Continuing with our geography study, we did an Animal Habitats activity. I wanted to do a “formal” presentation for Pinky a while back; however, I never got the opportunity until now. My goal with this is to settle down the basic knowledge before starting to “formally” learn about each one of our Continents.

*Note that I wrote` the word formal between (“)…..this is because she had been exposed to these themes for quite a time now but we didn’t discuss, explore or manage them individually.

First we talked about land, water and air.

Then, we continued with the Biomes and the animals we find there. At Montessori Print Shop you can find a short description about each biome plus great animals photos that live in each. (link below)We have multiple atlas books that we used as a reference.

Pinky classifying her animals cards (from MPS).

 

Another activity we did was to classify our animals figurines by their habitats using a 8x 11 printable of each one. (So sorry I can’t remember where I got these. They are in French. However, they are easy to make just printing a 8x 11 photo from Google.

 

Animals Habitats

 

House (Safari pets toob)

 

Farm (farm animals toob)

 

Desert (Safari desert animals toob)

 

Ocean (ocean animals)

 

Rainforest- Jungle (rainforest animals toob)

Grassland (wild animals toob)

 

Tundra (Arctic-polar animals toob)

 

Air- Birds from our Bird unit (link below)

The last activity we did was one of Pinky’s favorite ones: using Stickers!!! She LOVE stickers and make up stories with them.

 

Check out these links for more activities or great printables:

• Animal Habitats cards from Montessori Print Shop.
• Animals habitats-Biomes from the Homeschool Den for free.
• For toddlers here is an animal habitat felt matching activity that is soooo cute!
• Free animal habitat printable activity with clipart.
• I found our animal habitats cards at Early learning with Marta and Eaton.
• Our Farm theme unit fun here.

                                     

• Our Birds theme unit over here.

                                     

Have fun!!!

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Well, sorry for been MIA, but my computer had a little chat with my delicious cup of tea. The result?? You know!!! No more computer for mommy after a scary noise coming from my ex-friend (computer). That means I lost my wonderful pictures of Pinky doing all her cuteness (well the last two months of pictures because I have the other ones on my book). I also lost some great printable and other documents. Yes, it happens when you don’t backup your computer that often. 

However, my darling husband bought me another one (just because he doesn’t want me near his Mac…lol). And here we are trying to figure it out how to add my blog to Windows live writer again. (It got me almost a week to deal with it…..just because I couldn’t remember my username and password…lol….)

So, lets talk better about beautiful, peaceful and smelly moments like: SPRING!!!

I am in love with tis season and fall, of course, because we don’t have all those changes back in Puerto Rico. I love to watch the trees, its flowers, the grass, the clouds, the sun, the fresh wind…oh my everything!!!

Pinky also has been so excited about Spring….we go to the playground more often until really late (just because mommy has to prepare dinner), we have picnics, we can discover different bugs around or just lay down on the grass talking (I just let Pinky to talk and I listen to her….it’s a very amazing moment, just listening to her, using words that I didn’t know she knows already, changing her features accordingly the theme, looking at those beautiful eyes lighting up with excitement, proud of herself, dreaming, loving, hoping….) Ooopsss……I am having a mommy moment…lol….I just get very grateful for having her….seeing how fast she is growing and blooming just like Spring!

Spring art using bandages, googly eyes and buttons

Cherry blossom craft: this idea has been around all Pinterest. Just pick up some sticks (one of Pinky’s favs activities) and glue (or in our case we used tape) tissue paper for pretending flowers). Creekside learning has a better explanation. 

Spring fingerprint art: It was mostly a Mommy’s activity since Pinky was more interested to play in the balcony….she just shared her fingers with me and went to play while mommy was having her relaxing moment drawing and coloring. Isn’t she so kind to share her fingerprints with her mommy???

Eggs are making her path through!!!…a bird nest!!!!!

We just tape feathers on the back of the eggs, glue some eyes and bottoms.

Our DIY Indoors Rainbow!!

Isn’t it so pretty and lovely….Every afternoon on mommy’s bedroom we get lucky to admire a rainbow on the ceiling….how’s that???? Just forget a DVD or CD on your window….so when the sun moves…you get to enjoy those pretty colors.

Happy SPRING 2012!!!

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Check my Pinterest boards for lots of kids friendly activities and crafts!!!

Here is what we have been doing in our new home….not just unpacking! It was a fun unit with lots of great activities to do. Oh yeah, sometimes mommy gets a little bit excited and wants to try everything she finds online or imagine. However, after almost 2 weeks with the same theme we just have to save for the next round! (We don’t do “school” everyday….we HAVE to play and go shopping...lol!)

Language:

Our Homemade- Parts of a bird puzzle- made of felt! I draw the bird on cardstock paper and Pinky colored each part. I just saved them (you can see the horse puzzle for our on-going farm theme) on a folder. Cheap and take less space! You can print out them at Montessori N' Such for free! (I was so lazy that preferred to draw them myself and don't have to connect the printer)

3 part cards- Parts of a bird (Sorry, I don’t remember from where are these!)

Update (Feb 2012): These cards are from Montessori Helper.

Plus these great activity (from Learning center world) where I read the statement and she just have to listen carefully in order to pick up the correct answer. I tried to turned into kind of Montessori by letting Pinky to use paper clips. (It was a little challenging at the beginning but she got it! And mommy got her proudly face on a pic!)

English/Spanish bird matching cards- I found these beautiful birds at a dollar store a few months ago (4/$1.00) and couldn’t help myself. So, I prepared these cards for a matching activity. Ok, it wasn’t a hit with Pinky! Also, she didn’t pay to much attention to them as a free play toy as she does with her farm or wild animals. (Maybe, those moments when she sees a real bird and shout: shoo, shoo birdie, go away!!! are saying something,,,lol) Maybe later??

Our homemade Beginning sound boxes are still an A plus!

Alphabet puzzle- practicing phonics. She loves to play “I spy”. We play saying: I spy a letter that says (letter sound)…and then she puts it on its place.

Sensorial-

Building a nest on the playground with pine tree leaves. The pinecone is mama bird and the rocks are her eggs. She had lots of fun! I love her concentration, plus the real birdies may have a new home!!

Tonging-

Egg carton and flamingoes from our Hawaii unit! Actually, Montessori Print Shop has a freebie of Flamingo 3-Part cards…I am saving them for our next round!

Tangrams-

Building an egg plus six different birds. It’s from Mathsticks.com! You need to open a free account.

Math-

We practiced some shapes pasting them on our book plus we counted birdies. Shape books from Time for tots. The bird counting cards are from the Birds unit from 1+1+1=1 and/or Homeschool creations.

Pre-writing-

Pinky’s getting better at making lines and after that, erasing them! Love those little hands at work!

Mix and Match Patterns with Plastic Eggs-

I don’t have any pic of this activity but I found it at Fun & Engaging Activities for Toddlers. I just grabbed 5 eggs from our Easter unit, mixed them, draw ovals on some index cards and colored. Easy!

We did more activities but I don’t have pictures since we were having too much fun. We did some lacing, more puzzles, lots of real practical life and pool, water park and playground fun!

Furthermore, if you are interested about some matching birds activities printables here are some great ones:

- Sunflower schoolhouse- Match the birds cards

- Sunflower schoolhouse- Bird color matching

- Montessori Print Shop- Free bird match up and memory game

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Take care and have a great week or month? (Ops, I am sooo lazy to post! lol)