The Jumbled Arabic Alphabet.

We have been working our way through the Arabic alphabet, and have, Masha' Allah now moved onto the second part of our Qur'an curriculum. This part requires the Professors to be able to recognize the letters out of order. This is a great brain exercise, and we've been trying to figure out creative ways of getting it done, the best so far being the Wacky Mac letters.

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The Book

This is a shot of a page from a children's text book for learning Qur'an, that shows some letters from the Arabic alphabet out of order. We are using this, along with our curriculum book.

You might be able to imagine how intimidating this was to the Professors. They were unable to focus on the line they were to read, and were instead consumed with thoughts of 'we have to read alllll those!', so we changed things up a bit. 

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Wacky Mac Letters

Back when we were learning the Arabic alphabet, I did some macaroni letters with the Professors, and it really helped the letters to click, Alhumdullilah. So we went with our Montessori and Reggio instincts of only taking a little at a time and being creative and repeated the same process, making prints of the letters for each line, one line at a time as we learn it. These prints are of line 1. 

They hang in the corner, to the left of our Arabic alphabet poster. This has been the key to their learning yet again, Alhumdullilah. I've also jumbled the letter order on the wall, from that of the book, because I really want them to focus on learning the letter, and not get in the rut of memorizing the order, leading to brain tune out time. 

With these we incorporate lots of time with the Arabic sandpaper letters as well. Tracing the letter and saying its name. Again, only using the sandpaper letters for the line we are currently working with. 

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The Process

We've learned a few things form our past Wacky Mac sessions on how to make gluing the noodles go a little more smoothly. 

The first was to use and old ice cube tray for the glue instead of bowls or cups. Much more controlled, and much less waste, and all the Professors were able to work from one ice cube tray. 

The second was to divide the macaroni into small bowls ahead of time instead of having everyone take from the big bowl. 

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Again, here are the completed letters, Masha' Allah

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Masha' Allah the Professors are becoming experts at this activity. The only thing I help them with is controlling the amount of glue, and getting it (mostly) on the letter outlines. They do the rest, and have now started a trend of doing letters all in one color. Whatever suits them! 

The next step in our letter learning, both English and Arabic, is straight memorization of rules. Kinda boring, but insha' Allah we'll find some way to make it fun! : )

Garden update.

Masha' Allah, its been a little over two weeks since the Professors planted their Sunflowers and flower garden, so I wanted to post a small update. These pictures are already outdated, since we put mulch in yesterday, but were taken Friday afternoon, so they're pretty recent.

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Zinnia's and Bulbs

Masha' Allah, our Zinnia's have grown and blossomed nicely despite a few real cold snaps since they were planted. The red one is really taking off, and we've already been able to make a few cutting from it, Masha' Allah. 

Our bulbs have finally started to poke through the soil, with the exception of one patch near the back of the garden. Insha' Allah with the warm weather forecast for the week, I'm hoping they'll really start taking off. 

Our mystery plants seem to be some form of hostas, which I'm not really a fan of because they attract Voles. They are Masha' Allah, providing a nice green boost to the garden. 

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Sunflower Seeds

The Sunflowers seed are finally sprouting. The Professors had given up on them, and have said as much, but to their surprise there they are: 

I'm hoping insha' Allah that these too will really grow in the warm weather this week, and insha' Allah I'm hoping soon we won't have too many more cold, clammy, grey days. We're still working on planting the leftover seeds in the yard.

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New Theme: Spring

We kicked off our Spring theme this morning on a cold, cloudy, clammy and very unspring like day, by introducing some Bird nomenclature printables from Montessori Printshop. They can be used as cards, or made into a book, we tried our best to combine both options. I chose Birds to kick off our theme because, Masha' Allah, ever since we got our bird feeder up, everyone's interest in birds has really blossomed.

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Bird Book

I just LOVE the Montessori Printshop's nomenclature printables, often referred to as nomenclature cards. It is such a clear way to teach a lesson. I had the bird cards printed out in color, then put them under protective sheets and bound them in a small three ring binder

Each section of the bird is highlighted in color, followed by a short description. Its about six pages long. 

Masha' Allah, when Grammy visited us last week, she brought two bird books for our classroom. 

These books are informative and colorful, especially the one featuring the Cardinal on the cover. The Bird Watchers Digest is more wordy, less pictures, but there are some great links in there I am going to be checking out, insha' Allah. I've already found some local Bird watching trails! 

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Spring Shelf

We have two shelves in our classroom that we change up periodically. I try to keep the stuff Montessori, or Montessori theme based. I changed our top shelf around a little this morning to reflect the start our Spring theme. 

This window overlooks the bird feeder, so I thought it was the perfect place for our nomenclature book, on the far right, and our bird watching books. On the far left I included a plastic magnify glass ( dollar store) for closer inspection of bird pictures. Our bird clock (gift), which plays bird songs on the hour, of the featured bird, rests on the window sill behind the shelf. This gives the Professors a close up view of the featured birds, and has double as a chart for bird watching, Masha' Allah. The last thing on the shelf are Insect picture cards (walmart), which feature full color photos of the insect(s) on the front, with the insect information on the back. 

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The next animal theme for our nomenclature book is going to be Frogs, then Lady Bugs. From there we'll move on to other spring things, like plants, weather, whatever strikes the Professors fancy. I'm basing this heavily around their interests. 

If you'd like to make your own nomenclature book or cards, you can find the printables here: 

http://www.shop.montessoriprintshop.com/searchresults.sc

scroll through the link to find what you want insha' Allah. Some are at cost, and some are free : )

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Summer Garden

Continuing with our garden posts, the Professors planted a small flower garden a few weekends back, as well as helped DH and I plant a few other items. Masha' Allah, the experience began with a trip to the Home Depot Garden Center on a brilliant, warm, sunny afternoon. Needless to say it was packed! Upon arrival we split into two groups. DH, Baby Professor and Professor #3, went left and got the essentials, potting soil, mulch, etc. The twins and I headed right and into the heart of the planting section. We already had our bag of 'mixed bouquet' bulbs, so we grabbed our Sunflower seeds, then went up and down the isles, masha' Allah, enjoying all the new flowers and plants. I instructed each of them to pick out one plant to put in the garden. We also chose two hanging flower baskets for the porch. We also wanted to select a decorative item for the garden, but because the Professors could not agree on one item, that's on hold for now.

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Our Summer Garden

I did not not get any pictures of the Professors planting the garden. We had a strong cold snap the morning they planted, and I was indoors with Baby Professor. DH didn't allow the Professors themselves to stay out very long either, so the work got done in spurts over the course of the day. 

Here are the two plants they chose. I am not garden expert, but I believe they are Zinnia's. 

Professor #1's bunch is red, Professor #2's yellow. Professor #3 became so focused on the garden decoration that he could not bring himself to pick a plant. He opted for helping plant the other items. 

Here is a snap of their very empty looking garden. 

The three green plants to the far left were planted by the previous homeowners, and for the life of me I have no idea what they are. In front of the Zinnia's, we planted the bag of mixed bouquet flower bulbs, which are Paeonia, Gladiolus, Lily and Delphinium. Here is a picture of the bag. 

They are said to bloom around mid to late Summer. 

We have a few bags of Sunflower seeds leftover, and are in talks about where to plant them. I think the winning idea is going to be to plant them along the back fence line in the back yard. Supposed to be a little stormy here this weekend, so not sure when that will get done. After that, our planting will be complete. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it is part of the Professors morning routine to water and weed the garden as needed. Getting out and gardening in the early morning has done wonders for their spirit, and their school work! Masha' Allah. We sure encourage everyone to get out do some type of gardening this season. Happy Gardening!

Planting Sunflower Seeds.

Over this past weekend the Professors planted Sunflower seeds, in large pots on our deck.  This is an activity that we've been wanting to accomplish, again from our Maja Pitamic Montessori book.

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Getting Started

The lesson plan and the seeds all ready to go.

These are the pots. 

Professor #1 chose the Purple on the far left. Professor #3 chose the large white in the middle, and Professor #2 chose the blue/green on the right. 

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Ready to plant and water

I wanted the Professors to participate in as much of the work as possible, and Masha' Allah, even though they were at times very distracted by wanting to ride big wheels, they did a great job. 

Shoveling the dirt and planting the seeds

Here are some of the seeds, ready to be covered over with the last layer of dirt

All planted and watered

For sanity reasons I was not able to get shots of the Professors watering, perhaps in the future, insha Allah. 

Masha' Allah, the project went well, and the Professors enjoyed an afternoon of outdoor play, and an evening BBQ on the deck. Watering of their Sunflowers, is now something included in their morning routine several days a week. Insha' Allah, we're looking forward to caring for, and watching our Sunflowers grow through the Summer, and will periodically post updates on their progress. 

Do it Yourself Montessori Color Tablets.

Awhile back I had intended to do a post on some of our favorite Do It Yourself (DIY) Montessori materials. I quickly realized that was highly unrealistic, and as easy as a Google search when you're ready to begin your project. Last night while doing a blog roll, I saw a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Mari-Ann of Counting Coconuts. It was a post on her project of making her own Montessori Color Tablets. I had seen the manipulatives around various Montessori web pages and blogs, but never looked into them. After reading her post, I promptly decided this was my next Mommy Project, and is going to be part of a mini Montessori/Reggio  art theme for the Professors, insha' Allah. Below you will find the link to Mari-Ann's project, and a link to presenting the color tablets in a three-part lesson.

DIY Montessori Color Tablets Link:

http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-montessori-color-tablets.html

Three-part Montessori Color Tablets Link:

http://www.infomontessori.com/sensorial/visual-sense-color-tablets.htm

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I have no idea how long it will take me to make our color tablets, but I hope to do complete it fairly efficiently, and hope to get started on it as soon as this weekend, insha' Allah.

Series Books.

I'm not sure that's the correct name for them, but its the term we'll be using ; ) When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do in the Summer, when it came to reading, was to read a Series. After finishing the first book, I could not wait to go to the Library and pick up the next few books in the series. A few of my favorites were Little House on the Prairie, including Little House in the Big Woods. Anne of Green Gables, and Nancy Drew, the series from the 1960's. As I got older, Jane Austin and Charlotte Bronte became favorites. I wanted to introduce that same positive experience to the Professors this Summer insha' Allah, and since the weather has had a Summer feel to it, we've started our first series early....

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Our first Series book: 

Frog and Toad Together

 by Arnold Lobel 

  

This book brings back many warm memories for me, Masha' Allah, and I couldn't wait to share it with the Professors. Looking back, some of the children I used to read these books too are now in High School! Masha' Allah! 

After we finished our Stencil playdough session, we read this book for story time. Masha' Allah, the Professors loved it, though they were very concerned about remembering exactly who was Frog, and who was Toad.

This book has five stories in it, and I believe there are a series of three books. Due to a problem with the Library catalog, I was only able to put this book on hold, but its worked out just as well. 

Insha' Allah, once we finish the Frog and Toad Series we will move on to the Beatrix Potter books, then see what else strikes our fancy. Suggestions are welcome : )

Happy reading : )