My computer is down

     Sorry I won't be able to blog much this week my computer is down but I will save all my photos and back post some of our activities.
     This week will be doing a unit study on dinosaurs. I printed cards from ABC teach and Montessori Print Shop. I also printed out an alligator life cycle worksheet that I laminated so both kids could use it as an activity from ABC teach.
      In our learning book basket is Fossils, a golden guide; DK pocket Dinosaurs,DK readers Dinosaur's Day by Ruth Thompson, Digging up Dinosaurs by Aliki, The Magic School Bus in the time of the dinosaurs by Joanna Cole, To Get A Dinosaur by Tim Johnson, The Question and Answer Book discovering Fossils, Dinosaur Explorer by Douglas Dixon, The Natural History Museum book of Dinosaurs by Tim Gardom and Dinosaur Dream by Dennis Nolan. I wish I owned the book Paul Strickland commented on for use with this unit. I am waiting for it on paperbackbookswap.com.


We are reading  the FIAR  book What will You Wear Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom.

Leaf collection

Last fall we started a leaf collection and added on to it this spring--- so where did it go now that Cam needs to make one for Pathfinder Scouts? Of course we have 60 mile per hour wind gusts all this week so all our Michigan leaves are in Lake Huron by now. But a couple of my coworkers were kind enough to bring her leaves from their yard. So we  have all 35 she needed to identify. She  has started a new scrapbook to keep them in. I hope we don't loose this one. I do love these projects and think the kids learn alot. Now she just needs to to find 35 seeds. We did find this cool osage orange ball at the golf course near our house. I stopped the car and thought it was a black walnut for her to pick up but that thing was huge. Still loooking for that black walnut and leaves from a black walnut tree. Maybe a walk around this halloween eve will find a few leaves left on the trees or seeds.

FIAR-What Will You Wear Jesse Bear?

I found this book on sale in hard cover this weekend! I remember reading it over and over again to my daughter Jessica who we call "Jessi". She loved how she and the bear had the same name. It doesn't seem like that was over 20 years ago. Who would've thought after 20 years I would still be reading the same book to my 6 and 8 year old children. I can't wait to read it to the kids.At least T.C. still has a decent book store downtown I hope book stores never go the way of other small businesses. Our  town no longer has one and there is only two used ones in the biggest town near us. Now I just need to start looking for the go-togethers for this book. Oh and get ink for the printer.

What's on our school shelves this week?

I like the style of posts about "what's on our shelves?" So, here is "What's on our school shelves this week?" I am setting up for the week late this time. Aaron and I spent the day up in T. C. for his birthday. I usually set up on Friday night or Saturday Morning because this is when I get organized and am home from work and so I am able to get the most done.

The kids alll love the apple sort-small, medium, and large--so that will stay a little longer. I found the basket for $0.50 at a garage sale this summer. The apples are from Walmart in the flower arrangement aisle.

I am also leaving the sand tray for tracing letters but have put a couple of shells and polished stones in with it.  In the style of a zen meditation garden for this week (for Pitty-pat).

Pumpkin pompom sort. The pumpkins were gifts filled with candy last week.

Clothes pin color match. The clothes pins are from Dollar tree. We already owned them. I saw this online here in a larger form and thought it would be good scaled down to teach little man his primary colors.

Little-man also has his orange and yellow leaf sort cups. The cups are from his stacking cup set.

We bought this book in T.C. this weekend. I am starting a rock collection for the kids and we also found an educational placemat to go along with this on our trip this weekend at the educational toy store.(everyone)

Rythym instruments (Little-man)

Tonight I made a big batch of no cook pumpkin play dough so I am setting up a basket with this(everyone).They played for an hour this morning with the play dough.

I found a mortar for grinding some popcorn.(Pitty-pat and Tippy-toe)

I made a basket of opening things for little-man.

The measuring square dowels and ruler are also new.(Tippy-toe is really into measuring)
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And an opposites learning game I found at the dollar store.(Pitty-pat)

We are reading our FIAR book and reading aloud Little house in the Big Woods.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” -- Henry David Thoreau

Practical life-penny polishing WARNING!!!!!

I have seen several penny polishing ideas on blogs showing people using vinegar to have kids polish pennies. Vinegar and copper makes chemically  a DEADLY POISON! My mother would put three or four pennies in a  jar with vinegar to make this. It was her home remedy for ring worm. It is absorable through the skin. This means using that seemingly harmless vinegar everyone is going green and cleaning with to clean pennies could POISON YOUR CHILD even if they never put anything in their mouth!!!!!! Please use caution do not do this. My mom always said it was a deadly poison. No I don't recomend putting it on ring worm either thank you.

Practical Life-Corn grinding

We found a pestle and mortar for grinding spices for $9.95 plus tax in a small shop this weekend. I can't wait to set up a corn grinding activity for the kids this week as we ease into Thanksgiving time and incorporate a few  American Indian activities. It is a solid white ceramic model which is just the right size for my 6 and 8 year old. I saw a miniature one in an antique shop across the street from where I bought this one for $18.00. It was smaller than a tea cup. It would've worked for spices but not the corn. I am also really looking for the nut cracker that is screw like not like a vise.  As soon as I order one from a Montessori catalog I know I will find a store with one.

what to do with those extra square dowels

I had those square dowels left over from our weather vane project and while cruising around the web I found this page from the packer family that cut the square dowels into 1, 2, 3, 4...8,.and 9 inch lengths for measuring. Tippy-toe is obsessed with the tape measure now so this is a perfect use for those extra pieces of dowel i have been saving. I love finding ways to use what I already have laying around.
I also liked her idea of spooning marbles on to an egg crate foam piece.