We recently concluded our First Great Lesson part 3 which is all about the space and the solar system. We were able to reuse our material of Space History Cards which I made years ago because Mavi was asking me all about how did NASA came to be.
Showing posts with label Mavi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mavi. Show all posts
Study of Star Constellation Maps for Kids
Saturday, July 4, 2015
To appreciate the study of stars and outer space, we looked into the star constellation maps and understand how people of long time ago interpreted them. As we all know, constellations were made up by astronomers, travelers, farmers and ancient people to identify stars: basically to tell the directions, seasons and weather. So Mavi and I explored some of the known constellations, learned when and where they appear and identified their brightest star.
Our materials for the study include homemade star constellation maps and Fantacolor pegboard.
The cards are so easy to prepare: black cardstock, silver or gold star stickers and a silver/gold marker.
The Fantacolor pegboard was used by Mavi to recreate each constellation…
…and identify their brightest stars.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polestar (Big Dipper, Small Dipper and Polestar)
Taurus
Cygnus
We are continuously learning about space. Currently, we’re looking at the chronological timeline of space exploration history and how space shuttles work. This has been a very fruitful topic for Mavi, and I am learning a lot as well! More posts about Space Study coming up in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, GooglePlus, Twitter and Pinterest for updates and freebies!
Our materials for the study include homemade star constellation maps and Fantacolor pegboard.
The cards are so easy to prepare: black cardstock, silver or gold star stickers and a silver/gold marker.
The Fantacolor pegboard was used by Mavi to recreate each constellation…
…and identify their brightest stars.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polestar (Big Dipper, Small Dipper and Polestar)
Scorpius
Common Name | The Scorpion |
This constellation contains some of the most spectacular stars, nebulae and star clusters. Closest to Milky Way | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Southern Hemisphere |
Best time to see | After sunset of April to September |
Brightest Star | Antares |
Leo
Common Name | The Lion |
Lies afar from the band of Milky Way. | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Northern Hemisphere |
Best time to see | After sunset of February to June |
Brightest Star | Regulus |
Sagittarius
Common Name | The Archer |
This has a vivid constellation and lies in the southern half of the sky. It is rich in star clusters and nebulae. This constellation shines brightly because the middle of the Milky Way lies in its borders. | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Southern Hemisphere |
Best time to see | After sunset of July to October |
Brightest Star | Kaus Australis |
Orion
Common Name | The Hunter |
This is the brightest and most popular constellations in the entire sky. It is exceptional since it can be seen from both the North and South Poles. | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Mid Latitude |
Best time to see | After sunset of December to March |
Brightest Star | Rigel |
Taurus
Common Name | The Bull |
The constellation looks like the front of a mighty bull charging towards the Orion. | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Northern Hemisphere |
Best time to see | After sunset of November to February |
Brightest Star | Aldebaran |
Cygnus
Common Name | The Swan |
This constellation contains many fascinating stars and nebulae. The pattern creates a distinct cross (known also as the Northern Cross) | |
Visible from | Worldwide |
Location | Northern Hemisphere |
Best time to see | After sunset of July to November |
Brightest Star | Deneb |
We are continuously learning about space. Currently, we’re looking at the chronological timeline of space exploration history and how space shuttles work. This has been a very fruitful topic for Mavi, and I am learning a lot as well! More posts about Space Study coming up in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, GooglePlus, Twitter and Pinterest for updates and freebies!
Montessori Inspired Clock and Time Activities (with FREE Cards)
Sunday, June 28, 2015
A few weeks ago, Mavi brought home some homework about clocks and time reading. I knew then that we should at least have a brief discussion about the clock and telling time as it has been years since we had a clock activity.
Clock Nomenclature Cards with Borders are from here. You can get the learning clock from here.
We then moved on to our workbooks for more practice on writing time. Have I mentioned before that Mavi enjoys using workbooks? Oh yes he does!
Click this link for your FREE Simple Hour Clock cards.
Reading and Writing Time
Using my latest clock nomenclature cards and workbooks, we reviewed how to read and write the time, compared the difference between analogue and digital clocks and the relevance of time in our lives.Clock Nomenclature Cards with Borders are from here. You can get the learning clock from here.
We then moved on to our workbooks for more practice on writing time. Have I mentioned before that Mavi enjoys using workbooks? Oh yes he does!
Learning AM and PM
In addition, I asked him to make a record of his daily routine. Like, what time does he wakes up, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner… till he sleeps. He’s very excited about this! I can’t wait to see that routine record and share it with you.Other Clock and Time Activities
Click this link for your FREE Simple Hour Clock cards.
Ultimate Collection of Practical Life Activities (Part One)
Thursday, June 18, 2015
“Practical life or real work activities, along with the development of language, may well be the most important work in the first six years of life. By means of these activities the child learns to make intelligent choices, to become physically and mentally independent and responsible. He learns to concentrate, to control muscles, to act with care, to focus, to analyse logical steps, and complete a cycle of activity. This lays the groundwork for sound mental and physical work throughout life.” – Susan Mayclin Stephenson, CHILD OF THE WORLD
Scooping Pasta
Materials:
- bowls
- pasta
- spoon
Spooning Rice
Materials:
- bowls
- rice
- tablespoon
Whisking
Materials:
- bowl
- whisk
- something to whisk (liquid or powder)
Latches
Materials:
- Melissa & Doug Latches Wooden Activity Board
- Melissa & Doug Locks and Latches Board Wooden Educational Toy
Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers
Materials:
- Melissa & Doug Farm Wooden Chunky Puzzle (8 pcs)
- Melissa & Doug Farm Animals Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle
Shape Punching
Materials:
- SiCoHome Paper Punches,Pack of 3,Heart,Circle,Star
- Paper Punch Hole Puncher -- (3 PACK Circle Maple Leaf Retro Flower)
Roller Painting
Materials:
- paint rollers (Rimobul Artist Studio Sponge Painters - Set of 6)
- non-toxic washable paints (Crayola Kids' Paint Washable, Assorted Colors 6 Bottle, Crayola 6 Count 8 oz. Washable Kids Finger-paints features 3 Bold Primary colors & 3 Bright Secondary colors)
- painting paper
Sharpening Pencils
Materials:
- pencils
- handheld pencil sharpener
Spooning water
Materials:
- bowls
- liquid medium
- spoon
Garlic Press
Materials:
- garlic press
- garlic (or foam)
Paper Clips
Materials:
- paper clips
- bundles of paper
Lacing
Materials:
- Melissa & Doug Primary Lacing Beads with 30 Beads and 2 laces
- Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Lacing Beads with 27 Beads and 2 Laces
Nuts and Bolts
Materials:
- nuts and bolts (Melissa & Doug Take-Along Tool Kit Wooden Construction Toy, Jumbo Nuts and Bolts Set with Backpack by Skoolzy)
Clamping using Pegs
Materials:
- clothespin
- bowl/s
Color Sorting using Chopstick
Materials:
- chopsticks (Training chopsticks for kids, adults, and beginners)
- sorting tray (Learning Resources Sorting Muffin Pans)
- counters (Bug Counters Set of 72)
Sponge Painting
Materials:
- sponge
- non-toxic paint (Crayola Kids' Paint Washable, Assorted Colors 6 Bottle)
Painting using Brushes
Materials:
- paint brushes (Crayola Paint Brush Set)
- non-toxic paint (Crayola 6 Count 8 oz. Washable Kids Finger-paints features 3 Bold Primary colors & 3 Bright Secondary colors)
Gluing
Materials:
- papers
- different glue types (Elmer's Disappearing Purple School Glue, Elmer's Liquid School Glue Washable)
Glitter Glue
Materials:
- glitter glues (Elmer's Liquid Glitter Glue Washable)
- paper with lines
Using a Fork
Materials:
- fork
- package foams
Transferring using a Chopstick
Materials:
- chopsticks (Training chopsticks for kids, adults, and beginners)
- sorting tray (Learning Resources Sorting Muffin Pans)
- pompoms (Creativity Street Bright Hues Pom Poms)
Transferring using a Tweezer
Materials:
- pom poms (Creativity Street Bright Hues Pom Poms)
- tweezers (Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set)
Transferring Glass Beads using Jumbo Tweezer
Materials:
- jumbo tweezers
- glass/crystal beads
Transferring Glass Beads using Tweezer
Materials:
- tweezers (Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set)
- glass/crystal beads
Sticking
Material:
- assorted stickers
- paper
If you are looking for more ideas you might want to check the Ultimate Collection of Practical Life Activities (Part Two).
Complete Guide to Insect Study for Grade-Schoolers
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
We just concluded our study of insects and oh boy, both Mavi and Vito had a wonderful time learning all about these creatures! We’re having zoology (animal study) for this month (12 Months of Montessori Series) and I’m going to give you a complete guide on how to study insects with your kids.
What is an insect?
Start your unit study by learning what is an insect. Put it simply, it is an animal that has 6 legs with segmented bodies. And yes please, spiders are definitely NOT insects. Now for Mavi to have a wider understanding of this subject, I've set up a sorting activity of the 4 major groups of the Arthropods. Since we've done this last year, Mavi has a prior knowledge of the difference between insects and spiders. He got confused with the crab though, if its either arachnids or crustaceans LOL. Initially he placed it in the Arachnids These animal figures were from Safari Toob Insects and Insect Lore.
The Life Cycle of an Insect
Now after learning about the animals that belong to the insect family, we looked into the life cycles of an insect. Here we talked about the insects that undergo “complete metamorphosis” and those with “incomplete metamorphosis”. Note complete metamorphosis means, it has the stages of: egg-larva-pupa-adult.
Parts of an Insect
We also learned about the different parts of an insect. I have a separate post on this one and you read it here or click the image below.
Insect Habitats and Bug Hunting
I created guides on hunting insects in different habitats. We have insects found in woodlands (in the forest), those found in rivers and lakes, the ones found everywhere and in the meadows/fields. We used these guides as we go “bug hunting”.
We were able to catch a few insects like ladybird (escaped from our net after a few hours), this unidentified insect in the outdoor stairs and ants.
Vito was fascinated with ants! He also had a separate insect study for toddlers.
Previous Post on Insects
- The World of Arthropods Part One
- The world of Arthropods Part Two
- FREE Arthropods Chart
- Insect Activities for Preschooler
- Life Cycle of a Butterfly for Preschoolers
- Grasshoppers
- Parts of a Ladybird
- Life Cycle of a Ladybug
If you need some learning materials about insects you can also buy the following from my printable shop:
The Arthropods Learning Pack
The Insect
The Ant
The Grasshopper
The Dragonfly
This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori Learning which is hosted by Natural Beach Living and The Natural Homeschool.
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