Mini Golf Math!

A few weeks ago, while perusing various consignment stores looking for picture books for our homeschool, we decided to pop by our local Goodwill store to check out their selection of books.
Back in our earlier days of homeschooling when we were still very much in the process of building up our collection of books and materials, I used to pop into both consignment stores and thrift shops in search of Fabulous Finds. But since we have amassed such a wonderful collection of materials, these shopping trips have subsided quite a bit...they are still fun to do once in a while though! 

Well, while we were there at Goodwill, Big Bro happened to see a miniature golf kit, in like brand new condition, in the original box, with each part of the set still in plastic wrap.
Both boys love golf, whether it is miniature golf or real golf, so to find this set was pretty neat!
Even though the creators of this set designed it to be a drinking game, we saw it as something that could work well for us in the scope of homeschooling...

Big Bro was especially determined to get this little golf game so he quickly added that there would have to be some kind of learning game or Montessori extension that they could do with this set.

Since this kit was actually designed to be a drinking game, each shot had a designated meaning as to whose turn it was to drink and how many shots they were supposed to have...
Each shot glass is color coded. There are a total of six shot glasses, as well as one flag/pin, two golf clubs, two little metal golf balls, a sand trap, a small bunker, and a water hazard.
The only thing the set needed was a little rake for the sand trap, but we found that taking the brush meant for Dear Daddy's shaving kit worked pretty well as a way to tidy up the sand.

As it turns out, our Montessori math facts are in little boxes and are color coded, so the boys came up with the idea that this set could work for a math game / work extension!
We have four boxes, one for each of the math operations:addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Little Bro has not had any work involving division yet, but both boys are familiar with and have had Montessori lessons on addition, subtraction, and multiplication, so we used cards from these three sets and filled the shot glasses with the cards.

Our cards fit perfectly into the shot glasses!

Let me tell you, this math work extension has been a huge hit with both boys!

They have come up with multiple ways to do this work  / play this game, depending on how you wanna look at it...

Generally, one of them will select the work and will add the respective cards.
They then choose to do the work with or without the aide of the Montessori math beads.
They have come up with all kinds of rules about what the different shots mean:
If you land in a sand trap, you have to complete two cards.
If you land in the water hazard, you have to do three cards.
If you get stuck by the bunker, you have to do two cards.
If you score a hole in one, you can choose to not answer a card for that time or, for some of the rounds, If it is a "hole-in-one contest", then you "win" a car (a toy car of course)!!!

This has been such a great way for them to practice their math facts.

Since they have enjoyed playing it so much, they are now trying to think of other sorts of cards that could work into this game.
We are going to try this game using grammar cards from our Montessori grammar work for Big Bro, as well as speech and articulation cards for Little Bro.
I just have to use the template from our Montessori math cards to make cards for grammar and speech/articulation that will fit the shot glasses.

So thanks to the person who donated this adorable set to Goodwill!
You probably got it as a gag gift or something and thought it was silly, but for two boys who love golf, this set has been such a great addition to our homeschooling (and all for only $2.00)!

Here are some photos...what a fun way to learn!

Our mini golf set!

Our Montessori math facts cards in their regular color coded boxes: addition is red, multiplication is yellow, and subtraction is green. They are not using the division cards for this work just yet...

Big Bro working out what each shot will mean...

Big Bro explaining to Little Bro how this mini golf set works as a math work...

The ball has landed in the sand trap! That means answer two math facts cards.

Best ball round!  Montessori math beads are hanging out in case they need to use them for solving / self checking their answers.

Little Bro doing this work independently...

Little Bro doing this as his work. The Montessori math beads and the cars for getting a hole-in-one are off to the side...

Close up of the toy cars they use as prizes if they get a hole-in-one! Love how they have the cars open as if they are actually on display at a tournament. Also shown are the Montessori math beads they can choose to either help solve the problem or to self check their work. The beads in this box are referred to as the decanomial bead box. For homeschoolers using Montessori math, this math bead set is terrific! We purchased our decanomial bead set from Alison's Montessori.

Fabulous Finds Friday! Crazy For Cricut

Since so many friends and family love Cricut, wanted to let all of you bitten by the Cricut craze that Amazon is offering several of the Cricut products for sale this weekend...

• The Cricut Personal Cutting Machine for sale for $80.79 new and have five used ones on sale starting at $75.99.
• The Cricut Wild Card Cartridge on sale for $19.50 to $22.00, depending on if you buy it from them or from a partner of Amazon's. The regular price on these is $79.99 so it is a great discount!
• The Cricut Create a Critter Cartridge is marked down from $69.99 to $34.24 and qualifies for free Super Saver shipping.
• The Cricut Essentials Kit - regularly priced at $66.50 to $39.99 and qualifies for free Super Saver shipping.
• Other Cricut products that have received great reviews from others*** are on sale as well...

I added a Widget display of the items from Amazon that include these sale items and others on the right side of my blog, a little further down than this post...so if you are interested in any of these items, please click to be taken directly to the Amazon link that is provided through this Widget. 

Have a happy weekend to all of my crafty buddies!

Disclaimer:
***I have been wanting to purchase the Cricut but as of yet, have not done so, so these products are recommended based upon the fact that they are a great deal but other people's reviews of these products also seem to support that they are great products.
Right now, these products sit on my Wish List, so to speak...I was not asked to provide a link to Cricut but since it is a hot topic and fits in with the Friday Fabulous Finds theme that I had originally created months ago, wanted to share with my readers.

Fabulous Finds Friday!

Talk about Fabulous Finds, 

Target has quite a selection of educational items in their dollar section...and they are literally one dollar each...

The items of interest include:

Personal pocket charts

Flashcards and corresponding activity books for every possible theme  / concept...
Insects, Dinosaurs, Space, U.S. Animals, World Animals, World Landmarks, Time, Same and Different, Numbers, Alphabet, Rhyming Words, U.S. Presidents, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Flags of the World, Phonics I, Phonics II, Colors and Shapes...

Some of these flashcards could work well in continents boxes...
Namely,  U.S. Animals, World Animals, World Landmarks, and Flags of the World.

The Insects, Dinosaurs, Space, U.S. Animals, World Animals, and U.S. Presidents cards could all be easily converted into three part cards if you buy two sets of the cards or if you buy single sets, scan them, and make your own second sets for control of error...

The Phonics II  cards are all blends and digraphs, so if you are needing work for your children that cover blends and digraphs, here you go!

The Numbers cards feature numbers and blue dots so they could work well as an extension after a child has done their Montessori inspired work using their wooden numbers and circle counters...

Even if you are not normally a big fan of workbooks, if you have to travel or go to a doctor's appointment, these activity books could come in handy, especially the ones like Space, Animals, or Dinosaurs...
If you are a homeschool family who uses Sue Patrick's Workbox System, these activity books might work very well for your family...
In addition to the themed activity books, they also have a few made by Crayola...one activity book in particular allows for open ended creativity called Squiggles and Doodles...
In this book, a child is given a squiggle or a doodle and has to finish it and make their own picture integrating the squiggle or doodle. Could really see a child doing this as they are sitting on a plane or waiting for their turn at the dentist's office...

Weather charts

Cut outs - Weather and Holidays
The cut outs could work well if you need things for your children to do Montessori inspired push pin work.

Foam clocks in different colors
If you are working on time and want an extension to go with time, these clocks could work for you.

Dry erase charts
Again, either for variety or if you have to spend some time waiting to go somewhere, these could come in handy.
Print
Cursive
Spanish
Addition

Classic books for read-alouds / bedtime stories, or for independent reading for older children...

Small balls - would be great for young children to use at the park...

Math manipulatives:
Foam cubes*

*The foam cube math manipulatives come in a plastic bag...I just transferred them to a nice wicker basket...


Straws - to use for counting by tens

Alphabet stickers
Alphabet rubber stamps - the alphabet stamps are very tiny and easily fit onto a tray, along with some paper for a simple stamping work. they are great for developing the pincer grip, as they are so tiny that the only way to hold them is to use a pincer grip.
Would imagine that an older child might enjoy using these, too, as they are tiny and the font is not as babyish as with some stamps...
Could see with an older child, say 6-9, using them to stamp out a sentence to go along with a book they have written or a cartoon that they have drawn.
Would also be a cool tie in if you discuss the history of printmaking, as they are similar to what would have been used as stamps to print headlines for a newspaper years ago.

Magnetic letters and numbers
Ribbons - great for tying or braiding work.

Lined boards for printing practice

Simple easy readers on the following themes:

Big Cats
Scorpions
U.S.  - 50 Great States
U.S. Presidents
Polar Animals
Sea Life

Board books:
All about Me
Pets

Small socks for matching / sorting work or for children to use to clothespin to a small clothesline
Pom poms in rainbow colors and different sizes for dry transfer work, as well as sorting, counting, matching work.

Also, a huge selection of Dr. Seuss items, most notably:
Neat little bags that tie in with the following books: Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Cat in the Hat, and Horton Hears a Who.
The bags are cute, colorful, and seemed quite durable and washable. If you are trying to reduce / reuse /  recycle, these bags could really come in handy...
They could work well as lunch sacks for when you are on the go.
These bags could also work well to carry library books, or even as a small overnight bag or children's carry-on bag.
If your family enjoys reading Dr. Seuss, you might enjoy some of the additional Dr. Seuss items they had in stock, such as the stickers, small notebooks, or the pins.
 
We did not need all of the items I have listed, but we did need a few...so even if you need just a few of these items, it is worth the trip to Target to check out the dollar section.

Fabulous Finds Friday!

While having a great time shopping with a friend who is visiting, I happened to come across some fabulous finds...some wonderful expository tradebooks from the Voyages of Discovery Books series  by Scholastic:
The World of Theater
The History of Actors, Singers, Costumes, Audiences, and Scenery

The Story of Flight
Early Flying Machines, Balloons, Blimps, Gliders, Warplanes, and Jets

Bikes, Cars, Trucks, and Trains 

From Nomads to Wagon Trains to Race Cars: How People Move Across Land

Boats and Ships 
Rafts, Galleons, Pirate Ships, Whalers, Ocean Liners, and Submarines

Now, what is an expository tradebook, you ask?
Basically, an expository tradebook is an informational book written for children.
In the homeschooling world, they are far more accessible than most textbooks, generally more interesting and enticing than a traditional text, and less expensive in many cases.
Expository tradebooks can be used to enhance a textbook if you happen to have a textbook, but they can also be used in lieu of a textbook.

While trying to find some additional information online about this series, a wonderful page appeared in the search:
Helping Children Successfully Read Informational Writing by Joyce Melton Pagés, Ed.D.

This is what Dr. Melton has to say about the Voyages of Discovery books:
Scholastic's Voyages of Discovery books use beautiful, bright, close-up photographs, fold-outs, content-oriented stickers, plastic overlays, and many other special features to complement the interesting writing.   These books also use headings, subheadings, bold face type, captions, and other typographical aids to support student learning.   These science/natural history books are written for children nine-years-old and up, but young children enjoy perusing the interesting pages.

This is what Big Bro has to say about the books:
These are so cool! and beautiful! I want to read Taming Fire first!!!
Then, The Story of Flight...and then, the other ones. They are great! Thanks, Mom!

So, another week of fabulous finds (and this week, fabulous friends too! We are having such a fun day with our friends.)

Fabulous Finds Friday!

While we were on vacation, we found a few fabulous finds...

Two neat shell containers from the Florida Shell Shop, along with some little glass figurines.

We will use the shell containers as part of the open and close Montessori work we have already on the shelf...the little glass figurines will be added to the stash of treasures to store in the containers. Little Bro is especially excited about this work!


Then today, we went over to our local Goodwill Store...if you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that Goodwill is one of the best places to score some awesome items for your continents boxes...and for usually only a few dollars.

Big Bro spotted a snowshoe made in Canada...and with some digging, we found the match! These are handcrafted snowshoes, smaller and meant to be a souvenir, not real snowshoes, but they are just perfect for our North American continent box.

Then, Big Bro also found our second awesome find of the day...a hand carved wooden bear, again made in Canada.

And the cost for these items???

Go ahead, guess...

The shell containers were $2.50 a piece, the glass animals were 33 cents a piece, the handcrafted woven snowshoes were $2.06 for the pair and the hand carved bear was also $2.06.

Pretty good for about ten bucks, don't ya' think?!?

Fabulous Finds Friday!

Decided that today is Fabulous Finds Friday, as we made our way to our local Goodwill store and we found some cool Montessori inspired items, at the great low price of $1.06 per item.

When we go to a Goodwill or a Salvation Army store, the boys and I always look for unique artifacts for our continents boxes, as well as practical life items.

Generally, these stores are a treasure trove for such items.

Many people buy souvenirs when they travel and then, at some point, the items seem to lose some of their sentimental value and folks wonder why they have something like a little hand-painted toucan sitting in their living room when the rest of the room is all done in a totally different sort of decor. These trinkets become so much more in the eyes of a child who is trying to make some sort of concrete connection to a place that they themselves have never visited...they really help to bring a different culture alive for young ones.

Today's treasures include:

Culture: A little brass Liberty Bell replica from the USA

Culture: A tiny toucan on a branch from Costa Rica

Practical life - opening containers or dry transfer: 
A small glass container with attached hinged metal lid

Culture / Music: A mini bongo made out of a coconut from Hawaii 

Practical life - pouring exercises: 
An adorable little glass pitcher with blue flowers on it

Language / Bookshelf: Some nice books for children

If you have not been in your local Goodwill or Salvation Army Store, I highly encourage you to do so, as I would be willing to bet that there are some neat little items just waiting to be unearthed on their shelves.

Generally, high end children's consignment stores are better for nice children's books, but every once in a while, you will find some decent selections at Goodwill or Salvation Army.


Hope that you had a fabulous Friday!

An Awesome Find!

Well, what can I say but that I LOVE it when I find something unexpected at a consignment or thrift store.
Well, this week, right looking at me in the window was a pair of wooden clogs from Holland...I thought for sure that they had to be fake and out of plastic for Halloween...but when I went in and saw them, there they were, never worn, with the tags inside the shoes saying made in Holland and all! Handpainted clogs! Our continents boxes keep getting bigger and bigger. We currently have a continents closet...may need a continents room.
The boys love putting these clogs on...they now want to do a whole study about shoes from around the world, which I might just work into our daily work somehow...