When Sunshine graduated from using the Montessori Letters and Sounds Printable Pack Bundle, I introduced her to the Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle.

I specifically designed this bundle to meet the various needs of my kiddos.  Sunshine has significant delays in fine motor skills such as writing, but desperately wanted to learn to read.

Bulldozer struggled to isolate each short vowel sound, often forgetting which one was which.  This was impacting his ability to spell.

Princess and Dinomite also had some gaps when it came to learning the fundamentals of beginning language skills.  These gaps prevented them from moving forward with their writing.

This Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle was my solution to all of the concerns mentioned above.  And boy oh boy has it worked!

The Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle is built around 100 Pink Series/CVC Words.

There are twenty words for each short vowel sound.

Each word has a true to life picture match up.

You can use this bundle all at once or introduce each vowel sound one at a time.

This bundle also includes 56 sentence/phrase and picture match ups.

Sunshine has not used these yet so they are not included in this post.  You can see a sample of what they look like in the image for this product below.

This bundle is also now available in cursive!

Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle in Cursive

Here's how we've used the bundle at our house!

How to Use the The Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle

Beginning Language Movable Alphabet Activity

Knowing that Sunshine struggles to write, I wanted to be sure to provide a way for her to practice letter sounds and spelling.  My solution was creating the control cards large enough to work with our Kid Advance Small Movable Alphabet.  To my utter surprise and delight the letters match those on the cards almost perfectly.

Sunshine selects one card at a time and places the movable alphabet letters over the letters on the card.

Beginning Language Word Families/Rhyming Words

The control cards also work great for sorting word families and rhyming words.  If you don't need them as large, consider printing four pages to one page to save on ink and space.  They look beautiful that way.

Tracing Beginning Language Words

Once again Sunshine's delay in fine motor skills were preventing her from doing something she very much wanted to do... Write!  

There was so much frustration when it came to trying to write her own letters. Yet, when it came to tracing, she did so well.  It only seemed natural to create tracing cards for her.

The tracing cards are the same size as the control cards, with letters big enough for little hands beginning their writing journey.

If your child is more advanced in their writing you may consider printing four pages to one page so that the tracing cards are smaller and require more refined skills.

Beginning Language Picture and Word Match Up

The picture and word match up activity was Sunshine's favorite.  She would organize twenty picture cards isolating one vowel sound, and then spread out the word cards on the other side.  

One by one she would match them together.  She was absolutely delighted when she successfully finished her work.

The picture cards for this activity can also be used alone with the movable alphabet if your child is ready to attempt spelling words on their own.

Beginning Language First Letter Sounds

In order to isolate each aspect of the beginning language work, I created first letter sound clip cards.  Sunshine was introduced to this activity after she successfully completed the ones above.  

These clip cards can be used in multiple ways.  For the purpose of showing variation, they are presented with glass beads used to mark each answer.

Beginning Language Ending Letter Sounds

To help develop beginning language skills a step further ending letter clip cards are also included in the bundle.  Here Sunshine uses the pink whiteboard marker to circle the answer on the laminated cards.

Also included in the bundle are middle letter sound cards.  Sunshine has not used these yet  as we haven't made it through all of the vowel sounds. But when she is at that point I will introduce them.

Beginning Language Word Clip Cards

Once Sunshine was able to complete the beginning and ending letter clip cards, she was presented with these word clip cards.  I was so impressed with how well she did with them!

Sunshine selects a card and clips the answer using one of the clothespins provided.

Beginning Language Fill in the Blank Cards

Mastery came as Sunshine progressed with her reading and writing skills.  Though she wasn't keen on Mommy teaching her how to write her letters, she was okay with Bulldozer teaching her.  Card by card he helped her, modeling when necessary.  

The scene made my heart melt, especially since Bulldozer struggled more than any of his older siblings to write and read.

In total the Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Bundle is 266 pages long.  There is so much material included as you can see above.  Be sure to grab your copy today!

We have also created a freebie to go along with this bundle!

FREE Montessori-inspired Beginning Language Nomenclature Cards in Print

Be sure to click the link above to grab your free copy and add it to your beginning language activities!

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Sensory bins are a fabulous addition to any classroom whether at home or school.  This is especially the case when working with children who have sensory needs.

They are extra special when they have a holiday theme.  

Halloween is one of my children's favorite holidays.  They beg for new Halloween themed sensory activities every year.  

For this reason I've put together a list of my favorite Halloween sensory bins and invitations to play.

The following links are to my favorite Halloween sensory bins and invitations to play finds across the web.  I just love how each one is so different and has such a specific theme.

I hope you enjoy all of this inspiration as much as I do!

Halloween Sensory Bins and Invitations to Play

Alphabet Halloween Sensory Bin from Little Bins for Little Hands

I just love how letters are incorporated into this Halloween sensory bin. The letters provide such great learning opportunities.

Halloween Play Dough from Simple Fun For Kids

Cupcake toppers and cookie cutters are my favorite items to include in invitations to play. They make the sensory experience so much more fun!

Halloween Sensory Bin from There's Just One Mommy

What do you do with a sensory bin once you're finished with it? This post shares a great idea and also uses one of my favorite bases.

Simple Ghost Sensory Bin from And Next Comes L

I love the use of water in this sensory bin, especially with some added texture to make things super spooky!

Spider Play Dough from Fantastic Fun and Learning

This is such fun and fabulous invitation to play idea for kids. Whether they like spiders or not, it will still be tons of fun.

X-Ray Play Dough Invitation to Play from Best Toys 4 Toddlers

This is such a fabulous invitation to play when learning about skeletons. I love all of the options provided to create the skeletal system.

Halloween Cloud Dough Sensory Bin from Simple Fun For Kids

I like how this sensory bin is designed for outdoor play and getting messy. There are so many ways it can be used.

Ghost Color and Shape Scavenger Hunt Mini Sensory Bin from Living Montessori Now

I like how this sensory experience is turned into a search and find that requires kids to sift through the contents.

5 Little Pumpkins Sensory Bin from Parenting Chaos

This sensory experience is such creative way to incorporate senses and literature! I love how it can be used to tell a story.

Halloween Sensory Bin from Every Star Is Different

This sensory bin is so easy and inexpensive to make. I love how the colors pop!

Halloween Sensory Bin from Every Star Is Different

This sensory bin is so sparkly and bright! 

I hope you have a fabulous time creating amazing Halloween sensory bins and invitations to play for your own kiddos.

Whether using them for learning or for fun, they are so great to have on hand, especially around Halloween!

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Our family visited The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown last year for the first time and loved it so much that the kiddos asked for an annual family pass for Christmas. 

Seeing as it can be difficult to find history museums that are kid friendly, let alone friendly to those with special needs, I couldn't resist writing about all of the fun to be had there.  And believe me this is just a sampling of our favorite things there.

The kids have had so much fun there.  There is something for everyone to enjoy no matter their age.  I just love how hands on and interactive this museum is.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Special Needs

Our family has visited the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown in the heat of the summer and also in the middle of the winter. 

The hot temperatures and humidity can be brutal in the summer while exploring outdoor exhibits.  

More people visit the museum in the summer, so you can expect bigger crowds. But still, crowds are minimal to begin with, so don't take this into account too much. 

The winter brings fabulous weather to explore indoor and outdoor exhibits, but we noticed that one whole exhibit was closed during that time, without as many hands on activities out for the kids to enjoy.

No matter what time of year you go though, there's still so much to do!  The museum is absolutely beautiful.

Our Favorite Indoor Exhibits and Experiences

Every wondered who wore what color coats during the American Revolution?  You can learn all about this and so much more at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown!

The first time we visited, during the summer, the kids were given the opportunity to dress up as a soldier.

Throughout the museum there are opportunities to "interact" with people from the American Revolution.  

The screen in the picture above is a touch screen that allows kids to select each character and then listen to them tell their story.

All of the kiddos loved this.  There may have been some fighting about who goes first and how many times each one gets to select someone.  Lol.  It was that much fun.

I loved how they incorporated different nationalities, ethnicities and races into the museum for an amazing unbiased perspective of the times.

Walking past the shadows of soldiers marching couldn't be more fun!  It's simple and poignant yet brilliant when it comes to the entertainment of little ones.

As kiddos walk by the screen, they can see themselves marching with the soldiers.  This provided so much entertainment for our kids.

Throughout the museum there are also posts where you can pick up a phone and listen to someone speak about events or people.  

Add buttons to the mix, and it's an automatic hit! What kiddo doesn't like playing with a phone?

Our second time visiting the museum the boys discovered this fun game about the American Revolution.  

They literally played for almost an hour.  (Note how empty the museum is in winter.)

Meanwhile Sunshine discovered another fun activity.  

Images pertinent to the American Revolution are shown on the floor, rotating every few minutes.  

She loved marching through them, stomping on them, rolling around and laying down.  

When it comes to a kiddo who needs to constantly move, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown provides so many opportunities to do so.

Our Favorite Outdoor Exhibits and Experiences

The outdoor exhibits at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown can be so enjoyable when the weather is pleasant and it's not too busy.

Have you ever wanted to learn how soldiers were cared for during the American Revolution?  

Check out these tools and medicines?  

Princess was selected to be a patient when we visited during the summer.

Dinomite was all about the weapon demonstrations, especially when given the chance to hold and aim a musket at a target.  

It was much heavier than he thought. Lol.  

All of the kids were given the opportunity to try which I thought was great.

During our winter visit to the museum all four kiddos were able to enroll in the army.  

The officer in charge of enrollment was sure to tell Princess and Sunshine that they needed to pretend they were boys, as only boys were allowed to fight in war at that time.

The outdoor exhibit does a great job of bringing to life what life was like as a soldier, including their living quarters, aka tents.  

You won't believe how many soldiers were expected to share!

There are many many more exhibits and experiences to be had at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.  

I could devote several blog posts to it with all of the pictures that we've taken while visiting.  

But for the purposes of this post, I wanted to highlight just how special needs friendly this place is, sharing our big favorites.

Important Things to Know When Planning a Visit to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown with Special Needs

1. Weather can make or break a visit to this museum as half of the exhibits are outside.  Be prepared when visiting.

2.  Some of the indoor exhibits at the museum are very dark.  If your child struggles with darkness, you may want to stick to lighted areas and outdoor exhibits.

3.  There are many sounds throughout the interior of the museum.  They are not too loud, but if your child reacts negatively to gun shots, cannons, etc., be prepared.

4.  There is a full sensory movie experience offered in the museum called The Siege of Yorktown.  The movie surrounds you on multiple screens.  It is loud.  Your seats vibrate depending on where you sit.  A smoke machine sprays "fog" into the room.  If you sit close to the front you can even smell coffee during one scene.

For kids who crave sensory experiences and love to learn about battles etc, this movie is not to be missed. But for kiddos who are sensitive to sensory input, avoid this movie.

5. The interior of the museum is very wheelchair friendly.  However, parts of the outdoor experience includes walking on dirt paths, rocks, and other terrain.  There are smoother paths but you won't get as close to hands on experiences as one might on foot.

6. Weapon demonstrations occur at set times during the day.  These can be very loud.  The cannon demonstration literally shakes the ground around you, if you're outside.  Be aware of the time to make sure you're where you want to be during those set times.

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