Montessori By Mom Review

Montessori by Mom Review

by me, of course

I don't know if any of you have heard of this company called Montessori by Mom. I have pining and ogling over it for a while. It's part of the new fad of monthly subscriptions where a kit is sent to you every month. Montessori By Mom is obviously a Montessori kit for kids age 3-6 years old. Each month is themed with 6-8 projects for your child to do. They also give you a variety of buying options if you don't want to do the monthly subscriptions. If you mosey onto their website and click on their store you can buy any of their past kits or even just pieces of kits. They even have refills if you kids loved it and you want more or maybe you have more then one kid you want to use it but don't want to buy multiple kits. 

Well this month I ordered my first Kit and man can I just say I love LOVE LOOOOVE it!

Let me show you what we got this month....

• 4 plastic toy dinosaurs
• play dough mix
• plaster mix
• a bag of rock shaped crayons
• dinosaur stenciles 
• a wooden dinosaur puzzle
• game cards
• game mat
• dinosaur poster to hang
• real fossil in wooden case
• a excavation kit with bones inside to make on of 4 different dinosaurs

November Dinosaur Discovery

Well we started the box out super excited. (original I got this for Princess to use during her down time when I am working with Monkey on school, but the both loved playing with it) First Princess looked through all the stuff and introduced the plastic dinosaurs (with their egg babies <the rock crayons>) to her toys. Then she had a good hour of make-believe play with them before I couldn't wait any longer. I was really excited to get started. 

Next was excavation time. They took turns on this one. I just ran a line down the center and they each had their own side to chisel. We worked on this, rotating every 10mins, for over an hour. We have done that for three days now (not in a row) and we have almost discovered all our bones. I love how this has taken such a long time. Really helps them to work at a goal.

While one bear was working on the fossils the other was using the rock crayons and stencils making different dinos. Monkey was really excited to explore the difference between the larger fossil sketch and the smaller picture of dino...Princess loved that it was a Mommy and her baby in every pic...whatever makes them happy. Of course they then could color them in afterwards....nothing better then kids making their own coloring pages! We haven't yet, but I am hoping to use this to segway into more crayon rubbing activities such as leaves or maybe grave stones.

Stencils only lasted one day of fossil digging the next day Princess way ready to dive into the wooden puzzle during her break time from chiseling and Monkey like to look at the real -that's right REAL- fossil that came with the kit and learning about how fossils form via google

We also played this awesome matching game....I think the website list 5 different games you can play with them. Princess also like to match her new little dino buddies up with their cards.

Next we were ready to make some fossils of our own. First we made some Dino play dough. Then we made impressions with our new dino buddies that came in the kit and poured plaster over the top of the impressions. (step by step video on their website) 

They loved that they made their own fossils. Even better with the kit you have enough plaster to make two rounds of fossils (two dino impressions in each round) We did one and are saving the other for later this month during some down time.

My Thoughts on this Company

SO the only reservations I had on this company was the price of the kits. It is on the more expensive side and I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on a box of "crafts and activities". Now that I have it (which I got my first box $10 off with this awesome coupon AFFSAHA) I can tell you this is 100% worth every penny! The quality of everything that comes in this box is amazing. It is something that will not only entertain your kids for a whole month (not just last a day), but it can be kept and used over and over again. Of course some of the items can't be used again, like the block we excavated, but the bones in it can be kept as a 3D puzzle. I took all the things we can reuse and bought this plastic tub from Target and it all fit nicely. I will easily be able to stack a few of these on a shelf for the kids to get to and play with whenever they want. 

This is what I loved!

• Like I said earlier...amazing quality! Everything is either heavy card stock (cards) or excellent quality plastic (won't break easily) or wooden (puzzle and box the real fossil came in). And it is all non toxic and safe for little ones.
• Will last all month and for much longer then that!.
• A variety of activity used to improve children's dexterity, knowledge, and abilities all while having fun.
• easy to follow directions, with step by step videos for all activities on their website.
• small Mom and Pop store....which I love to support. Let me tell you I have already spoken with them and they are super nice and extremely helpful.
• Everything is safe for kids...even Ninja, who is only 18months, happily played under my supervision <Not recommended for children under three due to choking hazard>
• They also add free printable each month to their website to go along with that months theme just in case your kids go through it too fast...mine have stayed plenty busy with the items in the box. 
• FREE shipping when you get a subscription which you can pause or stop at any time. 
• Finally, the hours of entertainment and the questions it has sparked in my kids this month alone is enough to spend a whole year learning on. It is an amazing addition to any homeschool curriculum or even just a weekend activities to get them out of that "Saturday morning <which really lasts all day> cartoons" 

Just in case you missed it, Use this code AFFSAHA to get $10 off your first Kit. 

Homeschooling through Media

There is a new fad going out there and I have to say its one I like:

Homeschooling through the media!

benefits to this type of homeschooling:

Cheap!

kids enjoy watching TV so why not have them learn at the same time

great supplementary to any curriculum; any subject!

Here is an introduction to get you started:

First off you might want to check out some homeschool Facebook group. This is a good basic one Homeschooling with Netflix. You can also find one for Amazon Prime, Ruku, Netflix for christian families, netflix for secular education....just decide what you want and search. 

If you don't already have subscription to any movie/tv show type things (amazon prime, roku, apple tv, netflix) then this is a good read for you to decide what is best. 

I personally have Amazon prime, I love it because of all the free shipping (its usually cheeper then you can buy in a store too) plus the amazon subscribe and save, plus all the music and movies and shows you can stream unlimited. I have the Mom subscription which is $79 a month. I also have books unlimited (which is like $5 a month)-really thats for me- and I am hoping to add kids unlimited shortly

We also have just added Netflix to our list of subscriptions. There is soooooooo many awesome educational shows on it. Right now we are working on our science unit so the kids are on a Magic School Bus kick. Its a good addition to netflix because even though there are some things that over lap their is a good variety on both so I am getting a wide spectrum of shows to choose from.

Both of these are easy to stream a variety of ways which is a big bonus for me. We can watch it on on tv with our PS4 or on my iPad or on the computer. having a variety of choices for watching is a big deal to me. 

Some other good links:

Homeschool with movies: you can look up different subjects and it will give you a list of shows and what you can watch it on

Homeschooling with Netflix: this is a list of shows by subject. So if you are looking for American history you just find it on the list and it will show all the movies/shows on netflix you can watch.

Pintrest Board: Life just wouldn't be the same without Pinterest! here is a board to a whole bunch of Netflix ideas for homeschooling. Here is Amazon prime and Netflix board.

The ultimate bonus to using these...

if you are sick, the house is a wreck,  or just having a bad day you don't have to prevent school from still going on. Take a movie day! The kids will love it and with these easy links you can find something that will work smoothly into what your already learning!

NOVEMBER DEALS!!!!

AWESOME DOTERRA DEALS FOR NOVEMBER

YOU CAN ONLY GET IT RIGHT HERE!

Free! Free! Free! 

That's right! For the month of November when you sign up as a wellness advocate with me not only will you be enrolled in doterra's awesome Loyalty Rewards program, and receive all your products at the discounted whole sale rate, you will also get a free professional facial using Doterra's skin care kit and scrub.

But that's not all!!

You will also receive a 15ml bottle of WILD ORANGE! (For the first 4 enrollees for the month of November)

Lastly...

You will also be one of the firsts to get your hands on this years special holiday catalog. Inside you will find awesome gift ideas for the whole family including the limited edition Holiday Joy Essential oil. (seriously I want it all...especially the car diffuser!)

Contact me before the month is up to get in on these amazing deals! 

Either click on the Doterra link to the right for my website, fb me, email me, or comment below!

Half way through Egypt

Half way through Egypt.

If you knew me as a child you will know I was kinda a nerd for Ancient Egypt. I even wanted to name my little girl Egypt when I grew up...just in case you are wondering, no Papa Bear didn't go for it.

So of course I was super excited when I learned that this year in our Latter Day Learning history curriculum Egypt would be one of the first things we studied. We are half way through our Egypt unit now so I thought I would give a little update for the sake of the grandparents.

Here are a few of the projects we have completed:

Mummies!!!!

We had some friends come over and make these with us (hence why there are 4 of them). It was pretty fun. In stead of the normal glue to make the modge podge to wrap the mummies in we mixed flour and water. It was still just as messy but didn't have to worry about little Ninja bear eating glue....after all he is a ninja! Once they were dried the kids painted them and added some glitter. 

We then proceeded to have a long talk: Yes Mummies are real...No they don't come back to life...
it was a hard concept for the kids to get, especially after watching The Mummy and The Mummy 2. According to Monkey, his head was about to explode after watching those two movies because it was so full of stuff about Egypt...go figure!

Scarabs!!!

Yesterday Princess and I made some clay scarab name seals. We had just finished a lesson on Hieroglyphs. Sadly Monkey was sick for this one (the flu made its way through the fam) so he made his today and its still drying. Apparently my art skills are not that good because Monkey thought I carved a picture of a Pirate and not a scarab....WHATEVER!
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ONE: we used self hardening clay, rolled it in a ball and carved her name on one side (backwards mind you) then squished it flat. Then we carved the bug on the other side but you can decorate it however you want. Then once dry just lightly coat the back side in paint and stamp.

Papyrus

Today, to go along with our study of Egyptian writing, we attempted to make papyrus. It, sadly, was a failed attempt. I wanted to use corn husks because I thought that would be more realistic. The husk is to thick though and doesn't ever mash together just breaks into a million pieces when you try to pound it together. Next time we will just use strips of real paper. 

But with all the strips of corn husk pre-soaked we couldn't let it go to waste so we made some corn husk dolls. 

Books we have been reading:

books that are apart of our Latter day learning lessons:

Pyramid (I got it free as an Ebook)

Story of the World vol 1

Ancient Egypt 

Mummies Made in Egypt

These are books we are reading on our own:

A Cry from Egypt (we are reading this as a family)

Mummies in the Morning (Aj has been reading this)

Ancient Egypt tales of Gods and Pharaohs (reading together, highly recommend for younger kids!)

 

20 Homeschool Devotionals

I have been collecting a list of different morning devotionals. I have done my best to post them all here. If you have one you use and love please add it to the comments and I will add it to the list. 

These are meant to be for use in homeschool but of course can be used for any family scripture studies.

Scripture Reading Charts

1. Old Testament: Great for all ages

2. New Testament: Great for all ages

3. Book of Mormon: Great for all ages

4. Book of Mormon: This one is great for younger kids. One page per book in the Book of Mormon. This way it is broken down into smaller goals. 

Scripture Journals

5.Book of Mormon study pages: From the Red Headed Hostess so you know its good! (I would say good for upper Elementary age and up)

6. Book of Mormon Studies: Great for ages 10 and up or reading through the Book of Mormon for the first time on their own.

7. Scripture-study Sam: This is good for younger kids. Have them make the hand out and use each "situation" as a journal prompt, you can also have them practice handwriting by writing the scripture given in their journal. Ages 4-8

8. Illustrated Scriptures Journal: This is probably my favorite idea and can't wait to start doing it when the kids are older. She uses the illustrated scriptures that you can get from the distribution center. Each day you read the scripture under one picture then she has a journal prom to go along with it. She has also made some awesome printouts that you can print on labels and stick at the top of each journal entry. THIS IS MY TOP PICK!!!
9. Scripture Journal Printouts: A whole bunch of printouts and ideas to look through
10. Walk Beside Me: You could use the scripture story, verse, and song each morning for your devotional. for PrK-K aged kids.

Other Devotionals
11. Prayer Journal: A daily prayer journal printout. Great for any age.
12. Article of Faith Posters: We use these every morning. I think It is great for younger kids just being introduced to the Articles of Faith but of course can be use for all primary age kids.
13. Preach My Gospel Generation: This is what we are currently using. It follows along with Preach my Gospel. Each day you read a small section then you pick a video link to watch that goes along with it. It is perfect for younger children because the video is an awesome visual aid to help them understand the basic principles of the gospel. You could also use this for older children and have them write a journal entry each day or even as a prep for a pre-missionary aged child.
14. Armor Your Children: This is a devotional series that is meant for kids before leaving for school but of course it is adaptable for homeschooling also. Great for Elementary aged children.

Christmas Devotionals
15. Armor Your Children Christmas Edition: again, a short devotional each morning, meant for before sending the kids off to school but also great if you need a quick devotional
16. Christmas Symbols: Week long devotional (or could do one each week) with scriptures that explains the reason for christmas decorations.
17. 24 Day Advent Scripture reading: A scripture story that leads up to Christ's birth. (Bible only)
Truth in the Tinsel: This is more of an extended devotional. Each one comes with a craft. We did a few of them last year and really enjoyed it. Each craft can be put on the tree so it makes it fun to see all the ordainments you made. It isn't a quick devotional though it will take time to plan and do but totally worth it.
18. 24 Days of a Mormon Christmas: I really enjoy this one. We do it every year, though we have never gotten all the way through it. It does add the Book of Mormon Scriptures of Christ's Birth along with the Bible ones.
19. Tell Me The Stories Of Jesus: This is a simple quick one. Great for younger kids.
20. The Jesus Tree: Haven't tried this but looks fun. Similar to the truth is in the tinsel only seems like less prep and less time so might be good for those who need a quicker devotional but likes the idea of adding ordainments to a tree.

Great DEAL!!!

Thought I would share:
This book is only ONE DOLLAR right now on Scholastic Teacher Express. Its an ebook with easy printable pdfs. I love these little idea books to shake the mundane out of projects. AND you can't beat 1.00!!!

Crushed Tomatoes Canning

So if you are like most people starting out a garden for the first time you planted WAY too many tomato plants (I hear this all the time). What do you do with all those flippin' tomatoes!!! 

Well can them of course! Here is a super easy way to can some crushed tomatoes. Then you can use them all year long or right away. The first batch I made I didn't even bother to can but turned it into spaghetti sauce and canned that. It makes life a little easier for me to have spaghetti sauce on hand. 

If you have never canned before go here (someday there will be a link here) to learn some basics.

Crushed Tomatoes

Step 1: Pick yourself some good tomaters! I like to pick them just before they are all the way red and let them finish up on the counter. Still good this way and then you don't have to worry about bugs getting to them first.

Step 2: Get a big pot of boiling water going and next to it have a ice bath (culinary word of the day! ice bath: cold water with ice in it...very technical I know)

Step 3: once you got your water boiling (and I mean a rolling boil) drop your maters in.

Step 4: It will take a minute or two but soon you will see the skin starting to peel. When this happens, ladle them out and put them immediately into the ice bath. 

Step 5: Once they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and dice or crush to your own choosing. you could even leave them whole if you want. I like a pretty fine dice, but that's just me. 

Like I said, the first batch I turned into spaghetti sauce, which you can find the recipe here (again maybe someday there will be a link here) so I used them like you would any old can of crushed tomatoes that you crack open then processed the spaghetti sauce. 

Aren't they Pretty!

Step 5: If you are going to straight 'can' the crushed tomatoes then move along to the next steps with me. First Ladle them into your jars, I used a pint and a half Ball mason jars with a wide mouth. IF I was just going to put them in the freezer (for example my cream of whatever soup I don't really care what jar I use but for canning I always use Ball Mason Jars) Make sure you wipe the rims before topping with your processed lids. (boiled in hot water then kept warm till needed)

Step 6: Here you can do what you will. Some people like to add some salt to the top, I don't. I do add a splash of Lemon juice (1Tb per jar) and some sugar (1 tsp per jar) now I didn't add this to the ones I used right away, in fact I have canned crushed tomatoes without adding anything to it and it turned out just fine. Yes, the salt, sugar, and lemon will help the canning and preserving process but not vital if you are against it. I have never tried Honey or Agava substitute for the sugar so I don't know if that is a possibility. 

Step 7: Process in a bath of Hot boiling water. You want at least 2in of water covering the jars. Leave Jars to process (boil) for 50mins checking to make sure that there is still 2in covering the jars from time to time. 

Step 8: remove the Jars from the pot of boiling water. If there is one canning tool I say is a MUST for canning, is this jar lifter to get the jars out of the water without burning yourself

Step 9: Place on a towel and let it come to room temperature. Don't be tempted to re-screw the lids on (sometimes they get loose during the canning process) until 24hrs after taking them out of the bath, this may mess up the sealing process. After about 12hrs your cans should be set but some may take the whole 24hrs. Mine usually seal within the first 2hrs. You will know they sealed if you push down on the center of the lid and it doesn't pop back up. If they don't set refrigerate and use within a week or put in ziplock bags and freeze.

Now you have this fabulous finished product. Now you may be thinking WHOLEY CRAP! I DID SOMETHING WRONG! THE TOMATOES SEPARATED FROM THE WATER! Don't panic! The reason mine separated is because I did the spaghetti one day then threw the rest of my crushed tomatoes in the fridge until I was ready to can them. I did have to warm up my crushed tomatoes before canning them and this cooling then reheating process broke down the tomatoes more then if it was just straight canned. Like I said no biggie it's still ok! just give it a shake when its cool and all will be well again :)

IF this is your first time canning there are a few items I recommend getting. 

1. A large pot, I use a Granite Ware Steel/Porcelain water bath canner with rack (its cheep and you don't need anything fancy for starting out and the rack will help to lower the jars in) Someday I would like a pressure cooker because it opens up a whole new door of canning that can't be done in a water bath but baby steps...
2. A canning Kit (I have a Norpro 6 piece canning set but I don't think it is too big of a deal what you get) This will have your Jar lifter, wide mouth funnel, lid tighter, air bubble scrapper, tongs, and a magnet lid lifter.
3. Ball Dissolvable labels (These things are awesome! pretty labels and they wash off in the dishwasher)
4. Ball Mason Jars the size needed for what you are making

Crushed Tomatoes

aprox 3lb tomatoes peeled and crushed

1Tb lemon juice per pint and a half jar

1 tsp sugar per pint and a half jar

1 tsp salt (if desired)

Process in canner for 50-60minutes.