No training wheels!

It's been a big week for for Olive...she can ride her bike with no training wheel! She asked us to them off and then as soon as we did, she asked us to put them back on again. I told her she should try and with big old tears she reluctantly did. The first day we practiced on the street and the second day we went to the beach. Can you imagine a more perfect place to learn to ride your bike?

Jem played in the sand and looked on as her big sis learned to ride.
I must say it was one of those perfect days....the kind that make you feel blessed for everything in your life.

Chopstick fun

There are so many fun things that we do with chopsticks...around here they are not just for eating. The girls love to pick up poms-poms, little toys, and snack food. Olive thinks that chopstick make everything more fun. Plus, I like them because they are good for hand- eye coordination.

 

You can find some great ideas from Chasing Cheerios here and Counting Coconuts here on how they use chopstick to enhance their Montessori learning environment.

Pot Holders- Old school fun.

Do you remember making pot holders as a kid? Well, I sure do and my mom and aunt still use the ones I made in 5th grade. Olive received a pot holder loom for Christmas from Grammy and makes about one pot holder a week. I'll hear her say "over-under" as she starts each row. I thought it would be too hard for her, but she loves selecting the perfect color loop to add next. Here is her most recent creation that she made for me.

 

  

You can find these looms and loops at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

Olympic play

We have enjoyed watching the Olympics and I have been informed by my youngest that she wants to try "luge!" Today we made a little Olympic race of our own by crawling through tunnels, jumping on the sofa, running around the house, and hopping over paper plates. We then colored Canadian and USA flags and talked about what the Olympic rings represent. Enjoy the last few days of these great sports. I love watching ice skating and bob sled, but I am most impressed by the cross-country skiers. Enjoy!

The coloring pages came from here - My Montessori Journey.

Playdough Ballerina

This is how you can find Jem on most days...

Jem wakes up and puts on her favorite ballerina tutu. She loves to sit at her little table molding Playdough. My happy and stubborn child always seems to have a a tune in her head and you'll find her dancing from place to place. I love how the light shines on her in this photo.



We followed this playdough recipe from
Montessori Moments.


1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of salt

1 Tablespoon of cooking oil

1 Tablespoon of cream of tartar

1 cup of water

Mix together and cook on medium heat until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and kneed it. It will be hot. 

SNOW!

SNOW...It's snowing and we live in the South near the beach. This has not happened since 1989! We are crazy about snow, enjoy it if you have it.

Heart Games

We are having fun with these foam hearts numbered 1-10 this week. Here are a bunch of easy games we have played.
1. Jump on the number you call out.
2. Memory heart game.
3. Pick a heart and say what number comes before and after.
4. Roll the die and find the number heart you rolled.
5. Hide the hearts around the house and mommy gets a kiss for the number they find.
    That's my favorite.

Find more ideas from these cute bloggers here and  here

Sick Day Valentine Sensory Box

This Valentine sensory box has given Jem hours of enjoyment.  She was so excited to explore this box, which is proof that we need to do this more often. Who would have though that red beans and rice, hearts, pom poms, and a few scoops could make a little stomach bug feel so much better.

 

 

For more sensory box ideas go to chasing cheerios and counting coconuts.

Montessori Monday- 3 practical life skills

1.  Our homeschool co-op had a fun pizza making field trip last week. The girls kneaded the dough, and learned how to make a pizza pie. We usually have home made pizza night every Friday at our house, but they loved seeing their pizza go into the rolling oven and come out on the other side looking delicious.

 

 

2.  My little one loves Clementines. She usually brings me 3 or 4 a day to peel for her. Today I asked her how she would peel it and she got out her kiddie knife and tried to bite it. Those would all work, but I showed her how to use her thumb to peel the skin away from the fruit...now she's helping herself. No lack of vitamin C in this kid.

3.  We are baking bread today. I printed out the step these cute step baking cards from this great site. Here is the recipe:

Super Simple Yeast Bread - By Hand
Preheat oven to 350° oven for 20 minutes.
1 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
4 T. margarine
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 egg
4 c. all-purpose flour
(we added a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg and 2 T. of honey)
-First, heat milk gently in a saucepan over low heat. To hot milk add sugar, margarine and salt and let cool.
-In a small bowl mix the 1/4c. warm water and yeast. Set aside until bubbly (about 5 min.)
-To milk mixture add one c. flour and mix well. Then add one slightly beaten egg and yeast mix- ture. -Use a wire whisk to mix everything together.
-Add approximately 3 more c. flour until the dough can be handled easily. Knead and place in greased bowl for first rise.
-Then punch down or knead again. Place in two greased bread pans, cover with a damp cloth and let rise again.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!