More Montessori Division Work ~ Christmas Ideas

What's Cookin'?

I totally messed up the monkey bread recipe from Heavenly Homemakers.  The house was too cold for it to rise in an hour, but I didn't have time and cooked it anyway.  Bleh.  The dc loved it but I couldn't finish mine; it felt like a rock.  I'll count it as practice for our 3 Kings Day breakfast.

I've been *trying* to plan our weekly meals out better.  This week we're having baked chicken with rice and corn on the cob; leftovers of the same; bean and cheese melts on homemade tortillas (using Kelly's fermented tortilla recipe, and wonderful Amish cheese from Minerva Cheese Factory); chili (home soaked/cooked beans, 1/2 lb grass-fed beef, spices, no msg flavoring); chicken noodle soup (homemade bone broth); spaghetti (with the other 1/2 lb of ground beef).  For breakfast tomorrow we're having soaked German Pancake to get them through a long day of volleyball games.  Very simple, inexpensive meals that stretch the higher priced items of cheese and meat.  Now I'm pausing to go make a yogurt/cherry smoothie for snack...




What's Schoolin'?

Tessellations:
I have wanted tessellation manipulatives for about 15 years, at least, I'm not kidding.  We have pattern blocks like the ones below but I remember seeing tessellation kits with odd shapes in a co-worker's room when I taught 4th.  They were more like the blue template in the link below.  Youngest dd still likes the pattern blocks but she's soon to outgrow it.  However, I think all 3 would enjoy making tessellations using these awesome (and inexpensive!) templates.  Shipping is 9% with a minimum of $7, though, so that's something to keep in mind.  However, they had other items of interest and some clearance items that might make the $7 shipping worth it.  I saw when I was looking for shipping cost that they are based in Fort Collins, CO - I have a little affinity for them, then, because I went to CSU for my first 2 years of college :).
http://www.educatorsoutlet.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6007

Here are some other templates (I actually think the first 2 are the same):








Division Work:
Youngest Dd is doing the Division booklet right now in which they go through using the unit division board.  Here is an excellent link with the presentation of the unit division board.  I simply used the blank back side of my $1 hundred board I got years ago from Mardel (see picture below - the back side is a blank grid).  You could even just print out a blank hundred board grid online to use.  I used a sharpie to write the numbers across the top and down the side.  I quickly pulled out some glass chips for markers and units from the base ten blocks to use.  Fortunately I already had a booklet printed from the olders years ago in my Math storage bank box.  I'm still working on remaking the racks and tubes division boards.  I have them printed and decided to use a wooden base for my little plastic tubes.  Dh has been drilling a few holes at a time as he's able.  I always plan on it but have only run into the garage for a few minutes at a time to check on the chicks... yes, you read correctly - we have chicks in the garage.  19 to be exact.  I'm trying not to get attached because they're broilers for a 4-H show and then (gulp) we're planning on, uh... (sigh) broiling them.  I'm still not sure if I can do it.  I'm the one who couldn't eat a chicken I had played with from the market when I was a little girl (saga of the chicks to be continued...)






This is a blatantly selfish post as I window shop for ideas.  I keep losing my lists so this way I can come back to it!  Last year I got each person in our family a book for Christmas and it was so helpful to have my links on my blog to refer to as I whittled it down.