85.

Adopt a Creature through Oceana.

Oceana is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation

Choose from a Shark, Polar Bear, Dolphin, Killer Whale, Sea Turtle, or Penguin.

Choose from Adoption levels between $30-$150.

Your gift recipient will receive:

$35: (1) cookie cutter, (1) personalized adoption certificate in cardboard frame, (1) CakeLove sugar cookie recipe

$50: (1) stuffed animal, (1) personalized adoption certificate in cardboard frame

$75: (1) cookie cutter, (1) Oceana oven mitt + (1) personalized adoption certificate in wood frame, (1) CakeLove sugar cookie recipe

$75: (1) stuffed animal, (1) personalized adoption certificate in wood frame

$100: (6) cookie cutters, (2) Oceana oven mitts, (1) personalized adoption certificate in wood frame, (1) CakeLove sugar cookie recipe

$100: (4) stuffed animals, (1) personalized adoption certificate in wood frame

$150: (1) plush turtle, (1) turtle cookie cutter, (1) personalized adoption certificate in wood frame, (1) CakeLove sugar cookie recipe, (1) Oceana oven mitt, (1) sea turtle fact card and note from Casey + complimentary gift wrapping

NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization, combining courtroom power, scientific expertise and the grassroots clout of 1.3 million Members and online activists.

Give unique gifts through them, including:

TAKE DOWN A POLLUTER: File a lawsuit for the planet

or ADOPT AN ECO-LAWYER: Sponsor NRDC's legal team ($100-$150)

Adopt a wolf in Yellowstone ($35)

Help save Honeybees ($50)

SAVE A SONGBIRD: Protect the Boreal Forest ($35)

GREEN CITIES: Help build an urban park ($35)

and many more!

Order by 12/15 to receive the gift packet by Christmas.

Clean Water!

Did you know that ONE IN EIGHT people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs?

Charity Water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean, safe water to people in developing nations, now offers "Bottle of Charity." Your $20 pays for water and sanitation projects that will provide third world citizens clean water for -- at least -- 20 years! 100% of your donation will be used for direct project costs.

Have older, used cell phones cluttering up your drawer?

Please, don't throw them away, donate them to a soldier!

Help a soldier call home for the holidays.

Cell Phones for Soldiers uses your donated cell phones, which are then sold to a company that recycles them. The money they receive from recycling cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that we send to troops in need.

The U.S. Geological Survey offers the chance to purchase a Park pass, giving access to America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands that would normally charge entrance fees.

The passes provide entrance or access to more than 2,000 Federal recreation sites where Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee(s) are charged by the following agencies:

◦Bureau of Land Management (BLM) http://www.blm.gov/

◦Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) http://www.usbr.gov/

◦Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) http://www.fws.gov/

◦USDA Forest Service (USDA FS) http://www.fs.fed.us/

◦National Park Service (NPS) http://www.nps.gov/

The annual pass cost is $80, and provides your receipient the following benefits:

•Valid for one full year from month of purchase (through last day of that month).

•Allows pass owner and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle to enter Federally operated recreation sites across the country

•Covers the pass owner and three (3) accompanying adults age 16 and older at sites where per person entrance fees are charged. No entry fee charged for children 15 and under.

A Senior Pass is also available for $10.00, giving a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens 62 years and older.

Teach a man to fish....

Heifer International helps by giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, and empowering them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope.

With gifts of livestock and training, they help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. They refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. They call this "Passing on the gift".

Choose from their Gift Catalog to give the gift of a Camel, Heifer, Sheep, Flock of Chicks, Trio of Rabbits, Honeybees, or a Pig, just to name a few. Prices range from $20 to $10,000, which purchases training and a great start to women in struggling communities. Women produce 80% of developing world's food yet own less than 1% of the earth's land. A $150 llama can provide wool, milk and meat for an entire South American family.

Visit Carbon Fund to offset your own or others' carbon footprint.

Carbon Fund is the nation’s leading nonprofit provider of carbon offsets & climate solutions. They make it affordable for everyone to calculate, reduce & offset their carbon footprint with carbon offsets that are verified to third-party carbon offsets standards, and be carbon neutral.

Use their carbon calculators to calculate your own carbon footprint, and choose a way your donation is used. From $11.33 to offset a Flight up to 6,000 miles, to $20.00 to offset 2 tons of CO2, to $960 to offset a 4 person family for a year, there are lots of choices to make.

So Why Offset Now?

"Global warming is already causing crop failures, severe heat waves and flooding from extreme weather in numerous countries, including the US. But we all can take action to stop global warming. When you offset, you balance out the carbon emissions you can’t reduce by supporting innovative projects around the world that are reducing emissions."

OptInNow provides a very personal way to make a difference in someone else's life across the globe.
Read people's names, circumstances, and goals, and decide how to help.

Entrepreneurs that are helped receive weekly business training (facilitated by a loan officer), in addition to advice and support. Many loan officers also go above and beyond, bringing in outside experts to provide education in areas such as HIV/AIDS, child development and more.

You’ll notice that often women are selected. Why? Two reasons: they have the most difficult time receiving credit by other means. And secondly, the income their businesses bring in is most often shared with children and extended family, thereby having greater impact.

You can also give a gift card, and let your gift receipient decide whom to help for themselves.

Donations range from $25-$200.

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Want to do something more hands-on and local?

Most local zoos have animal sponsorship or adoption opportunities. Check the zoo's website for contact and adoption information. If you adopt one for your child, take them on a field trip there after the holidays to see your donation in action, and make it come to life for the child.

Plant a tree, and create your own dedication for it. The Stepping Stone Kitsthat are sold at craft stores (or even Walmart) make a great way to place a memorable marker at the base of the tree.

Give an Eco-themed book to read with your child. Try these:

Have more ideas? I'd love to hear them!!!

And now, for the winner of our Giveaway and the $30 gift certificate to Ellies Pretty Things!

Congrats to Lixa, who said "I like the squirrel hair tie :)"

Now, you can go get it!

Enjoy!

♥

A Quick & Easy Holiday Cookie!

2010-12-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

I had a cookie crisis today during nap time. I really wanted to make us some cookies, but everything I wanted to make (cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies) required eggs, and to my dismay, I used them all up on pancakes this morning.

So, I searched around and found that All Recipes has an egg-free section to the recipe website, and there I found this recipe.

______________________________________________________________________

Heavenly Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened (2 cups butter = 4 sticks of butter)

1 cup white sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).

2.Cream softened butter thoroughly. ( If using margarine, add four drops of butter flavoring.)

Slowly add sugar.

3.Sift flour and corn starch before adding. Mix well.

Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan 11 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches.

4.Bake 30 minutes or until very light brown. Score and cut while warm.

____________________________________________________________________

See where it says "softened" butter up there? Now, I don't represent myself as an expert, or even very experienced baker. But I do know that softened butter is different than melted butter, I just didn't really how to get it that way.

So, I googled "softened butter" and found lots of suggestions, from NOT microwaving it (because it melts it partially), to leaving it sit out on your counter for an hour (I'm not that patient), to rolling it with a rolling pin.

I opted for the last one.

To soften butter right out of the fridge:

Get a sheet of wax paper. Put the stick of butter (unwrapped) on the wax paper and fold the wax paper over top of the stick of butter. Gently roll the butter out flat as if you are rolling dough.

Well, this didn't work for me. The butter was just too hard, and I ended up tearing the wax paper attempting to roll it out.

What works better? Pounding the butter! I just used the rolling pin and pounded the butter out flat. I suppose it would be more proper to use a meat tenderizer mallet thingy, but I don't have one, so I improvised. Worked great! Just remember to peel the butter off the wax paper right when you have it pounded out flat, because if you let the butter sit for a moment or two, it will be much more difficult to peel it off the wax paper into your bowl (yep, you end up scraping it off with a spoon). If you have a wooden mallet, this would be a great job for your child to do (under your supervision!).

Also, I didn't have a jelly roll pan, or if I do, I don't recognize what a jelly roll pan looks like, so I just used a rectangular glass cake pan and pushed the shortbread mixture down flat down with my fingers, then rolled a glass over the top to make it even. I baked mine for 35 minutes, and cut them into bars when I removed them from the oven. Let them cool quite a bit so they firm up and aren't so crumbly before you eat them.

They are everything I like a shortbread cookie to be, flaky and rich at the same time.

I cut mine up into bars, but using a cookie cutter for the holidays would work well, too.

They are great with a cup of coffee, and I imagine even better with a Dulce de Leche!
Yum!

One more reminder to enter our GIVEAWAY...it ends tomorrow night!

♥

An Awesome Book (of Thanks)! (and a coupon code!)

2010-12-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

Have you heard about An Awesome Book?

I recently discoved Dallas Clayton through his second book,

An Awesome Book of Thanks!

Although it is an obvious read-together book for Thanksgiving time, I think it is wonderful for all year long, as the messages in it are important and precious! The simply, folksy illustrations are really endearing.

Here are some of my favorite pages from the book:

{Click on the image for a larger view!}

You can read An Awesome Book of Thanks for free online here,

and Dallas' first book An Awesome Book here.

What's even more awesome?

Dallas started the Awesome World Foundation.

For every book sold, he gives away a book.

Want a copy?
You can purchase the book here:

An Awesome Book of Thanks!
______________________________________________________________

Still have holiday shopping to do?
Lakeshore Learning has a $10 off a purchase of $50 or more coupon code out right now, good through December 13th. Enter coupon code EM1224 at checkout to receive your discount. Also, they are giving you free shipping on orders of $69 or more.

**Plus, don't forget about the GIVEAWAY for the $30 gift certificate!
You can enter until 10PM CST on Sunday (Dec. 12).**
♥

Two Giveaways!!

2010-12-09T19:13:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know about my Giveaway with Ellies Pretty Things for a
$30 gift certificate!

It is easy to enter, just leave a comment with something you like from her Etsy Shop on that posting, and you can choose one of the other methods to enter for extra chances!

This giveaway closes on Sunday night.

I also have another great giveaway to mention, but you have to hurry because it closes TONIGHT!

Hop on over to Montessori for Everyone for your chance to win an Upper Case Tracing Board from Alison's Montessori, and a $100 gift certificate to Montessori for Everyone!

Good luck!!

♥

A Wonderful Holiday GIVEAWAY!

2010-12-08T00:50:00.001-06:00

Just in time for Christmas, I am very excited to

announce a giveaway!

Introducing Ellies Pretty Things.

♥

If you have a daughter, niece, friend, or love to wear pretty accessories in your hair yourself,

you are sure to find something you love!

The Etsian behind Ellies Pretty Things is Olga,

who lives in Sydney, Australia.

Ellies Pretty Things is inspired by Olga's daughter Ellie. Ellie was born with a full head of hair and from the time she was a little baby she would let Olga put it back for her. She is a real girly girl and Olga has always been quite creative so she started making clips for her. Ellie is very into her pretties! Other people began asking about them and it started from there!

What I like about the items that she makes is that she doesn't ever make a lot of anything. Her pieces are either OOAK or very small runs. Olga likes the whole ethos of hand making items. She tries to use local suppliers where she can and smaller suppliers if she can't get local. She is a big fan of supporting WAHP or parents like her who work and create in their "down time", what ever that means when you have an 18 month old!

One lucky reader will win a $30 (USD) gift certificate to Olga's shop!!!

To Enter:

1. Visit Ellies Pretty Things and leave a comment on this post about your favorite items from her shop.

Please be sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

Additional Entry Options:

{Each entry must be left as a separate comment!}

2. Follow this blog and leave me a comment on this post letting me know.

3. "Heart" Ellies Pretty Things on Etsy.

4. "Like" Ellies Pretty Things on Facebook.

5. Follow Ellies Pretty Things on Twitter.

5. Tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave a link in your comment.

Giveaway Info:

This Giveaway is open Worldwide!

Items are coming from Australia so they will be shipped International Post.

Prize is for a $30 (USD) gift certificate to Olga's shop, excluding shipping.

Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 10 PM CST.

One winner will be chosen randomly from all valid entries.

The winner will then be emailed, and must respond within 48 hours or I will choose a new winner.

Even if you don't win (or if you can't wait until the contest is over!), you can make a purchase from Ellie's Pretty Things and enter coupon code XMAS2010 at checkout to recieve 15% off all purchases!

Free Christmas Goodies!

2010-12-07T13:18:00.000-06:00

Wanting some Christmas Music?

Head on over to Amazon for free

Christmas Music MP3 Downloads!

They also have 25 Days of Free Christmas Music.

They offer a new free Christmas MP3 download each day!

So far their offerings include songs by The Indigo Girls and Chris Isaak.

You won't be sorry if you take a minute to download the Preschool Christmas Activities Pack from Confessions of a Homeschooler! The download includes all the activities from Candy Cane counting, to cutting practice, to Pre-writing practice, to a lacing card and Do-A-Dot printouts! Yep, one download, and you get it all. She couldn't make it easier!!

Like the adorable vintage Christmas images in this post?

Head on over to Karen's Whimsy to choose your own. There are lots to choose from, including color images that would be great to use for Christmas Cards or packaging labels, and black and white ones for the kiddies to color. They are all Public Domain images, so you can use them any way you want.

(She has a large collection, so check out her non-holiday images, too!)

You'll find lots of free Holiday fonts at Da Font.

Find some great Printable Paper Dolls here (scroll down post for printable images), including this precious Christmas Bear. Paper doll sets make great stocking stuffers.

Design Sponge gives you printable templates for several Christmas Craft projects, using simple white paper. My favorite is the dove ornament pictured above.

You can find the templates here.

3 Part Nomenclature ( vocabulary) Christmas Cards

3 Part Nomenclature Christmas Cards from Our Worldwide Classroom.

Christmas Light Lacing Card from ABCTeach.

I found this really neat tutorial on making your own lacing cards with accessories out of Craft Foam at Twelve Crafts Till Christmas. In a fabric pouch, these would make a great gift!

A beautiful Waldorf Window Star Tutorial from Garden Mama.

We hope to make a few of these for our windows this Christmas!

I love this idea for an Advent Calendar Bunting from Country Living.

Free Christmas Wreath Printable. Each night, your child(ren) will glue another leaf to the wreath as a countdown to Christmas.

Free Letter to Santa Printable from Disney Family.

Free Printable Advent Calendar from Living Locurto.

{Image from Living Locurto}

Christmas Word Jigsaw Puzzles from Activity Village.

Print, laminate, and cut out. Store in plastic bags and have your child assemble one at a time.

Fabric (or paper, or felt) Stacking Tree Templates from The Small Object.

{Image from The Small Object}.

You could even add a star on the smallest one for a tree topper!

More to come later on!

♥

A Handmade Montessori Christmas Shopping Spree

2010-11-29T10:18:00.000-06:00

If you want to go shopping for handmade or vintage this year, Etsy has some wonderful choices for Montessori gifts in all price ranges. I've included some ideas below. Etsy recently implemented coupon codes for sellers, so be sure to check the individual shop's announcement or blog in case they have a coupon for your purchase!

{All photos are from the Etsy listing linked to underneath each product's photo.}

These are the Rules Print, by Under the Maple Tree. $18.00.

Vintage Zoo Play Set from Betty & June. $18.00.

Handmade Child's Broom by Palumba Toys. $19.99.

9 Piece Organic Lacing Set, Little Sapling Toys. $59.00.

Vintage Child's Apron from Call Me Jasper, never worn. $39.00.

Montessori Sea Animals Activity Set by Fun Cards. $19.99.

Wooden Play Kitchen by Heartwood Natural Toys. $260.00.

My ABC Box, by Dreamers Only. $20.00.

Wooden Leaf Puzzle, by Just Hatched. $38.00.

World Felt Puzzle Map by Garden of Francis. $22.00.

Nesting a Rainbow by Mama, May I? $85.00.

Wishing Pot from Blackbeary Mountain. $16.00.

Children's Handmade Table & Chairs Set by Ilbok. $140.00.

The Race to Nowhere...

2010-11-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

The Race to Nowhere is a documentary film "igniting a national conversation about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform."

Visit the website learn more and to find a screening near you.

Belly Self-Portraits

2010-11-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

Not many words today, just a few self-portraits of the little bundle.

♥

Famous Montessorians

2010-11-24T14:08:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Google Founders were Montessori Educated?
In this video, founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin discuss their experience as Montessori students.

So was Jeffrey Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com, as well as:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature

Katherine Graham , owner/editor of the Washington Post
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, editor, former first lady
Anne Frank, famous diarist from world war II
Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family
T. Berry Brazelton, noted pediatrician and author
Julia Child, famous chef
David Blaine, street magician
George Clooney, Actor
Yo Yo Ma, Cellist

Erik Erikson, noted anthropologist/author, had a Montessori teaching certificate.

Jean Piaget, noted Swiss psychologist, made his first observations of children in a Montessori school. He was also head of the Swiss Montessori Society for many years.
Willie Nelson, musician, opened a Montessori school on his ranch, which was recently relocated due to growth and demand.
Alexander Graham Bell (inventor) and his wife Mabel founded the Montessori Education Association in 1913. They also provided financial support directly to Dr. Maria Montessori and helped establish the first Montessori class in Canada and one of the first in the United States.
President Wilson’s daughter trained as a Montessori teacher. There was a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House during Wilson’s presidency.

More famous Montessorians can be found here, here, and here.

Great Discount to Pass Along!

2010-11-23T22:52:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd let you know about this deal I came across earlier today. I have mentioned before that my laminator is one of my most important & well-used homeschooling tools. I use the Scotch Laminator A LOT and it is still going strong, so I feel good about telling you that's what I use.

Anyway, Amazon is having a sale on Scotch Laminators and Laminating accessories right now!

Use Code GPF3A85U at Checkout and Save $8 on a

Scotch Thermal Laminator

If you enter in code WB6TSYED at checkout, you save 15% on Scotch Laminating Supplies and Accessories-scissors, laminating pouches, glue, tape, and more.

If you don't already have free Amazon Prime 2-day shipping,

Amazon Mom's Club

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Free Downloads & Activities for Thanksgiving

2010-11-19T23:29:00.000-06:00

Lots of Thanksgiving Printables to share today:

Some are activities for the little ones, some are decor for your house, and others are songs/activity ideas.

I hope you enjoy!

♥

Thanksgiving letter/sound matching from Prekinders.

Pdf files with the objects, and the letters.

A blank turkey template is also provided if you want to create your own matching activity with lowercase letters, creating numeral counters, etc.

From Montessori for Everyone, Fall Matching cards.

Print two sets of these pictures on paper or cardstock.

Laminate and cut cards apart.

Child can use them face-up for matching, or face-down for a memory game.

Thanksgiving Know Your Nouns Person Place or Thing

A free printable Thanksgiving Nouns sorting activity from Motherwell Montessori.

Your child will sort the Thanksgiving nouns into the categories of person, place, or thing.

Printable Roll-A-Turkey numbers game from Little Giraffes.

Take turns rolling a die. First one to finish drawing a turkey is the winner.

Felt turkey color match & buttoning craft template from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Child will practice color matching AND buttoning skills in this super-cool felt turkey activity.

{photo from the blog post}

Thanksgiving story retelling bracelets, from My Montessori Journey.

Using pipecleaners and beads, childen can create their own bracelet that helps them remember how to retell the Thanksgiving story.

{Photo via My Montessori Journey}

Uppercase and lowercase matching (on turkey templates) from ABCteach.

Also from abcteach are Thanksgiving word wall words.

These can be used for a word wall, or laminated and used for matching with your moveable alphabet or magnetic letters.

Free printable "Give Thanks" bunting from At Second Street.

{Photo via At Second Street}

Bird Crafts brings you a free printable Thanksgiving decoration kit, including place cards and thank-you cards. {Photo from Bird Crafts}

Printable/frameable Thanskgiving Subway art from Bunch of Craft.

{Photo from Bunch of Craft}

Faux Burlap Thanksgiving printable from Craftily Ever After.

{Photo via Craftily Every After}

Leaves

A wonderful document on leaf studies from Kelli Dantin I saw on Motherwell Montessori.

Covers shape, type, edges, etc. You can make it into a book, or make 3-part cards out of it.

Download and print this great Thanksgiving Party Package from DimplePrints.

Too much stuff included to list. Really.

Make Pumpkin Pie Playdough with this recipe from Haute Plates.

{Photo via Haute Plates}

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

Food coloring (we used 6 drops of red and 15 drops of yellow)

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients in a nonstick saucepan.

Add the oil, water, and food coloring and whisk until smooth.

Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, cook the mixture over medium heat until it forms a ball, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a counter, let it cool slightly, then knead the dough until it has a smooth texture, about 1 minute.

The dough will keep up to a week in a ziplock bag.

Another great Thanksgiving Bunting from Leslie's Life.

{Photo from blog posting}

Printable Thanksgiving alphabet from abcteach.

A great Thanksgiving Kit from Paper Glitter.

{Photo via Paper Glitter}

A Max & Ruby printable Thanksgiving Table Setting Placemat from Nick Jr.

Craftily Ever After brings us another Subway Thanksgiving art printable.

Frame it for agreat, sophisticated holiday decoration!

{Photo via Craftily Ever After}

Pilgrim Hats & Bonnets from Martha Stewart.

{photo via Marthastewart.com}

Great Lunch Notes to include with your child's lunch on Thanksgiving week.

From Crafts & Sutch.

Printable Thanksgiving Placemats from Parents.com.

Print, color, & laminate.

Other Thanksgiving activity ideas:

Use corn kernels as counters or for a spooning activity

(monitor children with corn kernels to prevent choking)

Create a gratitude jar. It can be held in a jar or other decorated/designated container. Provide slips of paper and a writing utensil available on a tray with the jar in a place the child can access. Throughout the week, when the child (or other member of the family) thinks of something they are grateful for, they write it on a slip of paper and put it in the jar. The jar is opened and read at Thanksgiving dinner.

Another version of this is to create a gratitude tree: find a tree branch (or create one by wrapping a tree cut-out around a paper towel roll and attaching to a base). The grateful writings are completed on individual leaves, which are attached to tree either by hanging them on the branches or gluing them to the tree. The tree can be used as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner.

Bo Bunny has a great example of a Gratitude Tree and a template to create it!

Make a sensory tub using corn kernels, dried beans, acorns, pinecones, feathers, thanksgiving/fall-colored beads, leaves, pumpkin seeds, and anything else you can think of that would fit into the theme.

Children can touch with their hands, and also use scoops or spoons to explore.

Tweezing: Place a bowl, a dried cob of corn or Indian corn, and a pair of tweezers on a tray or mat. The child will use the tweezers to individually pluck the kernels of corn off the cob and place them into the bowl.

Acorn Sorting:

Paint the top (hat) or the bottom of the acorns in various colors.

Purchase small wooden bowls/cups/boxes at a craft store to paint, or use a color sticker on a bowl or cup you already have to coordinate with the colors you painted on the top of the acorns.

Child will match the acorn to the correct container.

The child can also use the painted acorns for matching to other like colored objects (color sorting), or placing on the appropriate slot on a color wheel, or for transferring one at a time into spots in a muffin tin.

Use this leaf template to color or paint many leaves, then string them together to make a leaf garland.

You can also make several of each kind of leaf and have the child sort them into like leaf piles either by color or shape. You could do this with real leaves if you have access to several different varieties around your neighborhood.

Napkin Folding:

Practice different ways to fold a napkin in preparation for setting the table on Thanksgiving.

Provide a cloth or paper napkin that will be used for dinner on Thanksgiving for the child to practice with.

Here is a turkey napkin fold as well.

Thanksgiving songs:

My Turkey

I have a turkey, big and fat

He spreads his wings, (Fan hands at hips)

And walks like that (Strut)

His daily corn he would not miss (Pretend to eat corn)

And when he walks, he sounds like this, ('Gobble, Gobble, Gobble')

Six Little Turkeys

(Tune of Six Little Ducks)

Six little turkeys that I once knew,

Fat ones, skinny ones there were too.

But the one little turkey with the funny red wattle,

He led the others with his gobble, gobble, gobble.

Gobble, gobble, gobble,

Gobble, gobble, gobble.

He led the others with his gobble, gobble, gobble.

Over the rocks and through the trees,

Turkeys wobbling in the breeze.

But the one little turkey with the funny red wattle,

He led the others with his gobble, gobble, gobble.

Gobble, gobble, gobble,

Gobble, gobble, gobble.

He led the others with his gobble, gobble, gobble.

Thanksgiving

by Ivy Eastwick

Thank You for all my hands can hold-

Apples red and melons gold,

Yellow corn, both ripe and sweet,

Peas and beans, so good to eat!

Thank You for all my eyes can see-

Lovely sunlight, field and tree,

White cloud-boats in sea-deep sky,

Soaring bird and butterfly.

Thank You for all my ears can hear-

Birds' song echoing far and near,

Songs of little stream, big sea,

Cricket, bullfrog, duck and bee!

Oooh, and FYI, Starbucks is having a great deal of BOGO on November 18-21 from 2-5 PM!

Adventures in Lacing!

2010-11-17T12:57:00.003-06:00

We've been working on lacing a lot lately, a great indoor activity to do (and make!)

I love to see my older child helping my younger child, and we've been enjoying some quiet together time on the couch before bed in the evenings cuddled together, practicing our lacing.

First off, why lacing? It helps develop your child's 'pincer grip' which can help with writing. Other good pincer grip activities include stringing beads, tongs and other transfer activities like tweezers, clothespins, pegs and pegboards, lacing a shoe or lacing frame, and basically anything where the child uses their thumb and forefinger to manipulate the objects. I find it also does wonders in working on patience, and mutli-tasking as lacing can be a complicated concept at first. The child has to concentrate on guiding the lace while also thinking about patterning (in & out, up & down), direction, and shapes/colors.

We have purchased a few sets of commercial lacing cards, including:

Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes

and this set of Eric Carle Animal Lacing Cards: 10 Cards & Laces. Both sets are sturdy, thick cardboard, and I like that the Eric Carle set has patterns with increasing difficulty.

We have been happy with both of these sets, and there are many more choices out there.

You can make your own custom lacing cards by printing out a picture or using a die cut shape, laminating it, and punching holes in your desired design. Use a shoelace or yarn (with a taped end) with a knot at one end for lacing. You can also tie on a button or a bead on the end of the lace/yarn to prevent the end from traveling through the first hole.

I've included some links for free printable lacing cards below:

This site has a lot of printable cards- just scroll down a little and click on your desired card for a printable pdf file. You hole-punch your own design.

Yellow Mums has this free printable lace-up doll pdf. So cute!! Just choose the outfit and lace it on the doll.

{Photo by Yellow Mums}

Update 11.18.10! Yellow Mums just posted an adorable fabric envelope tutorial to make for pretty storage for your lacing dolls. See it here!! She also hints she may be posting more outfits in the future. If she does, I will add them here as well.

11.19.10: Yellow Mums has posted the winter doll lace up clothing as her Freebie Friday.
You can find them here.
Thank you Yellow Mums!

Mini-Eco has these adorable lacing/sewing cards for printing.

{Photo from mini-eco blog}

Print out these lacing cards in a duck, mouse, frog, snake, or bug from Making Learning Fun.

I love this tutorial on making lacing cookies (you can also make lacing salt dough shapes using the same techniques) from Fifth Wizardy (photo is from their blog posting).

Download sets of uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters with patterns or in black & white to use for lacing at Home Grown Hearts. They also offer this set of number lacing cards.

Homemaker has a great idea to cut off the fronts of old greeting cards, laminate, and hole punch for really neat lacing card designs. What a great way to reuse!

It gives me the idea to reuse children's or scientific book pages by laminating them and punching hole designs. Hmmmm, the possibilities are endless!!!
♥

Our Beach House

2010-11-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

So, this is our beach house.

Well, maybe not ours, but I'm wishing it was.

It is perfect for a week away, and it is small, encouraging togetherness.

I love the bunk beds where the children would sleep, and the fireplace with the view of the ocean.

I'm already picturing having our breakfast out on the deck, watching the gray sea mist clear as the sun begins to shine over the horizon.

You can find more photos of this beach house at StudioMama.

StudioMama has other projects too, like this ultimate indoor playhouse...

Perhaps I'm in nesting overdrive....You may have noticed I have also changed the look of the blog. I'm not sure yet if it will stay or go, but I'm liking it for now.

I've been very attracted to looking at inspirational spaces recently. I'll leave you with some of my favorites from today....

{for the photos without credit directly the image below, just click on the image & you will be taken to the source}

From Decoration Ideas for Modern Living, circa 70's, from tallulahblue.

{From Baby, picture this}

This was handmade from an old hifi-rack.

The directions for how this was made can be found here.

{Family Living}