Graduation

Well my friends I'm officially a Montessori teacher.  

Here are some photos from the diploma ceremony yesterday.  

Hanging out before the ceremony



Getting seated



Listening intently to the speakers.

Diploma in hand

Alex and I after it was all said and done!

New Yogurt Cake!

Tomorrow, is my last day of practice teaching.  It has been a long hard ride, but the end of this year of Montessori training is in sight.  Today has been a good day.  We were able to get a special dispensation from the California DMV to have our car smogged when we return in July and Alex was able to get a YEAR extension for renewing his driver's licence.  I was worried that I would have to drive all the 3,000 miles home to Cali in July, but now I do not have to.  Happy Day!

Wordless Wednesday

Material Making

Here is what I've been doing other than studying over spring break.  

First thing Monday morning all of this will be turned in for approval.

Vocabulary Enrichment cards 

Amphibians

Today

Today...

Just another day

I feel like all I do now a days is work on making materials.

Here is my progress on a set of land and water form Definition stages.  

I showed you all this the other day.

This is the water-coloring I did for the book and the matching cards.

I have put the two halves of the book together and added the definitions.

What to Do on a Snowy Day?

Why Language materials of course.

What I've been up to.

I seem to have been neglecting this space lately.  Here are something that I've been doing lately.

One day last week we spent a day learning some watercolor techniques   Here are my attempts at making land and water forms in watercolors.  

Then for the past month or so I've been working on these geography materials for my future classroom.  

Here are the ones I'm going to be turning in tomorrow.

Origami Boxes

On the last day of class for this year was a day of fun and not lectures.

Mystery Bag

The Mystery Bag is another Sterrognostic activity for the young child.  HERE is a full description of the activity.  The objects are items that can be identified by touch alone.  I've collected them in several locations. The bag itself I made.  I made three actually.

Sorting

This is an activity for children three and a half to four years old.  This activity is designed to be used with a blindfold and refines the stereopnostic sense. HERE is a complete description of how the activity works. I collected the tray and bowls from various locations.  Tray from Home Goods and the bowls from World Market.  The beads used for sorting are three different shapes  but otherwise feel and look the same.  While blindfolded the child sorts these beads into bowls according to their shape.

 

No bake macaroons

Happy Thursday before Christmas everyone.  I hope this holiday season is treating everyone well.  Yesterday was my last day of school for 2012.  The first semester of grad school is done!  

We had a holiday party and I made these lovelies.

Books

There is so many materials to be made and one of them is a collection of at least 130... yes that's One hundred and thirty... photographs from around the world.  I was able to get a good deal on this book from Amazon and my friend Melissa and I are going to cut it up for our geography materials!

I feel a little bad about cutting up such a beautiful book, but it's for a good cause. 

 And I'm excited to read the Happiness Project!

future list

Things I need to start collecting for my future class room.  

Colored Pencils for Metal Insets 

Amazon

Graphite Pencil 

Amazon

Pencil Holders 

Neinhuis USA

And some things I may or may not need to purchase, but aren't they pretty?

Sandpaper Letters 

Neinhuis USA

Movable Alphabet 

Neinhuis USA

Day is Done

Until today I'd been under the impression that my grad school experience had been going very well.  While there have been lots of paper writing and some material making, it's not been anything that I could not handle.

But today...

Today, I had to practice hand writing.  Oh, please save me.

Time to go take a long hot bubble bath and listen to Joy the Baker pod cast.  

Episode 62: Weight Watchers for Words 

This day is DONE!

Dusting Cloths

Dusting cloths

Yogurt Cake

Tomorrow is the last day of my observation in a Montessori class room.  I've spend two weeks with this class and I hate to say good bye.  Everyone at this particular school has been nice and welcoming so as a thank you I made a lovely yogurt cake tonight. 

 Find the recipe HERE.  

The first time through the cake overflowed out of the pan down to the bottom of the oven the whole house smelled like something was burning.  I over cooked it.  Apparently my 45 minute timing for my California kitchen was too long for the Maryland one.

Alex said we can eat that one and I should make a second.  

what I've been up to

I've put together an activity for children three to three and a half years.

The idea is to teach them how to measure flour with a measuring cup.

Books -n- stuff

I'm on the look out for these books:

Sara and the Door

A Good Day

I'm finally done with my class.  I do not generally stress over classes, but this one (the first class in two years) threw me for a loop this past month.  

But not today.

Today, was the last day of class.  I'm free.

I can start planning for our big move.  So much to do, so little time.  

Today, I walked around down town for an hour.  

Wondered into a used book store and found one of the books I need for school for only $3.00.  What a steal.  I picked up a couple more Montessori books while I was there and they were inexpensive.

After that I walked up Seven flights of stairs.  Nothing like stairs to make you feel really out of shape.

And to round out the day, I finally had enough energy to clean the house while listening to Joy the Baker Podcast

I haven't done this for awhile.  I've been very busy.  

So strange as it sounds.  This makes me very happy!

Today, the kitties and I listened to...

Episode 45: Like Nobody's Blaziness

Episode  46: Tiers of Tears