Felt Fractions

These have been on my "must-make" list for over a year and it wasn't until I saw them on Pinterest that I moved them to the very top of the list and finally put them together.

I love tactile ways of teaching math. I've said time and again that I would probably have had better luck with math in school had I been taught with Montessori math materials and other hands on materials such as these. It's great to be able to FEEL math when you're one of those that just can't wrap your brain around it!

These were very easy to make. I used two layers of regular ol' eco-fi felt, fabric paint and a blanket stitch around the edges. I didn't use any particular template to make the circles, I just outline the bottom of a bowl and then eyeballed the segments. Easy-peasy!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Yarn Along - Baby Knit

So... yeah, I'm sharing yet another baby knit. Are you non-knitters just really, really sick of these posts?!
This week I'm excited to show you this little gem, the "In Threes: A Baby Cardigan" knit up in uber soft and smooshy Malabrigio in the Ravelry Red colorway. You can see my Rav. notes here.

My husband went out of town recently and since he wasn't home for me to cuddle with in the evenings, I really focused on this project and finished it in less than 24 hours. It knit up so quickly and I think that's because it was an enjoyable pattern - as the pattern indicates, it is written "with a basic design suited to a beginner, but with enough interest to entertain a more experienced knitter."

One note I made to myself during this knit was that working with 100% wool during the summer isn't much fun - my hands kept getting really sweaty and the wool kept pulling as a result.

One book that's been on my nightstand for the past month (I only read a few pages at a time) is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Linking up to Ginny's Yarn Along - be sure to pop over to her blog to see more knitting goodness!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Our Reward System - The In-Home Store

Now that James is 4 he's become really quite helpful around the house. Some of his "chores" include assisting with the laundry, feeding the cats, making his bed, cleaning his room, and distributing toys and other mislaid items back to where they belong in the house. Once the baby comes we've explained to him that we'll be expecting him to help out even more (he is SO excited about this new responsibility!). His endless energy and cheerful desire to help has been greatly appreciated by this very pregnant mama. I can't tell you how much waddling around the house he's saved me from doing!

We decided to reward James' contributions by giving him a quarter each time he helps out in a big way. He doesn't get a quarter for EACH thing he does since we want him to understand that things like making his bed and cleaning his room are his responsibility and things he simply must do as a member of this household.

My husband bequeathed to James a very special wallet that he himself made as a child. It's in this wallet that James saves his coins and up until now they've just been collecting there. Initially I told him we could go to the store someday and he could choose something to buy. Thanks to our recent Money Matters lesson, he now understands the concept of money and buying things.

Then I saw this idea on The Idea Room and was totally inspired. I set to work slightly modifying it to create a version that will work for us. Here's what I came up with....

~our in-home store~

Inside of this basket are various items which James can buy with his quarters. I opted to include very few food items (I'm just so wary about using food as a reward) and what edibles I did chose are healthy. I found just about everything you see at our local dollar store. Some of it is from my own stash as I've long been in the habit of keeping books, stickers and other simple items on hand for those rainy days or those 'I-completely-forgot-to-buy-something-for-so-and-so's-birthday' days. : )

All of the items are color coded with star stickers. This tag is attached to the basket as a price key. I priced things in such a way that James can choose to buy something straight away after receiving a quarter or he can choose to save up for a more expensive item. I think this will give him a great introduction to saving since there are actually very few items that are just a quarter.

The options for what to include in an in-home store are limitless! For those interested, here's a list of what's inside our store:
:: Go Fish card game
:: Various sticker sheets
:: Grow capsules
:: Paint your own wooden snake kit
:: Cat pencil
:: A book
:: Markers
:: A die cast airplane
:: A bag of unpopped popcorn
:: Welch's fruit snacks (large and small bags)
:: ABC silly bandz
:: Super balls
:: Stretchy bugs
:: Set of 5 small frogs
:: Game of Jacks
:: Mickey Mouse keychain
:: Mini tubs of playdough
:: A bottle of bubbles
:: Ping pong balls
:: Paper clips with magnetic container (James is SO into magnets right now)
:: Alphabet stencils
:: A glow stick (in orange, James' favorite color!)
:: Mini play scene
:: Mickey Mouse stationary set
:: Individual balloons

We'll replenish only once all of the items have been purchased. I'm curious to see how this system will work out and which of the things James really likes.

One final thought: I know to some this looks like just a big basket of "junk" and others may even think that rewarding a child in such a way is wrong. To that I say: "To each his own". I'll admit I'm not a big fan of plasticy toys and knick knacks, but I chose items that I knew would be interesting to James and my intent is for him to learn about responsibility, helping others, and money matters in the process. And I should also note that we are always sure to thank James for his efforts with hugs and praise. :)

~Thank you for your comments!~

Mini Unit - Mickey Mouse

I have to admit, I don't usually buy into the whole mainstream commercialism thing when it comes to my classroom. It just seems a bit distracting to me. But, I decided to bend a little just this once and I created this Mickey Mouse themed mini unit for James. He's digging Mickey right now (and truth be told I'm a big Mickey fan, too!) and I figured if I could make the activities educational, why not let the Mouse come over for a visit? :)

I should note that because Bermuda has limited supplies when it comes to specialty items, I made many of these materials myself. In the rare case that I did purchase items, they were cheaply found at our local dollar store, thrift shop, and party supple store.

~an overview~

Here's a closer look at what's inside this unit:
Mini Sensory Tub (Sensorial/Language). I thought about making a full size version of this tub, but with only 3 weeks left to go in this pregnancy, I just haven't the energy. I used red pony beads and black marbles and foam squares as the main filler. Also included are bottlecaps (dollar store), buttons, letter beads to spell with, poms, tiny Mickey Mouse buttons, a couple of vellum stars, and a Pluto Pez dispenser.

Telling Time (Math). I made this myself by using the back of a Mickey Mouse paper plate. I purchased the button embellishments from a scrapbooking store (years ago) and then cut the clock hands out of cardstock and pinned them loosely to the plate with a brad.

Lacing (Practical Life). Another use for the paper plates - I simply punched holes around the perimeter and added a shoelace.

Pin Punching (Practical Life). I create the Mouse heads in Word and printed a few of them so James can repeat the work as desired. I provided a sheet of black foam paper to absorb the pin. I've been asked a zillion times about the jumbo pins I use - I found them at our local dollar store over a year ago, but I've seen them available on Amazon as well.

Dominoes (Math/Language/Sensorial). These dominoes are another dollar store find and boy are they teeny-tiny!

Bingo (Language/Sensorial). Two kinds - one is homemade and involves reading, the other is a thrift store find and focuses on shapes. I had already created the homemade version (by using clip art), but couldn't pass up the other one when I found it for only 25 cents.

Worksheets (Language/Math/Art). I made all of these myself using free clip art I found online. While I would normally share these with you as PDF's, I don't feel comfortable doing so this time around. I'm fearful of some unknown copyright I'd be breaking if I shared them. Sorry!

Books (Language). Going through our bookcases I found only these three Mickey Mouse books. In fact, these were MY books when I was young and I *think*, perhaps with the exception of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, they're now out of print.

Activity Books (Math/Language/Art/Just For Fun!). Birthday gifts from a couple of years ago.

Manipulatives. I found these at our local party supply store. I envision them being used for sorting, sequencing, math, storytelling, and whatever else James comes up with. Oftentimes I will just put materials out there and sit back to see what HE decides to do with them. His ideas are usually much more creative than mine!

Stick Puppets. I used some of the above manipulatives and pasted them to popsicle sticks. Again, I'm curious to see what James will do with these.

Memory/Matching Game (Sensorial). These are paint chips, which I believe you can find at most large home-retailers. The ones in the photo were a gift from my sweet bloggy friend, Susan. :)

Pasting Practice & Collage Making (Practical Life/Art). The paper and stickers are several years old and from my scrapbooking stash. I cut up various aspects of the papers and it'll be up to James to arrange them however he'd like.

Cutting Practice (Practical Life/Math). As with all of our sticker cutting strips, James will need to cut in between the stickers. He can then use the snipped pieces for a sequencing or sorting activity.

All packed up and ready to explore!

~Click the button below to view more of our mini units.~

~Thank you for your comments!~

Montessori At Home! Giveaway WINNER

A huge thanks to all who entered the Montessori At Home! giveaway this week - there were 659 entries!

The winner is Samantha Lee, who wrote:

"Montessori At Home looks like an awesome resource to have. I love the penny extensions to the math exercises. Thanks for this opportunity!"

Congratulations, Samantha Lee, please email me at countingcoconuts1@gmail.com with your contact details.

To all the rest of you I'm excited to announce that John Bowman, author of Montessori At Home!, is offering a huge discount to Counting Coconuts readers. For the entire month of August, you can purchase his e-book for only $5.95 (that's a $2 savings!!) by clicking the button below!

Or, if you'd like something to hold in your hands, John offers a paperback version (under the title Help Your Preschooler Build A Better Brain) for just $9.95! Such a great deal either way!

Multi-Tool Sorting Activity

This is really just a sorting/transferring activity, but with a little twist...

To do this work James will need to choose which of the tools in the tray will transfer which of the items in the bucket. Oh - ha! I see a little stray cube found its way onto the tool tray in the photo. :)

I tried to make it so only one tool applies to each kind of item. There is an overlap in that the tweezers can be used to pick up the large homemade poms. I think James will enjoy trying various tools all at once and discovering which ones work best. The bucket provides an added challenge as the depth will make scooping or tonging a bit more difficult.

As with ALL of the activities I put on our shelves I'm always sure to test them out myself first to make sure the materials work well together and that everything needed to complete the work is made available.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Mini Unit - Space

The great thing about putting this unit together is that it was pretty much already put together. (You may recall we spent the month of January focusing on space.) There are some new things, but for the most part I reused many of the same materials and, because I'm lazy (and very pregnant), I'm reusing many of the photos and text from my January post, too. :) Just note that the trays aren't included in the mini unit.

~an overview~

Here's a closer look at what's inside this unit:
Felt Planets (Sensorial/Just For Fun!) Made these myself and I'm proud to say they've held up quite well considering how much they've been loved. :)

Poetry Basket (Language). I made the sun out of felt, the Earth came from the top of a Toob, and the little baggies is filled with star shaped beads.

Worksheets (Language/Math/Art/Science). Many of these worksheets were found in various places around the web - Google Images, Making Learning Fun, abcteach, and Homeschool Creations Astronaut Preschool Pack.

Lacing (Practical Life). I found this image on Google, laminated it and then punched in holes about 1" apart.

Stamping Stars (Practical Life/Art). This is a self-inking star-shaped stamper and a little booklet of scrap paper stapled together. Simple, but fun!

Skip Counting (Math). This counting mat came from here. I made that little blue envelope as well as the ones in a few of the other photos. They're really easy to make and perfect for small cards that would normally slide around on a tray. I made my own version after watching this video.

Life Cycle of a Star (Science). I made these myself! This is very similar to the phases of the moon work in that James will need to order the cycle according to the control chart. As with all of these activities, I keep it light and fun - I am well aware of the fact that James is only FOUR and so there's no need to delve into the cosmological significance of black holes or anything. ;D The important thing to me is the fact that he LOVES doing this kind of stuff!

Phases of the Moon Cards (Science). We use these regularly on our classroom calendar, but I'm putting them all on the shelf along with the control chart.

Build A Rocket (Math/Sensorial). I found this idea on Making Learning Fun, but I modified and recreated it with card stock and added a 6th shape to account for the 6 on the die.

Solar System Flashcards (Science/Language). These cards have really beautiful photos and are full of significant, yet easy to follow facts on the reverse sides. You can buy them through Montessori Services.

Space Magnet Pages (Language). I don't actually use magnets with these, I use flat marbles instead. These came from Making Learning Fun.

Memory/Matching Games (Language/Sensorial/Science). These are three separate games focusing on planets, parts of the Earth, and constellations.

Space Mat (Science). These little things are the UK version of Shrinky Dinks (they sell A LOT of UK brands here). Basically they are drawings cast on to plastic sheets which you then color and heat in the oven. They shrink down and become very sturdy. The solar system mat came with the kit.

Pin Punching (Practical Life). I found these jumbo pins at the dollar store and printed out the constellation cards from here. The added bonus to this activity is that once James has them all punched we'll go into a dark room, shine a flashlight behind them and project the images onto a wall!

Books (Language). My Place in Space by Joan Sweeney; There's No Place Like Space by Dr. Seuss; and On The Moon by Anna Milbourne.

Cards & Counters (Math). I made these cards and used stone pebbles ("moon rocks") as the counters.

Astronaut Figurines (Just For Fun!).

Planets (Science/Sensorial/Just For Fun!). These are made of styrofoam (I think). I found them at the local thrift shop. They aren't the greatest, but James loved using them in our space lessons.

Planet Photos (Science). Not sure who makes these (another thrifty find), but their large size and detail make them perfect for studying.

Solar System Card (Science/Just For Fun!). My wonderful sister in law sent this card to James. It is SO cool! Pop up things have come such a long way since my childhood days!

Three Part Space Cards (Science/Language).

All packed and ready to explore!

~Click the button below to view more of our mini units.~

~Thank you for your comments!~