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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

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 

 

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 

 

Teach Our Children How to Thrive

By: Trish Corlew5 Comments

Earlier this week a good friend introduced me to Logan LaPlante.  Logan is a 13 year old homeschooled teen that lives in Tahoe.  I loved the confidence this 13 year old demonstrated when presenting at their local TEDx conference. He is self-assured, funny, charismatic, bright, enthusiastic and hungry to learn…  His presentation is about Hackschooling, which is so Montessori (follow the child)!!  He wants to focus on how to THRIVE in life.  This boy gets it!  That is our goal as parents, to Teach our Children How to Thrive!  Let me introduce you to Logan!  

 

 

Logan started his presentation with THE question children hear most often… “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.  I don’t know about you, but I’m almost fifty years old and I’m still trying to answer that question for myself!  And that is my point.  For most of us, we are still dabbling, attempting to identify those things that bring us the most shalom (Hebrew for peace, completeness, wholeness).   I don’t think most of us had the luxury of even contemplating what those things might be when we were younger.    

Teach our children how to thrive

I love the question that Logan posed… “What if we based education on the study and practice of being happy and healthy”?  Here at Live and Learn Farm, we are focused on doing just that!  We teach our children that thriving is more important than JUST having a job; being happy (in life and career) is more important than being wealthy; and our health is more valuable than gold.  We focus on trying to help our children determine what they love to do, so they can explore career choices doing “that”.  I’ve come to the conclusion … if you love your work, it’s never a chore!  

Our faith, our love of nature, and our belief in life-long learning is the foundation that everything else is built upon.  Introducing experiences and encouraging exploration is an important aspect of our homeschool, in other words, we encourage our boys to “practice” being happy, healthy and engaged!  Currently they are engaged in art, music, writing, photography, gardening, sports, camping, hiking, raising farm animals, game development, and slide motion videos as various past-times.  Some of these are new interests and some are waning interests… but they are all being explored and we, as parents, are actively encouraging them.

WE have to be the innovators on how we educate our children.  Are we going to take the easy way out?  Remember the children are watching!  Are we going to use a curriculum that keeps our children in the house, on the computer or in a book?  Or do want them living and experiencing life as they learn their curriculum?  In order to encourage our children to think differently, to live life differently, to focus on things other than the dollar or the easy way out… we have to model it for them!  Just like photographers and artists look at landscapes differently, we must do the same!  We only get one chance with our children… I encourage you to examine everything you teach, how you teach it, and why.  Examine what you are modeling…  I challenge you today to take their curriculum to the next level.  Refocus, recommit and re-engage!  Teach your children how to thrive!!!  

Until next time….

 

 

 

 

 

A Montessori Love Affair!

By: Trish Corlew3 Comments

Confession time… I’ve had a Montessori Love Affair for almost ten years.  I LOVE Montessori materials.  I love everything about them.  I love their colors (or lack of).  I love their weight or their daintiness, depending on which works I am admiring.  I love their design.  I love how they are presented.  I love the care and thought that goes into how to best present each work.  I love the shelves they sit on.  I love the clean, uncluttered environments they reside in.  I love the methodology and thought behind the works.  I just love, love, LOVE them.  

 

I remember so vividly the first glimpse I had into the genius behind the Montessori pedagogy and materials.  My oldest son was in the primary (early childhood) classroom at our local Montessori school.  I was a drop-my-kids-off kind of mom and this was my first observation of the classroom with students working.  I sat quietly in my assigned, child-sized seat watching.  I remember being a bit bewildered as I watched the students go about their daily work.  I watched children blissfully content with being focused on the task at hand, whatever that task was.  I watched works being restored in their proper place with great care.  I saw teachers giving lessons to small groups while the other students stayed on task in their own areas.  I watched children taking turns and waiting for the opportunity to use a favored work.  I was mesmerized!  After my observation period concluded, I sat with the head of school and gleefully offered to purchase more of the particular favored work.  She smiled, patted my hand, and patiently explained why they didn’t need another of those works.  I WAS HOOKED!  My Love Affair officially began then and there!  I knew my children would be taught in a Montessori environment!    

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Paths of Exploration – Columbus Unit Lesson 1 Supplemental Resources

By: Trish Corlew2 Comments

Below are my Supplemental Resources for Paths of Exploration (POE) by Trail Guide to Learning for the Columbus Unit, Lesson 1.  Our goal is to add more hands-on activities to this wonderful curriculum!  (Note this is a long article, so I have chosen to use the “read more” tab below in order to shorten the articles on the home page… so if you are interested, please be sure to click the “read more” button right below the share buttons for the various social media sites OR the Title of this post).  

 

Paths of Exploration Supplemental Hands-On Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 1 Part 1:

Compass Rose – A great (and free) compass work by Montessori Print Shop.  

Montessori Print shop Compass Rose

 

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We’re Growing Mushrooms

By: Trish Corlewcomment

You read it right, we are about to be growing mushrooms! Shiitake mushrooms, that is! Since we love shiitake mushrooms and nobody I know of around here are growing them, it seems like a perfect niche for us to add to our Practical Life curriculum. For those unfamiliar with Montessori education, the “Practical Life” curriculum for middle school students involves setting up a business. It teaches them so many things about life, economics, values, priorities but it also can help the boys determine what they want to do (or not do) when they grow up!! I have learned that if you love what you do, it is not work! So, our job is to introduce our children to lots of opportunities to help them determine what they do and don’t like!  (Note this is a long article, so I have chosen to use the “read more” tab below in order to shorten the articles on the home page… so if you are interested, please be sure to click the “read more” button right below the share buttons for the various social media sites).  

We ordered the shiitake mushroom plugs today and hope to get our first stack of wood plugged, waxed and ready to go in about a month. I never really knew how mushrooms grew, but I never expected them to grow in logs!

Shiitake Sharon Dale Farm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Paths of Exploration

By: Trish Corlewcomment

Supplemental Hands-On Resources
Supplemental Hands-On Resources

We will be starting Paths of Exploration in April of 2013.  We homeschool all year and as the boys wrap up their annual curriculum for language arts, geography, spelling, vocabulary, science, etc., we try to add in an all-inclusive curriculum for the summer.  This year Paths of Exploration by Trail Guide to Learning is that curriculum (although it may take longer than the summer to complete volume 1…. we can and will fluctuate as needed to complete the study).  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!  In pulling all this together, I want to emphasize that education is NOT just a matter of being able to regurgitate information spoon fed to the learner!  If you are not familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy, here are a few charts (chart  and a more detailed chart 2 and chart 3) to help you start to understand what it means to really learn.  

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