TOS review: The Reading Game

I blogged many times before that Aikman LOVES games.  So, when I was selected to review The Reading Game, I was thrilled.

The Reading game was created by Kenneth Hodkinson, the author of the the Wordly Wise series.  It is designed for grades Pre-K through 1st grade reading levels, and covers 180 words, many of which are on the high-frequency and Dolch word lists for these grade levels.

The Reading Game is a set of 6 different colored decks of cards, each containing 30 words.  Each set of cards is divided into 6 smaller numbered sets – 5 words per set.  The main idea of the game is to use the cards to play memory, until the words are ingrained into memory.  Once two sets of cards are learned, the child takes a “reading test” (sentence or two using the words), to make sure that the words in this set are truly mastered.  After all 6 numbered sets are mastered, the child has learned enough words to read the reader by himself.

Here’s a video that shows how to play this game a little better… (note:  the cards have been updated so that they do not look like the cards shown below, but rather the cards in the image above.)

The books cover the same words that are found in the corresponding colored card deck, with the latter books containing some review words from the previous card decks. Each book contains wonderful hand-drawn images and a storyline based around an animal.

What we thought…

Initially, Aikman wanted the play the game daily.  At first, he became frustrated that I only said the word when he got a match.  Instead, he insisted that I tell him the words regardless of whether they were a match, so he could correctly say the words when he did get a match.  So, we changed the rules of the game to accommodate this request.

After a few weeks, he got tired of playing the game, so we did take break for a few weeks, but I do bring it out every 3-4 school days, to review the old sight words and introduce new words.

There are a few things that did not fit our learning style.  First, the game seemed “flashcard-y,” which is not a style of teaching that I prefer.  Instead, I am probably going to incorporate the cards into a different style game that does fit Aikman’s learning style much better.  

Likewise, the books are designed so that there is no capitalization or punctuation, and some words are divided into sight words (ie without is written with•out).  I am not a fan of leaving off the punctuation or capitalization, as it does teach proper grammar.  However, I can understand why the author decided to do this, as the text follows EXACTLY how the words are viewed on the cards, and for small children who may not be familiar with all of the letters.  The author did suggest that after mastery of reading the books, the child can go back and grammatically correct the sentences as an extension, which we will do at a later point.

Personally, I think this game has tremendously helped my son transition from only reading CVC words (pink Montessori language) solely by sounding them out letter by letter to fluidly reading about 50 sight words (we are currently in the orange/snake card deck). This fluidity has transferred over to reading CVC words as well.  For this reason, we will continue to use this program as a supplement to our other reading activities.

You can purchase The Reading Game here for $24.95.  You can read what other crew members are saying about this game here.

Disclaimer: As a part of the TOS crew, I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review, whether positive or negative. I did not receive any additional compensation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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From our family to yours…. have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving Day!

Blessings,
M, Leann, and Aikman

A couple of pinterest questions…

A couple of people have asked me questions about my pinterest boards, so I wanted to share my answers with you, in case you are having the same problems!

Well, Anonymous, it has to do with how you follow a person!  If you JUST follow a specific board, then you’ll only get updates to your pinmarket when that person updates that ONE board. 

If you want to follow ALL, or MOST, of a person’s boards, then you’ll want to click FOLLOW ALL.  (See blue arrow below.)

I add educational pinboards all the time, so make sure you click “follow all” rather than just a specific pinboard.  That way, you won’t miss when I add new items.

So, how do you find out if you are following just one (or a couple) of my pinboards?  Well, just click on my profile!  If the Follow All button isn’t marked, then you’re only following a couple of boards.

 

 

You just want educational links, but not my “crafty projects” board (or recipes, or “gotta try”, or another board that doesn’t interest you)?  After you click Follow All, then just find the ones that you DON’T like, and click unfollow.

 

 

 

Hey Adventurer, I SO wish that it was possible to repin an entire board in one click!  It would definitely make pinning seasonal boards that I find a lot easier.

I also wish that pinterest would bring back the option to pin an item, and then you upload the photo… it was SO handy when there was a pdf that I loved, but the creator didn’t include a photo of it.  :-(  Unfortunately, there’s not a way to pin a pdf that I love anymore… I am SO missing this option.

Happy pinning, everyone!

Revisiting the Color Wheel

A while back, I posted a printable about the color wheel, and we had used it a time or two using colored water and eye droppers, but it really didn’t get the use that I had intended.  Well, little did I know that all it took was a different medium, and voila! exploring ensued!

Here’s a link to that original post.

A friend of mine had downloaded these files a while back.  She recently asked us over for a playdate… and also to do a little art lesson with the kiddos, demonstrating to her how to use these materials.

 

We started by building our own color wheel out of paints.  We did not use the above template, but rather we mixed the primary colors to make the secondary colors… and then carefully mixing the others to make the tertiaries.  (In reflection, I probably should have used the template instead, as the little ones had a hard time of mixing the paints before they dried.)

We also talked about the tertiary names of each color as we created them.  The original file has a matching activity for the names on the color wheel, to reinforce this color names. 

By this point, our little 5-year-old boys were DONE with painting, but her older daughter was still interested.

I pull out of the the shades of purple template.  Since I wasn’t sure how well my friend trusted her daughter to place dots of acrylic paint on a piece of paper… on her dining room table… without any drop cloths…. I figured I’d go ahead and place the paint on the dots for her.  Together, she and I carefully swirled the colors in each circle, until the colors had blended.  We had a blast painting these, and thoroughly enjoyed mixing the colors to see exactly what shade of purple would be created.

I don’t know if you can see this from the photo below, but the “shades of purple” color mixing chart easily shows the child the variations of color between red and blue – all depending upon how much blue and red is used!  (It was MUCH more obvious than this photo shows.)

NOTE:  If you do this activity at home, make sure that you use a different paintbrush for EACH circle; otherwise, even after rinsing the brush in paint, you may get some residual paint that could taint your results.

Once again, check out the original post, which has the printable for these “shades of…” color wheels, as well as the matching activities for the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors on the color wheel.

Thrifty Thursday–A thrifty find for habitat/biome study!

This past weekend, we headed to the Smoky Mountains for a little rest and relation stress due to the crazy number of people visiting for the opening weekend of the Christmas lights.

However, while I was there, I visited the Book Warehouse, and found this awesome little set of books.  It seems that the publisher, Two-Can publishing, has gone under, and this series is now on the clearance racks for $1 a book.

I’ve found that these books are great beginning books for studying habitats around the world.  Unlike most habitat books in English, these do not focus primarily on North America, but provide images of animals and landscapes from multiple continents.  Now, it is NOT as detailed as the “One small square” books, but for an introductory book to biomes and habitats, it is WELL worth the clearance price of $1!  (I visited 3 different book warehouse, and they all had placed them in the $1 clearance section.)

So, if you have a book warehouse near you, check to see if they have these delightful books in their clearance bins!  (I would suggest checking their website for a store near you, but none of the 3 stores that I know of in TN are listed on their website.)

TOS review: Math Mammoth

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As a math-lover, I enjoy looking through different math curriculum to get new ideas and determine what works best for our family.  There are SO many different theories and methods of teaching math, and each curriculum presents the material in its own unique way.

Maria at Math Mammoth personally spoke with each TOS reviewer to find the best curriculum fit for their family.  Since Aikman is a mixture of grade-levels (1st grade addition, 2nd grade place value, and not yet starting multiplication/fractions), we chose to review her blue-series products, in particular, the blue series for grades 1-3 collection.



The blue series is a “set of worktexts on specific topics.”  These books are NOT designed to be a complete curriculum… if that is what you are looking for, then you would want to consider her Light Blue Series instead.  The individual books cover topics that are studied in grades 1-6.



The books in this series include:
Addition for grades 1-4 (books 1, 2A, 2B, 3, and 4)
Place value for grades 1-6 (books 1-5)
Clock for grades 1-3
Money for grades 1-3
Measuring for grades 1-5 (books 1 and 2)
Metric measuring for grades 1-5
multiplication and division for grades 2-5 (books 1 – 3)
Geometry for grades 1-7 (Early geometry as well as books 1 and 2)
Probability and Statistics for grades 5-7
Fractions for grades 1-6 (Intro to fractions as well as books 1 and 2)
Decimals for grades 1-6 (books 1-3)
Operations and beginning algebra for grades 5-6
Ratio, proportions and problem solve for grades 5-6
Percent for grades 6-8
Integers for grades 5-8

To see how these books fit together to give you a continuously flowing ungraded curriculum, see this guide.  Or, if you need help deciding which leveled book is best for your child, use the placement test – Maria even allows each family to contact her to find the best fit, just as she did for us TOSers reviewing her products!

Here are some of my thoughts about a few of the products within the Blue Series….

Addition 1:
The first book that I looked at and printed for Aikman to use was Addition 1.  I loved the way that this worktext  began with groupings and looking at families of addition problems (ie 0 and 5, 1 and 4, 2 and 3, 4 and 1, and 5 and 0).  This is all done pictorially, which is a great transition as Aikman moves from concrete objects to abstract thinking.  Each page includes varying levels of thinking skills… from pre-grouped objects, to the child drawing dots to make the addition fact, to the child determining his own groupings of objects. (image above from Addition 1, page 17)

What I also liked about this book is that it includes Montessori-style addition tables, lessons on learning addition on a number line, and various activities to help the child to internalize the addition facts.

Remember this game that Aikman and I played a year or so ago?  (I had entirely forgotten that we’d played this… and I definitely think it will be making a comeback in the next few weeks as we are working on addition facts!)  Well, Math Mammoth mentions a similar game in the Addition 1 book.  In fact, at the beginning of each book Maria also includes games to play to help with the topic being studied as well as links to online resources to supplement the curriculum, if the child needs additional practice.

Place value 1 and 2:
Place value 1 focuses on numbers 0-100.  This book actually works REALLY well with our Montessori studies, as it focus on a visual approach to these numbers.  The first lesson is reminiscent of our first “exchange” game, where Aikman learned to exchange blocks for a 10-bar.  However, in the text, rather than manipulating blocks, the child circles each group of 10…. again, this is a nice transition for a child who has been working on concrete objects and is now moving towards abstraction. 

image above taken from Place Value 1, page 11; image below from Place Value 2, page 11

Place Value 2 deals with numbers 100-999, as well as rounding, ordering, and comparing numbers.  I really like that Math Mammoth connects the visual image of the number with its relative location to other numbers (via a number line).  We have been working out way through selected exercises in this book, but only in small chunks, as it is a little too advanced for Aikman (again, this was made for an older child!).

Counting coins (US, Australian, British, European, and Canadian):

My FAVORITE part of Math Mammoth; however, is the money books.  It is NOT very often that you will find a curriculum that includes counting money from around the world!  Math Mammoth doesn’t feature one, but FIVE different currencies!  As a Montessorian, now I not only have cultural items for my continent boxes, but I now can have Aikman practice math using authentic money lessons from 5 different countries!  Personally, I think these are WELL worth the $3.00 - $3.25 price tag for each book! (image above taken from page 7 of the British money book.)

The only thing that I found difficult with this curriculum as a whole is that it involves some writing of mathematical terms (ie 56 = fifty-six).  This is NOT the fault of the curriculum, but rather that my son is not at this ability level just yet.  Again, it IS for grades 1-3, and my son is just a Kindergartener working at an advanced math level, but not advanced reading/writing level.

The books can be purchased individually or in a group package through Kagi or Currclick.  Individually the ebooks cost between $2 and $7.  You can also buy the books as a part of a package deal – $95 for the ebooks or $100 for the CD containing all of these books.  You can also purchase the ebooks for grades 1-3 (19 books total) for $38 or the ebooks for grades 4-6 (20 books) for $57.  There is also the option to buy a printed worktext through Lulu or Currclick.

Disclaimer: As a part of the TOS crew, I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review, whether positive or negative. I did not receive any additional compensation.

Practical life: making applesauce

Since apples have been in season for a while, I wanted to take advantage of them being in season and make some homemade applesauce – Montessori style.

 

We’ve been practicing cutting with a knife as well as practicing peeling apples with our Pampered Chef apple peeler/corer/slicer.  Today, I combined these skills so he could make some applesauce.

We uses this recipe to make the applesauce.  It was super easy to make, and Aikman needed very little help.  I can see other little ones making this in a typical Montessori classroom – down to carrying it over to the crockpot and serving others their snack!

 

As for practical life, he peeled and cut the apples.  He measured the ingredients, stirred everything together, and then with a little help from mom… put the quite full container into the crockpot.

 

 

 

It cooked for 3 hours on high, and then we had this…

 

 

Wanna talk more about apples?  Here’s some ideas…

 

Make an apple mosaic (photo credit:  The K Crew)

 

 

 

 

Parts of an apple printable

 

 

 

Study Johnny Appleseed.

… and a plethora of other apple ideas at Living Montessori Now.

 

What other snacks do your kids make?

Simply… LIFE Saturday: Pajama Day?

Tuesday, Aikman asked if we could have PJ day. Of course, I said that Wednesday could be his PJ day.

Aikman packing his suitcase as part of our pilgrim activities.

So, I was wondering… how many people insist on having their kids fully dressed each day, before school begins?  That’s what we typically do…. eat breakfast, get dressed, make bed, brush teeth… and then school starts by 9am.

I’ve always been a follower of the “Fly Lady” mentality that you get ready each morning, all the way down to having your shoes on.  Okay, okay… well, everything BUT the shoes! (I’m a Southern girl, and I only wear shoes when I leave the house to go some where.  Now, now… I don’t want to be hearing any “barefoot” Southerner jokes in the comments!)  This “get ready for the day” mentality has filtered down to us homeschooling, and it kind of keeps us on rhythm (and makes me feel better during the day to know that the beds are made and everything is ready IF we do need to rush out of the house to go somewhere).

So, what do you do?  Do you insist on getting your kiddos out of bed and ready for the day before school starts? Or are you relaxed and let them have PJ days often?

Looking forward to hearing what you do!

A game lovin’ boy!

I’ve mentioned many times before that Aikman loves games, and has often made his own version of the games he likes.

Remember this game from yesterday’s post?

Well, he thought it needed an improvement… and decided to make his own version of it….

 

 

The dice…

 

 

 

 

… and the game board, where he’s already played it and won!

 

(I find it so interesting that he visually translated the grid on the original game into separate squares onto his game.)

Do your kids ever make up their own games to play?  What’s the most creative game that he/she has created?

Studying the Pilgrims, part 1

Lately, we’ve been talking about the Pilgrims, and I wanted to share with you some of the fun activities that we’ve been doing…

photo credit:  http://transitionvoice.com

Respect and Peace
We first started by talking about why the Pilgrims had to leave England.  This started a wonderful conversation of how difficult it is when we don’t work together and how we should be respectful of other people’s feelings, even if we have different opinions from them.  We discussed the importance of the peace table, and how we should always say kind words, regardless of what others say in return.

Then we talked about how they boarded the Mayflower and set sail for the New World.  (Well actually, they went to Holland first, and then to the New World, but that’s a side note…)

parts of a ship
This image is from wiki commons, and shows in great detail what a typical merchant ship looked like from this time period.  I’m not sure if you can tell from this picture, but you can see where they store cargo as well as the small amount of space that all of the Pilgrims had to share.  We talked about the major parts of a ship, and I intend on printing this image later this week and labeling it with the following parts:  bow, stern, main mast, sail, hull, keel, rudder, quarters, cargo.

If you have an older child, I found these really cool Parts Of A Ship bingo cards.

compass rose activity
We did not get a chance to do this activity, but I think it fits in perfectly here.  This idea came from the Learning Arc in one of her older posts…. she explains how to create this compass rose, and then allow the child to match up the directional card with its specific location on the compass. (printable included)
Photo credit:  The Learning Arc

buckle practice
Most images of the Pilgrims that you see involves them wearing shoes with buckles.  So I put out a buckle basket with 3 belts inside – two are traditional belts and the third has a belt “slide” (where you weave it through to keep it in place; no actual prong holds it still).

 

packing for a trip
The Pilgrims had to pack most of their belongings for the long trip overseas, so I thought it would be fun to have him pack for a trip.  He selected his own clothes for the trip from his closet, folded them, placed them in the suitcase (along with a toy, in case he got bored), and then zipped it up.

We also made a pretend trunk out of construction paper, and he drew things he would take on the voyage with him.  (You can see an example of this here.)  Such a sweet boy, he said he wanted to “pack” paper and pencils so he could draw and do schoolwork while he was on the Mayflower!

Make you way to the New World dice game

I printed off this map, and then drew a grid system over the Atlantic Ocean – think visible longitude and latitude lines – as well as a star near London (the Pilgrims were actually from central England, but that was going to be hard to work around on the map) and a star on Massachusetts.  I then placed 3 stickers on a normal die, on the 4, 5, and 6 sides.  Two of the stickers were x’s, while the third was a blue swirl.

Rules of our homemade game:  Travel from England to the New World by rolling the die.  If you roll a 1, 2, or 3; color in the designated squares.  If you roll an x, place a black mark in the square in front of you… this is an ocean obstacle, and you have to go around it.  If you roll a blue swirl (the wind), you were blown off course… move back one square.   Continue until you make it to the New World.

We played this game in a sheet protector, with dry erase markers, which helped Aikman to move back 1 space by erasing the last colored in block when he rolled a swirl/wind.

The Mayflower
We also did several crafts for the Mayflower… like this handprint Mayflower craft (ours didn’t turn out as cute as this one, though), floating walnut boats in our sensory bin, and coloring pictures of ships/Mayflower.

Below are some books that I’d recommend for studying the Pilgrims and the Mayflower…

We’ve been using this book as the basis of our study of the Pilgrims.  I’ve been thoroughly impressed how much information it contains… from anecdotal stories, to clarifications about what really happened, it has been a wonderful resource.  Note:  It does NOT tell the story of the Mayflower/Pilgrims; rather it asks questions, and then provides the answers immediately following.  So, if you are looking for a book that you can read over and over on the story of Thanksgiving, this is NOT the book for you.

   

I also love this series by Kate Waters, and have just ordered them for our homeschool!  They are wonderful depictions of what the life of a Pilgrim/Native American would have been like. (Click on each picture to be taken to my Amazon store to find them.)

Another fabulous resource that we’ve been using is Evan Moor’s History Pockets:  Life on Plymouth Rock.  It has 8 different pockets (topics), with each pocket focusing on a different aspect of life – from the voyage to building the village to home and work life.

Well, I hope you can use some of these ideas for studying the Pilgrims and the Mayflower too… we’ve just landed at Plymouth Rock, so we’ll be talking more about setting up the village, their clothing and lifestyle, the Natives they met, and eventually the first Thanksgiving, which I will post about as we cover them.  Another wonderful resource that follows this same format is Evan Moor’s Theme Pocket November book.  (Note, I don’t own these books; I actually got all of these through my TeacherFileBox subscription, which has been FABULOUS!  I’d highly recommend it, especially if you are needing some of these pre-planned activities QUICK!)

I have all of these books, as well as several others that are great resources for studying the Pilgrims at my  Amazon store.  Thanks for clicking on these links and supporting our little family!  The tiny bit of commission that is made helps us to buy supplies for our homeschool and co-op classes.