making bead material

(Sara): I really love Montessori math. Unfortunately (or should I say, of course!) it's the most expensive category of materials to purchase, and time-consuming to make. Because I have had the hobby of making & repairing rosaries in the past, I had most of the tools needed to make bead material. I just haven't had much time.

Here's how I made my "golden bead" material. Yes, the beads are traditionally wooden, not black. But that's what I already had at home. I bought the wire at Walmart. Thread 10 beads on at a time,

and then make a 90 degree bend on the end of the wire, about 1/2 inch in length.

Use a needle-nose plier to bend the wire back the opposite way, forming a loop. Close it so the circle is snugly formed.

To make hundred squares, I wove wire around 10 of these, just enough to keep them snugly together. I made 1 large and 3 small sets of number cards on cardstock.

I have made the small bead stair in the same manner, using appropriately colored beads.

I have purchased other math materials, including number rods, the stamp game, addition strip board, multiplication and division boards, and squaring chains. I'm always happy to address questions on any of these materials.

survival mode...

(sara): Two of the most-frequent contributors to this blog have recently had babies. That means that our families are undoubtedly in "survival mode" for at least a few weeks (or months.) That's just the nature of life with a newborn: sleep deprivation, the need for physical rest, visitors, adjustments all around.

Before the birth of our latest child, we started having a book or feast of the day, as mentioned in a previous post. This project has turned out to be a big help in keeping the learning going as we navigate these crazy days we're in. It ensures that my 5yo has his "daily dose" of good literature and handwriting practice. The posters I ordered from the CatholicCompany were just what I hoped they'd be (except that they are too big for my handy-dandy planning binder!) There are interesting pictures of the feast day on the front, and biographical info. on the back. It only takes us about 5 minutes to read, but provides fruitful discussion for the whole day.