HappyMama

I learned something new browsing a friend’s blog today.  It’s a pastime called Letterboxing.  Check it out sometime!

I want to share my excitement with this art appreciation material called How to Use Child Size Masterpieces.  (this used to be called Mommy, It’s a Renoir!)  After leaving it on my wish list for over a year, I was able to get the teacher’s manual and the first set of postcards. 

I’ve been warned numerous times that the biggest mistake first-time homeschoolers make is in purchasing too many items.  I find it so helpful to ask other moms what their favorite materials are.  So far, this art program is one of my favorites!  And it’s one that I’d be willing to share with friends, too.  That’s what snail mail is for.

Aha, we’re reaping the benefits of sharing our favorite Montessori resources.  Angie just shared these sites for purchasing new materials:

• Montessori Equipment.com
• Caliber Montessori.com

Angie is getting ready to start a formal training program for Montessori educators through the North American Montessori Center.  Read about it here.

Lastly, she shared this Yahoo chat group: Montessori Material Makers.  An excellent resource!  Thanks, Angie!

“I wish my body made milk!” 

my 4-year-old son, after watching me pour milk from my pump into a bottle for the baby.

I always get a kick out of seeing what my hubby brings home from the grocery store.  We’re frugal in different ways.  When I go, I see the green peppers that are on sale, he sees the left-over St. Valentine’s candy that’s on sale.  He came home last night with doughnuts - hey, lent is starting soon, right? - but not a single fruit or vegetable.  Makes me laugh!  So much for my diet today.

I don’t wish to use this blog to explain what the basic Montessori materials are, or how to use them - there are ample books available that spell that out in detail.  But for those of you sharing ideas of how to make the materials, I’ve found 2 helpful websites:

• montessori materials.org
• love2learn.net

Now, here’s a list of materials I’ve made so far:

Practical Life - various practice sheets for learning to cut with scissors, a place-setting guide for learning to set the table, dressing frames - velcro, large button, & zipper

Sensorial - color boxes 1 & 3, flash cards for the geometric solids

Language - classified pictures (my mom is helping a lot with this one), a poetry binder (more on that later), metal insets, movable alphabet, flash cards of sight words and 2-letter phonetic sounds, various phonics games, laminated words for object boxes, and flash cards for learning 5 types of nuts to crack with the nut cracker! (a favorite winter activity)

Math - cards to use with the abacus, sandpaper number cards, a teen board, bead material with cards

Cultural - 8 landforms, a family tree made of wallet-size photographs, a binder of artwork made from old calendars, and I colored in all the parts on tree and flower flash cards.

Atrium - a good shepherd fold, the cenacle with the 12 apostles, a Holy Land diorama, flash cards for the altar work, a puzzle of the Holy Land, flash cards with praise words, and pictures to trace with tracing paper

What’s in the classroom now?  Everything can be divided into 6 basic categories:

1. practical life activites
2. sensorial activities
3. cultural activities
4. language activities
5. math activities
6. atrium activities (religious ones)

I keep a binder with lists of activities that we are currently doing and those I’d like to do in the future.  I also keep lists of materials we’ve purchased, been given, or have made.  I have a “wish list” of materials I’d like to have.  Typically, I put things on that list and leave them there for a few months while I try to figure out (1) if I really need it, (2) what’s the cheapest or best place to buy it, and (3) if there’s some way I can make it myself.

I intend to post lists of some of the items I’ve purchased or made.  I know I have several other moms out there working on these types of things, too, and a blog is an easy forum for sharing our ideas.  I wish I had access to this type of information 2 years ago when I started all this, it would have saved me a lot of time racking my brain! 

Well, not only is it St. Valentine’s Day, but Lent begins in just one week!  So today is the perfect day to make our favorite Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

(It’s a big recipe, but before you think about halving it, consider that they freeze well!)

• 4 1/2 C flour
• 2 t. soda
• 1/2 t. salt - sift these 3 together & set aside.

Cream together:

• 2 C softened butter
• 1 1/2 C brn. sugar
• 1/2 C white sugar

Beat 3-4 minutes or until light & fluffy.  Beat in:

• 6.8 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla

Add flour mixture - batter will be thick.  Stir in:

• 4 C chocolate chips
• 2 C chopped walnuts (opt.)

Bake 10-12 min. at 350.  They will be golden brown around the edges, but may not look done on top until cooled.