back to school

Every year, my dad would take a picture of me on the first day of school sporting my new backpack and often interesting (especially from 5th grade on) hair-do. I mean ... it's awkward enough to be a pre-teen, but at least ten times worse when you're a pre-teen in the early 90's! I will spare you these embarrassing photos. Instead, here's a peak at this year's back to school get-up.

My Note Taker! Imagine my thrill at finding this pattern at Pink Chalk Studio! It's super easy to follow and yields amazing results. I highly recommend it to any fellow teacher - especially Montessorians, who find themselves taking just short of a gazillion notes per school year. It would also be a great asset to anyone parenting Montessori-style (yeah - we're all about observing the child, if you haven't guessed already!)

Here's the front of the note taker with it's other handy pal, the fabric-covered binder that holds all of my classroom records. If you're interested in my record keeping system, check it out at my Yahoo group.

And, of course, my "grown-up backpack," (a.k.a. pleated handbag from Bend the Rules Sewing) which is large enough to hold the aforementioned teaching essentials and my Nikon D80 so that I can provide you with shots like this:

xo,
Meg

reading pillow pattern

Who wouldn't want to curl up with one of these and get lost in a book!? This has to be my favorite pattern. It was a hair-puller to conceptualize and put onto paper, but I'm ecstatic about the results! I only wish I had it finished when I was reading that heavy, heavy Harry Potter. Alas. From now on, I will be reading in absolute comfort, and you will too, once you have one of these on your lap!

Inspired by my grandma's well-loved reading pillow, this pattern adds some funky and useful twists, such as handmade piping, a built-in book mark, page holders, and pockets for your reading glasses and pencils.

As a teacher, I think these pillows have awesome potential for encouraging reading. I imagine that a collection for the elementary classroom would do wonders. A reading pillow would come in handy for anyone of reading age. Think of the possibilities - homeschooling, family reading time, college students, and grandparents. The days of reading = upper body workout need not continue!!

Today I'm making pumpkin pie. When I was back in California I grabbed an organic mix from my mom's pantry and dropped it in my luggage. I just can't wait for October. I see the can every time I walk into my kitchen. It has seduced me. Yum.

I hope you've been having a wonderful weekend!

xo,
Meg

birding, boxes, and beeswax

I'm loving this vocabulary card pouch set that I whipped up to go with my Audubon Field Guide bird cards. These field guides are available for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, butterflies, and marine mammals.
Buy two (used) sets of the field guide, then cut them all up. Make copies of the informational section on each animal, then paste all the photos to card stock, pasting the copy of the information on the back of the picture only card. Here's what they should look like when the set is complete:
Ahem. My apologies to those who read this post before it was complete. My cat just published the post while I was away from the computer. Thank you, cat. Always so helpful.

I wanted to direct you to my blogging friend Leah, whose blog, HomeWork, has some great offerings. Please go and check out her tutorials - she has young children, and many of the projects are child/family friendly. Here are just a few, photos courtesy of Leah.

Felted treasure box

How to make beeswax candles

Also, check out Mod Podge masterpieces, here and here!

Until next time, unless the cat decides to publish again.

Meg

Feeling a little tipsy

A few quick, helpful tips ...

#1 - Hot glue gun + bottom of math charts = less slippage and less frustrated children.

Dots of hot glue around the edges of the chart give just enough "tack" to keep it from sliding off to Timbuktu with the littlest bump from a sleeve. And life is SO much better when your blue and red strips are not unwittingly strewn across the floor!

#2 - Round the corners of your cards. This can go for any vocab/reading classification cards that are used frequently in the classroom. Rounding each corner (with scissors after lamination) helps when the children are replacing the cards in their pouch - corners are less likely to get caught and bent in the process.

xo,
Meg

Leaf Shape Cards

Today we're heading off to Mexico City for mini-vacation! I thought I'd leave you with some photos of my current materials project:

Hand-embroidered felt pouch for my leaf shape cards, which I bought at Montessori for Everyone.
I'm not quite done. I still need to finish the blanket stitch on the back panel and attach a loop and button closure. (I found some great leaf buttons at Craft Connection.)

I'll be back on Tuesday night, so don't expect to hear much from me until then! I hope to be having lots of fun and to be thinking about Montessori not-so-much. Everyone needs a break once in a while! Happy Mothers Day to all.

Peace,
Meg

Butterfly 3-part cards and reading classification

If you haven't already, check out Karla's photos at our Yahoo group (the brown box in the side bar.) She's put together a really great "Days of the Week" reading classification exercise, along with a control of error accordion booklet.

Also, a BIG THANKS to Helga for sending me some beautiful butterfly 3-part cards to share with the rest of you! I have uploaded them (as a Word file) to my Box.net files under Classified Cards - Butterflies. Click on the blue "View My Files" box to access and download.

Keep the great ideas coming!

Peace,
Meg

Who Am I? Cards and Composers Definition Stages

I've written up a set of Who am I? cards to go with the instruments of the orchestra and composer materials. Download by clicking on the Box.net "View My Files" button in the side bar. Print them out, write the answer on the back and laminate. Easy-peasy.

I've also written definition stages that feature 5 composers. This material should also be directly downloadable under the "Composers" folder at the "View My Files" button. The photos are there as well. You will need to print off two sets of the photos, cut them out, and paste them onto card stock.

Here's the pretty composer definition stages pouch made using Karla's tutorial.


I spent the majority of the day laminating and cutting (my husband arrived from his U.S. sojourn with two cartridges of laminate for my Xyron 900!) I went to the local stationary store and had the control books bound. I think I'm about all set with the music curriculum. I was even able to put some fitting music note buttons on as closures to some of the pouches. The only items left on my list are:

1.) Design and make CD pouches for the World Music Curriculum.
2.) Make pouches for the Who Am I? cards.
3.) Buy the world music instrument 3-part cards from Michael Olaf (one day!)


A note to those of you downloading this material. I use a font called Monotype Corsiva. If you don't have it on your computer, the formatting might be messed up. If this is the case, look to install the font or simply highlight the text and change the font to one available to you.

I can't wait to share with you some of the incredible material-making supplies my husband brought back with him ... more on this later! Oh, and a warm welcome to all the Montessori teachers of Nashville, Tennessee! Thanks to Debi for telling them about the blog at their meeting!

Peace,
Meg

Composers

More music paraphernalia - this time I get to show off my audio editing skills! I hope my husband reads this post, because he will have to take back all that he said about me being a bit "slow" when it comes to the computer. Ha!

At the "View My Files" button in the side bar, your will find some more files: Composers 3-part cards and sound clips. Sound clips! Whoopee! Music isn't about pictures, folks, its about MUSIC! So why in the world would you have composer cards (or instrument cards) without listening to songs written by them? Et voila! Here you have it: 18 clips of songs by the 18 composers on the cards, edited with fade-ins and fade-outs.

The child puts on the disc (almost 16 minutes total running time) and spreads out the picture cards (without names) on a rug. She then picks the photo of the composer while listening to the part of his song. At the end, she can check her work to see if she matched correctly. (Number the composer photos from 1-18 in order of appearance on the CD.) If you copy directly from the folder to the left, the order will be:

1- Dvorak
2- Prokofiev
3- Beethoven
4-Ravel
5- Bach
6- Pachelbel
7- Chopin
8- Mozart
9- Rachmaninoff
10- Miles Davis
11- Verdi
12- Debussy
13- Scott Joplin
14- Gershwin
15- Copeland
16- Bernstein
17- Vivaldi
18- Tchaikovsky

Also label the back of the name cards . This is a more advanced exercise for children who are already reading. They match the names only to the CD track.

Be sure when burning the CD that you burn it with individual tracks with a 2-second pause between each.

Of course, this puts a whole new spin on how you present these composers to the children. No more will they wonder why in the world you are showing them pictures of goofy looking men and telling them their names. Now you can present the names of the composers to the child with the audio. Present 2-3 composers and clips at a time.

You might have guessed by now, but music is really my "thing." I love all of the Cultural Areas of the curriculum, but music has a special place in my heart. I've always been a singer and I dabble in guitar and piano. When I was a teenager I was classically trained, but all that theory, voice and passion now manifests itself in singing La Bamba with a group of dancin' 3-6 year olds. So worth it!


xo,
Meg

Instrument Families Definition Stages

For your downloading enjoyment, I present:

Definition Stages material for the instrument families. The Word file is available to members of the Yahoo group, and the photos (also in Word format) can be downloaded at the "View My Files" button under "Definition States photos." Please ignore the extra photo-montage of the special instruments. Just leave them out. It makes more sense with just the four main categories.

Check out Karla's awesome tutorial to make the definition stages pouch. I lined mine with black silk dupion. The orchestra fabric (rad!) I found a while back at Craft Connection. My cards are still waiting to be laminated, and the pouch is patiently waiting for my husband to return from the US with my new button stash.
Here's how my 3-part card modified duvet turned out for the instruments.


Also, make sure to check out the 3-part cards for the BEACH! that Debi downloaded for the Yahoo group. Thanks for contributing! Anyone else? :)

Instruments of the Orchestra!!!

I've been wanting to design this material for quite some time, and it's finally done! It took me a while to find the components I needed to make an audio/visual exercise where the children matched an audio clip of the instrument to a photo of that instrument. You can download this material by clicking on the "View My Files" box.net button in the side bar. I will also be sharing a tutorial on how to make the CD/card book shown below:



The catalyst in this endeavor was ordering the following CD from Montessori Services. "Peter Ustinov reads The Orchestra" provided me with clips of each instrument organized by instrument families: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and special instruments. Previously I had contacted various symphony orchestras to ask if they could provide the clips that I needed, but to no avail.

I highly encourage you to order the entire CD, and if you are a parent, to get the book that accompanies it. For those of you who can't afford it or live outside the United States, I have uploaded to Box.net (see sidebar) the five excerpts you will need for this exercise. Please download these only if you really can't afford the CD.

Once you have the CD, burn copies of each "song," from numbers 5-9, on a separate CD. Does this make sense? For example, you will have "The String Family" on one CD, "The Brass Family" on another, etc.

Also, print off the Word file available at Box.net that contains the accompanying 3-part cards of photos of the instruments. Both the aforementioned files are in the folder "Instruments of the Orchestra." I suggest printing the cards on hefty cardstock. For this particular audio/visual exercise, you will need the cards without labels. (The control cards and labels are also included in the file. To store them, I'm planning on making the modified card duvet with the same instrument fabric.) On the back of each picture card, you will need to write the instrument family to which it belongs, and the number of the order in which it is heard on the CD. This serves as the control of error. For example, the clarinet card would have on the back:

The Woodwind Family - 5

When the child finishes, she can turn over the picture cards and check if the numbers are in order. The family name is important because the children can do a sorting exercise with the cards as well. Write up labels for each of the families. The child places the labels on the top of a rug and mixes up all the photo cards, sorting them into their families under the labels. The family name is the control of error for this exercise.

Here's how to make the CD book. I used a "fat quarter" of instrument fabric I ordered a while back at Craft Connection and 3/4 yard of golden silk dupion. (Elegant!) Unfortunately, the golden silk doesn't photograph well on the clunker of a camera, but what does?

Cut one outer fabric (the instruments) and one liner fabric to 43cm x 35cm. Then cut 5 strips of the liner fabric to 9cm x 35 cm.

On each of the strips, fold a long edge 1/4 in toward the wrong side of the fabric and press. Fold over once more (1/4 in) and press. On 4 strips, fold over the opposite long edge 1/4 in and press toward the wrong side. The one strip that is left without a fold is the bottom strip, which will be caught within the seam and finished when you attach the liner to the outer fabric.

Stitch each strip along the double folded edge. Press each strip after stitching.

Arrange the five strips, stitched side up, on the large piece of liner fabric. Check to see that five CDs and the cards fit.
Pin the top strip about 9cm down from the top. Sew along three sides, leaving the finished seam unattached. Make sure you catch the 1/4 in fold on the bottom in your stitching. This leaves a nice finished edge on the bottom that won't unravel. Press. Attach the next strip in the same manner, pressing after each strip.
With right sides facing, pin inner pocket lining to outer fabric. Using a 1/2 in seam, stitch pieces together. At the top of the book, machine baste the seam. This will eventually be ripped open for turning.
Trim corners and edges and press open the top, machine-basted area. Use a seam ripper to open. Turn the whole thing inside out and press once again.

Fold in half with the pockets facing out. Using pins, mark the center of the book. Starting from the bottom, stitch a seam to the top, using the pins as guides. Be sure that the open, pressed edge is folded toward the inside, and caught in this middle seam.

Cut 2 pieces of cardboard for a snug fit. Insert, and hand stitch closed.


That's it! It's pretty simple to make. I will put some cute music note closures on it when my husband gets back from the US with all of the goodies I ordered from Reprodepot and Craft Connection. You could put a snap closure on this or a bow closure - whatever floats your boat.

Hope you enjoy!

Meg

The Five Senses

Definition States for the Five Senses are available for download (Word document at Yahoo, photos at Box.net.) Each card is 14 cm x 14 cm. I cropped the photos to fit, then laminated the cards. You can go to any office supply store and they can bind your control booklet for you.


I love this photo:
And this one:
I am also making available my pictures to go with the Land and Water Forms Definition Stages that are already available at the Yahoo group. I hope you find the real photos more appealing than abstract paper cut-outs!
Okay, I must make myself stop this material making for at least an evening ... it is my birthday, after all! Oh, and a happy vernal equinox to y'all.

Big News - Music and Photo files available!!!

Over the years, I have collected quite a number of songs from around the world. Those of you who I trained with know that I put together a preliminary set of music organized by continent intended for use much like the continent photo folders. This preliminary set has grown to include music from Oceania, children's music from around the world, and many more songs that are representative of their continent. Today, I am so excited to announce that these music files are now available for you to download here at Box.net! The sets are sufficient for you to compile one to two mix CD's to place in the classroom. Right now, my CD's are displayed in the shown fabric "case," classified by the continent color and an appliquéd cutout of the continent. Within the next few weeks I will put together a tutorial on how to make a similar case for your set.
My students LOVE this work, and it really enriches the study of geography. Soon, they come to hum the songs on their own ... songs that they would have never been exposed to before. Here in Mexico, the children love the songs from Asia and the Middle East. And unlike photos or objects from other countries, songs become the child's OWN, to take with him and recall at any time. Before you know it, a song that at one time seemed different and strange becomes normal and part of one's self. How wonderful would it be for the children of the world to absorb and appreciate each other's music from a tender age, so they are no longer so "different?" And, as we know, it is much easier to hate or declare war on a people we don't know or understand. Music is one important step to understanding other cultures.

In addition, I have posted photos for classified card sets at Box.net. Most of the fruit photos I took myself, while the majority of the vegetables are photos that I downloaded from this free stock photo website. I am also compiling photos to go with the Land and Water Forms Definitions Stages that Karla uploaded to the Montessori By Hand Yahoo group. I also have plans to upload photos for transportation cards and musical instruments when I have the chance. Keep checking back!

Anyone can access and download these files ... you don't need to be a member of the Yahoo group. A permanent link is provided to the right in the sidebar. Once at Box.net, scroll over the file icon and click on the plus sign, which gives you the option to download. You DO NOT need to sign up on Box.net, in fact, I suggest you don't ... you would need to pay $10.

Please let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions!

The Name Game

Reading Classification with a twist ...
I've been writing the names of the children on small pieces of paper like I would do for any other "labeling the environment" exercise. However, it's always a bit of a pain ... where to the children put those little pieces of precious paper? In a pocket to get crumpled and forgotten? On the table where it could fall on the floor? Here's the solution, an idea from my head of school, Adriana de la Vega.


I wrote out the name of every child (and teacher) in the environment, laminated them with my Xyron 900, punched a whole in the top, and threaded and tied a thin ribbon to each label. Now, instead of the labels getting lost or forgotten, the child places her name around her neck until the reading child is finished with the work.

This requires a grace and courtesy lesson on how to ask the receiving child if she wishes to wear her name around her neck, and how to gently place the necklace over the head. It's also a wonderful way to introduce capital letters and to expose the non-reading child to meaningful text. I've heard many "My name begins with 'm,' or "Look, Sofia's name has an 'a' in it, too!"

I suggest wrapping the ribbon around the name and tucking it in for secure storage. This is part of the presentation.