A trip down the Natchez Trace

This past weekend, Aikman and I took a little weekend trip down the Natchez Trace, for an annual family gathering with my step-mom’s family. We stayed at Natchez Trace Wilderness Preserve, which reminds me of a1960’s-style summer camp. You can experience cabins, an activities calendar – with an activities coordinator who teaches crafts, puppet shows, and even karaoke/dance lessons. There are trails to explore, places to fish, and even a little putt-putt.

However, the treat is always driving down the Trace, and stopping at some of the historic markers. (Find out more about the Trace, and historic markers here.)

One of our favorites is the burial place and monument for Meriwether Lewis.

Who’s that, you say?

Well, remember Lewis and Clark??? Meriwether Lewis is THE Lewis of this famous duo! Ironically, growing up, I always thought that Meriwether was a funny name for a FEMALE, whom I guessed was most likely called “Mary”! HA! Could I have been more wrong!

Anyways, Meriwether Lewis was shot and killed at a small house, right outside of present-day Hohenwald, TN (yep, that’s pronounced “hoe in walled”). The house is now gone, but a cornerstone still remains.

This is the monument at Lewis’ burial location – not 200 feet the aforementioned house.

Another favorite – just examining places on the Trace where you can still see the paths beat by our forefathers!

One day, I hope to go to each location on the Trace and investigate it!

So, where have you been exciting this summer? Do you have a favorite historical location?

The attack of the cicadas!

In Tennessee, May 2011 was the year of the 13-year cicada!

Here are some pictures from our backyard…

The above left photo shows the hundreds thousands of shells at the base of our hackberry tree, which the cicadas obviously loved! Above right, the cicadas climbing the tree to molt, after emerging from the ground. My dogs sat and stared at the tree the first day they emerged; they were literally mesmerized and just looked at them and listened to the annoying sound that they made.

Aikman was so intrigued by the cicadas that I ended up making a cicada lifecycle printable as well as 3 part cards.

You can download them here.

**Note: almost all photos were taken in our back yard – except the drawn image of the cicada laying eggs and the egg photo. Thanks, hubby, for doing a fabulous job of photographing them!

I’m linking up to Science Sunday.

Fabulous Finds Friday

It’s been a while since I posted a Fabulous Finds Friday, due to my technical issues. However, I am so excited, as this is the first week that I’ll be joining the Garage Sale Treasures meme, on My Life at a Taffy Pull!

Last week was an incredible week of finds! I went to a school yard sale, and found some awesome educational items…. grand total spent: $3!

Here’s what I got:

homeschool curriculum, too advanced for us, but will go to others…

phonics books and assorted other readers (some chapter, some easy)

biography, Bible, and science readers

my FAVORITE find… this “Story of America” box of cards.

(no picture) assorted knick knacks, to be used for different manipulatives – mostly in language studies and the grammar farm.

… and look at all of these costumes – Batman and several Firefighter/EMS costumes! It also included anther firefigher helmet too, but Aikman had already swiped it and disappeared with it before I took the picture.

Have you found any great educational finds lately??? I can’t WAIT for the school supply sales to start rolling in!

More Safari LTD love: Review of #montecamp prize pack, part 2

Recently, Sunrise Learning Lab hosted the #monteparty giveaway and twitter party. My homeschool group entered this giveaway, and were very fortunate to win!

One of the sponsors of the giveaway was Safari LTD, which sent us their Animals of the Sea educational pack, the Wild Safari Sealife pack, and several animal posters. In my last post, I shared with you about the Animals of the Sea educational pack; today, I’m discussing their posters.

images from safariltd.com website
Part of the #montecamp prize pack from Safari LTD was a set of six non-laminated posters. They included: “Fragile Earth,” “Tree of Life,” “Whales and Dolphins”, “Sharks”, “Mammoth”, and “Our Solar System.”
These posters are approx. 24” x 36”. The images are extremely crisp and colorful, and are printed on a thick-weighted paper – much thicker than the typical poster.
However, it is the content included upon each poster that is invaluable! Safari LTD has taken the time to include the most exquisite details on these posters. For instance, on the Fragile Earth poster, the phrase “Fragile, Handle with Care” is translated into 14 different languages.
The Sharks and Whales posters show the size of these animals in comparison to one another, which makes it very easy for the child to see which are the largest/smallest or are approximately the same size to one another. Both posters also include a picture of a scuba diver, so one can see the size of a human, in comparison to the animals. Each animal is labeled with it’s common name, as well as its scientific name, and average length and weight – in American and metric units.

Even on the very simple Mammoth poster, they include a world map at the top of the page, labeling the part of the world where wholly mammoths once lived.
Besides animals, Safari LTD also has a number of posters, on a variety of topics –from zoology to history, and astronomy to transportation. Each poster can be purchased in a non-laminated form for $10.99, or a 3mm laminated form for $18.99. At this time, Safari LTD is running a clearance sale on several of their posters – many as low as $2.99! My personal favorites include the famous scientists and inventors, Northern Lights, Tropical Rainforest, and Space Stations posters, which are all $2.99 in a non-laminated form ($4.49 for laminated ones). … and another GREAT detail that I was unaware of – you can have in-store pick-up! This is a free option, where Safari LTD contacts locals stores that sell their products for you, and then they text you to let you know where your selected merchandise is being held, and then you go pick it up! What a fantastic way of avoiding searching through store after store!
I’d like to thank Safari LTD for being a sponsor of the #montecamp giveaway, and I’m looking forward to using their products with the coop with which I am involved this next year…. the posters are going to be a wonderful asset for the children to look at, while we are studying zoology this year.
Note: I am voluntarily doing a review for Safari LTD. They did not compensate me in any way, other than the prize pack that I received as a part of the #montecamp giveaway. All opinions in this review are my own, and are my honest feelings about this product.

Laughing Star Montessori discount

Just wanted everyone to know that Laughing Star Montessori is offering a 15% discount right now, using the code Sunrise.

On top of the 15% off discount, they are also currently have a SALE on their items… SALE + discount = happy mama getting new Montessori materials!

So, head on over to Laughing Star, and check their stuff out!  They have some amazing writing materials – for those who are looking for Montessori-inspired handwriting practice that is in an “authentic writing” style (the child writes about things he/she is studying, rather than random words/sentences/paragraphs for practice).

Likewise, check out the Continent photos  and the World Photo Cards– perfect for continent boxes!
Laughing Star is currently working on adding more pdf files to their collection, but most of their materials are already printed.  So make sure you check whether you are getting the pdf or the actual printed material…
I’m wanting the world animals beautiful handwriting materials (pdfs), word family and rhyme writing (pdf) – to go with our current pink language materials, and the “Children Can Build!” manual (printed) for teaching woodworking as part of our Practical Life skills for this next year.

What we LOVE about Safari LTD: Review of #montecamp prize pack

Recently, Sunrise Learning Lab hosted the #monteparty giveaway and twitter party.  My homeschool group entered this giveaway, and were very fortunate to win!

One of the sponsors of the giveaway was Safari LTD, which sent us their Animals of the Sea educational pack, the Wild Safari Sealife pack, and several animal posters.  Today, I’d like to tell you a little more about the educational pack.

The Animals of the Sea educational pack included a set of lesson plans as well as a set of high-quality animals that are discussed within this unit.  Included in this study of the sea is the exploration of the great white shark, beluga whale, orca whale, dolphin, sea lion, emperor penguin, and sea turtle.  These lessons are specifically designed for 5th and 6th graders, but are easily adjustable for other grades.  The 12 page lesson plan set includes thorough descriptions of each animal, pre- and post-assessments, comparison chart, word search, crossword, word scramble, and additional activities for more in-depth study.  Blackline masters, as well as an answer key are included with this set.

image taken from Safari LTD website

What I really like about this set is that Safari Ltd includes the lifelike replicas of the animals to complete the unit.  By doing so, the children can examine, compare, contrast, and play with the animals while they are learning about them.  Another wonderful aspect of this study is four of the five main classifications of vertebrate animals are included within this ocean life unit – reptile, bird, fish, and mammal.  The unit also discusses the similarities and differences of sea mammals, compared to land mammals.  A vocabulary list is also included, so that the teacher can easily check for understanding of terms, and focus in on those words with which the children may not be familiar.

Besides sea life, Safari LTD also has similar sets of animals with corresponding lesson plans for the African Savannah, Insect World, Mother and Babies, Dino World, and Community Helpers.  Personally, I love the community helpers, as the people included within this set – such as the vet, pilot, and wildlife ranger – are amazingly realistic and would perfectly fit into a lower elementary curriculum.  These lesson plan kits vary in price from $50.99 to $70.99.

      

If you are not familiar with Safari LTD, you should know that each animal is extremely realistic, and the details are not forgotten! Likewise, each animal is carefully hand-painted (click here to see someone actually painting a giraffe), and the animals are phthalate- and lead-free.  With an eye for detail, Safari LTD is watching out for the safety and health of our children – all the while providing quality educational products!

I’d like to thank Safari LTD for being a sponsor of this giveaway, and I’m looking forward to using their products with the coop with which I am involved this next year…. the children are going to be so elated to work with such wonderful products!

Note:  I am voluntarily doing a review for Safari LTD.  They did not compensate me in any way, other than the prize pack that I received as a part of the #montecamp giveaway.  All opinions in this review are my own, and are my honest feelings about this product. 

Prepping for school, part 2–our curriculum plans

Here’s our tentative curriculum plan for the 2011-2012 school year, which Aikman will be in Kindergarten.

Bible: We will continue to read stories out of our Beginner Bible. Aikman will begin working on memorizing scripture. We will also continue with basic character studies.

Math: We will continue to use the Montessori math materials, following Shiller Math, as well as supplementing with Karen Tyler’s albums and Math-U-See alpha.

Science:
fall: Zoology unit on vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish)
spring: mammals, study of the human body

Geography: We will continue with the states study that we started in January. We’ve finished several that I have yet to blog about… so I believe we’ll be starting back on Kansas.

Phonics: Since phonics is my weak point, I’ve bought multiple curriculum to help me with this. So, we will be using either Hooked On Phonics, All About Spelling, or Abeka Phonics, and then supplementing with the Bob books, I See Sam books, and other various beginning readers. I’m also planning on using the reading printables from 1+1+1=1 “I can read” printables and The Moffatt Girls “Ready to Read” printables.

Handwriting: After so much success with the Kindergarten level of Handwriting Without Tears, I’ve decided to NOT use the first grade level, which looks like a lot of review of the Kindergarten book, and not a lot of progress into writing words or sentences. Instead, we will be using authentic handwriting opportunities for handwriting this year. Most of which will be practicing phonics words, as well as connections to our science and geography studies. I’m quite certain that I’ll be posting printables that I use with him for this.

Literature/Read-Alouds: I’ll continue to use the books that we have at our house for several reading sessions each day. Likewise, we’ll be using the Ambleside Online Kindergarten book list.

Montessori practical life skills: Our focus this year will be more on learning skills he needs for life, as well as some fun things… woodworking will be a primary focus, but I have a list of others I want to introduce also!

… and FIELD TRIPS!

So, what are you studying this year? Is there anything on this list that you’d like to see printables for?

Prepping for school–part 1 school supplies

I recently saw on Peace Creek on the Prairie that she was doing a linky for school supply items.

I thought I’d share what is on our wish list of supplies to purchase for this next year, of course with my own Montessori twist of items to add.

Basics:

• Crayons
• washable Markers – broad tip and fine tip
• Wet erase markers (overhead/vis-à-vis markers)
• Colored pencils
• Dry erase markers
• Construction paper
• copy paper
• cardstock – both white and colored
• Glue stick and bottles
• Kindergarten writing paper
• Scissors
• Electric pencil sharpener
• 2-3 binders
• Composition books and spiral notebooks
• folders – with pockets; without brads in the center
• colored file folders
• Index cards
• index card box with dividers

Art supplies:

• Brushes – round watercolor brushes, stiff brushes
• Tempera paint –white and black
• Watercolor paints
• Chalk pastels
• Paint tray – 6 well
• Sponge brushes
• Glitter
• Black and white oil pastels (possibly other colors too)
• watercolor paper

Montessori:

• Kids woodworking tools set from Lowes
• Wood scraps
• Nails, screws
• Kid-safe knife
• Wood polishing supplies/ beeswax
• “cheater” chopsticks
• zoology puzzles (already on order!)
• puzzle maps (some are already on order!)

Ongoing lookout for:

• Cultural items for continent boxes
• Practical life items – baskets, containers, and items for pouring, scooping, spooning, transferring
• Magazines about animals or cultural (Our Big Backyard, National Geographic, National Geographic Kids, etc.)

So, what’s on your list of supplies for this next year?