Lets go Fishing!

We went to a sweet little fair yesterday, where there were pony rides, bounce houses and cute games. Nothing fancy, but the kids had such a ball with all the games that when we got home, they wanted to make a carnival of their own.

We made a replica of a really cute fishing activity that they loved- this is what we used: 

We used big branches, yarn and hardware hooks to make fishing rods, and foam paper to cut out fish. We used colored pipe cleaners to make hooks for them to catch the fish with, which went easily through the foam.

We then filled up our kiddie pool with a little bit of water so that the fish could float, and the fishing fun began!

Here are some of the supplies we used:

Now, aside for all the fun we have, there are definitely many moments when someone acts up a bit and needs a time out.

When one of my kiddos is having a moment (hits someone, throws something out of frustration, knocks over someone elses blocks on purpose etc. -you're all moms and get what I am talking about!) I find that a really great thing to do is give the child a time out.

Here is a great method that really works for me and I want to share it with you- 

I call it the... 

They need to go to their room for the amount of minutes of their age. In order for my 5 year old to understand how long 5 minutes is, I give him a one minute hour glass timer and 5 Unifix counters. He needs to either count up to 60 and each time he counts to 60 (no skip counting allowed!) he puts another cube on top of the other until he has counted 5 times. If he doesn't want to count, he uses the hour glass and places the cubes on top of each other as the timer runs out.

It works really well, it calms them down, it refocuses their energy and gives them a very clear understanding of time.

I don't enjoy putting my kids in time out, but we can all use a time out once in a while. As long as its approached with love as well as a stern tone of voice, its healthy for them.

Hopefully you wont need to use this discipline method too often as most of our kids are angels, aren't they? ;)

Have a wonderful week!

Always, 

SIMPLY FUN GAMES Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

As a part of the prize package for the Homeschool Blog Awards, I received 3 educational and really awesome games from Simply Fun.

We got the following games:

As we opened and played each game, I became more and more impressed-

My kids LOVED each game and not only are they fun, but they are SO educational and so simple to play. I went to their website to check out their other products and I was blown away.

These 3 games (above) are brilliant, and if you are planning on investing in a game or 2 for your kiddos, these games are the way to go.

I emailed the company to tell them how impressed I was with their products and offered to review one of three specific games which I thought my kids would really enjoy.

Well, not only did they agree to send me ALL THREE games that I had mentioned, but they also tossed in a FOURTH game and told me that should I decide to have a giveaway, they would send ONE of the following games to 4 DIFFERENT winners! That means that FOUR of you will be the lucky winners of one of the following games:

PICKY STICKS

This game is adorable. Its like pick up sticks for the new generation. This little hedgehog has his spikes and you need to insert sticks in a way that they don't fall down. So great for fine motor skills and so simple yet super fun to play.

LETS JET

Oh, this is so great to learn about world geography. Definitely for older kids (ages 8 and up) but very cool.

LETS DRIVE

Similar to Lets Jet, but takes place in the USA on a road trip. Super fun and a great way to learn about the states, their capitals and scenic locations around the world.

SPACE IT

This game helps kids understand number patterns - a preliminary step toward algebra and advanced math. My son LOVED the whole space theme going on here!

Here's how to enter:

In the comments section below, let me know what you did. #1 is mandatory. For every other comment you leave, it is another raffle entry. On Sunday, February 19th 2012, raffle will be drawn and winners will be announced . FOUR lucky winners will be picked and hopefully will be sent the game of their first choice!

1. Go to Simply Fun's Website, check out the four games above and let me know your first and second choice of those games to win.

2. Tweet about this giveaway

3. Post this giveaway as your Facebook Status

4. LIKE Jewish Montessori Activities on Facebook

5. LIKE this blog post

6. Subscribe to A Jewish Homeschool Blog

Tell all your friends and Good Luck!!!

Parshas Chayei Sara Arts'n Crafts

We woke up at 6am this morning (nothing new:) and the little guy decided that he wants to MAKE a well (the well that Eliezer met Rivkah at)... so this is what we came up with, including the camel:)

The camel is made out of an egg carton, clothes pegs and pipe-cleaners. The well is made with a Tupperware, Popsicle sticks and a pale that picks up water- he had so much fun with it!

We printed a bunch of projects out from www.chinuch.org and this is one of them: A picture of a well, a camel, the sun and a dish to drink out of for the camel. The little guy decided to glue Popsicle sticks to his well... i really recommend this website, it has so much to offer.

We are reading Kind Little Rivkah, a really sweet book about Rivkah at the well and her kindness to Eliezer. You can get it here:

While the little guy worked on his project, my munchkin painted in her Dora coloring book. Here she is:

This is our schedule board. We tried workboxes, but it didn't quite work for us. So instead, every morning we sit with our cards and decide what our schedule for the day will be. We have lots and lots of options so it really works well. The kids get really excited about picking what they want to do and then as they finish one task, move on to the next. Hey, it works for us!

We received this game as a gift and my little guy had such a ball playing it. It says it is for ages 3 and up, but my munchkin didn't quite have the patience for it (she just turned 3) but the little guy loved it. It really helps them practice their letter recognition, both upper and lower case. I think (if I have the time) I will make a Hebrew letter version with print and script.

And thats what we've been up to!

Have a great week!