Sharks Preschool Mini Unit

Our Penguin Preschool Mini Unit became a favorite since I published it early this year. With its popularity, I decided to create SHARKS PRESCHOOL MINI UNIT to provide fun hands-on learning activities to preschoolers who are absolutely in love and obsessed with these creatures!

Learning Multiplication Using Montessori Colored Bead Bars

My previous post on Multiplication using the Montessori Multiplication Bead Board has been very popular, and I’m so happy that many people find it useful. In this post, I’m sharing that using Bead Board is just one of the many ways of teaching Multiplication in a Montessori classroom. Another favorite of ours is the use of colored bead bars. This is usually introduced after the Multiplication Bead Board or the Charts (though I will share about the Multiplication Charts soon!). We’ve worked with several multiplication activities using the bead bars, but I will highlight the basic presentation in this post.   Again please note that this is based on a home setup.

Layers of the Earth for Kids

I went home one day with a bunch of avocadoes for Vito and I to eat.  Then as I was slicing it, Mavi saw the huge seed inside and blurted out that it looks like the Earth’s core!  And just like that, I whipped a brief activity on the layers of the Earth!

For the book, we had this since 2 years ago that Mavi really really loves to read.  It’s an easy read for young kids and the good thing about it is that it’s like an adventure book that takes its readers into an adventure of digging a hole down to the Earth’s center!  So I am HIGHLY recommending it to those who are interested.

Top Five Favourite Books (April)

*** Contain affiliate links ***

I asked Mavi for his top 5 favourite books for this month (he keeps on brining these books in school for show and tell) and tell me why.

 

1. Follow the Drinking Gourd 

   "Winter's story begins with a peg-leg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the Underground Railroad. While working for plantation owners, Peg Leg Joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper). A couple, their son, and two others make their escape by following the song's directions. Rich paintings interpret the strong story in a clean, primitive style enhanced by bold colours. The rhythmic compositions have an energetic presence that's compelling. A fine rendering of history in picture book format."--(starred) Booklist.

   "I like it because Peg Leg Joe became a hero by saving the slaves and bringing them to Canada for freedom".  - Mavi

2. Grandfather’s Journey

   Lyrical, breathtaking, splendid—words used to describe Allen Say’s Grandfather’s Journey when it was first published. At once deeply personal yet expressing universally held emotions, this tale of one man’s love for two countries and his constant desire to be in both places captured readers’ attention and hearts. Winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal, it remains as historically relevant and emotionally engaging as ever.  - Goodreads

   "I love it because the he and his grandfather loves to travel, just like me." - Mavi

3. The Story of Ferdinand

   A true classic with a timeless message, The Story of Ferdinand has enchanted readers since it was first published in 1936. All the other bulls would run and jump and butt their heads together. But Ferdinand would rather sit and smell the flowers. And he does just that, until the day a bumblebee and some men from the Madrid bullfights give gentle Ferdinand a chance to be the most ferocious star of the corrida—and the most unexpected comic hero. This cherished hardcover is perfect for those who love Ferdinand, and those who have yet to meet him. - Goodreads

   "The part where he sat on a bee makes me laugh, and because everyone thinks he's super strong but actually not.  All he ever do is smell the flower and he's really funny." - Mavi

4. Marvel Storybook

   Life stories of Spiderman, Thor and Ironman.

   "Spiderman is in it and he is my favourite superhero." - Mavi

5. The Glorious Flight

   "This book...recounts the persistence of a Frenchman, Louis Bleriot, to build a flying machine to cross the English Channel.... The text is succinct, caption-like in its directness and brevity....The paintings...add the necessary testure and tone to this marriage. This is vintage Provensen" – School Library Journal

   "Because it is the story of the first airplane to fly in France and England. The pictures are so funny too" - Mavi

You can also get these books from Book Depository.  They ship anywhere for free!

The Montessori Multiplication Board

Spring break has given us enough time to work on our multiplication.  The next thing we did after introducing multiplication using counters was doing the arithmetic using multiplication bead board. 

To know more about these materials and how to use it, here are some resources I collected for you:

• How to use the multiplication bead board (video)
• Multiplication Bead Board Presentation
• Multiplication Bead Board Worksheets
• DIY Multiplication Bead Board

I made multiplication strips for Mavi to work on.  This is similar to the one mentioned in my resources except that I edited the fonts to fit my paper size.

I followed the presentation based on the Info Montessori and demonstrated it on Mavi.  When it’s his time to do the work,  Mavi chose the table of 6 (his age!).  He loved putting the beads in the hole, though at times, it slips through his fingers as they seem to be tiny.  How I wish the beads were a bit bigger!  As he worked on the table, I told him to mark the last count of the beads so he wouldn’t need to count from 1 again. Say, he’s currently at 6 x 4 = 24. So that’s 24 beads already. Moving to 6 x 5, he doesn’t have to count all over again from the first bead.  All he has to do is add 6 to the last count or mark, that is 24.  Bless his heart, he was counting from 1 everytime he moves on to the next multiplier LOL. 

                      

Again, I pointed out that multiplication is adding similar numbers.  So adding a multiplicand to the last count is a much faster way of doing it.

Now, for the work strips, I printed them out and glue them on a yellow cardstock.  Mavi loved how beautiful they turned out.  As an extension, I also showed Mavi how the table of 6 works when laid out using the decanomial beads.   The laying out of beads was a hit! Mavi was hooked.  Too bad though, we didn’t get to finish the work because Vito was already awake and wants attention.  (PS. We don’t do bead works whenever Vito’s around. He still mouths objects)   

Making Montessori Ours has this amazing printable Multiplication Materials Package made out for you. I suggest you check her out as well!

Don’t forget to pin this for later! You don’t want to miss this!

And that’s about it! How wonderful this method of learning is! So hands-on and visual!  We will work on the rest of the multiplication table both in bead board and decanomial beads one at a time. Anyway, this is just to expose Mavi to multiplication.  Once we’re done with all the tables, we’ll start division and it’s going to be even more exciting!

Want to see what other’s are doing?  Check out my Pinterest board for other Math ideas!

Language Materials for 6yrs Old

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This an update of Mavi’s language materials.  I try my best to spend at least 20 minutes on Mavi (one-on-one) whenever I need to discuss a new subject.  After which, he works independently using the worksheets.

These are the language materials I picked for him to use at home.

First Language Lessons (Vol1)

This was the first book I got for Mavi.  I love the depth of the book and I must say a good book to introduce grammar to a child. The only setback is that it is repetitive. Noun is discussed in almost half of the book. I have to skip a few chapters because of that.  But somehow, it worked for Mavi.  We have not opened this book for ages, yet he still remembers what is a noun, a proper noun and a common noun.  He can still memorize the poems in the book!  The memorization work here is amazing! 

Success with Grammar by Scholastic

Simplicity at its best! I like how straightforward this book is (brief description) and has lots of great activities afterwards (sheets).  My son loves the outlined pictures because he can colour them :)  Hopefully we can move on to Grade 2 before next school year.

Reading Comprehension by Scholastic

This is important to me.  Mavi is a good reader and it would be put to waste if I will not help him comprehend and understand what he is reading.  We barely used this book as of the moment as we’ve been busy for the past weeks.  We usually do this before bedtime.  We read the story and do the activity the next day.

Homemade Montessori Grammar Symbols

I seldom use this as Mavi is not fond of using them.  I only get to use the symbols (for now) whenever I needed to introduce a new topic.

Jolly Phonics Grammar 1

I use this mainly for spelling, as English spelling in UK and Ireland is different in the US. This is the standard curriculum used in Britain and Ireland.

So how we schedule our grammar/language lessons?

As I said, about 20 minutes a day afterschool if I need to discuss a new topic. But for independent work no time limits, as long as he finishes his tasks before bedtime :D 

You can also purchases these at Amazon, but if it is not available in your area, I prefer Book Depository because of its free shipping.  They have the same rate anyway.

More language activities here:

Fossils for Kids

Because Mavi is fascinated with dinosaurs and fossils, I always make it a habit to include it yearly in our homeschool activities.  If you are interested learning about our previous dinosaurs and fossils lessons here are the following links:

• Dinosaur and the Land Before Time
• Dinosaur Activity Sheets
• Dinosaur Math Activity
• Dinosaur Books
• Free Feathered Dinosaur Cards
• More Dinosaur Activities
• Dinosaur Cards and Worksheets
• Homemade Dinosaur Fossils
• Digging Up Dinosaurs

For this year, I focused on fossils alone as I wanted Mavi to understand how they became so relevant in defining history.

Fossils by definition are organisms or objects that indicates former presence of an organism which has been preserved in any natural deposit in or on the earth’s crust.  We examined the fossils we have on hand:  Safari Toob Fossil replicas, coral fossils and the animal impressions that we made.

There are different types of fossils.  One famous type of fossil is the preservation of insects found in resins, now known as amber.   Another are moulds of animals or plants; trails or tracks of animals and dinosaurs from thousands of years ago.

With this we made our own animal impressions using Safari Toob animal figures.  They all end up so pretty!   Making animal impressions in a clay is one of the easiest way to recreate a fossil.  Another is embedding an animal or object in an ice or clay similar to an amber.

These are coral fossils which we got from our latest trip to the Philippines.   Mavi described the difference between moulds and cast fossils like those of coral cavities that were filled with mineral substance. Then we examined each of our Safari Toob Ancient Fossils and identify them.  (Source: Safari Toob Fossils)

1. Eurypterid.  A sea scorpion called Mixopterus was discovered in Norway.  They ranged from 5 inches to over 7 feet long.
2. Fossilized Fish.  This is a Diplomystus specimen, typical of a surface feeding fish.  The Green River limestone deposits in Wyoming, USA have beautifully preserved all the fine details of these fossils.
3. Dinosaur Skin.  This is a famous fossil “mummies” of a duck-billed Hadrosaur which became entombed in a sandstone after its death.  The real one can be found in North Dakota, USA.
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex Tooth.  This tooth was found in Montana, USA. The T-Rex, one of the greatest predator possess the largest single teeth of any dinosaur.  They used these double edge, serrated blades to slice off huge pieces of flesh.
5. Dinosaur Foot.  The discoveries of dinosaur tracks and footprints are grouped into similar types and they are given generic names.  Anchisauripus prints were from a small plant-eater found in the state of Connecticut, USA.
6. Velociraptor Claw.  Velociraptor are very efficient hunter because of these large sickle-shaped claws that grow on each hind foot.  This claw was found in Mongolia in Central Asia.
7. Ammonite.  This is an ancient mollusc with a spiral shell.  These marine animals existed for more than 135 million years.  This species is known as Peltoceratoides  and was discovered in Russia.
8. Giant Crabs. Did you know that crabs evolved from lobsters during the Jurassic Period? This original specimens from Washington state, USA are among the finest preserved crab fossils having been buried in sand, soon after their deaths.
9. Trilobite.  They are one of the most important groups of early animals and their unusual appearance and age, make them appealing to fossil collectors worldwide.  They first appeared in the early Cambrian period and become extinct in the Permian, 320 million years ago.
10. Fossilized Frog.  This fossilized species of frog is fully articulated and possibly the ancestor of the modern spade foot toad.  This was collected in Wyoming, USA.

And the best part of a studying fossil is experiencing how these Palaeontologist dig and discover fossils!  Materials used in the tub:

• Learning Resources Fine Motor Tool Set
• Oatmeal
• Random magnifier glass
• Paint brush
• Safari Toob Ancient Fossils

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Nature Study: The Plant Kingdom

Have you ever explored the fascinating world of plants? If not, you're missing out on a truly amazing subject area! One way that we've learned about plants is by visiting our local forest park. During these visits, we take the time to observe and discuss the different types of plants we see there, including trees, flowers, shrubs, and more.

For example, we've talked about why mushrooms are not technically classified as plants. We've also explored the differences between ferns and mosses, which are two unique types of plants that often grow in the forest.

But our learning doesn't stop there! We've also brought the study of plants into our home. We've researched different plant species online and in books, and even started our own small garden to observe how plants grow and develop.

Overall, exploring the plant kingdom has been a fun and educational experience for us. If you haven't delved into this subject area before, we highly recommend giving it a try!

It looks like Mother Nature has finally answered our prayers for good weather, as we have been blessed with a week of bright sunshine and warmth! 

Today, we started our session by introducing the Plant Kingdom Chart. Just like the Animal Kingdom, plants are also classified based on their structure and characteristics. During the presentation, Mavi had a lot of questions, but thankfully, I had fact cards prepared for him to read aloud, which helped him understand the different groupings better.

Mavi is an active learner who asks a lot of questions. Whenever you answer one of his questions, expect more follow-up questions. That's why I always have fact cards on hand. Sometimes books are not available, and I don't use the internet during our lessons.

 

Of course, if you have books available, you should definitely use them for reference. At home, we have a book called 'World of Plants' which we've been using for the past three years. I absolutely love this book because it's very informative and has lots of beautiful pictures that can be used for presentations.

After learning all the necessary concepts, we headed out to the nearby forest or park to observe and investigate the plants. It is worth noting that the helmet worn by one of us was not a fashion statement, but rather a safety measure while using the scooter. Mavi collected some plant samples so that we could examine them more closely at home.

Liverworts and mosses are abundant in this forest and throughout Ireland. The sides of this tree stump are covered with non-vascular plants.

Mavi is investigating a conifer tree in search of its male and female reproductive parts. He notes that the leaves are waxy.

And there you go, any kind of non-vascular plants again.

We investigated the stream to confirm the growth of mosses, liverworts and horsetails in damp places.

The last part was identifying dicot and monocot plants. Daffodils were identified as monocots. We plan to extend our nature study to include dicots.

We collected some samples and brought them back home for examination.

That concludes our introduction to the plant kingdom. We will continue our nature study in the upcoming warm weather, particularly during summer vacation. I am excited to have Vito join us for sensory exploration.

Here's a preview of our Plant Kingdom Learning Resource:

The Plant Kingdom file can be purchased from here:

Also available on TPT.

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This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori Learning which is hosted by Natural Beach Living and The Natural Homeschool.

Amazing blogs involved in the 12 Months of Montessori Learning

Natural Beach Living ~ The Natural Homeschool ~ Living Montessori Now

The Kavanaugh Report ~ Mama’s Happy Hive ~ Study at Home Mama ~ Child Led Life

Every Star Is Different ~ Grace and Green Pastures ~ The Pinay Homeschooler

The Glorious Flight {FIAR}

"This book...recounts the persistence of a Frenchman, Louis Bleriot, to build a flying machine to cross the English Channel.... The text is succinct, caption-like in its directness and brevity....The paintings...add the necessary testure and tone to this marriage. This is vintage Provensen" –School Library Journal

We love this book!  I mean it. It’s funny yet full of lessons from history.  It teaches the reader of never giving up, of persistence and following dreams. And did you know that this book is based on a true story of Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly an airplane in the English Channel.
This is one book that I highly recommend reading when studying airplanes! And you get to study history as well :)
Geography

Now the setting of the story is in France. So we spot France in our Montessori Europe Puzzle Map and identify the English Channel where Louis Bleriot flew.

in addition, we check out landforms as well, as Mavi was asking me “Mommy, what is a channel?”

Since it is in France, Mavi made the flag of France. I was surprise he still remembers the colours.

And of course, the exciting part was creating the English Channel using our coloured rice, Europe Pin Flags and Learning Resources Transportation counters.
Math

The book was using Roman Numerals so we made Roman Numerals for each Montessori Number Cards.  This was a huge hit! I even learned from this… the Roman Numerals of thousands!

Science
We studied Airplanes!  Here are the books we used: 

They were all helpful!  The only thing that we didn’t do was to have an experiment on flying. Oh well, maybe next time.
Interested in learning the different parts of an airplane? I have FREE 3-part cards for you!

Mavi loves to read and match the parts.  I have yet to create definition booklet for this.  But Mavi knew all the functions of each parts by heart so he was discussing it to me while doing the work.

History
We created a timeline for the airplane. Starting from the discovery of the Wright brothers up to the very present of airliners (this was Mavi’s idea).
                  
And that’s about it!  We have a fruitful week for this! I didn’t know that rowing FIAR books could be this exciting and fun!
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