Montessori Print Shop Review & Giveaway!

James has long been a fan of maps - he enjoys searching for states and countries, and gets a kick out of all the different names. Most recently he's really gotten into flags. I thought about ordering some mini flags as I did a while back when I created our Continent Bags, but at nearly $2 a pop, they are just spendy for me to order an entire set for the world. Then, just a day later, I read this post on Chasing Cheerios and found out about Montessori Print Shop's pin flags. (cue the Hallelujah chorus) They were *just* the thing we needed!!

We've had a ball learning with our new maps and pin flags - seriously, James just can't get enough of them. In addition to his current interest in maps and flags, He LOVES sets and collections of things - these are right up his alley!

These maps are great because they're bright, easy to read, and just the right size for our cork boards. Not all of the flags have a matching map, but we don't mind - we use what maps we can and an atlas for the rest of the flags!

Two guesses on how James feels about these pin flags! :D

The flags were super easy (albeit a little time consuming) to put together, and I appreciate how clear and consistent the photos are - I'm kind of picky like that. :) I printed our flags onto card stock and did not laminate them - they are getting a lot of use and holding up just fine!

Think these would be of use in your classroom? Want to have a set of your own? Well...

Jennifer, the lovely owner of Montessori Print Shop, has once again donated a very generous gift to one of you:

Montessori Print Shop's ENTIRE pin flag and map set!!!
(valued at nearly $50!)

Included in the set:
~Maps~

:: Four maps (colored, labeled, and blank) and two sets of labels (color coded and non-color coded) for each of the following: North America, South American, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
:: Four maps and a set of labels for both the United States and Canada.
:: Two maps (labeled and blank) each for US capital cities and states.
:: Two maps (labeled and blank) each for Canada's capital cities and provinces.

~Flags~

:: A set of pin map flags for all of the above maps! The winner can choose between a color coded set or a non-color coded set.

And here's a little freebie for ALL of you to enjoy right now:
world continent maps and pin flags!

Of course you can head directly to the store and buy the entire set right now, or you can enter to win the set for FREE!

Here's what you do:
Mandatory entry:
1. Leave a comment on this post.

Extra entries:
2. Like Counting Coconuts on Facebook and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know you have/already do.
3. Like Montessori Print Shop on Facebook and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know you have/already do.
4. Follow Counting Coconuts and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know you have/already do.
5. After today come back and leave me one comment per day on this post until the end of the giveaway.

*NOTE re: separate comments - each entry will be counted as a chance to win. If you put all of your entry requirements into just ONE comment, you'll only have ONE chance to win.

This giveaway will end on Thursday, March 22nd at 9pm Atlantic Time, and is open to anyone, anywhere!

Good luck!

March Sensory Tub II - Birthday!

James' birthday is next month (he's going to be FIVE. Omgoodness.) and I plan on making a HUGE deal out of celebrating it, starting with this tub...

Here's what's inside:
:: Red translucent and misc. colored pony beads
:: LOTS of small water balloons
:: One blown-up balloon
:: Wrapping ribbon
:: A strip of crepe paper
:: Lots of candles
:: A bunch of 5's - some of these are beads, others are scrapbooking embellishments from my old stash
:: a few squares of paper and a paper punch - thought James might have fun making his own confetti!
:: Party hat
:: Noise maker
:: "Happy Birthday" confetti
:: Colorful cupcake liners
:: Balloon shaped candles that spell out "Happy Birthday"

Click the button below to see a full list of my sensory tubs or click here to view my slideshow on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Story Starters

Once a week, James writes & draws in his story journal. Sometimes he makes up a story, other times, when he's feeling not so motivated, he needs a little help coming up with ideas. That's when I decided to create a tray of "story starters".

I went through some second hand National Geographic magazines and clipped some interesting photos. James selects a photo from the tray and stares at it for a minute or two, allowing the creative juices to get flowing. :)

I always enjoy seeing what he comes up with!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Yarn Along - Lots of Baby Knits

Rather than create a post for each of these knits, I thought I'd just toss 'em all into one! Most of these are cozy things I've made since Juliet was born in August, and some are pics of her wearing knits I made when I was preggo with her. :)

This is another Milo vest (LOVE Milos) for my friend, Terri. The colorway, which I think is sooo dreamy, is "Betty Draper Blues" by Madeleine Tosh Vintage. Would knit with Madeleine Tosh exclusively if I had easy access to it (and could afford it!!).

These legwarmers were an easy knit. They came together quickly, but I realized I'm not a fan of repeat projects, meaning I kind of groaned when after finishing the first legwarmer I had to cast on for the second and, seemingly, start all over again. :/ They look pretty cute on Juliet's wonderfully chubby thighs!

Juliet modeling the Small Things Bonnet I made for her. She wore - nay, she ROCKED it - during our month long stay in Minnesota in December. I received lots of comments on it (it's the pixie aspect that people can't resist!), and when I lost it in the Mall of America, I was on the verge of tears. Thankfully, after a couple of frantic phone calls, I found it!

Another Small Things Bonnet, this one knit in the "Mulled Wine" colorway by Madeleine Tosh. This is the next size up from the one in the above photo. I wasn't sure what size she'd fit into by the time December rolled around. As it turned out, this one was far too big and will likely fit her next winter.

This cute little vest (missing the buttons - was searching for just the right ones at the time of the photo), was made for my friend, Dana. I really liked this pattern, it's a shame it comes in only one (tiny!) size.

I knit this basic scarf for James using some cheapy acrylic yarn. Never again will I use acrylic yarn for this kind of project! Despite my many attempts and varied ways of blocking it, the sides stubbornly curled and curled until the scarf was basically one long, ugly tube. Grrr. But, I knit it for our Minnesota trip and it served its purpose.

Juliet in the Boheme I made for her. This was knit in the 6 month size and so I've been saving it for a while. She's 5 months old in the above photo and the other day I pulled it out just to see if it fit yet (I've been anxious about having her wear it - it's my favorite knit!). Guess what... it's nearly too small! Boo! The length is great, but it's a bit tight around the chest and in the armholes. Ah well, guess I'd better just cast on another one. : )

These longies weren't my favorite knit. I struggled with the gusset portion and in the end I made up my own design to get them to look right. Such a pain.

~Juliet at 2.5 months~

They were cute when finished though and I thought they'd work well for the chilly Bermuda winter ahead... that is, until I accidentally felted them in the washer. Oops! They are now half the size they were and I think she ended up only wearing them three times. :(

It's hard to tell, but this is the teeniest little sweater! It's a preemie cardigan knit for my friend, Clarie. Her little love is just under 5lbs. and has nearly outgrown it!

Juliet (4.5 months old) loving her new high chair and feeling warm and cozy in the baby kimono I knit for her. This sweater has been my go-to for warmth. It's bulky enough to fit over any outfit, and has fit well over the past couple of months. The sleeves are now a bit short.

This hat is one of two that I knit for the Craft Hope Project #16: The Littlest Warriors. I used bulky yarn and a fun lace pattern all of which resulted in a very quick knit!

~Juliet at 6 months, fascinated by the ocean~

Here's another Country Kiddie, but for this one I added several purl rows throughout the knit, just to make it a bit more interesting. I LOVED the yarn I used for this project - Claudia Handpainted in the Celedon Dreams colorway. SO soft and silky.

That's all for now! I have another project on needles, but I'm in a bit of a knitting funk and just not interested in doing it right now. Ah well, that's how it goes around here. My current obsession is freezer paper projects!

Oh, and I'm not very good at making detailed notes in Ravelry, but I do have each of these knits listed and linked on my projects page, so take a look if any of the patterns interest you. My handle is "rockislander".

Linking up to Ginny's Yarn Along. (Sorry, Ginny, I haven't read a book since August!)

~Thank you for your comments!~

March Sensory Tub I - Bees

This is the first of two sensory tubs I made for James to use over the next couple of months (I'll share the other one later this month). As always, I had fun making them, but this was especially enjoyable because it's been over 6 months since I last made one! "Designing" and putting together these tubs is such a creative thrill for me - I know that sounds dorky, but it's true!

Anyway, what with spring just around the corner, I thought it befitting to make a tub about bees. :) I adore bees (from a slight distance, of course)!

Here's what's inside:
:: Black beans
:: Yellow porcupine balls
:: Jumbo sorting beads
:: Little bees - these are SO cute and have a nice, supple feel to them. Btw, if you check out the link, please note that I did NOT spend $64 on a ton of these - they were sold separately for 25 cents here at our local toy store.
:: Wind up bee

:: Burt's Bees lip balm - LOVE this stuff and I often find my balm in James' room (sneaky bugger!). Now he can have his own!

:: Fake sunflowers
:: Little porcelain honey pot with honey stick - perfect for scooping and collecting, this thing is so cute and was a surprise find at our local chef shop. It was cheap to begin with, but cost me nothing thanks to a gift certificate I had! Score!
:: Chunk of real beeswax - leftover from our adventure in wax molds.
:: Alphabet beads

I also made him a set of antennae to wear (two black pipe cleaners wrapped around my black headband). :)

I searched the web and came across some bee facts and parts of a bee and added them to the tub. Not so sensory, I know, but since we're not really doing full on themes anymore, I figured I'd toss them in. :) We'll also have a look through these two websites (here and here) to learn more about bees.

And, as an unplanned, but timely tie-in to this tub, we'll soon be visiting our friend's homestead where they keep bees and make their own honey!

Click the button below to see a full list of my sensory tubs or click here to view my slideshow on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Montessori Services/For Small Hands Giveaway WINNER!

Congratulations to Nicole of Frontier Dreams!

Nicole, you've won a $50 gift certificate to be used at either Montessori Services of For Small Hands! Please contact me at countingcoconuts1@gmail.com with your mailing address.

HUGE thanks to all who entered this giveaway! You know, I have kind of a love-hate relationship when it comes to giveaways - I LOVE being able to provide a vehicle for sharing good things, but I hate having to pick just one winner. Especially when so many of you leave such kind and hopeful comments! Situations like this are tough for those with bleeding hearts like mine!

Well, be sure to check back soon because I have another great giveaway coming up in a week or so!

Spring/Gardening Calendar Cards

At the last minute I decided to whip up some new calendar cards for March (aka tomorrow!). I thought maybe some of you might like to use them for your calendars this spring, although the great thing about this lot is that they work for anytime of year!

Click here to download

Keep in mind that I format these myself, so they're not perfect, but they'll certainly get the job done. : ) Also, as with all of my printables, these are for your personal use only - please do not sell or offer them in a giveaway. Thank you and enjoy!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Our Peaceful Space

James is entering a new phase. It's the I'm-a-big-boy-and-I-don't-have-to-listen-to-you phase. *sigh*

I'm sorry to tell you there has been a mass outbreak of tantrums and back talk in our home. And I'm sad to confess there's been a fair amount of arguing and time-outs happening as a result. *double sigh*

One night, while nursing Juliet, my mind contemplated James' new phase. It's been truly baffling to my husband and me. Yeah, we know it's normal for kids this age to assert themselves, to test the waters, stretch boundaries, etc. Be that as it may, it's not easy and none of us were handling it very well. I really wanted to find a better way to confront the situation.

It's amazing - the power of prayer and this wonderful community of mom bloggers. Thanks to some openness of mind (my prayer answered), and an assortment of ideas from around the blogworld, I came up with a solution...

Enter: Our Peaceful Space

~looking out over James' two favorite places - his backyard, and the ocean~

The idea for this space is very Montessori, and it was something I actually learned about in my training, but for some reason forgot about. Strange how that happens. Anyway, in the Montessori world this space is often arranged at a table for two in a classroom (to help resolve conflicts).

I put a lot of thought into this space, taking time to consider the items and which of them would be most useful and calming to James. He's a very introspective person, which is a beautiful thing, but it can cause him to get a little over-analytical and anxious. (*cough* no idea where he got that from *cough*)

Here's what I've included. Again, I gathered my ideas from all over the place, but Deb's post has all of the links save for this one and a few others I link to below.

:: printed finger labyrinth (found this on Google images) - this will be replaced with this soon.
:: mind jar
:: calming cards (inspired by this post, I made these myself and will share the printable if anyone is interested)
:: knitted bird (I knit this a while back - it's actually called, "The Bluebird of Happiness". How fitting!)
:: sea shell (wonderful because in order to hear the sound of the ocean inside, James has to be very calm and still)
:: clove and cinnamon box (smells sooooo good!)
:: wooden heart (resides inside of the clove box)
:: image of a boy doing the lotus pose (this will remain until I replace it with this book)
:: quartz (promotes balance and healing)
:: smooth stone (naturally a cool temperature, which feels nice on the face and neck. Alternatively, it can be held tightly in the palm of one's hand for a few moments and then it'll feel warm.)
:: rosary and angel box (my rosary which I purchased while in Vatican City)
:: framed photo of children dancing
:: buddha board
:: dream catcher
:: window star (made this a long time ago, but it still looks so pretty when the light shines through it)
:: mat
:: comfy cushion
:: a few tree blocks (for contemplative building - mine are a bit uneven, so stacking them requires patience and focus.)
:: wooden egg timer (3 minutes - for the times when James is in a "how much longer??" kind of mood)

I know by Montessori standards this is a bit much. And I know the above list shows how eclectic we really are (I always say we've got a Catholic Montessori Zen Waldorf-y thing going on!). :) As I said, this is what works for us. I wanted this space to be a place where James can go and just be, whenever he wants. It is also the place he goes to whenever he acts out. It's his happy place, if you will.

I'm very pleased to tell you this set up (coupled with some tips from this post) has made our home a much happier place. That's not to say our home is completely frustration-free (I mean, James is almost 5, and I am whacked out on sleep-deprivation), but it is definitely better. James really enjoys his "peaceful place" and visits it often just because he wants to.

Oh and PS: I've been known to peace-out in this special space, too! It's so inviting and relaxing!

Do you have a peaceful spot in your home or classroom? Feel free to share your link in the comments section!

Want to make a peaceful spot? Here are some other peaceful items you can add to it (or rotate in, as I plan to):
:: hang prayer flags
:: this book by the wonderful Montessori Mama
:: single flower in a simple vase
:: wooden dove
:: mini zen garden
:: singing bowl or
:: energy chime
:: beeswax candle inside a beautiful lotus votive
:: Tibetan prayer beads
:: engraved stone
:: beach sand in a bottle
:: dolls for role playing
:: other beautiful natural items (sea glass, star fish, pine cones)
:: peace materials from Montessori Print Shop
:: small statue of Buddha
:: I spy bottle
:: beeswax ornament
:: books on peace
:: these beautiful multilingual peace cards

~Thank you for your comments!~

Montessori Services/For Small Hands Review & Giveaway!!

** This giveaway is now closed.
Congrats to the winner!**

I'm really excited about this giveaway because I'm reviewing my long time favorite Montessori supply store, Montessori Services and their partner site, For Small Hands!

You all have seen me link to Montessori Services time and time again. Why? Because I believe they are - without a doubt - the best place to get everything you need to complete and compliment your prepared environment. I'm talking about those wonderful details like baskets, tongs, trays, mats, & pouring kits. It's been my go-to place for those kinds of things ever since I heard about Montessori Services from the Directress at that the top Montessori school here on the island - she orders from them exclusively!

You'll see the materials I've purchased from Montessori Services & For Small Hands peppered throughout our shelves. I could go on and on raving about each and every thing we've ordered, but instead here's just a sample of my absolute favorites:

~pouring stars during our space unit~

We love this gorgeous cobalt blue pouring set. Maria Montessori believed a child's environment should contain beautiful things. This set of carved glass is just that. And it's just the right size for little hands.

MANY of you have asked where I find the tiny objects included in my alphabet box. Among resourcing my own personal collection of odds and ends, I look to Montessori Services to supply some of the particularly cute objects, such as these.

~sorting and transferring~

Trays and transferring tools are in constant use in our classroom. In the sorting activity shown above, the all white tray and three of the tools were purchased from Montessori Services: the mustard spoon, the sugar tongs, and the wooden tongs. PS: this little ladle is also a favorite of ours. :)

~transferring flowers during our St. Patrick's Day unit~

You all know my love of baskets and bowls. The reed baskets shown above, and these tiny maple bowls have been a mainstay on my shelves. They are just the right size for holding small objects for counting and sorting activities.

~space lessons~

And last, but not at all least, these space flashcards. As a family of space geeks, James has multiple sets of space cards, but these are by far his favorite! The colors are vibrant, the photos are real, and the cards are thick and sturdy. Good stuff!

Montessori Services excels at Practical Life materials (their kits are fantastic!), but they also offer much, much more. You can find books on a variety of topics, art activities and supplies, kits and tools for your budding scientist, materials for elementary aged children, and for the youngest child, these wonderful books and toys.

Now for the giveaway! Montessori Services has offered to gift one of my readers a $50 gift certificate!! Wahoo!

Here's how you can enter to win:
Mandatory entry:
1. Leave a comment on this post.

Extra entries:
2. Visit Montessori Services or For Small Hands and leave me a separate comment letting me know your favorite thing in their store.
3. Like Counting Coconuts on Facebook and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know you have/already do.
4. Follow Counting Coconuts and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know you have/already do.
5. After today come back and leave me one comment per day on this post until the end of the giveaway.

A couple of notes:
:: All comments are moderated - they will NOT appear immediately after you post them.
:: Do not leave your entry comments on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page - they will not be included.
:: Regarding separate comments - each entry will be counted as a chance to win. If you put all of your entry requirements into just ONE comment, you'll only have ONE chance to win.

This giveaway ends at 9pm (Atlantic Time) on Saturday, March 3rd. The winner will be announced the following day.

Good luck, everyone!

We're Going To Disney World!

And I'll give you three guesses as to who in our family is the most excited...
(hint: it's not James, or Juliet, or my husband). :D

I am just busting in anticipation of this trip. I've been to Disney World once before, and to Disneyland twice, but those were times before I had kids, and in those cases I was with people who just sort of tolerated my starry-eyed giddiness. What can I say, Disney just brings out the kid in me! This time, however, I will be with two kids and no one will think twice of their mouse ear wearing, dole whip eating, it's a small world riding, character photo oping mother! They'll just think I'm a super-committed-to-having-fun kind of mom! Ha! Little do they know... ;)

Just about everything is planned and booked. I went on sort of a Disney planning frenzy, spending hours researching and reviewing. I loved every minute of it. Well, once I got a foothold on the basics, that is. Man, there's A LOT to planning a Disney trip - to meal plan or not to meal plan, to park hopper or not to park hopper, etc., etc.

Anyway, it's been about a week since I booked as much as I could and since then I've been feeling a little nostalgic for my busy Disney planning days. :) What's a planning freak to do when she has six looong months to wait??

Pinterest to the rescue!! I found some neat ideas on Pinterest and have been busy replicating some of them. First on the must make list was this...

Our Disney World countdown, inspired by this Etsy shop. I found this image on Google Images and made the sign and number cards on Picnik. I plan on making some variation of this about 10 days before we leave for the trip.

I also made a Disney World savings jar, which we'll (hopefully) fill up with spare change, and any money made from the baby items we plan on selling later this summer. I was inspired by this idea.

I'll have more to share in the coming months, but in the meantime I wondered if any of you who've been to Disney World would mind sharing your thoughts/tips/advice/favorites? I'd love to hear them!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Help! Google Documents Is Being Disagreeable!

I am in need of some Google guru assistance and I'm hoping one of you can help! For the past month or so I've been receiving quite a number of share requests for my free printables. I thought this was odd since all of my printables are set to be accessible to "anyone who has the link" (which is imbedded in the code on the word "download" on my Free Printables page). For many months this has worked just fine (as far as I knew anyway - there were no complaints/no "share requests"), then suddenly access is being denied. I confirmed this by logging on as my husband - a notice pops up saying permission is needed to access the document. Under my account, however, the share settings are as they always were - accessible to everyone. Weird! I don't know why there's a discrepancy or how to fix it. I created these documents to share with everyone, and I'd really love to get this problem solved! I appreciate any useful input! Thanks in advance!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Memory in Motion

Lately I've been finding it a real challenge to keep James focused during school time. He's so easily distracted, which I know is normal for this age, but it makes teaching him a bit trying. I was looking through my teaching manuals and came across an easy and interactive memory game.

Here's what I did: I set up a tray of owls (you could chose anything, obviously, I just liked the excuse to use these owls I made a couple years ago!) in the living room, then I wrote down the numbers 1-13 on individual pieces of paper and put them in a drawstring bag.

James randomly selected a piece of paper, looked at it, and without showing me or saying a word, he took a little basket to the living room to collect owls based on the number indicated on the paper. The key here was that he had to stay focused on the task at hand and keep in mind the number while walking through three rooms to get to the living room. When he returned to me I counted the owls and I'd say, "I think that piece of paper has a (#) on it!". James would get so excited when I guessed correctly! He'd then have to bring the owls back to the tray and we'd start over again.

As I said, this is a very simple game, and at first I wondered if James would think it too easy and boring. While it was very easy, it definitely wasn't boring for him. He really enjoyed it and wanted to play it several times over. I think it was the constant motion that he liked best. :)

~Thank you for your comments!~

Art Box

In my undying effort to keep us organized, and to encourage James to color and draw (he's not a fan of either), I created this art box for him.

I found a tackle box at the local hardware store, filled it up with artsy goodness, and because I was on a roll I decided to decorate it with some stickers (my inner 8 year old LOVED this part!). :)

The verdict? I love it. I can't tell you how much I would've enjoyed this as a kid! But James? He couldn't care less about it. *sigh* But, I thought I'd share it with all of you anyway since I know there are other children who ARE into the art scene. It's a fun way to keep everything contained and it makes a great gift, too!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Puzzle Organization

Since it's hard to stack puzzles with their pieces in place, and since I'm a freak about not losing pieces, I set about to figure out a way to keep the pieces contained whilst keeping them accessible to the Puzzle Master (aka James). At first I stored each puzzle's pieces in Ziploc baggies and I wrote a description on the bags. That was fine, but the bags became worn out, the writing rubbed off, and the appearance of dozens of ziploc bags heaped together just wasn't appealing to me.

One day, while laying down for a much needed nap, my mind continued to race and wander (typical - just when I have the clearance to rest, I can't!). For some reason, the puzzles came to mind and 10 minutes later I was at the dollar store buying up disposable containers.

I decided to put each puzzle's pieces into a container, and then label both the puzzle and the container with the same sticker. I'm not a fan of writing on containers (never know when you may want reuse them!), and even though James can read, I wanted something with quick and easy recognition (I'm thinking ahead to Juliet's puzzle days!).

I used stickers from this set. Thanks to my sister-in-law, I happened to have two of the same tablet, which I was pleased about because I really wanted the stickers on the puzzle and the container to be identical. I chose letters because they are small, and there are a lot of them (of course numbers would work well, too, I just didn't have them on hand), and when I ran out of letters, I simple double them up (e.g. AB).

This method has been working out SO well! James enjoys finding the letter matches, and I enjoy the easy clean up and contained mess. Another benefit is that the containers are stackable!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Jumbo Paperclip Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Christy of Puddles and Mud - I'll be sending you a set of 6 jumbo paperclips! Please contact me at countingcoconuts1(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address. :)

For those that didn't win and would still like to make these super fun & easy bookmarks, I found a link for similar clips here on Amazon.

Paperclip Bookmarks

I found the idea for these bookmarks on Pinterest (looove Pinterest). Using leftover fibers from my scrappin' days, and some jumbo paperclips I found at the local dollar store, I made some of my own. They cost all of $2.50 to make. I just love these. They are beauty, whimsy, and madness all in one! Ha!

And they make school time a bit more enjoyable for me, too. :) I made quite a few of them and use them to bookmark our workbooks, readers, read-alouds (pretty much anything I can find!).

You can see just how jumbo these puppies really are - here they are compared to a regular size paper clip. Fun, huh?!

The Fine Print: I'm going to guess you too can find these jumbo clips at a dollar store near you, but for those who can't, I'd like to gift a set of 6 jumbo clips (ribbons not included) to one of you! Just leave a comment and I'll pick someone at random on Monday (Feb. 6) morning. Holla if you love freebies!! :)

** This giveaway has ended**

~Thank you for your comments!~