Blog Archive

The Universe: The Milky Way & Solar System Activities for Kids with Free Printables

We're diving in to the study of the universe, specifically focusing on the Milky Way and the solar system! These activities for kids and free printables are sure to be a hit!

I had no clue that the timing of it would be so perfect as we wait to see close up images of Pluto for the first time.  The kiddos are super excited about it.  

We've been watching the news almost every night, watching as the camera gets closer and closer.  It's all such an exciting adventure.

The Universe: The Milky Way & Solar System Activities for Kids with Free Printables

The Universe: The Milky Way & Solar System Activities for Kids with Free Printables


 What is the pink series?  It is the Montessori way of introducing beginning phonics, using short vowel sounds and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.  


The pink series has a specific sequence, as you prepare your little one to read, write, and spell.  Once a child completes the sequence of pink series learning activities, he moves on to the blue series, and finally the green series. 


I came across a wonderful post:  The Montessori Pink Series from Our Montessori Home that explained the pink series in detail with pictures, I thought I'd share for those who want to understand it more.

By the end of last year, all three kiddos were proficient at matching objects and pictures with first letter sounds.  Dinomite has progressed much farther than that, but we've never officially worked through the pink series material.  Princess and Bulldozer are finally ready and interested in it, so it's the perfect time to present it to them.

I've decided to take things extremely slow as Bulldozer and Princess (at times) mix up their short vowel sounds.  I'll be focusing on one short vowel sound per unit study, and then progress to all of them once each individual vowel has been covered.  


I've created a variety of activities on the shelves each week to accommodate all the different learning styles and levels the kiddos are at.  Enjoy!

Pink Series:  Objects w/ Movable Alphabet


Pink Series:  Objects w/ Movable Alphabet


One wouldn't think much about the difference between using a tangible object vs. a picture card as a visual to encourage spelling.  Or perhaps it was I who thought there wouldn't be much of a difference.  In any case, I learned there is a DEFINITE difference.  


Bulldozer hates writing and spelling.  He avoids all language activities when he can.  But when I put this activity on the shelf with the option of using the Montessori Small Movable Alphabets w/ Box or Montessori Cursive Moveable Alphabets with Box, he's choses this activity first everyday, completing it himself without any help.  


This is truly miraculous to me.  You'd better bet I'm going to start collecting more tangible objects.  Lol

The object of the activity is to use the movable alphabet to spell the names of the tangible items on the tray.  So simple, yet the effects are so amazing.

Pink Series:  My Book of Short "a" Sound Words


Pink Series:  My Book of Short "a" Sound Words


This is not a traditional pink series activity to my knowledge, but a variation of one.  Our tray includes our Montessori Phonetic Reading Blocks for the Beginning Reader.  Inside the book there is a a picture on each page.   Below is a line for the kiddos to write the name of the object in the picture.  If the kiddos are unsure of the proper spelling of a word, they can use the blocks to create the word they need.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 1 is a free printable. You can access your copy by visiting our Montessori-inspired Pink Series Activities and Free Printables post.

Pink Series:  Matching Picture to Word Cards


Pink Series:  Matching Picture to Word Cards


The kiddos will match pictures to word cards in this activity.  The word cards are in cursive with print on the back to help the kiddos along with their cursive word identification.  I love it when we can make progress in two aspects of studies with one activity!

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 1 is a free printable. You can access your copy by visiting our Montessori-inspired Pink Series Activities and Free Printables post.

Pink Series:  Phrase & Picture Match Up with Grammar Practice


Pink Series:  Phrase & Picture Match Up with Grammar Practice


Bulldozer is the last of the three older kiddos to learn how to read.  He's working so hard, but the process is very difficult for him.  


We've made it through almost all of the Level 3 BOB Book series.  He practices reading each book until he's proficient and then we move on to the next.  


After reading the same word in several books, again and again, he usually can apply it to other situations like workbooks or activities on our shelves.  However, he struggles sounding out words because of the vowel sound confusion (and a few other things).  


I wanted him to feel successful when reading when working with this activity.  Thankfully, the activity is a success! 


The phrases for this activity were specifically chosen to help him work on mastering one vowel sound at at time. 


For this week, all the words on the cards have the short "a" sound.  I've paired the phrases with pictures to help him if needed.  After the first day, the control match ups were removed from the tray, as he didn't need them anymore.

When I noticed what type of phrases were used in the pink series sequence, I realized that this activity would also be the perfect way to review the noun family:  article, adjective, noun.  I included a control card for the grammar symbols in case the kiddos have forgotten which ones are which.  


I always find it so amusing that Bulldozer knows all of his grammar symbols and definitions but he can't read or spell.  The kiddos are using grammar symbols from our new Montessori Basic Wooden Grammar Symbols with Box.  


Princess has done this activity every single day.  She has always loved dissecting phrases and sentences.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 1 is a free printable. You can access your copy by visiting our Montessori-inspired Pink Series Activities and Free Printables post.

Books about the Universe & Planets


Books about the Universe & Planets


Last month we gave our learning time room a make over.  It was a huge undertaking and took much longer than anticipated. As mentioned earlier, we're still not finished with hanging things on the walls etc.  


This is our new reading corner!  The library books on the shelves will be switched out for every unit.  If the kiddos would like to read during our learning time, this is where they go.  I'm trying to make sure I'm selecting a variety of literary works, both fiction and non-fiction for each unit.  Even when it's not learning time, there's usually someone in the bean bag reading.

If you'd like to see what books are on the shelves during our study of the Milky Way and solar system, be sure to check out our post: Children's Books About the Universe.


Sequencing Planets with Ordinal Numbers


Sequencing Planets with Ordinal Numbers


The kiddos will use the picture of the planets in order from the sun as a control, when they put individual planet cards in the correct order, and then label them with the correct ordinal numbers.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack 1 is a free printable.  For your copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

 Creating Numbers 1-9,999


Creating Numbers 0-9,999


The kiddos will use the golden bead bar material to create and show numbers 1-9,999. 


If you'd like a better understanding of how these Montessori Materials can be used, youtube is a great resource.

Creating Numbers 1-9,999,999


Creating Numbers 1-9,999,999


The kiddos were introduced to the Montessori Large Bead Frame a few months ago.  I love it because it provides a way for the them to understand large numbers in a very visual and tactile way without taking up too much space.  


You can better understand it's purpose as you watch this video on Youtube.  


To carry over what the kiddos learned in the previous activity, I added cards from our Montessori Bank Game.  The kiddos can create and visualize each number.  As they create numbers, they present them verbally to me so I know they understand how to pronounce them.  They're getting better and better at this.

Learning Numbers to Decillion


Learning Numbers to Decillion


If you haven't noticed my kiddos are a bit obsessed with numbers right now.  I've decided to just go with it, especially as it relates directly to our study of the universe.  If' there's one subject that includes numbers to infinity, it's this one.  


Though we are only studying numbers to decillion, it's still plenty for them to try to wrap their heads around.  This week's activity is also a great way to introduce the concept of the power of numbers in a way that's not too overwhelming.

When choosing this activity the kiddos will put the numbers in the correct order and then select a few (according to their age) to attempt to write out on the white board provided.  This has been very entertaining to watch.  Ten to the 33rd power is a LOT of zeros.  Lol.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack 1 is a free printable.  For your copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Planet Poetry Match Up


Planet Poetry Match Up


It could easily be debated that this is a language activity, however, since it provides a way to learn about each of the planets, I have it on our science shelves.  There are two sets of cards.  One set includes pictures of each of the planets.  The second set of cards includes poems about each planet.  


It's the kiddos' job to match up the correct poem to the corresponding picture.  Poems come from the book: Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings.  All of the kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed the poems.  I'm in love with the book!  Each kiddo has also chosen one of the planet poems to memorize and share.  This will be their first time memorizing poetry.  I'm super psyched!

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack is a free printable. For your copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Universe Vocabulary Match Up

Universe Vocabulary Match Up


As part of the early elementary Montessori curriculum, children are introduced to the concept of the universe.  This is a BIG concept to tackle.  To help the kiddos understand new terminology they're hearing and reading, these vocabulary cards were introduced.  So far they seem to be helping.

Source:  Jason created the printable for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack 1 is a free printable.  For your copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Creating the Solar System


Creating the Solar System


The kiddos will use play dough to create space.  A pencil is provided (not visible in the picture) for the kiddos to draw elliptical lines in space representing the movement of the planets in the solar system.

The large yellow pom pom is the sun, which will be placed in the middle.  The marbles are reprsentations of each of the planets.  They will be placed on the correct elliptical lines circling the sun.  The marbles are from Bulldozer's vast marble collection.  We supplemented other marbles for planets that weren't included in the set.

My Place in the Universe


My Place in the Universe


We've done an activity similar to this in the past, but it was not as detailed in location.  Originally I wanted to use stacked boxes to represent each place, but I kept running into adhesive issues, and didn't want to cause Bulldozer to go into anaphylactic shock.  So, I decided to create my own printable.  

The kiddos will cut out each circle and draw a picture representing each place.  Once all circles have been cut out and colored, they'll staple them together.  I've provided a control in case they need help with the order.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack 1 is a free printable.  For you copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Important People in the History of the Universe


Important People in the History of the Universe


Jason and I wanted to provide a little history lesson for the kiddos in the way of introducing philosophers, scientists, astronomers, etc.  It was so much fun and helped them understand that the study of the universe is always evolving.  


Our timing couldn't have been more perfect with new pictures of Pluto coming this week.  This event really brought the idea behind this activity to life.

Source:  Jason created the cards for this activity. The Milky Way & Solar System Printable Pack 1 is a free printable.  For your copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.


So much fun can be had learning about the Milky way and solar system!


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If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy the resources below.
Phaseas of the Moon Project for Kids Moon Activities for Tots and Preschoolrs with Free Printables Astronomy: Stars The Universe: Music & Art Activities Montessori-inspired Stars Printable Pack Montessori-inspired Sun Printable Pack Montessori-inspired Moon Printable Pack Montessori-inspired Solar System Printable Pack


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Africa Unit with Free Printables

We ended our school year with unit about Africa and so many new free printables .  It turned out to be quite an amazing experience, one that the kiddos will remember for quite some time.  I never realized that the study of a continent could be filled with so many varying emotions.

Some days the kiddos were beyond thrilled to celebrate aspects of African culture through music, art activities etc.

Other days, at least one of the kiddos was in tears as they learned about the political turmoil, war, and hardships people in Africa have had and continue to experience.

My animal lover was so excited to learn about so many animals from Africa, but as he read and researched them, he became extremely anxious and overwhelmed at the dangers some animals posed to those who live near them.

We started watching the news as a family the same week we were doing this unit.  Each night, a different country in Africa was mentioned.   I was thrilled they recognized the flags shown, even before the news story started, but as each story unfolded, their faces were filled with sadness.  Over the week, I even heard prayers for the people in Africa.


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit with Free Printables


Despite learning about the realities of life in some areas of Africa, the kiddos LOVED their learning time activities and were very eager to start them each day.  Here's what we did!  I'm so excited to bring together the inspiration and work of so many fellow Montessori bloggers!

Africa Unit with Free Printables


 Animals of Africa: Object Tray


Montessori-inspired Animals of Africa: Object Tray


Over the course of the year, the kiddos have learned to identify and write all of their upper and lowercase cursive letters individually.  


We've even introduced the Montessori Cursive Moveable Alphabets with Box.  (One of my favorite things)  They haven't mastered the skills yet, but they're getting there.  I was excited to start incorporating cursive reading activities on our shelves.

The animals of Africa activity is our very first.  Cards have each word printed on the back as a control.  The animal figures are part of the Safari Ltd Wild TOOB, Set.  The kiddos had a blast matching up African animals to their names in cursive!

Source:  The idea for this activity came from To the Lesson!

Africa Sentence & Picture Match Up


Africa Themed Sentence and Picture Match Up


In this activity, the kiddos will match sentences to their corresponding pictures.  Originally I did provide the control of pictures and sentences already matched up, but after the first day, the kiddos didn't need them, so I removed them from the basket.

Source:  This activity is part of the amazing Africa A-Z Printable Pack.

African Country Syllables


Countries of Africa Syllable Clip Cards (Free Printable)


I have found the best way to teach the kiddos how to pronounce the names of various countries on each continent is to practice with syllables.  It works like a charm every time.  


Before the activity goes on the shelves, we practice the pronunciation of each country together.  Once the kiddos are confident in their skills, the activity is placed on the shelves.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Africa Unit Printable Pack 1.  This is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.


Fact Family Pyramids


Montessori-inspired Fact Family Pyramid Activity


Over the past month we've been working on understanding fact families.  It's been a difficult concept for the kiddos to understand on paper.  I was thrilled that this activity helped them master the skill! 


Adding the Montessori -Colored Bead Stairs 1-10 to the activity made such a difference, as it added the hands on visual component they needed.  As always Montessori wins again!  Lol.

Source: The free printable for this activity can be found at 3 Dinosaurs at part of the Egypt Pack Part 2.  I cut out the individual problems and laminated them.

Buying Items from Africa


Buying Items from Africa Match Up Activity (Free Printable)


In this activity the kiddos will match up change cards to money amount cards.  The cost of each item is by no means legitimate, it's just a way to get them practicing their money skills while learning about Africa at the same time.  


All of the kiddos are doing so well when counting change.  They've come such a long way.

Source:  I create the printable for this activity. The Africa Unit Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.


Flags of Africa


Flags of Africa Cards (Free Printable)


My kiddos LOVE flags.  Due to Bulldozer's allergy to adhesives, we've never been able to do typical Montessori flag and country matching activities.  Instead we create nomenclature cards and use them to play memory or another matching game.

There are A LOT of countries in Africa.  When we played our initial game we included all country cards.  To say that it was a long game is an understatement.  It took the kiddos two days to complete it.  Lol.  


After our initial game, I divided the country cards into two groups and we played that way for the rest of the week.  They definitely know their flags now.

Source:  I create the printable for this activity. The Africa Unit Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Ancient Egypt Dig Match Up


Ancient Egypt Dig Match Up (Free Printable)


The kiddos thoroughly enjoyed this activity.  They would dig for the Safari Ltd Ancient Egypt TOOB figures and then match them to the laminated cards provided.  When presenting the activity, my husband did a great job explaining what each figure was, so they weren't just matching objects, but actually understanding the history behind them.

Source:  I create the printable for this activity. The Africa Unit Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Montessori Map of Africa Coloring Activity


Montessori Map of Africa Coloring Activity

There's just something about maps.  My kiddos just love them, especially Dinomite.  When I pair them with colored pencils or crayons, it's as if I've created a gift for them, especially when I've prepared a control map.  

All of them successfully colored their maps during our Africa study, coloring about 10-12 countries a day.  Someday I hope to have the Montessori Puzzle Map of Africa with Control Maps, but for now, this will do, especially since it's free!

Source:  I found this free printable map at Free US and World Maps.com, and then colored it to match Montessori colors.  There are blank copies of the map for the kiddos to color, under the control on the tray.

Animals of Africa Animal Parts Book Activity


Animals of Africa Animal Parts Book Activity


When I asked Bulldozer what he wanted to learn about in our Africa study, he told me he wanted to learn about zebras.  I couldn't resist this Parts of a Zebra Book activity.

Princess LOVES making books more than any other activity on our shelves each week.  If I let her make both books, over and over again each day, she would.  Lol.  (We have a rule of one book a day, just to make sure there's enough paper for everyone, etc.)  It just made sense to include both giraffe and zebra books to provide variety.

As anticipated, the kiddos really enjoyed the process of creating their own books.  Instead of stapling the books beforehand, I let the kiddos try using the stapler for the first time.  It was a challenge for them, but with time I'm sure they'll do great with it.

Source:  The printables for this activity can be found at The Pinay Homeschooler for a small price.  I promise they are worth it!  The printable pack includes so many more valuable parts.

Biomes of Africa


Biomes of Africa

Throughout the year we've been working on learning all the different biomes around the world. This week we're learning about those specific to Africa.  I love these cards because they list specific places in Africa.  The kiddos used their maps to find where they are.

Source:  The printable for this activity is part of the amazing Trillium Montessori's Africa A-Z Printable Pack.

100 Animals from Africa


100 Animals of Africa Cards (Free Printable)


Dinomite wouldn't let a continent unit go by without making sure there were animal cards to sort.  My husband surprised him with not just 50, but 100 cards.  


His reasoning was that there were just so many amazing animals in Africa.  He wanted to be sure to include as many as he could.  Lol.  Are you starting to understand where Dinomite gets his passions from?  Lol.

 

100 Animals of Africa Cards (Free Printable)


The animal cards are placed in a basket on our shelves.  The kiddos sort them by classification, using the labels on the cards.  Dinomite selected this activity from the shelves every day we were studying Africa.

Source:  I create the printable for this activity. The Africa Unit Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Making a Masai Necklace


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Making a Masai Necklace

If there was one activity that was fought over most on our shelves during our study of Africa, it was this one.  I can not tell you how many of these necklaces are scattered around our house.  The kiddos even started making them for each other.  Lol.  It was a great activity.


African Masai Necklaces


Dinomite wanted to be sure I took a picture of everyone with their necklaces.

Source:  Posts about Masai Necklaces are all over the internet, but I was first introduced to the activity while reading To the Lesson.  I love the set up of the activity there.


Music of Africa


Music of Africa with "The Music Man"


We are very blessed to have personal connections to "The Music Man" in town.  When I called to ask if he'd be willing to come and introduce the kiddos to African instruments he owns, he was more than delighted to oblige.

The kiddos were ecstatic as they LOVE when "The Music Man" comes.  They were not disappointed.  He brought African music for us to listen to and introduced us to a variety of native instruments that the kiddos were able to play along to the music.  It was so much fun!


Pouring Teff


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Pouring Teff


The kiddos have been working on pouring liquids, but they haven't had much experience pouring solids.  I thought using Teff, an African grain would be perfect.  The smell alone was luring.  The kiddos will practice pouring from the bottle to the bowl, and then use a funnel to return the Teff to it's bottle.

Source.  This activity was inspired by a post I read at To The Lesson.

Mortar & Pestle with Coriander


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Mortar and Pestle with Coriander

The kiddos have never used a mortar and pestle before.  This was a whole new experience for them, one that they thoroughly enjoyed.  Add coriander to the activity and you have a pleasant aroma.  The kiddos kept saying it smelled like lemon.  Lol.

Source:  This activity with more specific instructions can be found at Welcome to Mommyhood, along with many other Africa themed practical life activities.  

Spooning Red Quinoa


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Spooning Red Quinoa

The kiddos practiced spooning red quinoa. I do believe this was the smallest grain they've ever spooned.  They enjoyed the process. I also found a new wooden spoon at the thrift store.  It's just the little things that make such a difference when repeating materials.

Source:  My apologies.  I can not remember for the life of me where I saw this spooning quinoa as part of an African study.  If you have a source for the idea, please leave it in comments.  Spooning activities in general are everywhere on the internet, so there's no direct source for that.

Grinding Cinnamon


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Grinding Cinnamon

If I were to choose a scent that my kiddos love above any other, it's cinnamon.  They were so excited to see cinnamon sticks on their "fun" shelves.  All of them attempted to grind cinnamon.  They were surprised by how difficult it was.  Still they kept coming back for more.  Dinomite even insisted on using his ground cinnamon in a cinnamon and sugar mix to put on his toast in the morning.

Source:  I found this activity at Welcome to Mommyhood.

Shisima


Montessori-inspired Africa Unit: Playing the game Shisima

Shisima is an African game from Kenya.  It's very simple and comparable to tic-tac-toe, in terms of difficulty.  Once my kiddos learned and understood the game, they had so much fun playing against each other, and my husband and I.  I may just take it to Disney World when we visit Animal Kingdom or Epcot as a busy bag.

Source:  The free printable and game instructions for this activity can be found at B-Inspired Mama.

As you can see, we had a fabulous unit study of Africa.  The school year ended on such a great note!

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If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy the posts below:


Animals of Africa Activities for Tots and Preschoolers Montessori-inspired Green Activities for Tots & Preschoolers Continent and Country Activities Montessori-inspired Africa Unit Printable Pack Bundle Busy Bags for Animal Kingdom Montessori-inspired Zoo Scavenger Hunts

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Animal Activity Features & the Learn & Play Link Up

This post may contain affiliate links.

My kiddos LOVE animals.  When I saw that there were some fabulous animal posts this week, I couldn't resist sharing them.  There are so many great ideas and resources here.  Be sure to take advantage of them!


Horses in Art & Literature from The End In Mind

Hands-on Learning about Honey Bees from Suzie's Home Education Idea


Learn & Play Link Up Every Thursday


Now it’s time for this week’s link party! This new link up is for all blog posts that include learn and play activities and hands-on education for kids. We are excited to read your blog posts and to see what you have to share! Please link up below and grab our button to display on your blog.
If you are a blogger, share your family friendly posts here. We are looking for things which include:
  • Montessori Education
  • Homeschool
  • Sensory Play
  • Tot and Preschool Trays
  • Fine and Gross Motor Activities
  • Kids in the Kitchen
  • Healthy Recipes for Kids
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Natural Living
  • Free Educational Printables
  • Family-Oriented Activities
  • Healthy Living
Your post will be shown on each host’s blog where we will individually pick features every other week. That means there is more of a chance that you will be featured!
Everyone, please meet our link party hosts:
learn and play party hostesses
Guidelines for Linking:
  • Please link up 1-3 posts
  • Follow each of the hosts on social media
  • When you link up, please add our button and place it at the bottom of your shared posts or link back with text link.
  • By entering a link, you’re giving us permission to feature an image on our blogs. Proper credit & links will ALWAYS be given.
  • Please visit a couple of shared posts and leave a comment for them
  • Remember that you must link back in order to be featured
Christian Montessori Network

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A New Beginning!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Today marks the first day of our school year for 2015-2016!  Not that the kiddos had much of a break between the last day of school (yesterday) and today, but for all of us it means a new beginning.  I LOVE new beginnings.  To celebrate, I convinced the kiddos I needed a photo of them before breakfast.  (I wanted to make sure that they were still clean, hair done, etc.)  We also went out to lunch, and are officially starting our 4th of July festivities.

Today is also the beginning of our FIFTH year homeschooling!  I can't even believe it.  Dinomite and Bulldozer were in preschool when we began. Has time flown by or what?  (If you're trying to calculate all of this, remember both Dinomite and Bulldozer were held back last year.)

Lastly, today is the beginning of our THIRD year using a Montessori-inspired method of learning.  Just when I thought I was understanding everything and feeling confident in the preschool curriculum, the three older kiddos move up to the early elementary curriculum.  Can we say YIKES!  Dinomite did dabble in it a little bit last year, but not too much.  Bulldozer will continue to work with some preschool materials, but academically he'll be introduced to all of the elementary materials and concepts.  
What does that mean for the blog, unit posts etc?  Are you ready for this? Wait for it...  CHANGE!!!  I couldn't be more excited about this.  Now before you get too worried, the changes won't be that significant.  In fact, I think you'll really enjoy them.  It may just take a little getting used to.
Starting with next week, (I still have one more unit to blog about from this year.) you can expect our studies to be divided between five different posts each week.

1) Unit Studies:  These include the four core subject areas:  Language, Mathematics, Science, & Geography/Culture.

2)  Art & Music:  These post will include all of our art and music activities each week.  In years past we have not put much emphasis into these subject areas.  Now that the kiddos are older and basic fine motor skills are developed, we're ready to dive in and (literally) get our hands dirty.  The kiddos are super excited.  They have been asking for more art and music activities for a while.

3)  Therapies:  All of our kiddos receive OT, PT, and Speech at home each day as part of their studies.  Therapists do not come into our home mind you.  My husband and I work with the kiddos.  You've seen some of these activities in the past.  We just don't call them therapy.  Instead they're known as Practical Life, Sensorial and Grace & Courtesy lessons in the Montessori world.  In years past we've put a lot of focus on Practical Life and Sensorial Activities.  This year we're going to put a lot of emphasis on Grace & Courtesy as well!

4)  Religious Activities:  I don't blog about our religious activities often, but they are a very big part of the kiddos' homeschool education.  Besides religious activities on our shelves in the classroom, we dedicate one night a week to teaching our children religious concepts in our home.  I want to make these activity ideas and printables available to my readers, as well as document all the work the kiddos are doing.

5)  Tot & Preschool Activities:  All of Sunshine's activities will be included in these posts each week.  I have high hopes for her this year, as we finally received cognitive scores from IQ testing.  It turns out Sunshine is smarter than the doctors thought.  She scored a 92!  We couldn't be more excited.

I can't promise that each themed post will be shared the same day, each consecutive week, but you can be sure they'll all be shared by week's end.  In regards to other types of posts written by Jason and myself...  When we feel inspired, you'll see them.  The Learn & Play Link Up will continue.  The 12 Months of Montessori Series will continue through December.  Then we'll see what new adventures await us.  I'm so excited!

Welcome to the Learn & Play Link Up!

This week's features celebrate Montessori.  They are full of wonderful information, activity ideas and resources.  You would regret not reading each and every post!


Free Montessori Materials Online from Living Montessori Now



Learn & Play Link Up Every Thursday


Now it’s time for this week’s link party! This new link up is for all blog posts that include learn and play activities and hands-on education for kids. We are excited to read your blog posts and to see what you have to share! Please link up below and grab our button to display on your blog.
If you are a blogger, share your family friendly posts here. We are looking for things which include:
  • Montessori Education
  • Homeschool
  • Sensory Play
  • Tot and Preschool Trays
  • Fine and Gross Motor Activities
  • Kids in the Kitchen
  • Healthy Recipes for Kids
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Natural Living
  • Free Educational Printables
  • Family-Oriented Activities
  • Healthy Living
Your post will be shown on each host’s blog where we will individually pick features every other week. That means there is more of a chance that you will be featured!
Everyone, please meet our link party hosts:
learn and play party hostesses
Guidelines for Linking:
  • Please link up 1-3 posts
  • Follow each of the hosts on social media
  • When you link up, please add our button and place it at the bottom of your shared posts or link back with text link.
  • By entering a link, you’re giving us permission to feature an image on our blogs. Proper credit & links will ALWAYS be given.
  • Please visit a couple of shared posts and leave a comment for them
  • Remember that you must link back in order to be featured
Christian Montessori Network

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