Montessori Science Kits like Math Their Way for STEM Learning Centers

Hello my Omschooligans! Today we're making science tubs for animal exploration in our STEM learning center. These are based on Math Their Way math tubs and Montessori learning centers. 

Math Their Way + Montessori

🧮 About "Math Their Way"

Developed by Bob Baratta-Lorton, Math Their Way is a foundational approach to teaching mathematics that prioritizes concrete, hands-on experiences over abstract paper-and-pencil tasks.

• Manipulatives First: Students explore concepts using physical objects before moving to symbols.
• Active Learning: It encourages students to "do" math, fostering a deeper understanding of patterns and relationships.
• Universal Application: While perfect for early childhood, its hands-on philosophy is highly effective across all grade levels, including special education.

💡 Core Philosophy: If they can touch it, they can understand it!

Math Their Way and Math: A Way of Thinking (Bob Baratta-Lorton) developed the math tubs concepts that science kits stem from. And Montessori preschools are based on learning centers and hands-on manipulatives instead of paper and pencil activities. Montessori learning centers have worked so efficiently that many middle school and high school educators teach using learning centers. And Math Their Way is so hands-on that it works for all ages. Math Their Way and Montessori formats work well for general education and special education classrooms. 

How to Create Montessori & "Math Their Way" Learning Centers

I. Core Philosophical Principles

• Active & Hands-On: Learning is most effective when it is interactive.

• Center-Based Instruction: Most preschool and early elementary classrooms utilize specific "learning centers" for instruction.

• Alternative to Paper/Pencil: Montessori centers prioritize physical manipulatives, which has proven effective even for high school education and general/special education classrooms.

II. Implementation (Standard and Alternative)

• The Problem: Standard "Math Tubs" (plastic bins) can be too bulky for homeschool environments or classrooms with limited space.

• The Solution: The "Math Bag" Approach: Use one-gallon or two-gallon zippered Ziploc plastic bags to store unit materials.

• Organization: Store all unit bags neatly within a larger, central plastic container.

III. Labeling and Cross-Curricular Integration

• Unit Theme: Label each bag or tub clearly by its primary unit theme.

• Cross-Labeling: Link related science units to encourage cross-curricular thinking.

  • Example: Label a "Solar System" kit also as "Rocks and Minerals," "Geology," "Earth Science," "Roman/Greek Mythology," and "Geography."

• Materials & Resources: Include relevant books directly in the exploratory science kit or bag.

IV. Operational Flow for Students

1. Selecting a Station: Students take the chosen exploratory science kit or math tub to a workstation (like a floor mat).

2. Tracking Tasks: Students must list the specific tasks to be completed in their science journals.

3. Completing & Lab Notes: Assignments are completed using the kit's materials, and lab notes are recorded in the journals.

4. Checking Off and Returning: Students check off completed tasks and use a teacher-provided inventory list to ensure all items are returned to the tub when done.

Dr Seuss Day activities, lesson plans crafts, printables for learning centers

Hello my friends of the Omschool, teacher Omi (grama) here with free Dr. Seuss Day lesson plans, activities, crafts and printables. The Cat in the Hat doffs his cap on March 2, to honor the birthday of his creator Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel). To celebrate things Seuss, the NEA (National Education Association) hosts "Read Across America"  on March 2, to kick off March as National Reading Month. You can explore Dr. Seuss and reading in preschool learning centers with these Dr. Seuss activities, perfect for homeschool as well. 

Reading learning center. Dr. Seuss is right at home in the book or library learning center. Fill your book corner with Seuss books. Scatter some comfy pillows and Dr. Seuss character toys (Cat in the Hat, Lorax, Grinch etc). Emergent readers will love the pictures. Visit Seussville for book lists and ideas.  Throw a Seuss story party. Details to follow. 

Dr. Seuss activities for the art center. Display Seuss books: The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Bartholomew and the Oobleck and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Each day of Read Across America week, create Seuss inspired artwork. Paint Seuss creatures at easels with brightly colored and neon paints. Model creatures in modeling clay or playdough. Create sculptures by poking recycled materials in Styrofoam blocks. 

To teach Dr. Seuss at the Collage center, make Seuss toys from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Put out oddly shaped cardboard containers, egg cartons, aluminum foil and cans, plastic containers and colored fabric scraps. Students can design their own version of toys from Whoville

Jing Tingler

Flu Flooper

Tar Tinkers

Who Hoover 

Who Carnio Flunx 

To teach Dr. Seuss in the Music Center, make homemade musical instruments. Create noise makers like the Grinch's hated 

Gar Ginkers 

Trum Tupers 

Slu Slumkers 

Blum Bloopers 

Who Wompers 

Zu Zitter Carzays. 

Encourage students to give their musical instruments silly Seuss-ish names. 

To teach Dr. Seuss in Dramatic Play or Dress Up center, have students make masks of Seuss characters: Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose

Horton the elephant

Yertle the Turtle

Maisie the bird

the Wickersham monkeys

Kangaroo and her joey

Have children create their own Seuss creatures. Have a Dr. Seuss parade like the one in his first book "And to Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street." Dress in homemade Seuss costumes, play musical instruments and show off homemade toys. 

To teach Dr. Seuss science center, use the Lorax. The Lorax deals with environmentalism. Set up an experiment on decomposition and pollution. Place different pieces of trash in zippered bags with a little water. Monitor them over time to show students how slowly trash decomposes. Here are more free printable Lorax science lesson plans. 

Students could also tend "trufulla seeds" (use any flower seeds, sunflower, cosmos or daisy). 

Make Oobleck mixing liquid laundry starch and white school glue. Here are more free printable recipes for Oobleck, moon sand, noise putty, etc. Use for early chemisty lesson plans. 

To teach a Dr. Seuss practical life area, use "The Cat in the Hat", "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Horton Hears a Who." These books deal with caring for others, preparing food and house cleaning. Do a Cat in the Hat tidy up relay race. Cook green eggs and ham. Care for an insect or goldfish. Use these free printable Dr. Seuss activities in your lesson plans, too

Early math lesson plans from the practical life learning center with printables

Hello my dear friends! Teacher Omi (grama) here with some free early math lesson plans. These preschool activities cost nothing because they use materials you already have on-hand, whether you homeschool or teach in a school classroom. Today's math lesson plans come right out of the toybox or in a preschool classroom, the practical life learning center (called the house area in a Montessori set-up). Use them to teach early math skills like sorting, classifying, organizing, patterns and sequencing. 

Setting the table. I love this early math lesson plan for it's nod to nostalgia. When I was young, we learned in a little girl's club I was part of, how to properly set a table, using real dishes, utensils and table linens. That might not seem like a math lesson, or even very important to know. But it's kinda gestalt in that the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. For one thing, it was relaxing and therapeutic, especially for kids (like me) with a high need for orderliness. Now we might be called OCD or even autistic. Then we were just called organized. 

And there was a lot of emphasis on organizing back then which I see less of, today. And this is where the early math and even science and STEM comes in. All these disciplines rely on sorting, sequencing, organizing, classifying, arranging, method and order. There's nothing haphazard about math and science. And the earlier children learn how to do these things, the easier higher math and science will be. 

So how would you use the practical life or house learning center for early math lesson plans? Well, in those learning centers there's always a kitchen set of some kind, with play food and dishes. Teach children to set the table by showing where each item goes. You can get free printable placemats to help with arrangement. 

Early math lesson plans with play food. There are a multitude of ways to use play food in math lesson plans, particularly the kind which is separated into pieces. Have students disassemble food into pieces and then match up again. Encourage them to talk about what they are doing. You might even make it into a memory game. This teaches fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, matching, sorting and verbal skills. 

You can also teach math and science skills by grouping foods according to color, shape, food group, plant part, etc. These preschool activities help children learn about plant science, nutrition, categorizing and noticing details. 

You might have students arrange food on the printable placemat templates to make complete meals. MyPlate has a large section of free printable nutrition lesson plans to teach about food groups, healthy eating, meal planning and much more. 

After children have explored these concepts, end with a tasting party! My grandson Emmett likes to taste the play  food LOL. So we get out the real foods and sample them. And my personal favorite place to start is with fruits and vegetables. So much color, texture and nutritional goodness. Try making a rainbow fruit and veggie plate. 

DIY Sand and Water Table alternatives for homeschool and classroom

 Hello fans of my Omschool blog. I've been a licensed general and special education teacher for 37 years and part of my career work was spent homeschooling our four children. Now, I'm Omi--grandma--to 9 going on 11 and am continuing the homeschool traditions I began, with the second generation as Omschool (Omi's school). Lesson plans are designed with cheap to free materials, many of which are reused, repurposed and recycled. 

For today's lesson plans, we'll create a DIY sand and water table for preschool, special education and lower elementary learning centers. This sand table alternative was developed in our homeschool and works well for small spaces. As budgets are usually tight, whether in public, parochial or homeschool, this is a low cost alternative as well. 

Instead of the expensive sand and water table purchased from school supply companies, I've used a repurposed child's sandbox such as the enclosed Little Tikes turtle sandbox or Step 2 brand sandboxes. The turtle sandbox is washable, portable and covered. It moves easily indoors or out. For an even more budget friendly alternative, get a small plastic wading pool. I've found these as cheap as $7 from Dollar General. Inflatable kiddie pools will work too however they aren't as durable. 

The last sand table alternative is a low sided plastic box or tub with lid. This works very well when space is limited. When learning center activities are done, simply close the box with media and manipulatives inside and stack in the storage area. Here's my blog post on homemade sand toys for the sand table. 

These preschool learning center activities worked very well for our homeschool. I could allow the  youngest children to explore independently while instructing the older children. The DIY sand and water table wasn't just for preschool learning center activities either. The older kids could use it to practice and explore mathematical concepts such as measurement, geometry (volume) and science (sing various media). Sand tables provide excellent sensory experiences. More on sand table filler alternatives later! 

I'm sorry I don't have an image of how this sand and water table fit in our homeschool. But let me assure you the even in our tiny 10x10 room, it fit well! I've linked the picture to Amazon. This small reasonably priced Step 2 sandbox would work perfectly. 

Animal Habitat Diorama Games for Science Learning Centers: Free printable animal classification and taxonomy lesson plans

Hello my Omschooligans! Teacher Omi thinking today about ways to make all our activities more engaging and interactive. Over 40 years ago, I started teaching in a Montessori school and created these hands-on activities for preschool and elementary classroom learning centers. I'll share a series on ways to create preschool learning centers in classroom or homeschool settings. Today we focus on ways to explore animal habitats and biomes in preschool social studies and science learning centers. 

Social Studies/Science learning center connections

When studying different countries or cultures in social studies build in biology and zoology by showing in hands-on ways which animals and plants live in the locations you are studying. Cover classroom walls with educational maps, charts, diagrams and posters. Activity Village is a great resource for free printable world maps, coloring pages and lesson plans from around the world. Here are free printable animal habitat diorama coloring pages and charts. Here are more free printables. 

🌍 Free Printable Habitat Dioramas

• 3D Triorama Templates: Teachers Pay Teachers offers a free 3D triorama set that includes printable backgrounds and animal cut-outs for Arctic, Forest, Savanna, Ocean, Desert, Pond, and Rainforest habitats.

• Taiga Biome Project: Little Bins for Little Hands has a dedicated free printable for a Taiga (Boreal Forest) diorama, including trees and specific animals like moose and snowshoe hares.

• Rainforest Shoebox Background: If you are using shoeboxes for your learning centers, this free rainforest background provides a four-piece printable (left, back, right, and ground) designed specifically to fit.

• Animal Habitat Sorting: For younger "Omschooligans," this free sorting activity allows children to color and then cut-and-paste animals into their correct environments (Desert, Jungle, Ocean, Arctic).

🔍 Discovery Prompt: Habitat Match-Up

Look at the animals in this diorama. Can you find one that has fur? One that has scales? Why do you think that animal needs that covering to live in this habitat?

🌍 Recommended Free Printable Dioramas

These are excellent, ready-to-use downloads that fit the "hands-on" Montessori style you mentioned:

• The 3D Triorama Set: This is a fantastic "all-in-one" freebie that includes templates for Arctic, Savanna, Ocean, and Rainforest biomes.

• Taiga Biome Project: A beautiful, specific printable for the Boreal Forest that includes native animals like moose and snowy owls.

• Shoebox Habitat Assignment: If you want your students to do a deeper dive, this freebie includes a research page and a rubric for a shoebox project.

• Habitat Sorting Activity: Perfect for your younger learners, this cut-and-paste set helps them categorize animals by their environment.

Must Love Books! 

It goes without saying that all learning centers should have a bookshelf or basket of books appropriate whatever unit you're studying. DK--Dorling Kindersley makes excellent science reference books and field guides so use those in learning centers. 

📖 Omi's Book Research Challenge

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Pick a book from our habitat basket. Can you find a picture of an animal that lives in the Tundra? Now check the Taxonomy Chart in the back of the book. Does that animal have fur or feathers?

📚 Recommended Animal Habitat Bibliography

DK Reference & Field Guides

• DK Eyewitness: Animal by Charlotte Uhlenbroek. A classic visual guide that covers anatomy, behavior, and habitats across the animal kingdom.

• DK First Animal Encyclopedia. An ideal "first look" for younger Omschooligans, featuring clear photography and simple facts about where animals live.

• DK Smithonian: Animal!. A massive, spectacular visual encyclopedia that organizes animals by taxonomy and habitat—great for your KPCOFGS games.

• DK Nature Guide: Animals. A portable field-guide style book that is easy for children to handle while they explore their learning centers.

Habitat & Biome Explorations

• Habitats (Learn About Series) by William B. Rice. This book breaks down the differences between rainforests, deserts, and tundras in a way that is accessible for Early Childhood Education.

• Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner. Part of a beautiful series (including Over and Under the Snow and Over and Under the Rainforest) that explores the hidden ecosystems of different biomes.

• National Geographic Kids: Animal Habitats. A high-interest reader that pairs perfectly with the free printable maps and charts you are using.

• The Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss. A fantastic resource for explaining the five kingdoms and how every living thing fits into the global "neighborhood."

🧬 Animal Classification (KPCOFGS) Guide

To help your students visualize the hierarchy, you can use this simple breakdown:

• Kingdom: The big group (e.g., Animals vs. Plants).

• Phylum: Does it have a backbone? (Chordata).

• Class: Is it a mammal, bird, fish, or reptile?

• Order/Family: Narrowing down by specific traits (like "Carnivores").

• Genus/Species: The "First and Last Name" of the animal (e.g., Panthera leo for a Lion).

Getty Images

Interactive games and hands-on activities for science learning centers. 

🦴 Class vs. Phylum: The Backbone Test

When playing the KPCOFGS game, remember the "Backbone Test":

• ✅ Vertebrates: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, and Amphibians are all in the Chordata Phylum.
• ❌ Invertebrates: Insects have no backbone; they belong to the Arthropoda Phylum!

• Stuffed Animal Sort: Assemble realistic stuffed animals from different animal habitats and biomes in the cultures or countries you're studying. Stuffed animals aren't scientifically correct, but they at least help children understand which creatures live in different animal habitats and regions.

🎲 Animal Classification Bingo: Teacher Calling Cards

• Cut these out and pull them from a jar, or call out the "clue" to see if children can identify the group!

  • Mammal: "I have hair or fur and feed my babies milk."

  • Bird: "I have feathers and lay eggs in a nest."

  • Reptile: "I have scaly skin and am cold-blooded."

  • Amphibian: "I spend part of my life in water and part on land."

  • Fish: "I use gills to breathe underwater and have fins."

  • Insect: "I have six legs and usually have wings."

• Animal habitats bingo: Play this game by sorting stuffed animals according to taxonomy class . Make a bingo grid on the floor and label the top with the animal classification. Mammal, reptile, fish, insect, amphibian, bird. Bingo caller calls out an animal and children place it on the chart. You can print animal bingo cards too. 

  🐾 Animal Bingo! 🐾

  Place a marker on the animal group Omi calls out!

  Mammal	Bird	Reptile
  Fish	FREE SPACE	Amphibian
  Insect	Mammal	Bird

  Print this card for your Omschool Science Center!

• VAKT play: Set out small plastic or resin animals for children to explore using visual, kinesthetic and tactile skills. The ideal kind will have simulated body coverings. Find a book the plays animals sounds and place it with the toy animals so children can connect animal sounds. There are some very realistic toy plastic animals available from local toy and craft stores. Place animals in the biology area where children can sort critters into animal habitats or play KPCOFGS--Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species--animal classification bingo games, by sorting these animals into their bingo cards. 

🌍 External Bingo Resources

If you prefer a full-page PDF with photos of real animals for your center, these are high-quality free options:

• Animal Group Bingo: Search these results for free sets that specifically feature photos of mammals, reptiles, and birds to help children practice identification.

• Habitat & Class Bingo: Check the printable biomes project at Little Bins for Little Hands for board games that combine habitats with animal types.

1. The Five Classes of Vertebrates

• The most common groups people refer to belong to the Phylum Chordata (animals with backbones). Within this phylum, they are divided into these specific Classes:

  • Mammalia (Mammals)

  • Aves (Birds)

  • Reptilia (Reptiles)

  • Amphibia (Amphibians)

  • Agnatha/Chondrichthyes/Osteichthyes (The three classes of Fish)

2. The Exception: Insects

• Insects are not in the same phylum as the others. They belong to the Phylum Arthropoda.

  • Insecta is the name of their Class.

🧬 Omi’s Taxonomy Challenge

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Can you find the animal’s "address"? Choose a plastic animal from the center. Use our reference books to find out:

• 📍 Class: Is it a Mammal, Bird, or Reptile?
• 📍 Order: Does it eat meat (Carnivore) or plants (Herbivore)?
• 📍 Species: What is its "Scientific Name"?

• Taxonomy games: In preschool and ECSE (early childhood special education) learning centers, students can play animal taxonomy games that organize animals by body covering and how they give birth to identify class (mammal, fish, bird, insect, reptile, amphibian). 
• 
  

  🧬 Animal Class Reference: Body Coverings & Birth

  Animal Class	Body Covering	How They Give Birth
  Mammal	Hair or Fur	Live birth (mostly)
  Bird	Feathers	Hard-shelled Eggs
  Reptile	Dry Scales	Leathery Eggs
  Amphibian	Moist, Slimy Skin	Soft, Jelly-like Eggs (in water)
  Fish	Wet Scales	Soft Eggs (usually in water)
  Insect	Hard Exoskeleton

• Plant Species and Samples: Collect several plant species, either living or artificial, from different regions for students to explore in the science learning centers. Gather tree bark, seed pods, seeds and seed carriers, leaves and evergreen needles, mushrooms and other plant life. Sort plants by region, biome and animals habitats (woodland, desert, tundra, rain forest, deciduous forest, coastal wetlands, marsh). Students can place appropriate plants within animal classification groups and taxonomy categories. 
• Rocks and minerals. Collect rocks, geological specimens, minerals and shells from the regions you study in biology and life science. Rock, mineral and shell specimens look best when viewed in water. Put them in an old dishpan in science learning centers or biology area. Provide brushes for the children to clean the samples and provide magnifying glasses for children to explore with. It isn't necessary for children to have expensive, high powered magnifying glasses; cheap, plastic ones are actually better as they get lost and knocked about in classroom use. 
• Aquarium. Put an aquarium with specimens of plants or animals or animals body parts in science learning centers. Cruelty-free fur samples, exoskeletons, feathers, animals shells, bones, scales, shed snake skin; empty hives and nests, egg shells; many people collect these things and may share them. Identify items by plant biology, taxonomy and animal classification. 
• Classroom pets: Different schools have different rules for keeping animals in the classroom. Most allow a fish tank or small rodent pet. A fresh and saltwater aquarium, as well as different species of birds, small mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and amphibians would be ideal for a science learning centers. Students create animal habitats for pets. Be sure to post animal classification or taxonomy charts for reference. 

🎨 Omschool Pro-Tip: Layering Learning

"When building dioramas, encourage students to add 'texture' using the items we collected: real tree bark for the forest floor, or sand and small rocks for the desert center. It turns a flat printable into a true sensory experience!"

Recycled trash crafts for kids: Garden tools and sand toys from milk jugs

Hey teachers and homeschoolers, looking for some earth science lesson plans to teach environmental sustainability? How about making recycled trash crafts for kids with plastic milk jugs? Repurpose and reuse milk jugs into sand toys for the beach and garden tools. These crafts for kids work great in preschool science learning center, schools, scout troops, 4H groups, camp and day care and can be made with the youngest learners! 

To make a set of eight recycled trash beach toys or gardening tools, you'll need

-two clean plastic milk jugs per child

-permanent dry-erase marker 

-scissors (children's Fiskars scissors work great)

Draw a line around the base of milk jugs, about three inches from the bottom. Poke a hole anywhere in the line with scissors. Cut along the line to remove the top half (set aside for later). Now you have a sand pail, gardening bucket or plant starter. 

Next make sifter or strainer sand toys or garden tools by poking holes in the bottom of the milk jugs. Recycled trash beach toys are great money-savers. If they get broken, just re-recycle! 

Repurpose and reuse the top of milk jugs to make funnels and sand castle mold beach toys.  Draw a circle around the top, about two inches down from the mouth. Poke a hole and cut around the circle. Use funnels for preschool math learning center or sand and water table, too. 

With the leftover handle piece, make trowel garden tools. Draw along the indentation on the jug where the handle is. Snip the lower end of the handle to separate it form the jug. Poke a hole on the line and cut along the line. Trim the top part above the upper end of the handle to a v-shaped point. You will have a flat surface with a handle to smooth out surfaces and a corner surface for edging. 

Make a small rake and hoe cutting the trowel with a flat edge (for a hoe). Cut it with a zigzag edge to make a a garden rake. These trash crafts provide excellent scissors skills practice.

Make a shovel by drawing a circle around the part where the lower end of the handle attaches to the jug, about an inch or so from the handle. Snip the top end off from the jug. Cut along the circle you've drawn. Now you have handled shovels to use for sand toys or garden tools.

Use garden tools in earth science lesson plans and experiments. Use beach toys in preschool sand and water table learning center. Make a classroom garden or individual student bucket gardens for nature study! 

My favorite way to make crafts for kids is in an intergenerational setting. Visit nursing homes and senior centers to do activities with seniors. Teach students about volunteering, empathy and awareness, with activities that connect kids and elders! Make it part of an Earth Day party! Invite grandparents! This grandma treasures her time spent making craft projects with her beloved grandkiddies! 

Math practice kit activities with printables

 Montessori and Math Their Way teach math in hands-on learning center tasks, as opposed to paper and-pencil lessons. Here's a homemade mini math learning center. Use this shoebox math facts practice kit for independent, on-the-go learning. Retention of math facts and operations is vital for higher math. Use this math homework practice kit to reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.

 Children should practice 5-10 minutes 4-5 times a week. In a shoebox or plastic lidded box, place these items 

--color-coded list of digits. For example: 0-yellow, 1-blue, 2-red, 3-orange, 4-purple, 5-green, 6-brown, 7-pink, 8-black, 9-gray. Some 1,983 would be written blue-1, gray-9,black-8 and orange-3. Color coding helps many students visualize and organize numbers, learn place value and memorize math facts, 

--set of dice. Practice math facts by casting die and adding or multiplying two numbers shown. 

--set of dominoes (base 12 set is best) or homemade"domino"flash cards made from index cards. Write domino dot configuration in number color from chart. Student selects a domino and adds, subtracts or multiplies the two numbers. Write answers on back for self-checking. Here are free printable dominoes. 

--deck of playing cards--student chooses two cards and adds, subtracts, or multiplies them. Face cards are valued as such:(ace-1, jack-10, queen, 12 and king-0) Here's a free printable deck of playing cards. 

--math flashcards for each fact family. Purchase at Dollar Tree or discount store. Here are freeprintable math flashcards. Make flashcards by writing math fact (problem) in color code on one side and the answer on the back. 

--pencil, eraser and scrap paper squares--student writes out a fact family, or writes story problems, illustrating with items to represent (three apples times seven apples). Use for pop quizzes also.

 --tablet of small stickers or mini-stamper marker-- Child makes his own flashcards with stickers and scrap paper, for the math facts family on which he's working. 

--100 chart or cheat sheet. Student uses to skip count by different numbers (multiply), look for patterns, or practice facts. Here are free printable 100 charts. 

--yarn strung with 100 plastic beads. This homemade abacus is a great visual for math operations. Give student a problem, like 7x8, She counts out and add seven groups of eight. 

--food snacks with little pieces; fish crackers, breakfast cereal, raisins, candies, pretzels. Students demonstrate math facts with food while eating it. 

Keep math facts practice kit in the car. Use travel time for homework reinforcement.

Medieval history lessons plans: Cardboard castle crafts, princess crafts with printables

I am a self-avowed history fanatic, particularly the medieval period. I also love things princess. And being a teacher, homeschool mom, education blogger and now Omi (gramma), I'm always looking to create hands-on lesson plans.  To that end, here's a guide to making recycled cardboard castle crafts with free printables. Use these are recycled cardboard crafts for kids in many cross-curricular lessons: preschool learning center activities, theater and dress up fun, arts and crafts, STEM and history lesson plans. These medieval crafts include a homemade cardboard castle, costumes and props. Homeschool parents, I promise ways to engage all ages, from baby to teen! 

(Materials are noted in BOLD CAPS within the how-to guide)

1) Make cardboard castle walls. Cut open two large RECYCLED CARDBOARD REFRIGERATOR BOXES along one long side. TAPE (duct tape works best as it resembles grey stone) two boxes together to make an octagon castle "keep." Measure, draw out and cut cardboard castle battlements (great STEM activities). History note: Castle walls had a series of crenellations and merlons (squared edge thingies) along the top. Tim's Printables has free printable recycled cardboard castle patterns for medieval crafts and castle design ideas. Cut cardboard castle keep windows: Draw a four-pane window and cut openings for the princess to look out of. 

2) Decorate recycled cardboard castle. Draw in bricks and family crest to make these medieval crafts for kids look really authentic! For more STEM fun, make moat and drawbridge. Cut drawbridge opening in the side of cardboard castle. Attach YARN or ROPE to both sides of to lower and raise drawbridge. Cut holes in the top to tie drawbridge closed when the royal inhabitants aren't receiving company. Place BLUE BLANKETS around the outside for the castle moat. Fill with STUFFED ANIMALS dragons, fish, alligators and other aquatic creatures. Add some PLANTS to make it more realistic and discuss wetland habitat science. Toddlers and preschoolers can take on the job of gathering and arranging flora and fauna.  

3) Make flags for cardboard castle. Aristocrats and nobles in medieval times had a coat-of-arms or family crest that symbolized their lineage. The design and display of a coat-of-arms is known as heraldry. A coat-of-arms was placed on banners flown when the family was in residence. Banners were carried on standards into battles. Have kids design their royal family crest. Here are free printable heraldry patterns and stencils for medieval crafts for kids. Make banners on  SCRAP FABRIC SQUARES CUT FROM OLD BED SHEETS OR TOWELS. Attach to YARD STICK OR HOT DOG STICK. Draw or paint family crest using MARKERS OR FABRIC PAINT. Older kids can make these as history lesson plans. 

4) Make secret entrances for your recycled cardboard castle (my grandkids favorite part!)  Line chairs up to make a crawl-through tunnel entrance into castle. Drape sheets, blankets and bed linens over tunnel. Establish cardboard castle dungeon. Make a parapet (walkway) by placing several chairs or a bench along the inside edge of the castle. Soldiers keep lookout here and send prisoners to sit under the chairs in the dungeon sit under bench. Fashion a turret. Put a collapsible net laundry hamper upside down on a chair inside the castle. Children crawl into hamper and onto chair to look out of the turret. These are perfect jobs for youngers. They will love exploring, arranging and guarding the cardboard castle as part of their dramatic play learning center activities. 

5) Outfit your royals. Haul out the DRESS UP BIN and collect OLD TOWELS, BED SHEETS AND BLANKETS. Donate JUNK JEWELRY and OLD FANCY DRESS. Make recycled cardboard crown crafts for the princess with these free printable crowns from First-Palette. Use this guide to make a suit of armor cardboard crafts for a knight. More STEM lesson plans! 

6) Equip the keep. The keep is the living area of a castle. Let kids fill their cardboard castle keep with snacks, blankets, pillows, coloring supplies, books and pets. When the novelty of guarding the castle wears off, kids can use it as a cozy play fort. Set your homemade castle up in a place where it can be left up for other rainy day fun or make it convertible to go outdoors on nice days!

Stay tuned for more medieval crafts! Picture is courtesy of Free Coat of Arms (couldn't find my last name, alas!) 

Health lesson plans to prevent juvenile obesity without mentioning weight loss

Increasing juvenile obesity is the elephant in the living room that everyone sees and no one want to address. More and more children are overweight and headed toward obesity. But discussing it or even being concerned about overweight kids is often regarded as fat-shaming or bullying. Here are lesson plans to prevent and treat childhood obesity without ever mentioning weight loss. 

Childhood obesity is tricky to deal with for two reasons. First, in puberty, many tweens get heavier and may even be called overweight by a doctor. But after puberty they slim down. This was my experience. Weight loss diets and calorie restricting may actually be dangerous. Calorie restricting such as the 1000 calorie diet I was put on at age 8, deprived me of nutrients needed for a growing body. It also caused eating disorder issues. Also, the extra weight is necessary for health after we lose weight in puberty. 

What is chronic obesity and what is overweight that will right itself after puberty? There are several factors. Is the entire family overweight? Is the child active or sedentary? How old is the child? A three-year old with obesity is more at risk than, say, a normal weight child who becomes overweight as a tween, as I did. This overweight period is usually temporary. And some kids are just bigger than others. 

Another issue is that overemphasis on weight loss can be a form of fat-shaming and bullying. It can also lead to eating disorders, low self esteem, anxiety and depression.  But yet, children with chronic obesity that will not disappear in puberty, are at risk of many other health problems including diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension and other issues. Movement and exercise are more difficult. 

So how to prevent or treat juvenile obesity without discussing weight loss? 

1) Food lesson plans aimed at healthy eating. Teach the food pyramid and food groups, using these free printable lesson plans.  Nutriton.gov has many free nutrition printables including recipes, My Plate activities, coloring pages, food diaries and lesson planners. Here are free printable food journals and nutrition trackers. 

2) Engage students in physical activities and active learning as much as possible. Use these free printable DEAM (Drop Everything and Move) activities. DEAM is like DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), which intersperses the school day with unplanned exercise or reading activities. I especially like DEAM because they are random surprise fun activities that get kids out of desks and moving. These might include dancing, calisthenics or active games.

3) Go off screen and hands-on. Most children spend more time watching than doing: TV, online on phones, computers and video game systems. I'm a Shipt shopper and its a sad commentary that when I drive thru neighborhoods in the summer, I see very few children out playing but TVs on or kids playing on phones. Utilize these free printable lesson plans on screen time dangers. Kids Health offers printables and resources to help kids understand why too much inactivity is harmful and how to monitor their screen time. 

4) Provide active activities in lieu of sedentary seat work and workbooks. Montessori type learning centers get kids off the seat and actively learning. Check out this blog for a gajillion learning center activities for science, math, reading, writing, social studies and more. Here are fitness activities to keep kids actively engaged. 

Will these activities end childhood obesity? Not alone. But with support, guidance, education and care, kids can learn to be their  healthiest selves. 

Homemade math facts practice kit for learning on the go

Hello my Omschooligans! With summer right around the corner, it's time to think summer enrichment activities to help children retain content learned over the school year. Math content is sometimes lost over a long  three month summer with no practice. Here's a homemade portable math learning center. Use this shoebox math facts practice kit for independent, on-the-go learning. Retention of math facts and operations is vital for higher math. Use this math homework practice kit to reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.  Children should practice 5-10 minutes 4-5 times a week. In a shoebox or plastic lidded box, place these items 

--color-coded list of digits. For example: 0-yellow, 1-blue, 2-red, 3-orange, 4-purple, 5-green, 6-brown, 7-pink, 8-black, 9-gray. Some 1,983 would be written blue-1, gray-9,black-8 and orange-3. Color coding helps many students visualize and organize numbers, learn place value and memorize math facts, 

--set of dice. Practice math facts by casting die and adding or multiplying two numbers shown. 

--set of dominoes (base 12 set is best) or homemade "domino" flash cards made from index cards. Write domino dot configuration in number color from chart. Student selects a domino and adds, subtracts or multiplies the two numbers. Write answers on back for self-checking. Here are free printable dominoes. 

--deck of playing cards--student chooses two cards and adds, subtracts, or multiplies them. Face cards are valued as such:(ace-1, jack-10, queen, 12 and king-0) Here's a free printable deck of playing cards. 

--math flashcards for each fact family. Purchase at Dollar Tree or discount store. Here are free printable math flashcards. Make flashcards by writing math fact (problem) in color code on one side and the answer on the back. 

--pencil, eraser and scrap paper squares--student writes out a fact family, or writes story problems, illustrating with items to represent (three apples times seven apples). Use for pop quizzes also.

 --tablet of small stickers or mini-stamper marker-- Child makes his own flashcards with stickers and scrap paper, for the math facts family on which he's working. 

--100 chart or cheat sheet. Student uses to skip count by different numbers (multiply), look for patterns, or practice facts. Here are free printable 100 charts. 

--yarn strung with 100 plastic beads. This homemade abacus is a great visual for math operations. Give student a problem, like 7x8, She counts out and add seven groups of eight. 

--food snacks with little pieces; fish crackers, breakfast cereal, raisins, candies, pretzels. Students demonstrate math facts with food while eating it. 

Keep math facts practice kit in the car. Use travel time for homework reinforcement.