I had the opportunity to go to Target while in Indianapolis over the weekend. I did not have a mask for the blindfold activities and was wanting to find one as my kids are still in the sensorial period at the beginning of the year. I found one in their Dollar Spot. They had pink, green, and blue and they are kid size! I got the green one. If you need storage ideas, they have lots of neat tubs and things right now.
At Dollar General I picked up a $1 foam puzzle of bones of the body that I am going to try to see if my son is interested in using this summer, then I will take it to school. I also bought a pack of 30 squares of sandpaper for $2 and 2 packs of colored cardstock for $2 each. I am going to use these to make sandpaper letters for my 2 1/2 year old and might make the green digraph letters for school too!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Green Phonetic Material
If you haven't figured out from my posts yet, I love finding great materials that are cheap or free. Unfortunately, most of the free providers of phonetic material have run out of time or energy before they have gotten to the green level material. I had forgotten about the green materials that I downloaded from My Montessori Journey. I love her idea of using letter stamps for the children to stamp the words if their coordination is not ready to write (I have 4 sets of the traceable letter stamps). I have also have some cool phonics stamps that I am going to use with the phonetic material that I got with a grant from Lakeshore Learning.
Another source that I had forgotten about is The Prepared Environment. I love their dollar store. I have the phonogram 3 part cards and will probably download their phonogram folders because I think it is well worth the $2 to have them already made!
Another source that I had forgotten about is The Prepared Environment. I love their dollar store. I have the phonogram 3 part cards and will probably download their phonogram folders because I think it is well worth the $2 to have them already made!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Planning for Next Year's Class
The kids are gone. My room is not packed up yet because my little one ended up with tonsilitis on the day I was supposed to do it. Right now, I am sitting on a boat in Tn. working on planning for next year. I wanted share some wonderful free links that I plan on using for next year's class.
One area I was very unhappy with was my language center. I want to add word lists and more phonetic reading material so I am going to use the free material from GoldMark Montessori.
Here are links for various material that I am going to use:
Pink word lists including sentences and phrases
Blue word lists including sentences and phrases
pink and blue command cards
farm words for grammar
***I ordered this farm set from Amazon
Grammar Extension Cards
One area I was very unhappy with was my language center. I want to add word lists and more phonetic reading material so I am going to use the free material from GoldMark Montessori.
Here are links for various material that I am going to use:
Pink word lists including sentences and phrases
Blue word lists including sentences and phrases
pink and blue command cards
farm words for grammar
***I ordered this farm set from Amazon
Grammar Extension Cards
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wonderful Morning!
The kids came in today so much more settled than they have the past few weeks. They chose a book to read and then copied 2 sentences into their language notebook and labeled the nouns. Most of them have finally gotten the concept of noun!
Then I had a modified contemporary work choice board for them. I had 5 computers up with various programs, 2 DVD centers with reading programs, Leap Pads, and then some workbook work. Not surprisingly, no one chose to work in their workbooks. I was so happy with how "into" their work they were today. They were well focused and worked for much longer periods, not running from activity to activity as they did before. (This is so sad that I finally have them where I want them and now they are leaving my room!) While they worked, I observed from afar and worked on putting away things from the math shelves. I would have liked to left everything out until that last day, but realistically I realized that if I did, I would be spending a week after the children leave packing up the room. They will help me on the last days to clean the room and get it ready for the summer floor waxing.
Then I had a modified contemporary work choice board for them. I had 5 computers up with various programs, 2 DVD centers with reading programs, Leap Pads, and then some workbook work. Not surprisingly, no one chose to work in their workbooks. I was so happy with how "into" their work they were today. They were well focused and worked for much longer periods, not running from activity to activity as they did before. (This is so sad that I finally have them where I want them and now they are leaving my room!) While they worked, I observed from afar and worked on putting away things from the math shelves. I would have liked to left everything out until that last day, but realistically I realized that if I did, I would be spending a week after the children leave packing up the room. They will help me on the last days to clean the room and get it ready for the summer floor waxing.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Where Did the Year Go?
I can't believe it is almost time to pack up the room! As I reflect back on the year, there are things I am very pleased with and of course, things I wished I'd done differently!
What is it about educators, we are always striving to do it better next time?
One thing I am most pleased with is the fact that my students had very little "busy" work in workbooks and worksheets that was done this year. Mostly, only the few times I had a substitute teacher and I am ashamed to admit it-a little at the end of the year when they have been so restless! According to our grade level benchmarks, my students' calculation skills are equivolent to the children who do mulitple drill sheets each day. I really loved teaching again this year.
For those things I wish I'd done differently:
*new materials-I used my classroom school funds to order materials that I really thought I needed when school started. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived (after January) my students had "outgrown" them. I was very upset but after reading Paula Lillard Polk's book, Montessori in the Classroom, I believe I can glean some multiple purposes from them. She talks about how her students use of the map puzzles, labeling, and map making helped them build and refine their fine motor skills for writing and learn to read through writing. She also disusses how she used materials Maria designed for much younger children for remedial purposes and for those children who are restless or emotionally drained because they "drop" a developmental level. Even though my students are a year older than the ones she discusses in her book, I often have children who are developmentally delayed or who have "missed" developmental experiences and are lacking in fine motor and/or language development.
So...
those biology and anatomy puzzles will have some life in my classroom after all. I plan to demonstrate tracing and labeling in those first few days, so the children can get started using the puzzles right away.
*reading, Montessori in the classroom before this school year had started. I had several people recommend this book. However, in my undergraduate studies I had purchased a book in which she had written or written the forward. I never got "into" the book, so I resisted purchasing this one. What a difference it could have made, if I had read this over the summer! I plan to post a much more indepth discussion of the book in the next few weeks.
What is it about educators, we are always striving to do it better next time?
One thing I am most pleased with is the fact that my students had very little "busy" work in workbooks and worksheets that was done this year. Mostly, only the few times I had a substitute teacher and I am ashamed to admit it-a little at the end of the year when they have been so restless! According to our grade level benchmarks, my students' calculation skills are equivolent to the children who do mulitple drill sheets each day. I really loved teaching again this year.
For those things I wish I'd done differently:
*new materials-I used my classroom school funds to order materials that I really thought I needed when school started. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived (after January) my students had "outgrown" them. I was very upset but after reading Paula Lillard Polk's book, Montessori in the Classroom, I believe I can glean some multiple purposes from them. She talks about how her students use of the map puzzles, labeling, and map making helped them build and refine their fine motor skills for writing and learn to read through writing. She also disusses how she used materials Maria designed for much younger children for remedial purposes and for those children who are restless or emotionally drained because they "drop" a developmental level. Even though my students are a year older than the ones she discusses in her book, I often have children who are developmentally delayed or who have "missed" developmental experiences and are lacking in fine motor and/or language development.
So...
those biology and anatomy puzzles will have some life in my classroom after all. I plan to demonstrate tracing and labeling in those first few days, so the children can get started using the puzzles right away.
*reading, Montessori in the classroom before this school year had started. I had several people recommend this book. However, in my undergraduate studies I had purchased a book in which she had written or written the forward. I never got "into" the book, so I resisted purchasing this one. What a difference it could have made, if I had read this over the summer! I plan to post a much more indepth discussion of the book in the next few weeks.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Winter Work
I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. I know I certainly did. Loved having that family time.
I wanted to write about the work I am planning for the month of January, in case anyone wants to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales as I did. Here is the work that I am planning on putting out for January:
Last Snowman Standing Math Game-I am using these snowmen from Oriental Trading. Get the gameboards and directions from mathwire.com.
Snowflake Patterning-I found these stamps on clearance from Oriental.
Penguin and Polar Bear Patterns-Using these stamps, I couldn't pass these up at this price.
Animal Track 3 part cards-My dear friend Danielle from KinderPrintables.com made these for me. I don't know if she will offer them for sale or not, I'm trying to talk her into an instant download.
Snowman Adding and Subtracting-using these cute guys.
Snowball Addition and Subtraction-using these gameboards and these poms. Poms are not on sale but my Wal-mart is so horrible about carrying craft items, I wasn't sure if I would find any. You can use cotton balls, but I like the glitter.
Winter words letter tiles cards made by Stephanie in the LearningCenters@yahoogroups.com
I wanted to write about the work I am planning for the month of January, in case anyone wants to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales as I did. Here is the work that I am planning on putting out for January:
Last Snowman Standing Math Game-I am using these snowmen from Oriental Trading. Get the gameboards and directions from mathwire.com.
Snowflake Patterning-I found these stamps on clearance from Oriental.
Penguin and Polar Bear Patterns-Using these stamps, I couldn't pass these up at this price.
Animal Track 3 part cards-My dear friend Danielle from KinderPrintables.com made these for me. I don't know if she will offer them for sale or not, I'm trying to talk her into an instant download.
Snowman Adding and Subtracting-using these cute guys.
Snowball Addition and Subtraction-using these gameboards and these poms. Poms are not on sale but my Wal-mart is so horrible about carrying craft items, I wasn't sure if I would find any. You can use cotton balls, but I like the glitter.
Winter words letter tiles cards made by Stephanie in the LearningCenters@yahoogroups.com
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Hope for the Holidays-Hope for American Education
I found out about an unique opportunity to write about an event or experience that gave me hope for the future of American Education so here goes:
I had the opportunity to visit the Ron Clark Academy in November (not Montessori) but please keep reading. This is one of the latest "buzzes" in education right now. I was very hyped up, told I would be amazed and so on. So when I got there and saw it, I was actually a little "let down" and kept thinking "What am I going to take back to my school from this experience?".
Finally, I decided that the one thing that I could take back was the "team work" and "family experience".
Now for the amazing part, I was so impressed to see how each one of the educators who went, whether greatly inspired or not by the experience, put into practice some kind of change in their classroom. This got me thinking to a more global standpoint of how ed bloggers and webringers work together every day to try to help other educators and make things a little better for their kids. I know that I have received advice and resources from many wonderful educators as I have tried to implement a "Montessori approach" in my classroom.
So my hope for the future of American education is the inspiration I get daily from my "web friends" who gain nothing financially but continue to log on, upload, download, share, share, share and help each other like a big cyber family. Teachers who walk into their classroom daily and are willing to make changes to help kids are my hope for the future of American education. So let's continue to inspire one another and be willing to make changes when we find that change could help our kids. A big cyber hug to all my webfriends out there and Merry Christmas!
This post is part of the MAT@USC Hope for the holidays event. Did you have an experience or witness something in 2009 which gave you hope for the future of American education? If so, please see this post for more information on how to share it.
I had the opportunity to visit the Ron Clark Academy in November (not Montessori) but please keep reading. This is one of the latest "buzzes" in education right now. I was very hyped up, told I would be amazed and so on. So when I got there and saw it, I was actually a little "let down" and kept thinking "What am I going to take back to my school from this experience?".
Finally, I decided that the one thing that I could take back was the "team work" and "family experience".
Now for the amazing part, I was so impressed to see how each one of the educators who went, whether greatly inspired or not by the experience, put into practice some kind of change in their classroom. This got me thinking to a more global standpoint of how ed bloggers and webringers work together every day to try to help other educators and make things a little better for their kids. I know that I have received advice and resources from many wonderful educators as I have tried to implement a "Montessori approach" in my classroom.
So my hope for the future of American education is the inspiration I get daily from my "web friends" who gain nothing financially but continue to log on, upload, download, share, share, share and help each other like a big cyber family. Teachers who walk into their classroom daily and are willing to make changes to help kids are my hope for the future of American education. So let's continue to inspire one another and be willing to make changes when we find that change could help our kids. A big cyber hug to all my webfriends out there and Merry Christmas!
This post is part of the MAT@USC Hope for the holidays event. Did you have an experience or witness something in 2009 which gave you hope for the future of American education? If so, please see this post for more information on how to share it.
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