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Showing posts from July, 2014

Young Toddler Truck Bin

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Ingredients: 1 well-rested toddler 1 small plastic box 0.5 cups of dry split peas 2-3 Dollar Store construction trucks 1 Happy Boy!

Young Toddler Sensory Bug Bin

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  As proof that I don't only make printables for a homeschool year that hasn't started yet, I thought I'd post a few pictures of the things my toddlers do while I make printables.  This bug bin was set up for my almost 2 year old.  The bugs are from the Dollar Store, as is the shot glass (I love those colorful things!).  The sensory material is black beans (about 1/2 cup).  The bin is a small shoe-box sized (but with shorter walls) container from Walmart.  I love this size for sensory bin/small world play because they fit so nicely on the kids' high chair trays.  Surprisingly, my younger toddler is really good about keeping the materials in the bin.  I have to watch him for signs of boredom though because he still shows me he's all done by dumping the bucket on the floor.  I know that this isn't a particularly interesting sensory bin but it kept Skimmer happy for about 30 min, at which time I switched out the bin contents and he was content for another 20 min

Bethlehem Folder Game

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Merry Christmas in July!  Only 6 months left until Christmas!  Time to start planning your Advent Activities. Today's folder game is called, "Get the Shepherd to Bethlehem."  It's a simple roll and count game for preschoolers. To download the game, click on the link below: Shepherd to Bethlehem Game

Marshmallow Counting Folder Game

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Merry Christmas in July!  Just for fun, I thought I'd share a few Christmas/winter themed school activities with you.  The first one is a "Marshmallow Counting" game, which has a few componients to it.  The folder game itself contains pages of cocoa cups with numbers on them for 1-to-1 counting.  The student can count with mini marshmallows, pom poms, or beads to match the item numbers with the number printed on each cup.  Each page could also be used for a "more or less" comparison exercise. The file also works as a busy bag game.  You could cut the cups out and laminate them, then instruct the child to put them in numerical order or to separate the even numbered cups from the odd ones.  The file also contains a ten-frame set of cards and a written (number) words set to be matched with the cups.  You can add a self-correcting aspect to the cards by color coordinating them to each other (ex- all the 3s have a green dot on the back, etc). To download the fi

We're on Pinterest!

I've started boards for all my homeschooling finds on Pinterest .  On my page, you'll find links to Montessori Schooling idea, free file folder games, all my alphabet themes, and more.  Follow me for all my latest finds and recent posts. As of today, I have almost 600 pins and no followers.

Camping Themed Worksheets

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For my last camping themed worksheets, I present to you some writing/tracing pages with camping/mountain words. To download, click on the link below: I Can Write- Camping Words

Camping Themed Worksheets (set 2)

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This set of camping themed worksheets asks the child to find the matching item to the one in the box.  There are 4 levels of difficulty. To download, click on the link below: Camping Worksheets

Baby Doll Care Kit (DIY)

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Recently, for a little girl's birthday, I assembled a "Baby Doll Care Kit" for her gift.  I was inspired by this post , where a mom writes about setting up a baby doll washing station for play time. I started with a plastic shoe box, which I thought could be used to store the accessories and possibly as the "bath tub."  I added a $1 wash cloth, a $1 hand towel, and a $1 bottle of baby soap (which I watered down quite a bit).  For clothing, I bought a $2 newborn size onesie and made some cute felt diapers following Jessica's idea ( here ).  Then, I added a tiny rubber duck that I already had in the house and a small cup (lid) for pouring.  Done and done for less than $10 and a bit of work (and really, it could have been done cheaper). I forgot to get a pictures.  Lame, I know.  Here's a picture from the original diaper post: source

Camping Themed Worksheets (set 1)

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The first set of camping themed worksheets asks children to compare groups of objects to determine which one is bigger. To download the worksheets, click on the link below: Camping Themed Worksheets

G is for Groceries Worksheets (set #2)

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The second set of food-themed worksheets asks children to compare quantities to decide which group is bigger. To download the worksheets, click on the link below:  Grocery-Themed "Which Group is Bigger."

G is for Groceries Worksheets

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This food-themed set of four worksheets asks the child to find a matching food to the one in the box.  There are four levels of difficulty. To download this file, click on the link below: Food-Themed Worksheet #1

Fire Truck Roll and Cover

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I intend to use this "Roll and Cover" game during my "f is for fire" week.  The game is played with a dice and counters (or laminate it and use dry erase markers).  The winner is the first person to blackout their entire board. To download the game, click on the link below: Fire Truck Roll and Cover

Wormy Apples Busy Bag Game

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Today's busy bag is a simple counting activity.  The adult cuts out the apples, punches "worm" holes in them, makes some worms, and instructs the child to count out the right number of worms per apple. To download the file, click on the link below: Wormy Apples Counting Busy Bag

Even and Odd Socks

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More skip counting practice, this time with counting by 2's and even and odd number sorting.  The socks are in pairs to help the kids see that multiples of 2 (2, 4, 6) are even numbers and that the "lack of a pair" creates an odd number (it makes sense in my head).  You can also use these socks to practice addition and subtraction, with a short jaunt to see whether the end product is an even or odd number.  My intention is that my child will be able to start developing a number sense and begin to understand how the numbers relate to each other. To download the game, click on link below: Even and Odd Socks

Monster Week- Day 5

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For our last day of Monster Week, I'm sharing my Math Monster Busy Bag game.  The file contains two sets of cards with the number 1-20 (presented in 10-frames and 20-frames) and one set of "math monster" cards.  The child will draw two cards, one from each set of numbers.  Then, he will chose which number is bigger or smaller or if they are equal.  The "math monsters" like to each the greater amount, so the child needs to pick the monster card that faces the larger number.  If the numbers are equal, then the child will use the "Equal" card.  The game can continue until all the cards have been used or for a set amount of time.  For accountability, the child could be asked to write down the pairs, drawing the math monsters (< = >) between them. The parent can decide how many numbers to present to the child.  I recommend starting with numbers 1-5, then 1-10.  Perhaps, moving onto the teen number next, and then using all of the cards after the ch

Monster Week- Day 4

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Finally, on day four of monster week, we get to a game!  Roll and Cover games are played with a dice (or two).  I recommend putting these playing boards in plastic covers and marking the monsters out with either a dry erase pen or tokens.  I've included four playing boards so that you can play with lots of friends (or kids).  The winner is the first person to cross out all the monsters. To download the game, click on the link below: Monster Roll and Cover

Monster Week- Day 3

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Another day in Monster Week and more free printables for you.  More worksheets, actually.  This set of four asks the child so find a matching monster to the one in the box.  There are four levels of difficulty. To download this file, click on the link below: Spot the Monster that is the Same

Monster Week- Day 2

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For Day 2 of Monster Week, I've uploaded a second set of worksheets.  These pages focus on patterns (AB, ABC, etc).  There are 4 worksheets included in this pack with various degrees of difficulty. To obtain the download, click on the link below: Monster Patterns

Monster Week- Day 1

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I went on an "M is for Monster" streak recently and a bunch of things.  The first one is a worksheet for spotting the differences.  There are four pages in degrees of difficulty.  I recommend putting the pages in plastic sheet protectors so that your children can do the worksheets multiple times. To download the pack of worksheet, click on the link below: Spot the Differences

Here is the Bee Hive (Couting by 10)

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More Bee printables!  This busy bag is a sequencing activity where the child is asked to put the bee hives in order from 10-100.  If your child is having trouble understanding the concept of tens counting, each hive has ten bees flying around it for counting practice.  I hope you enjoy it. To download the file, click on the link below: Here is the Bee Hive

A is for America (history)

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For my second "America" post, I'm focusing on US history.  I've made a set of 3-part cards (8 total) highlighting a few major events.  This is meant to be an introductory activity to help kids gain a frame to put other pieces of US history into as they learn.  Of course, if your child shows interest in a particular picture, you can use it as a launching off point of more exploration. To download the cards, click on the link below: American History

A is for America (inventions)

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One of our preschool weeks is "A is for America."  In honor of our nation's birthday, I'm posting a few activities that are "purely" American.  The first is a set of 3-part cards about American Inventions.  I tried to include inventions that most kids would encounter frequently and were nonviolent (so no machine guns or atomic bombs).  Of course the category of inventions is quite large and could include many more cards.  There are 16 inventions on this file.  Later, I'd like to add some more packs.  All of the pictures are from Wikipedia. To download the free pack, click on the link below: American Inventions

Q is for Quilt Busy Bag

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For "Q is for Quilts" week, I've made a few quilt squares to make patterns with.  I recommend copying the quilt squares a few time so that your kids have a lot to work with.  (Ok, I'm tired enough that I can't form sentences anymore). You want file, click below: Q is for Quilts

Finding Nemo Animals Matching

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We love Finding Nemo around here!  For our "O is for Oceans" theme week, I've decided to let in a bit of Finding Nemo fun.  This folder game asks the children to match the Nemo characters with pictures of their real life inspiration.  Join Nemo, Dory, and all the favorites on a fun learning experience. To download the file, click on the link below: Nemo Real or Cartoon Matching Game

Sky, Land, Dirt Handwriting Cards

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A neat way to look at writing letter is that some letters reach up into the sky, some letters hide in the grass, and some letters put down roots in the soil.  To help your child (and mine) visualize this cool trick, I've created some handwriting cards that picture those 3 sections (the cards are blank).  The file comes with 2 cards, with the idea being that the "teacher" can write the example on one card and the student can copy the work on the other card.  I'm looking forward to teaching my kids the positioning and forming of letters with this trick. To download the file, click on the link below: Sky, Land, Dirt Handwriting Cards