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Maryan
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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Okay... baby boy #5 is due any day (come to think of it... today would be nice)  I will have 5 boys ages six and under. So...I would like to have some "hands-on" items for my 2 and 4 yo. that will help foster independence, help with pre-writing, and pique their interest. I doubt that I will have time to implement Montessori materials in the proper method all the time (maybe sometimes??) 
I already have:
- small brooms and other cleaning supplies
- "set the table" activities
- pouring activities -- although I'm NOT sure how often that will come out with a newborn and a 15 mo.
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- I bought the geometric shapes that someone linked on ebay... I definitely couldn't afford the metal ones.
- hammering activities
- various puzzles and geometric shape boxes
So please help! I have some Christmas money, but I can't order all of these... think limited budget -- but I'm thinking about:
And I'm open to other suggestions!! Please help!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 1:07pm | IP Logged
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Ok, here are the things my 2 and 4yo's use the most during school time:
Pouring, scooping, etc activities: can be done at the table so your littles can't get them.
Knobbed cylinders. Even if you get just one set at a time, these are worth it. My 2yo has used them EVERY day for months now.Not sure if the smaller toddler set would hold the same interest, but perhaps.
puzzles-especially the interactive kind with doors and such.
play-doh and shape or letter cookie cutters.
botany and zoology puzzles: the 2yo needs a bit of help, but loves them. The 4yo can do them independently.
blocks
World puzzle map
feel and find
The pink tower, brown stairs, and red rods are just a progression of simple sorting/visual discrimination activities. Nothing too complicated about them, really.
My two are not at all interested in the dressing frames or the color boxes at the moment.
Hope that is helpful
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Meredith
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 1:28pm | IP Logged
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Maryan, praying hard for you today honey!!
I would second everything that Theresa listed, especially the part about the knobbed cylinders 
My 2yo LOVES his opening and closing activity, this could be incorporated in the busy board, so another vote for that.
-paper cutting with saftey scissors, basically a basket with strips of colored paper for him to go at it. Later I'll draw lines for him to try and follow, so good for the 4 yo.
-putting wood beads from Michaels into a water bottle with a small opening (size discrimination)
-little booklets of blank paper stapled together and some crayons, colored pencils or markers (if you're brave enough  ) for making their "own" little books
-Toob animals for sorting and matching
HTH, and good luck with this new little venture, hope it happens today
Blessings,
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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sjbacb
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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Hi Maryan,
Congratulations on the soon-to-be born baby boy!
I bought a cheaper set of dressing boards at Discount School Supplies. They also have great prices on tons of things that you could use! dressing boards
sequencing beads
shape sort
Expensive but may be worth it!
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Shannon in MI
http://www.sjbacb.blogspot.com
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 2:17pm | IP Logged
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Maryan,
I'm in the EXACT same place you are...well...ok...not exact - I'm 8 weeks behind you. But, my shopping cart at Allison's is full as I have been making plans for materials and activities that are completely independently driven for postpartum! I don't have all littles under 6 though.
Here are the biggest hits here with my 3 and 7yo:
The knobbed cylinders! If you can afford that mini sensorial set from Allison's and keep it put up til your back home with the baby (hopefully just a couple of days from now ) the novelty alone might just carry you through a few weeks. Even the items you mentioned "not getting" will have enough attraction power that the boys will make use of them.
Scissor and cutting activities. My 3yo just loves the little spring-back scissors I got from Michael Olaf. I'd link you but their catalog isn't online. They weren't expensive at all though! You could get a pair for each of the boys, include it in a small basket with scraps of paper. The older boys could have paper with wavy lines printed, the littler guys could just free cut. Big trash can in the middle. Can't explain it, but this activity can last 30-45 min with my boys.
Also, Meredith hit on something that I found too -- those little wooden marbles. Ours came from a wooden marble set, but I've seen something very similar at Michaels. My 3yo loves the sound and texture of them. You could purchase several different sizes of the little wooden balls, and several of those geometrically shaped (smallish) boxes at Michaels. Scooping, sorting, pouring are all brought into play. Keep several spoons and scoops out on a tray. I can't figure it out but the texture of the little wooden marbles is very pleasing to the little hands.
The puzzles are a big hit here, but expensive so I'm not sure you'd get your money's worth across the board with all of your boys?
If you have the geometric shapes from ebay, do you have the inset paper? Cheap investment, but big payoff. My kids LOVE the small square paper. They free-color on it, trace shapes, make little booklets, etc. The smallish paper is a big hit. Put a stack of it in a basket with some pretty new color pencils and set it out. Instant hit!
I hesitate to mention the cornmeal flour in a tray idea...the mess potential alone is enough to scare me into not bringing it out but...if you needed a backup, it would be a cheap one to have at the ready. Any cookie sheet and a bag of cornmeal would do. My kids like to experiment with toothpicks, old (but clean) toothbrushes, paintbrushes, a chopstick, etc. It's something I set out at the table when they're all...ahem...relatively calm. 
My 3 yo isn't really into the color boxes - we've just started working with the basic set. My 7yo really loves them. That might be another gamble of your $$.
My kids don't do any lacing/zipping boards. We've got coats and shoes for that, so I'm dropping my $$ elsewhere.
I'm not sure if your 6yo is doing much formal math yet, but I thought I'd mention this since I'm buying the entire + - x / set from Allison's for my older two to work on independently whilst I recover. This is the addition equations box. Not too bad a price, and you can assign a certain amount of time per day be spent practicing his math facts. Also, thought I'd mention, not that you have too much time left for preparation, but you might want to just print out the addition wheels Lori offers for free on her site. Maybe bring the laminator to the hospital? Just kidding! Here are all of her free downloads to see if something strikes your fancy.
Hope something here is helpful Maryan. I've been thinking about you, and praying that this baby comes soon! 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Maryan
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 5:00pm | IP Logged
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These are all great suggestions!!  Thank you!
Now I can wait out my time making these little "activity" trays to pull out for school after new little one shows up (good suggestion Jennifer). So far no indication that it's today. 
But you guys have given me a lot to do!! I'll scratch the color boxes (if I want to do colors - I could probably even experiment with the plethora of crayola crayons we have!). Start making cutting boxes... and I'll go for the knobs (I'll still will have to stick with mini -- the larger would eat the whole budget). I love the little booklet idea (I even have a saddle stapler). I'll try one botany puzzle to see how it goes over and get the world puzzle.
I'm doing Right Start math with my 6 yo... but the math stuff does look appealing for the time when I can't do RS with him.
And Shannon thanks for the ebay link in the other post and the discount school links!  They are by far cheaper than any other site so far!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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KackyK
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 6:20pm | IP Logged
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My little dd loves loves to sort anything little into ice cube trays, she likes to use spoons and tiny tongs. Bells, pompoms, other fun craft items are some of her faves.
And you have already decided on this anyways, but the knobbed cylinders are used ALOT around here.
We use the pink tower, and really only 2yoldd is impressed, 5yods is not at all. I don't think it is about the color only
I know you use Handwriting without Tears. Can they revisit some of those lessons on their own but use say colored pencils this time around or something. You know, an old hat but new material, in my house...they wouldn't know!
And one last thought...see if Grandpa and Grandma have some old cast offs for a big dress up box. Boys this age love to dressup...at least mine always have. Mine have never been impressed by the silly-obviously-not-the-real-thing clothes that my girls can enjoy (think princess dresses!). But I bet Grandpa has some cool old workshirts and/or coats and/or vests??
Oh and Meredith mentioned the cornmeal tray...a good friend of mine created a rice box with one of those long under the bed plastic boxes. She loaded it up with measuring cups and such. But the best part...came with a lid! She has a covered porch, so they did it there...but you never our weather, could be good to keep them out of mud on a decent day??
Okay...that's my two-cents! And last resort...they can come to my house!
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KackyK
Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
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Maryan
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| Posted: Jan 03 2008 at 6:38pm | IP Logged
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Kacky -- those are great ideas! I really like the rice box... in my basement. That would be great for the days that are coming when we can't get out!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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ALmom
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| Posted: Jan 04 2008 at 12:36pm | IP Logged
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Mine have been absolutely fascinated by the eye -dropper with colored water. Now that might be a gee, I hate to think of the mess potential, but if it can be done somewhere where you don't have to worry too much about stains - mine from age 5 to age 10 all stayed with this for long periods of time. I simply used an eye dropper from an old medicine bottle, a paint mixing palette (plastic with a big place in the middle for mixing and lots of little places around the edge for storing different shades). I did mandate that I was the one to refill the water (so only I handled the food coloring we used). This gave me control when I no longer wanted to do this - ie when they got too messy, I simply wouldn't refill the water for a long while. It is a great pre-writing activity.
Janet
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Recommendations?
