mamassori

Free Online Homeschool Curriculum

2012-01-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share a few resources I have come across online that we use with homeschooling. My daughter enjoys them, they are educational and best of all... they are free :)

Starfall Is a great site for preschool-2nd grade. It offers a variety of different games and lessons to help kids in math and reading.

Scott Foresman online Grammar and Writing workbooks ( my favorite find)

These are great! They are online copies of Florida Treasures Spelling/Reading textbooks.

Here are some free worksheets

1st grade math worksheets

Time

Leapfrog (math game)

Water cycle

All sorts of different worksheets (math, language, science, handwriting)

Here are links to free online beginning reading books

Please share any other sites you may know of that we might like. Thanks :)

Tangled Inspiration

2012-01-22T15:51:00.001-08:00

I want to share a craft Aydin and I did for her new Tangled inspired bedroom. Also, as I start getting things together to do her room, I wanted to share some inspiration I've been loving online.

Tangled Shadow Boxes

This was a fun and simple craft. We gathered a handful of random lost toys from around the house and put them together in these Tangled shadow boxes.

Inspiration

The artist who did all the art for the Movie Tangled is named Claire Keane. I love her work. It is so whimsical, with soft colors and so detailed.

I really want to find a way to tie these into the room.

I am thinking of framing this picture for next to the bed

I would love to do a mural similar to this on her wall

These collages are of other details that I have come across online that I love. I can't wait, watercolor, lanterns, sheer fabrics, whimsical banners, flowers, birds. So so fun :)

You can click these images to see larger versions.

Here are some links from the insperation collages

tangled tower panting on vintage book pages

Fabric banner

Silhouettes

2012-01-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with my current project ;) After years of drooling over silhouette projects online, I finally made my own.

I'm not sure what has held me back, I think maybe I assumed it would be too time consuming or that it would be expensive. Thankfully neither is true. This was such a simple, fun, and very affordable project.

The Pets

There are a lot of tutorials online on how to make silouettes. There are also numerous people who will charge way too much to make it for you. After looking around online, I thought printing pictures off my coumputer to then trace over black paper and cut out would be the easiest way.

But then, while messing around in picasa, I realized I could just trace the picture off the computer screen by holding white computer paper up to it. So simple.

-After tracing the picture onto white computer paper, I then held black paper under as I cut out the picture. Some of the detailed areas were tricky, but for the most part, this was a really easy, fast process.

My daughter

-I zoomed in on some images and used a few sheets of paper to get larger images.

-I went through my pictures to find some that would work as silohettes. I found this image of my daughter giving an apple to snow white.
I adore how the silhouette turned out. Did you notice how I added an arm in it? ;)

I also got my husband and daughter to pose for some new shots. I think they enjoyed it more than I did :)
They turned out cute!

(Sorry the pictures quality isn't that clear)
If you have ever met my child, then I'm sure you know how well that last image captures her personality!

I had a handful of random frames the were not being used, so I painted them black. I also spent about $7 on five black frames from the thrift store. I attached the silhouettes to white scrapbook paper and framed them.

Not sure if it's just me, but I layed out the frames and rearranged them about 1000 times before I finally liked my arrangement.
This was such an easy, quick project. I still have to add one more silhouette, but I am loving it so far.

Lets Force Mattel to Make Bald Barbies

2012-01-13T18:44:00.001-08:00

Sounds like a good idea, right? Not to me.

I have seen a bunch of posts going around facebook encouraging people to harass Mattel into making bald barbies for children with cancer and to donate the proceeds to St Judes.

I appreciate the idea and the enthusiasm people have for raising awareness of pediatric cancer. However, in my opinion, these people being so aggressive and hateful towards Mattel just create a negative awareness of the pediatric cancer community.

I have always loved this quote by Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Doesn't that make more sense than "Force Mattel to make all the changes for you"?

I know what medical research can do. I understand how vital it is in the fight against childhood cancer. My daughter is alive because of years of cancer research leading up to her diagnosis 6 years ago.

I am not saying they shouldn't promote funds going towards cancer research. I am saying this might not be the way to do it.

In the years that I have been in the pediatric cancer community, I have seen similar issues such as:

people demanding Disney come up with a bald princess.
people encouraging others to flood Oprah with requests for a show about pediatric Cancer.
people trying to stop the production of toddlers and tiaras and instead force TLC to make a show focused on children with cancer

It's easy to copy and paste someone else's status and threaten your friends that if they don't repost, they are not true friends. But really, what are you accomplishing?

One facebook page promoting the idea of harassing Mattel has over 100,000 fans. If you visit the facebook for Mattel, you will notice that their page is flooded with insults, threats to boycott, and attacks on the company for not caring enough for sick children. What exactly do any of these negative posts do to help sick kids?

If every single one of those people complaining donated just a dollar to a cause such as curesearch, think of all the money they would raise.

Even better, if all these people bullying Mattel got together and tried, they could come up with a bald barbie on their own.

Making a bald barbie would be a fun, simple project. And it would probably only run $3-5 to upcycle each barbie. The doll would mean a lot more, as it would come from a place of love and not from a place of intimidation.

How could they make one?

Get donations of gently used barbies from their 100,000 followers. Remove their hair, patch the holes and paint the scalp skin tone.
Make a website promoting the idea and put up a paypal link on the page for people to donate money for shipping and craft materials.
Send out the barbies free of charge to sick kids

Too much work? Fine, but then you really don't have any room to call out Mattel for not caring enough.

Clothespins color matching

2012-01-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is a great project for ages 2-6

I made this fun little project for Aydin. We picked up some paint samples glued them to poster board and glued the matching pieces to clothespins.
This is a great game for practicing small motor skills and mastering color matching.
Also, its hard to see in the pics, but the left side is light colors and right side the darker.

-A great extension would be having the child match light shades to the dark ones.
-Another extension could be having the clothespins be all white, each one having the name of a color written on it. The child could then match the word to the color

6 years of laughing

2011-12-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

When you realize how perfect everything is you will throw your head back and laugh at the sky.- Buddha

If only you could hear the giggle that comes with these smiles.

Aydilane's room

2011-12-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

here are so updated pictures of Aydin's new room

Boobie Beanies!

2011-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share my friend's etsy shop
She makes these hats for babies to wear while nursing. I thought my breastfeeding activist moms would love to see these!
From her site:
"This is a completely hand-made by me, crocheted infant hat made to look like a breast when worn by a baby/toddler/child, while nursing! It's made of 100% organic cotton, and is very soft and warm. You have the option of a pink nipple or a brown one and I can also make it in a different skin tone, or size, if you'd like."
You can buy them here
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51599072/boobie-beanie

or add her on facebook to help promote her site
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boobie-Beanie/127164803997068?v=info&ref=ts

Three part lessons

2011-11-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

A main approach to teaching in the Montessori classroom is the 3 part lesson. It is amazing for teaching new concepts and names of objects such as colors, numbers, phonetic sounds, shapes, animals, plants, opposites ect. This is a positive way to teach your child. It is self correcting and the approach gives the child a clear understanding of the material taught.

To start a three part lesson choose two items you will be teaching. for the example, I'll use colors.
Get a piece of red paper and a piece of yellow.
Step one: "This is": Point to the red paper and tell the child "This is red." next point to the yellow and say "This is yellow".
Step two:"Show me": Ask the child "Can you show me red?" If they point to it correctly, move on to yellow. if they do not point to red, repeat "Can you show me red?" while pointing yourself at the red paper and getting them to follow. Next ask the child to show you yellow and repeat as needed.
Step three: : "What is": In this step, you point to the red and ask the child "What is this?" In this step, if they say it correctly or not, still move on to the pointing to the yellow and asking what it is. If the child has grasped the concept and said the correct name, then you are ready to present the lesson again and can now add a third item. If they did not successfully name the colors, you can try the presentation again later.

Notice that throughout the lesson there is not the use of "no" or 'wrong" ect. this is important, in my opinion to help keep the activity positive for the child. If they have positive experiences in lessons, they are more likely to want to try again and learn more.
This is such a simple approach to teaching items and you can start with this as soon as your child can talk. It's so easy for children to pick up new knowledge the first few years of life, as they are little sponges wanting to absorb everything. This presentation doesnt over stimulate or offer too much at once. It helps them focus on a few objects at a time and the repetitiveness helps them grasp the concept.

I have used this activity to teach Aydin her numbers, letter sounds, colors, shapes, animals, sight words and more

A bit of joy

2011-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well I am starting to get a few minutes to post on here. Between starting homeschooling with my 5 year old, losing my computer and having pneumonia I've been offline for a bit. So I thought I'd share a few pics I've found online that bring me joy

burlap and ribbon.... two of my favorite things!love the basket with plants in it... the vintage stove and the tiny bit of writing of a quote they show on the opposite wall.

love this
so fun! pink& black. And I love the simplicity of this room. The cupcake pics above the closet are so simple, yet pretty. love it.

yum.

so very cozy

no child left behind

2011-08-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

A good video to watch, a good article to read.

"Starting school is an exciting time, and can be stressful for both parents and children. The carefree days of summer are over, and it's time to get back to work. Trouble is, the level of "work" at modern American schools has become rote, overwhelming, stressful and often ineffective in developing the critical thinking skills necessary to compete. For many kids, school feels more like a destination than a discovery, and a race instead of a journey. For many experts and parents, it has become a race -- to nowhere."

Aniridia in the news

2011-08-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

I love when WAGR or Aniridia make the news. awareness is awesome.

But this is even better than awareness this is hope for my daughters eye sight. amazing.

**although I do want to mention as others have. Anirida does not make people color blind.

Also, many with Aniridia have had an artificial cornea called K-pro and you can find out more about that here.

Of course to find out more about wagr... go to www.wagr.org

holidays

2010-12-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Aydin's little snow village she's made in her room...she's little miss creativity and so proud of herself, that she hasn't touched the fake snow or moved anythign since she set it up 3 weeks ago. I was worried that I'd be having to clean up that snow from the carpet, but thankfully it hasn't been an issue.

on a little funny note, this was santa's reaction to Aydin telling him she was home-schooled.

Halloween

2010-11-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Is it bad we are already planning for next year's halloween?
;)

This year Aydin decided she wanted to be the scout from the movie "UP"...so from there we ended up all in costume

the husband:

and of course we needed a house :)

little miss 5 year old

2010-08-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from our recent shoot :)

Oh and the cake, I have gotten a lot of emails asking who made the cake up top.... I did! Aydin got a blythe doll for her bday and this was a great way to give it to her.
I think I'll post the recipe and how to next week.

new house, new room

2010-08-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

So we've been in the new house a while now and after a trip to the east coast and two great birthday parties for the husband and child.... we are getting settled.

I thought I'd share pics of Aydi's new room.
It still needs some work... such as her new bed and another print I am going to hang up... but here it is so far.

I'd love your input.. should we keep the stripes on all 4 walls? hmmm

Keep in mind she asked for:
pink stripes, a forest and princesses. :)

etsy favorites!

2010-08-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

I love etsy.
I thought I'd share some of my current favorites

by
serpentmandalas

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45954580/nurture-ii-dream-series-print

byGreenNest
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51150905/woodstock-birdie-collage-print

by littlesaplingtoys

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53937192/organic-skittles-10-pin-retro-wooden

by tinatarnoff'
http://www.etsy.com/listing/43616250/words-of-wisdom-original-papercut-art

2010-08-02T01:38:00.000-07:00

as we celebrate Aydin's 3rd year of being in remission, I am still so very thankful for her health. What a blessing she is. In 2 more years we'll be able to say she's cancer free!

So much has changed since then. She was so little, so sick, so much a baby then. Soon she'll be 5. here's to lots and lots of healthy years to come <3

For earth day

2010-04-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few links to some movies that are worth watching.
These videos are done by people trying to better our lives and our earth.
Either watch videos here or click to open in new window.

First The Cove.
I was happy to see the Oprah covered this documentary today and hope you will take the time to learn about the horrible killing and trading of dolphins going on in Japan.
Here is a trailer.

Their website:

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

You can also rent it on amazon.

Next, an oldie, but goodie

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled patented genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

And of course, Food Inc.
You will never look at dinner the same again.

Also, today Disney has anew movie out, Oceans. My husband is taking my daughter to see it tonight, so I hope to hear all about it from them. It look good.

Easter weekend

2010-04-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

alice

2010-04-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

I found the dress on etsy at a store called kiki's things. She makes a bunch of different costumes, mostly disney. She also has one of max from wild things. So so cute!

Kiki's things

some etsy favorites

2010-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

I love how easy some of these look like they'd be to diy...(the shadow box w/ key, and silent "e" game)

Aydin loves the washcloths ...she loves the texture.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28006519

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36421791

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33238464

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42079175

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35041597

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28361698

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42892436

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38775538

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42929816

Knot tying

2010-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

So The last I blogged about was a set date... and now here we are 5 days past the wedding.

It was wonderful, perfect weather and great group of people making it happen.
I can't believe how calm we felt actually walking down the aisle and saying our vows. No stress, no nerves... it just was right.

we had a ring bearer pout off during the walk ;)

location: Edward Dean Museum

3-13-2010

2009-12-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

So we have set a date March 13th 2010.
I love love love our venue and it's sweet rose garden.

We will be married in front of a gazebo, under the trees and then we will hold the reception in the rose garden.

I wish we had taken pictures when we were there because the rose garden is new and they don't have pictures online. booo.

So we are down to 100 days to go! yay <3

turkey break

2009-12-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

So thanksgiving was great. We headed up to San Francisco to see my sister and her boyfriend. ... Auntie Banessa and Uncle Dan .
Aydin had a blast with them and I think she caused a bit of baby (kid) fever up there ;)

We got to see the king tut exhibit at the de Young Museum. So very cool. I am already intrigued by Egyptian history, but to see the actual pieces from inside his tomb, to be around that energy, to see the detailed work up close.... it was fascinating.

http://www.tutsanfrancisco.org/

We also got to see the man of the season.... Santa! He was great. He had the perfect belly laugh and came out to sing jingle bells with Aydin while we waited in the 45 minute line! The Mrs. was there too. Turns out she only shows up one day out of the year and we happened to be there for it. Perfect.
Aydin has been asking for a snow white baby doll for the past month and had her heart set on asking Santa for it. So we found it on black Friday (score) and snuck it into Santa before she went to see him. When she walked in and Mrs Claus was holding the doll she was in awe. She now is convinced he really is magical.

***click the picture to see full size.. for some reason the blog keeps cutting them off. hmp***

And it woulnd't be thanksgiving without pie:
Making mini pumpkin pies... YUMMM

updates

2009-11-16T11:19:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted last! Summer got away from me!
We had a few trips... one back east for the WAGR meetup (www.wagr.org) and one to Northern California to see family.
Aydi turned 4 and had a fun yo gabba gabba party (pics below)
We also celebrated her 2nd year of being cancer free!! wooo that still gets me excited =)

We also had a few scares with her health, but her immune system is back to normal and she has even fought off a few colds/flus.

We had a fun halloween! We had an Alice in Wonderland theme! (more pics below)

Our wedding was postponed due to the venue overbooking. That sucked, but made for good timing as we ended up with a stressful few months of getting Aydin into the right special ed services, and having to fight with the school district to get her needs met.

We talked about doing the courthouse, and we just really want a real wedding, a celebration, a commitment in front of family.... a day to remember... a day Aydin will remember. So I am back to wedding planning and trying to decide if the spring or fall of 2010 will work best.
A friend of mine (Jasmin do you read this?) suggested 10/10/2010.... what a fun date.... but that seems like forever to wait! We will figure it all out soon enough.

Oh and how can I forget? Nate has been rocking the poker tables... he came in first in a tournament and won 25k... also a few Sunday Millions (for those familiar with pokerstars) where he got 48th and 45th ..... good job love<3

Here are some pics.

Shamrock transferring

2009-03-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is such a simple set up....Just bowls, a spoon, confetti and a tray. Aydin thinks shes just playing, but shes really building her fine motor skills, practicing patience, coordination and learning to follow through and complete a task given to her.

Before Aydi can use an activity, she receives a demonstration on the correct way to use it. She is shown how to find the activity, how to carry its tray or basket to the table correctly, how to work with the activity, how to clean up any messes and how to return the material to its place. Its very important that she receives a demonstration on the use of a material so that she understands the correct way to use the activities. This ensures that she is exposed to learning from the material as intended and also helps her learn to be responsible and safe with items such as glass, ceramics ect.

This activity comes from the practical life section of Montessori classrooms. Practical life exercises are very important in the Montessori method of teaching as they expose children to tasks they will encounter in daily life. They stimulate development of basic motor skills, improve concentration, encourage independence and coordination and establish an interest in the Montessori environment. Its also a fun way to keep busy while mom makes lunch!

Caterpillar Sequencing

2009-03-07T00:43:00.001-08:00

I was surprised how quick Aydin picked up this activity.
I printed sequencing cards that match The Very Hungry Caterpillar book.
Points of Interest:
Pictures, Story, Science of Life cycle.

Control of Error:
Not having the correct card the story calls for.

Aims:
To demonstrate recollection of the story, ability to match pictures, ability to comprehend the story.

Age:
3 ½ and up

Language:
caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly, egg, leaf, food items,

Materials:
1- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story book
2- Sequencing cards
3- Work rug

GENERAL PRESENTATION:
1. Have the child get their rug out.
2. Show the child where the game is located and have them carry to rug.
3. Lay out all the cards on the mat.
4. Read your child the first page of the book. Show the child the picture. Ask them to find the matching card.
5. Continue with each page and card of the story.
6. After all cards have been matched go over the cards and tell the story again to the child.
7. have child clean up the cards and return activity and cart to the shelf.

Variation: having child do the activity alone reading the story themselves or without the book.

Easter egg sound Cylinders

2009-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

Aydi is loving the sound cylinders... although, ours are not cylinders, but easter eggs we found at target=) You can also search online and buy the real Sound cylinders from Montessori stores.

here's a lesson presentation if you want to try it.

Points of Interest:
Different sounds inside the eggs.

Control of Error:
Not having a match for the last egg.

Aims:
Sound discrimination, order, concentration, independence, ability to make a choice.

Age:
3 and up

Materials:

1- 4 Easter eggs all the same color (I used pink) partially filled with 4 different items to make different sounds when shaken. I Used pennies, rice, crumpled paper and basil.

2- 4 Easter eggs in a separate color (we used yellow) partially filled with 4 different items....same ones used in first set.
3- two matching bowls for each group of yellow and pink eggs.
4-work rug

GENERAL PRESENTATION:
1. Have the child get their rug out.
2. Show the child where the game is located and have them carry to rug.
3. Place the two bowls on the mat.
4. Separate the eggs according to their color so that all pink are in one bowl and all yellow are in the other.

5. Pick-up the first egg from the left (we'll say pink) side bowl and gently shake it. Then lay in the middle of the bowls.

6. Choose an egg from the other bowl (yellow) and hold near ear and shake it. If it matches the first egg, place it next to it's match in the center. If it does not match, return it to the bowl. Repeat the activity with each yellow egg until a match is found.

7.Continue until all the eggs have been matched by sound.
8. Place one bowl inside the other and then place all eggs inside top bowl.
9. Have child return the bowls to the shelf and rug to its location.

a great variation would be to use a blindfold on the child and help them find the matches.

Playstand=)

2009-03-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Aydin is loving the new playstand I made her.
It was so simple to make and turned out really cute.
We found the 2 foot wood pieces at home depot for $1 and glued them together.
I used left over fabric to tie them together.

I dyed the silk squares in kool aid and tada!
She's been having fun moving it around and making it into different things. So far its been her house, farm, store and camp out=)

Starting up

2009-03-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to start a blog=) I'll be posting about our Montessori Home School process, crafty things, cooking, mama stuff and we'll see what else I come up with. I know, you're excited.