In Our Pond

I was very surprised in my watermelon homeschooling research that I never ran across a watermelon life cycle printable.  There's plenty of stuff for apples, pumpkins, and beans, but I couldn't even find clip art the illustrated the process.  When I decided to use real life pictures, Montessori-style, I had a lot of trouble even finding images for each step.  These cards are a labor of love to my readers and my family, and I was very excited when I finished them. Like most of my Montessori-inspired printables, these cards are meant to be used in a 3-part matching activity.  Download the PDF and print off two copies of the watermelon images.  To make them into a 3-part cards, cut out the cards, separating the pictures from the label on one set, while keeping the other ones whole.  The child can then match the pictures to the pictures and the labels to the label. > > > Click Here to Download Cards < < < This is a subscriber-o...

We're preparing as a family for a road trip to the Oregon Coast, which will include a short field trip to a fish hatchery.  In the Northwest USA, trout and salmon are some of our most common fish for eating.  Because they're a popular fishing target, they have human help for reproduction to restock the lakes, rivers, and streams.  We're hoping to learn a little about that process (and see a huge, old sturgeon) when we visit the hatchery. In anticipation of our trip, I wanted to start gathering some resources for learning about freshwater fish (look for more in the near future).  To start, I grabbed these science books about them, focusing on their life cycles and ecology of the forest.  I also included a few toys, because I couldn't resist. Magic School Bus goes Upstream   ⚈   Run, Salmon, Run Trout, Trout, Trout   ⚈   Bull Trout's Gift   ⚈   Salmon Forest Butternut Hallow Pond   ⚈  ...

The grass is finally green in our yard, and the children's days are filled with jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes, and bug hunting.  Already, the children have been bringing me "baby" earthworms to see, and we've evacuated a yellow jacket from our home.  Soon, the local beekeeper will have his hives out in his yard, and we'll be able to watch the bees swarm home in the evening. It's springtime!  Time to grab the bug hunting supplies and get outside! Critter Case    ⧫   Bug Vacuum and Cage    ⧫   Bug Catching Kit Bug Net    ⧫   Sunny Bug House    ⧫   Worm Farm Cargo Vest    ⧫   Magnifying Glass    ⧫    Spider   ⧫    Giant Bugs Bug Playground    ⧫   Bug Watch with Containers Backyard Exploration Kit    ⧫  Monarch Butterfly    ⧫    Safari Hat Worm Life ...

After I made the ladybug life cycle cards  last month, I was inspired to do a bit more with ladybug things.  I have a blog post coming up next month with lots of ideas for learning about many different insects.  I may also be adding a few more ladybug things soon (so watch the blog for them).  Today, I wanted to focus on some of the awesome content that other bloggers have produced, specifically ones that can be used for a ladybug themed study unit. @Entomart via Wikipedia Commons Random Facts about Ladybugs: - called ladybugs or ladybirds, but they're not bugs, they're beetles - carnivorous beetles who eat aphids - great for your garden as long as they're native to your area - there are more than 5000 species in the world - they come in many different colors and patterns - the brighter their color, the more toxic they are - mama ladybugs lay extra eggs (unfertilized) for larvae food Ladybug Math Facts for 10 // Look We're Learning ...

Although the grass is green, the Pacific Tree Frogs haven't yet made their appearance.  Catching frogs is my kids' favorite activity.  They anticipate it all winter long and start looking for them as soon as the weather gets above freezing. My kids already know a lot about frogs from keeping them in our home and talking about them all year long, but I wanted to team up with the Kid Blogger Network this spring to explore even more ideas for learning about frogs.  There are Montessori-inspired ideas, food crafts, printables, sensory play, crafts, and more.  Scroll down to see all the awesome ideas! Safari Ltd Life Cycle Set   ⧫   Frog Anatomy Model   ⧫   Frog Stages Paperweight Incredible Creatures Bullfrog   ⧫   Life Cycle of a Frog book Croaking Frog Instrument   ⧫   Wide Mouth Frog book Frog Figurines Tube   ⧫    Critter Cage   ⧫  Tadpole Kit Critter Ha...

Today is World Penguin Day!  Although most of the world is thinking of springtime and waving good-bye to snow, April 25th has been set aside by the people who decide these sorts of things as a day to honor penguins!  I thought this would be a great day to do a penguin post with Mr. Poppers Penguins  and ideas for activities to do while listening to the story being read aloud. My kids and I just completed our very first read aloud novel- Tuck Everlasting .  They knew the musical songs from listening to the cast album with me.  As we read the book, the kids and I would intersperse the text with snippets of songs.  It was a great way to engage their imaginations more and keep them focused on the parts of the story they already knew.  During the times when we weren't listening to the story, they wanted to listen to the music or talk about their "friend" Winnie Foster.  It was such a special time that I was eager to begin our next book. ...