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Apologia Flying Creatures Bird Nest Study

By: Trish Corlew2 Comments

Bird Nest Study

Apologia Flying Creatures – Bird Nest Study

This is another example of taking a traditional homeschool curriculum and supplementing with hands-on tactile materials to make it feel more Montessori. In Lesson 5 of Apologia’s Flying Creatures we studied Bird Nests.  Did you know birds only sleep in nests when they are incubating eggs and when their babies are young.  So, their nests are not their homes.  For most birds in North America, the nesting season starts in March and ends by the end of August.  Birds instinctively know, when the days are getting warmer and longer, that it is time to construct nests.   (Note we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program.  Any money received via this relationship is used for our homeschool!  PS. I’ve made a grand total of $0.00 from affiliate marketing… but the FTC says I have to tell you that IF you buy it, I will make 4% of the sale as commission.)

Nests are made with a variety of materials from the typical straw, hay, and leaves to yarn, string, and dryer lint.  Most birds like to fill the nest where the eggs and babies will be with soft materials.  Hummingbirds will even pull lichen off trees to soften their nests.  Nests are built by the female bird typically, with some assistance from the male.  

For our homeschool, I made Zoology Lesson 5 Nesting 3 part nomenclature cards that include all the different types of nests covered:

  • Bower Nests
  • Weaver Nests
  • No Nests
  • Ground Nests
  • Mound Nests
  • Earth-Hole Nests
  • Cavity Nests
  • Platform Nests
  • Cup Nests
  • Adherent Nests

The “Try This” for Lesson 5 is making nests.  I can tell you from experience, they are MUCH harder to make than you might think and certainly can make a huge mess!  

Materials You Might Use to Try to Build Various Nests:

  • Grass
  • Twigs
  • Leaves
  • Straw
  • Mud
  • String
  • Cotton
  • Dryer Lint
  • Fishing Line

Directions:  

Now take the materials and try to build the various nests in the nomenclature cards.  Some are easier than others.  Here are some of our finished nests:

 

A Bower Nest:

Bower Nest edited

 

A Cup Nest (and a platform in the background):  

 

Cup and Platform Nests edited

 

And the mess we made 🙂

 

Nesting Pictures

 

Let me know if you do make any nests and use the nomenclature cards. Leave a comment below with a link to your blog so we can see!  

Until Next Time…..

Spring Weather Hands-on Study

By: Trish Corlew2 Comments

 

@Sarah Jane Studios: April Showers. Used with Permission.

@Sarah Jane Studios: April Showers. Used with Permission.

We’ve all heard the phrase “April Showers Bring May Flowers” right about this time of year.  Out of curiosity  I did a bit of research on the quote (’cause that is what homeschool moms do… we research and then teach what we learn to our children, right?).  Anyway, I discovered this often quoted proverb usually leaves out the first part, which is the month of March.  Here is the full quote (per wikipedia):

March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers

It was first recorded in 1886, and is a common expression in English- speaking countries.

Wind in March is an understatement these days!  I don’t know about your area, but Spring usually brings with it some crazy weather here in West TN!  And this week has been a perfect example of the unpredictable weather!  Sunday, March 17th, we worked in our garden and I uncovered all of our strawberry plants after discovering our first strawberry blossoms peaking out.  Well, last night, March 21st, The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for SLEET for my area tonight!  THIS is typical spring weather for us!  

So, for the Montessori Mom’s Spring Montessori Blog Hop topic I decided to focus on the weather of Spring.  

To introduce this characteristic of unpredictable spring weather to younger students it is really just a matter of actually paying attention to the weather.  This Weather Tracking work is perfect for Early Childhood / Primary students.  It is so easy to make!  You need four jars that are the same size, a “weather” card tied to each jar with the weather word and an image that exemplifies that weather event, and some “thing” to put in the appropriate jar for each day that has that weather.  You could track the weather for any length of time, but for younger students, a week is a great “long project” for them.  At the end of the week, you could show them how to create a simple bar graph with the “things” from the jars lined up above the picture labels.

Montessori Design Weather Tracking Work

Weather Tracking Montessori Design

 

 

Another option to show just how unpredictable Spring weather really is pull historical weather data.  You could pull data for one specific day, say March 15th, for a series of years or a specific week for a series of years.  You might track the high temperature for that day, low temperature for that day, the amount of precipitation, wind speed, etc.  Just remember, the more variables, the more complex to graph the data.  The access historical date, I found that Wunderground has an historical data link where you can search by date all the way back to 1948!  Depending on the age of your child, graphing this data would be a great visual to understand the data and, in the process, teach them about different ways to display data.  Just remember the more variables to track and dates you track it for, the more complex the chart!  (Wouldn’t this be a fun activity for your child to do for their birthdays throughout their life?)  For younger students, you can use a graph with pictures like this one I found at Funaslearning:

FunAsLearning Weather Chart

FunAsLearning Weather Graph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or for older students, you can use an advanced graph like this one found on Gringod.com:

Weather Graph - Advanced

Advanced Weather Graph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or go somewhere in between like this one from North Conway Weather.  Also, you can bring in some math here by discussing ratios. How many days out of the total days researched had rain? had sunshine? etc. 

Spring is also a great time to do a cloud study.  Montessori Etc. Has some of the most beautiful and FREE Types of Cloud nomenclature card sets for the study of clouds:

Types of Clouds Etc Montessori

Etc Montessori Types of Clouds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think any science study is complete without an experiment!  So I have to add at least one 🙂  This one would be fun for any age student …Making your own rain.  I first saw this experiment on Pinterest.  Weather Wiz Kid originally published it, but here it is with pictures of the different phases of the experiment on IcanTeachmychild.com:

Making it Rain from ICanTeachMyChild.com

Making it Rain from ICanTeachMyChild.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To bring another dimension to your study of Spring weather, Handbook of Nature Study Blogspot does a fabulous job of bringing art and journaling in with their Seasonal Weather Study project.  Students are conducting some research, spending time outside and drawing what they see.  You can find her post here and her Seasonal Weather Study project here.  All of this website’s experiments and studies are based off the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock If you don’t have this book, it is one of the absolute best books on nature study and experiments.  I highly recommend it!  

Finally, no weather study would be complete with a discussion of the water cycle. This felt water cycle looks easy enough to make and would be a great project for the students to make and give a presentation on!  I love how felt “sticks” to each other, but to save money, it could certainly be made from construction paper!  

Felt Water Cycle

Felt Water Cycle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help students remember details about the water cycle, here is a catchy little Water Cycle song.  This version is being performed by a precious 4 year old at a Montessori School:

 

Here are the words and hand movements that go with the water cycle song:  

(Sing it to the tune of She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain)

Water travels in a cycle, yes it does 
(use pointer finger to make a big circle)

Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
(repeat finger circle)

It goes up as evaporation
(moves hands up to the sky)

Forms clouds as condensation
(make a cloud overhead with arms)

Then comes down as precipitation, yes it does!
(sprinkle with fingers while bringing arms down in front of you)

And last but not least, here is a Free Water Cycle Study by Montessori Materials:  

Water Cycle Montessori Materials

Water Cycle Montessori Materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


For older students, I encourage my children to research and dig deeper with this Exploring Weather with Blooms unit. 

(By the way, isn’t the introduction picture for this post just adorable?!  I contacted Sarah Jane to get permission to use this image for this blog hop, it just goes with a post about spring weather!  She has the most adorable artwork at http://shop.sarahjanestudios.com/pages/shop.  Isn’t she amazingly talented!?!  I guess when you lack in the creative arts department, you appreciate talent even more!!   (And no, she is not a sponsor nor am I financially benefiting from saying this  🙂  )

Montessori in the Springtime Blog Hop
Please join us for the Montessori Spring Blog Hop! You can link up your Montessori-inspired spring posts anytime during the next 30 days. 

 

Hosted by:
Confessions of a Montessori Mom
Creative Care
The Education of Ours
JDaniel4’s Mom
Live And Learn Farm
Living Montessori Now
Making Montessori Ours
Montessori Messy
Montessori Nature’s Smile
Montessori on a Budget
Montessori Tidbits
Natural Beach Living
Our Montessori Home
Smiling Like Sunshine

We’ve Got Good News and Bad News

By: Trish Corlew3 Comments

We’ve got good news and bad news.  First, the good news!  We have a small farm where we raise registered Jersey cows.  We had another first today… One of our Jersey cows, Buttercup, had her first calf.  This calf is also the first “second generation” calf born on our farm.  Girls are prized in the Jersey Dairy world… so we are very excited that Buttercup’s calf is a heifer (girl), we think.  My boys named her Matzah because the Feasts of Pesach and First Fruits are coming up and we eat Matzah bread for the feasts.  When we discussed the irony of her being two first born’s (Buttercup’s and the farm’s first second generation calf) they decided the name should focus on something that pertained to First Fruits.  I love the fact that our boys know about, understand and get excited about keeping the Biblical feasts!  What a blessing!  So, without further adieu, meet Matzah:

new calf, we named her Matzah

Jersey Calf: Matzah

Isn’t she just adorable?  And she looks like she might be a red heifer 🙂  Look that one up in scripture!    ‘Course it could be that she is still wet … tomorrow, I’ll head down there to see if she is still this red!  

 

On a more somber note, we lost Cooter Brown yesterday. The first day we saw the rooster, we could not catch him or lure him into the pen.  The second day we managed to catch him and put him in the pen with Rocky and the ladies (hens).  That didn’t go well, so we moved him to the other pen.  We put fresh water and lots of crumble and scratch in there to keep him happy and full.  The next morning, we discovered that Cooter Brown had “flown the coop”.  We decided to just open up the pen and let him come and go as he pleased with food and water in the pen for him.  It was that or just not try to keep him!  We saw him first thing yesterday morning, in the pen. Unfortunately, he chose to wander… and something got him in our field yesterday afternoon.

Ironically, another biblical principal was taught with this unfortunate incident. When we willfully choose to walk outside of Abba’s protection, we are vulnerable.  Our boys saw a vivid reminder of this.  They knew full well the extent of the actions we took to try to keep and protect Cooter Brown. But ultimately, it was his choice that led to his demise and it is the same for us.

We have witnessed the full life-cycle occur in the span of 24 hours here on our farm.  All teachable moments…  Teaching children about death is never easy!  But, in nature and on a farm, children experience both death and life, decay and renewal.  And not only do they learn these are a part of the life-cycle, they see the examples.  I know many parents are uncomfortable talking about death, but I think we do children a huge disservice if we do not help them work through death and loss.  Isn’t that our job, to help them learn these difficult concepts in a loving and supportive environment.  Our job is not to shield them from reality!  Here, on the farm, ignoring the topic is not an option…  

So… Today was going to be catch up day.  My middle son is trying to get caught up on some of his recent science experiments that he is behind on … instead of working on experiments, today, he got to experience science (biology) live and in-person.  Live and Learn Farm… yep, the name fits!

 

UPDATE:  

Matzah is no longer red!!!

Updated... Matzah 1 day old

Updated… Matzah 1 day old

 

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany Supplemental Resources

By: Trish Corlew1 Comment

Apologia Botany edited 2

Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany Supplemental Resources.  We modify traditional homeschool curriculum to make it more Montessori, more hands-on.  Apologia Botany was one of the easiest curriculums to accomplish this with.  This curriculum seemed to dovetail perfectly with the Montessori Botany works.  If you have students that like to do workbooks, they have one.  Although we did not use it.  I’ll detail how we did this below. First let me reiterate here, Apologia is such a well-rounded and full curriculum, you would not have to add one thing to their curriculum for it to be a full science curriculum. These additions are not because this curriculum lacked a thing… it is because we chose to teach our children with a Montessori pedagogy… which is a LITTLE (not a lot) more hands-on. At the link below, not only will you find the Table of Contents, but you will also find a sample chapter for botany. Go check it out, you will understand what I mean about not needing to add much to this curriculum.

Before starting, I highly recommend you first read Michael Olaf’s description  of Montessori Botany from 0 – 12 years old.  It really helps us have a goal in mind when teaching Botany.  Maria Montessori said it so beautifully:

How often is the soul of man, especially that of the child, deprived because one does not put him in contact with nature.

There is no description, no image in any book, that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving. The wood reveals that it is not only the trees that exist, but a whole, interrelated collection of lives. And this earth, this climate, this cosmic power are necessary for the development of all these lives.

The myriad lives around the trees, the majesty, the variety are things one must hunt for, and which no one can bring into the school. — Maria Montessori

Now that you understand what we are trying to accomplish and I have pointed you to the foundation of a botany curriculum, lets dive into Apologia Exploring Creation Botany curriculum.  Here is a link to the Apologia Table of Contents

I have copied the details from the Table of Contents onto this post to make it easy to reference the supplemental works (if any) that we used for each section. One of the first things we (my best friend and I) made were the nomenclature (3 part cards) for each chapter. I will create a link for these at each of the chapter headings below.

Botany Lesson 1 (note, I have to upload them as pdfs, the word files are too large). A large part of Lesson 1 is introducing language and concepts, so there will not be much in addition to the nomenclature cards for this lesson). I will do my best to provide free resources, but some of the works we used were not free, I will link to the products that we used if you choose to purchase them.

  • Gymnosperms
  • Seedless Vascular Plants
  • Nonvascular Plants
  • What Do You Remember?
  • Notebook Activity

 

 Project Note:  Some Items above are linked to my Amazon affiliate account.  The very small amount of money that we make from our affiliation with Amazon is used to augment our curriculum needs.  Some photos shared are courtesy of Amazon.

Paths of Exploration Supplemental Resources

By: Trish Corlewcomment

POE Supplemental Resources

We will be starting Paths of Exploration by Trail Guide to Learning in April of 2013.   We homeschool with a very hands-on (Montessori) approach to education, so I am creating a Paths of Exploration Supplemental Resources pages for those that want to take this curriculum in a bit of a different, more hands-on direction with your children.  Most of these resources are free resources with a few exceptions.  I hope this resource will be a blessing to you and your family.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  

 

Supplemental Hands-On Resources

Supplemental Hands-On Resources

Please note, I will be adding resources to each Unit before and during our study, so be sure to subscribe to the site to continue to receive the updates.  We are really looking forward to this curriculum!  

Volume One  – Columbus Unit 1:

Required Reading Resources:

Optional Supplemental Reading Resources (We added these books in our homeschool library):

 

Lesson 1 Supplemental Resources can be found here:

Lesson 2

 

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Jamestown Unit

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Pilgrim Unit

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Volume 1 

Required Resource List

  • Meet Christopher Columbus by James T. de Kay
  • Christopher Columbus by Bennie Rhodes
  • Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret Pumphrey (2nd Edition, Christian Liberty Press)
  • Stories of the Pilgrims Answer Key
  • Squanto, Friend to the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
  • A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
  • Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier by Gail Karwoski
  • Profiles from History by Ashley Strayer Wiggers
  • Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
  • North American Wildlife Guide published by Reader’s Digest
  • Eat Your Way Around the World by Jamie Aramini
  • Intermediate World Atlas published by Rand Mc Nally
  • RealEarth®GlobeMap™
  • Large-Scale U.S. and World Outline Maps
  • Student Notebook pages (printed from CD-ROM included or available separately)

Volume 2 Required Resource List

  • Daniel Boone, Frontiersman by Janet and Geoff Benge
  • Daniel Boone, Young Hunter & Tracker by Augusta Stevenson
  • Munford Meets Lewis and Clark by Jamie Aramini
  • Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark by Gail Karwoski
  • Trouble for Lucy by Carla Stevens
  • Johnny Appleseed by David Collins
  • 1911 Boy Scout Handbook
  • United States History Atlas
  • Lewis & Clark Hands On by Sharon Jeffus (©2009, Geography Matters)
  • Going West!: Journey on a Wagon Train to Settle a FrontierTown, a Kaleidoscope Kids book
  • Student Notebook pages (printed from CD-ROM included or available separately)

 

Note:  A  few items above are linked to my Amazon affiliate account.  The very small amount of money that I make on Amazon is used to augment our curriculum needs.  Photos are shared from  Amazon.

Introduction to a Montessori Middle School

By: Trish Corlew2 Comments


Grand Rapids Montessori Logo

 

This is an introduction to a Montessori Middle School, or Erdkinder as Maria Montessori called it.  It is the essence of what we are trying to accomplish with our farm homeschool (we call it farmschooling).  You will see why we have the boys creating their own businesses, growing our own food, and managing the marketing of their businesses.  Each of our children will be blogging about their specific businesses.  I hope you will join us for these adventures!  Please remember all of our boys are 13 or younger, so grace and courtesy is appreciated.  Just as an FYI, I will be moderating all comments, emails, and communication.  

Montessori’s Vision of the Erdkinder (Farm School)

Maria Montessori first proposed her ideas for the reform of secondary education in a series of lectures given at the University of Amsterdam in January 1920. They were later published during the 1930s as part of her work From Childhood to Adolescence.  Dr. Montessori’s model of secondary education is based on her understanding of the developmental needs and learning tendencies of early adolescents. In addition to conceiving many of the reforms incorporated into today’s most innovative programs for early adolescents, Montessori added a unique idea: she recommended a residential school located in a country setting.  Montessori believed that by living independently of their families for a few years in a small rural community, young people could be trained in both the history of technology and civilization, while learning the practical habits, values, and skills needed to assume the role of an adult in today’s society. 

Envisioning a school where children would grow their own food and live close to nature, she called her program the Erdkinder, which translates from the Dutch as “the children of the Earth” or “children of the land.” Dr. Maria Montessori proposed living and working on a residential farm school as the best possible educational setting for young adolescents (twelve- to fifteen-year-olds) as they transitioned physically, cognitively, socially, emotionally, and morally to adulthood.  Montessori believed the demands of puberty warranted a holiday from traditional lecture-based instruction. Instead of confining students to classrooms, she proposed a program that would help them accomplish two key developmental tasks: becoming psychologically and economically independent. Only then, she argued, would young adolescents escape from the pettiness of traditional schooling and engage seriously in the realities of life in society.

Montessori envisioned the Erdkinder as a small community of teenagers and adults located in a rural setting. Here teachers and students would live and work together throughout the year, growing much of their own food and manufacturing many of the things they would need for life in the country, thereby developing a deep sense of their connection to the land and the nature and value of work.  She envisioned students, under adult upervision, managing a hostel or hotel for visiting parents. The students would sell farm goods and other products in their own store. These farm management and store economics would form the basis of meaningful academic studies.  The Erdkinder curriculum would encourage self-expression through music, art, public speaking, and theater. Students would also study languages, mathematics, science, history of civilizations, cultures, and technological innovations. The Erdkinder would possess a “museum of machinery,” where students could assemble, use, and repair their own farm equipment.

For many years the idea of a residential farm school was explored, but considered impractical. Montessori Secondary schools are now found in urban and suburban settings in the United States, with enrollments ranging from fewer than ten students to public school programs with more than 250 students.  The cost of organizing a residential Erdkinder program has been considered far too high for any one school to attempt; instead, Montessori Middle School programs attempt to incorporate as many Erdkinder components as possible. The Montessori community looked on with considerable interest in 2001 when David Kahn, Director of the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA), opened the Montessori Farm School in Huntsburg, Ohio in conjunction with the Hershey Montessori School. Serving students from ages twelve to fifteen, the Montessori Farm School is a lovely facility and an exciting project that has attracted widespread attention, including a substantial article in the London Times.

Many leaders in Secondary Montessori education believe that the future will lie primarily with nonresidential programs. The opening of the Farm School, and others like it that may follow, provides an opportunity to test one of Dr. Montessori’s hypotheses. She proposed that the residential community, with its artificially created social laboratory, will prove to be of most value in the completion of the development of mature, well adjusted young adults.  A piece prepared by David Kahn describing the Montessori Farm School in greater depth follows… the entire article can be found here.  

This article is from the Montessori Foundation 

 

Gumbo with Turkey Sausage

By: Trish Corlewcomment

I made a new recipe today that I’ve never even thought about cooking…. GUMBO!  I have been to New Orleans and I loved the gumbo, but we are now eating biblically clean, so I had not even thought about this on our menu!  I was looking through the Better Homes and Gardens New Crockery Cookbook a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon this recipe.  It dawned on me that I could make Gumbo with Turkey Smoked Sausage in this recipe!  My boys gave it a 9.0 – 10.0 and hubby gave it an 11.  Guess I’ll be making this recipe again!  This is NOT a hard recipe to cook at all… even the roux which I have heard is so hard, was not hard at all.  So, don’t be intimidated by this one!  

Gumbo

Gumbo

 

Note:  I made a few modifications besides the Turkey Sausage.  I did not cook it in a crock pot, I cooked it on the stove for about 4 hours on low.  I doubled the recipe.  Also, I added 4 cups of Chicken Broth.  So, adjust your times if you don’t double the recipe.  


Makes: 5 servings


Prep:  30 mins

Slow Cook 3 hrs to 3 hrs 30 mins  High setting

 

 Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cooking oil
  • 3 cups water
  • 12 ounces fully cooked smoked sausage links, quartered lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or 12-ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 2 cups sliced okra or one 10-ounce package frozen whole okra, partially thawed and cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

1.  For the roux, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together the flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir constantly about 15 minutes more or until a dark, reddish-brown roux forms. Cool.

2.  In a 3-1/2-, 4-, or 5-quart crockery cooker place water. Stir in roux. Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, sweet pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and ground red pepper.

3.  Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Skim off fat. Serve over the hot cooked rice. Makes 5 servings.

We are linking up with Everyday Mom’s Meals http://www.everydaymomsmeals.blogspot.com/.  If you are like me, I’m always looking for new recipes!  Be sure to check out the other recipe posts!  

Note: Items above are linked to my Amazon affiliate account. The very small amount of money that we make from our affiliation with Amazon is used to augment our curriculum needs. Photos are shared from Amazon.

Farm Volunteer Surprises!

By: Trish Corlewcomment

What an absolutely beautiful day we had Friday!  We spent most of the day in the yard working!  And we are so thankful to have the warm day to do it!  This time of year, it is very common to get in the greenhouse and find a volunteer or two growing.  But this year, we have a whole new level of farm volunteer!  Look at what we found:  Ten Potato plants and Carrot Volunteers!!!  I didn’t even know Carrots would return if not picked!  (Ha ha ha…. Live and Learn, right?)!  Anyway, I thought I would share some pictures of what is going on around here.  Spring is when everything on the farm is starting to kick back into gear, including us… I’ve got a few winter pounds to lose myself due to lack of activity!!!  But, all of sudden, in the matter of two days, we have green plants everywhere, our pear trees are blooming like crazy and already we feel a sense of urgency…  as if we are behind in a span of less than 48 hours 🙂  

Anyway, get back to the volunteers… this year, we got an even bigger surprise volunteer… See the pictures below:

 

Meet Cooter Brown (my hubby named him)! A friend of ours called to let us know our rooster was out. When we got outside, our Rooster (Rocky) was safely in the pen. But the next day, we figured out it wasn’t OUR rooster that was out, but a new rooster visiting. He is young, he doesn’t even have official spurs yet). Looks like a Rhode Island Red mix. Anybody know? Look at those white tail feathers! Anyway, him and Rocky didn’t get along when they were in the same pen, so we moved Cooter to the other pen. This morning, Cooter was gone… but the gate was closed, so we now know he can fly. This afternoon, he’s been spotted back inside the pen snacking on crumble. We’ll see if we have a new addition to the flock, or if he is just a traveler passing through. Either way, this has been a fun adventure trying to catch and encourage him to stay!

I will post more pictures later with more details!  Until next time….

Free Montessori Materials from Around the Web

By: Trish Corlew15 Comments

 Don’t miss a post! Receive all our blog posts in your inbox by Subscribing to our Newsletter.  We regularly update our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest, and would love to connect if you are on those networks!  Thank you for reading our posts and being a part of our community!  If you have time, leave us a comment below and let us know how you found us!  My boys LOVE making new friends and meeting you all (and so do I)!!

As a homeschooler on a seriously tight budget, I completely understand the need to stretch our budget as far as it will go.  I have been homeschooling for four years now and starting to pull together many resources that provide free Montessori Materials.  Below is a list of the ones I know of at present.  More will be added as I find them.  If you have Montessori materials you are sharing (or know of a site that is not on the list), please either leave a comment or email me!  I hope these are a blessing to you as much as they were a blessing to us!

If you are enjoying this post and want to see more, please sign up for our newsletter, join us on Facebook and Google+, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest or sign up on the right to follow our blog.

 free montessori materials from around the web

 

Vendors for Materials that offer free downloads:   

http://www.montessoriprintshop.com/Free_Montessori_Downloads.html

  • Birds Match-up & Memory
  • # Rods Control Card & Numbers
  • Weather Tracking Cards
  • 0-10 Numbers and Counters (Summer)
  • Celebration of Life
  • 0-10 Quanity, Symbol & Written Word Cards
  • Triangles 3-part cards
  • Stamp Game Papers
  • Square Chain Labels
  • Superimposed Geometric Figures
  • Small, Medium, Large Sorting
  • Labels for Sensorial Area
  • Puzzle Word Cards
  • Plural Series
  • Pink Ending Sound Cards
  • Picasso Art Book
  • Globe, Continent & Ocean Labels
  • Color Matching Cards
  • Frog Match Up & Memory Game
  • Frog Nomenclature Cards
  • Frog Nomenclature Book
  • O’Keefe Art Cards
  • Large Number Cards
  • Electrical Applicances 3-Part Cards
  • Nomenclature Storage Tags
  • Dinosaur Cards
  • Bead Chain Papers
  • Australia / Oceania / Australasia Landmarks 3-Part Cards
  • Animals & Their Sounds
  • Phonetic Word Cards – Step 1
  • Annimal Camoulage Cards
  • Celebrations of Life
  • Storage Labels for the Pink, Blue, Green Phonics Series
  • Storage Labels for the Step 1, 2, 3 Phonics Series
  • Flamingo Nomenclature Cards
  • Fall Cutting Stripis
  • Imagine Story Cards
  • Language Record
  • Research Outlines
  • Seed & Plant Matching Cards
  • World Continents Pin Map Flags and Map
  • Ladybug Lie Cycle Cards & Charts
  • Printable Stamp Game & Instructions
  • Animal Adaptation:  Birds and Beaks
  • Australia Fun Fact Cards
  • Compass Rose
  • More Than – Less Than
  • Short Poetry
  • Bossy E Word Cards
  • Graph Paper – Half Inch
  • I Spy Pages
  • Garden Tools
  • Animal Movement – Swim, Walk, Fly

http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/Free-Downloads_ep_35-1.html

Elementary Workplans & Teacher Tools

  • Workplans: 1st – 4th Grades
  • School Calendar 2012 – 2013
  • Evaluations
  • Testing Info
  • Just for Fun
  • Nametag Templates

Language Materials

  • Language Activities
  • Reading and Pre-Reading Activities
  • Story Writing
  • Nomenclature Cards
  • Word Study – Nouns
  • Grammar & Punctuation

Cultural Materials

  • Botany
  • Zoology
  • General
  • Months & Seasons
  • Seasons Matching Cards
  • History & Geography

Math & Geometry Materials

  • Math Activities
  • Number Writing Practice
  • Math Fact Practice
  • Geometry Materials

http://montessori-n-such.com/Freebies.aspx

http://www.montessorimaterials.org/

  • Puzzle Outlines
  • Hammer Kit Patterns

http://www.montessorimaterials.com/content/free-downloadable-materials

  • Pink picture cards and labels
  • Blue picture cards and labels

http://www.amonco.org/

http://wasecabiomes.org/products/an-introduction-to-the-biomes-with-curriculum-primary (scroll down. On the right side, right below the item number.. )

http://montessoriforlearning.com/FreeDownloadIndex.html   

Reading and Language

  • Pre-Primer Lowercase Matching Set
  • Scissor Practice
  • Vegetable Vocabulary Cards (Nomenclature Cards)
  • Blue Reading Dominoes Set I
  • Mirror Cards (C-V-C reading practice)
  • Sight Word Activities Pre-Primer Hand Flashcards
  • Pink Level Reading Phonics Bingo Set I
  • Color Word Flashcards
  • Shape and Sight Word Scavenger Hunt
  • Letter-Recognition Matching Cards
  • Kids Joke Cards
  • Finger Labeling Activity (Labeling parts of a finger)
  • Today is… Beginning writing prompt journal paper
  • Beginning Alphabetizing Work
  • Number of Syllables Cards
  • Blue Level Phonetic Noun Cards
  • Building Sentences (with instructions)
  • Spanish Phrases Set 2 Cards

Math

  • Red and Blue Rods with Number Cards
  • Equivalent Liquid Measurement Cards
  • Divisibility Cards
  • Sorting Number Cards
  • Percent of a Number Cards
  • Place Value Mission (with instructions)
  • Tangram Pieces and Pattern Work
  • How many game (with instructions)
  • Counting Arrangement Game (with instructions)
  • Congruent Figures
  • Equivalent Fractions Matching
  • Spanish / English Number Words
  • Geometric Shapes Nomenclature Cards

Science

  • Diffusion Science Experiment 1 and 2 and explanation
  • Thirsty Carnation (absorption) experiment and explanation
  • Science Observation Sheet (for both young and older children)
  • Solar System Sequencing / Patterning Cards
  • Vertebrates and Invertebrates
  • Moon Phase 3-part Cards
  • Simple Machine 3-Part Cards

Administrative

  • Weekly Schedule
  • Calendar
  • Class Checklist for 25 -35 students
  • Class Information Sheet
  • Parent / Teacher Conference Record
  • Journal Paper

Miscellaneous

  • Spring Fact / Opinion Cards
  • Fruit Nomenclature Cards
  • Vegetable Nomenclature Cards
  • Outdoor Vocabulary Nomenclature Cards

https://sites.google.com/site/freemontessoriresources/ 

LOTS of stuff here to download.  Too much to list, so I’m listing the categories!  

  • Canadian French Nomenclature
  • Canadian History and Geography
  • Games, links and fun
  • Language
  • Life Skills
  • Science
  • Sensory
  • World Culture

http://www.jmjpublishing.com/hope4memembers.html

  • Teacher Preparation
  • Practical Life
  • Sensorial / Geometry
  • Language
  • Math 
  • Culture
  • Catechesis

http://www.currclick.com/index.php?search_filter=&filters=&cPath=&search_here=&keywords=montessori&page=1&sort=4a   

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Type-of-Resource/Montessori/Order:Price-Asc new

 

Bloggers that are creating and sharing works:  

http://www.voilamontessori.com/en/resources/downloads/ new

http://buggyandbuddy.com/free-printables/

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Trillium-Montessori/Price-Range/Free/Order:Price-Asc

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Parts-of-a-Turkey-3-Part-Cards-and-Definitions-FREE-940018  

http://www.montessori-science.org/Montessori-Genius/Lillard_Montessori_Science_Genius_Ch1.pdf  

http://sewliberated.typepad.com/Montessori%20Childs%20Apron.pdf  

http://www.everystarisdifferent.com/2014/07/free-printables.html

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Carrots-Are-Orange/Category/FREE-203160

http://www.itsybitsyfun.com/apps/search?q=free

http://wildflowerramblings.com/tot-school-printables/  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Judith-Heideman/Price-Range/Free

http://www.imagineourlife.com/?s=free

http://pinkprincesskingdom.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results

http://trilliummontessori.org/tag/printables/ 

http://mixingplaydough.blogspot.com/search/label/free  

http://www.3dinosaurs.com/printables/  

http://www.montessorialliance.ie/downloads-2/  

http://neenamassey.edublogs.org/files/2010/12/Cosmic-Tales-and-Great-Lessons-1vsj2wm.pdf  

http://handsonhomeschooler.com/category/freebie   

http://beautifulsunmontessori.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results

http://titus2homemaker.com/free-stuff/printables-homeschool/ new

http://titus2homemaker.com/2011/09/montessori-3-part-cards/ 

http://seedsowersmontessori.com/sightwordslist-5/ 

http://seedsowersmontessori.com/activities/ new

http://totschool.shannons.org/?s=free&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Search new

http://totschool.shannons.org/printables/  

http://thelearningark.blogspot.com/search/label/free%20download 

http://montessoristory.blogspot.com/search/label/Downloads 

http://simplymontessori.blogspot.com/2009/06/printables.html 

http://www.minieco.co.uk/printable-sewing-cards/ 

http://montessorihomeschooling.blogspot.com/2009/03/montessori-printables.html 

https://sites.google.com/site/learningbyheartprintables/home/montessori-printables  

http://langfordmath.com/MontessoriMath/MontessoriIndex.html  

http://www.justmontessori.com/freebies/     

http://adventuresofarainbowmamamama.blogspot.com/2011/08/montessori-grammar-materials-free.html  

http://lessonplanstopotsandpans.blogspot.com/p/montessori-downloads.html  

http://thehelpfulgarden.blogspot.com/

http://www.wikisori.org/index.php/Main_Page

http://www.montessorimom.com/

http://chestnutgroveacademy.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html#

http://www.scribd.com/thegirlwhopaintedtrees/documents

http://www.scribd.com/tiredneedsleep/documents

http://www.scribd.com/What’sintheBox/documents 

http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2011/08/montessori-printables/

http://3readers.wordpress.com/category/montessori/montessori-downloads/

http://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/08/26/free-montessori-materials-online/

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/montessori-materials-9370-2-1

http://www.delicious.com/MrsLovewell/free_montessori

http://montessorihomes.blogspot.com/2011/06/free-download.html

http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/08/free-printables.html

http://www.freemontessori.org/

http://www.forskoleburken.com/2010/01/en-till.html

http://themontessorigoldmine.blogspot.com/

https://sites.google.com/site/freemontessoriresources/Home

http://homeschoolescapade.blogspot.com/p/downloads.html

http://motherwellmontessori.com/category/montessori-downloads/

http://www.jojoebi-designs.com/2010/01/downloads.html

http://www.jmjpublishing.com/hope4memembers.html

http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Printable_Materials

http://montessorihelper.com/category/free-lesson-activities/

http://mymontessorimoments.com/free-materials/

http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/free_downloads/

http://www.onehookwonder.com/search/label/Montessori

http://thehomeschoolden.blogspot.com/p/free-downloads-from-homeschool-den.html

http://tiredneedsleep.blogspot.com/search/label/Printables%20Main%20Page

http://traininghappyhearts.blogspot.com/p/printables-with-instructions-and-ideas.html

http://sporschool.blogspot.com/search/label/downloads

http://www.scribd.com/kh4d0c

http://www.scribd.com/delightfullearning

http://www.scribd.com/harmonyartmom

http://www.scribd.com/coffeeandconversation

http://www.scribd.com/mysecondgradejournal

http://www.scribd.com/nando973

http://www.scribd.com/lisa_nolan_2

http://www.scribd.com/toadymama

http://montessorihelper.com/category/free-lesson-activities/

http://thelittlelist.wordpress.com/m-o-n-t-e-s-s-o-r-i/

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4xMsNe4G32CXzZSNHRjQ2t2Tm8/edit?pli=1 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzFNPnI_PfbwS2VqcXA2MzdrRVU/edit 

http://www.parents.com/blogs/homeschool-den/2012/06/12/science/world-biomes-pin-map/  

http://www.parents.com/blogs/homeschool-den/tag/free-montessori-3-part-cards/ new

http://www.montessori-on-a-budget.com/2011/03/friday-free-downloads-montessori-art.html   

http://www.ourmontessorihome.com/2012/10/montessori-pre-reading-activities-and-cards-with-free-download/   

http://homemademontessori.blogspot.com/search/label/3-part-cards   

http://ukbookworm.blogspot.de/search/label/Montessori    

http://montessoriworkjobs.blogspot.com/p/nomenclature-cards.html 

http://thatresourcesite.com/faith/faith_search.htm?cx=partner-pub-1411271827471762%3A9302821237&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=montessori&sa=Search+Our+Site   

http://saracotner.wordpress.com/resources-2/montessori-materials/ 

 

Training Centers that are sharing Lessons from their Manuals:  

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/5gl_cep/blackline_masters.pdf 

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/cultural_geography/sample_lessons.pdf 

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/physical_geography/sample_lessons.pdf 

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/classroom_guide/sample_pages.pdf 

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/matter_astronomy/sample_lessons.pdf 

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/language_arts/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/botany/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/zoology_chemistry/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/mathematics/sample_lesson1.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/mathematics/LEMath2-sample_lesson.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/health_sciences/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/apl2006/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/history2006/sample_lessons.pdf

http://www.montessoritraining.net/elementary_program/courses/science_experiments/sample_lessons.pdf 

http://www.mymontessorihouse.com/files/Montessori_Infant_and_Toddler_SampleINDEX.pdf

http://www.montessori-home-schooling.com/teach-montessori-at-home/sample-activities.aspx

 

Free Kindle Books (NOTE:  CHECK PRICE before you buy and download, prices change DAILY):

Spontaneous Activity in Education 

The Montessori Method Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in ‘The Children’s Houses’ with Additions and Revisions by the Author

The Absorbent Mind

Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook

 

Free Montessori Manuals:

 

Cultivating Dharma:  http://www.freemontessori.org/?page_id=9

     Elementary:  

  • Math 1, Math 2, Geometry, Language Albums

Miss Barbara:  http://www.missbarbara.net/greatlessons.html 

  • The Great Lessons

Montessori Teacher’s Collective:  http://www.moteaco.com/albums.html

     Three to Six:  

  • Math 
  • Culture 

     Six to Nine:  

  • Math
  • History
  • Geometry
  • Biology
  • Language 

     The Great Lessons
     Timeline of Life 
     Timeline of Writing

Montessori Album:  http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Main_Page

  • Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Social Studies, Music, Art, Language, Science and Methodology (these are not very complete yet)… 

Shu-Chen Jenny Yen’s Albums:  http://faculty.fullerton.edu/syen/mts/_link.htm 

     Three to Six:  

  • Practical Life 
  • Sensorial
  • Language Development 
  • Math 

Wikisori:  http://www.wikisori.org/index.php/Wikisori_Albums

     Three to Six, Six to Nine and Nine to Twelve Albums

  • Practical Life
  • Sensorial
  • Language Mathematics
  • Cultural
  • Science 

Elizabeth Ross Hubbell:  http://www.elizrosshubbell.com/portfolio/geometryunit.pdf

     Six to Nine:  

  • Geometry Album

Info Montessori:  http://www.infomontessori.com/

     Three to Six:  

  • Practical Life
  • Sensorial 
  • Language
  • Math

Montessori World http://montessoriworld.org/  This site also has videos!  

  • Beginning Math
  • Beginning Reading 
  • Practical Lie
  • Handiwork
  • Music
  • Sensorial Development

 

Curriculum Assistance

Toddler Classroom Curriculum  

https://sites.google.com/a/compassmontessorievents.com/compass-main/lower-elementary

1st grade curriculum guide

2nd grade curriculum guide

3rd grade curriculum guide

3to6 Scope & Sequence

6to9 Scope & Sequence

Complete Classroom Setups for LE and UE

Curriculum scope and sequence all

Namta Curriculum Downloads    

Lesson Plans http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/jthompson/Resources/MaitrilLessonplansall.pdf 

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy Supplemental Materials

By: Trish Corlewcomment

these Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy Supplemental materials are centered around bringing an even stronger hands-on approach to this great curriculum.  Astronomy can be introduced as early as preschool … so it’s never too early to talk about Astronomy  We loved Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy!  It was one of our first studies after I brought the boys home from the Montessori school to homeschool.  I was scared to death about homeschooling but had heard such fabulous things about Apologia’s Science curriculum, I was sure we would love it.  And we did!  We added all the supplemental materials  that centered around the Montessori hands-on piece and made an already vibrant curriculum absolutely perfect for our homeschool.  As I have time, I will take the Apologia Astronomy supplemental resources that we used to make this curriculum more Montessori and post them all here, like I’m doing for Botany.  In the meantime, I’ll add a piece here and a piece there until I have time to work on the entire book.  

Every year, we circle back through parts of this curriculum, every time a topic is discussed or we study something that relates to astronomy.  Here lately there has been quite a bit in the news … such as the meteorite close fly-by and then the unexpected one that landed in Russia, Mars space mission, comets visible to the naked eye, etc.  So we have had our book out regularly the last few months.  

Anyway, I thought I would start with some of the basic solar system materials that are available free.  

 

Solar System

Solar system Cards from Enchanted Learning; Planet Cards from Montessori Mom; The Helpful Garden Also has free Nomenclature Cards for the Solar System.  This set could easily be made into three part cards.  A way to make the study of Astronomy more challenging and thought provoking is to add in Exploring planets with Blooms Taxonomy.  A great hands-on activity is painting and hanging solar systems!  Here is one of our solar systems:

Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy

Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stars and Constellations

NAMC (North American Montessori Center) has the MOST beautiful Montessori Teacher albums I’ve ever seen!  I purchased both the Lower and Upper Elementary manuals.  Here is a sample from their Astronomy album for The Lifecycle of Stars.   Constellation nomenclature cards can be found at Montessori for Everyone; Here is a constellation set of cards that I think are so beautiful, I wonder how hard it would be to make?  And one last set by Nature Watch.  Here is an accordion style foldout for constellations.  Love this one too!  

 

Moon

Phases of the Moon is a fun study!  Here are free nomenclature cards and the control card from Etc Montessori.  The kiddos will love recreating the phases of the moon with Oreo cookies!  A SURE hit with the kiddos 🙂  

 

Copernicus and Ptolemy Models

The Copernicus versus the Ptolemy Model of the solar system has a great Copernicus Model to compare to the Ptolemy Model.  We did not do these as lap books, but as a control for using the planets to create the two different models.  Planets are easy to make out of felt, or you can purchase them pretty inexpensively on Etsy.  This set is BEAUTIFUL… but VERY expensive…   One set that I first saw in the Montessori Child Magazine published by Tim Seldin, and that we eventually purchased (and still have) is from Priority Montessori.  They are beautiful and sturdy!  But, expensive.

 

Sun

Sun Nomenclature cards can be purchased inexpensively from Montessori Print Shop and they are beautiful!  Also from Montessori for Everyone.  We actually purchased the entire CD of their works from Montessori for Everyone.  It was very affordable compared to buying them one by one and you have pretty much all the cards you have to have to teach.  We made lots more and purchased more… but we didn’t have to, we wanted to.

 

Layers of the Atmosphere

There are only a few places creating the Layers of the Atmosphere, and Montessori for Everyone has them for free.  

 

Layers of the Earth

Layers of the Earth nomenclature cards are beautiful and Cultivating Dharma has them for free!  and creating this with play-doh was one of the more memorable experiments we did!  We didn’t do this for the layers of the sun, but should have! 

 

Clouds

Finally Types of Clouds is provided by Etc. Montessori and they are beautiful!

 

Math

A way to bring in some math to the astronomy study is to calculate your My Weight on Other Planets and My Age on other Planets!

I think I have given you all I have except the Apologia Chapter’s 3 part cards.  I’ll have to pdf them because they are too large to post word documents.  I’ll try to get the loaded in the next few weeks.  

Until then… 

Note:  Items above are linked to my Amazon affiliate account.  The very small amount of money that we make from our affiliation with Amazon is used to augment our curriculum needs.