Bargain Finds at Target

Have I mentioned that I love the Target dollar section this time of year? I picked up the above items for roughly a dollar each, with the exception of the glues, which cost .20 cents each. The best finds for me, were the dry-erase writing boards. They are, in my opinion, an essential product for homeschooling families of K-3rd because you will use them daily. They also allow you to save on money and cut down on the amount of paper you use.

Most of the other items are for an idea that a friend of mine gave me a couple of years ago. During the school year, I keep a "School Shop." It is my reward center. During the week, my kids can earn school "money." They can then use it to "buy" things out of the shop. I try to keep the products educational or school related in some way - NO candy. But things like erasers, pencils, notepads, mini-clipboards, puzzles, stamps, books, crayons, mini-markers, etc., are in high demand. So I keep my eyes open throughout the year when I visit Target, Michaels, or other stores.

This not only rewards the kids for hard work, but it also teaches them about couting money, how prices work, and saving.

How do you reward your children?

Homeschool Essentials: Letter Tiles

I've already mentioned that every family should have a few particular items that are essential tools for supporting their child's education. Last month, we mentioned how a good globe is surprisingly versatile and can be used in many ways.

Also near the top of my Homeschooling Essentials list is a good set of letter tiles. You can find many different sets (upper case, lower case, number, etc.)  in la Librería, but don't feel pressured to buy "official" tiles created just for the student. You can often find a used Scrabble game at a garage sale for pennies that will work just as well. Or you can do what I did and head to your local Target and buy a Bananagrams game on sale.

(If you want to get really fancy, you can even buy a Spanish Scrabble game. Or you can just take a sharpie to your English letter tiles and add accents here and there.)

Anyhow, I bought my bananagrams right before school started because I was determined to provide my daughter with more manipulatives this year. And I am so glad I did. She is predominantly a hands-on learner so any kind of games or manipulatives really grab and hold her attention. The best thing about these tiles is that I can dump them on the table in front of her and let her spell until her little corazoncito is content. It is win-win because I don't have to give her much direction, yet she is still learning... and happily.

Here are some ideas for ways you can use your alphabet tiles:

• Make a list of words and call them out for your child to spell. Remember to scatter more challenging words in the list so that your child can build up his confidence on the easy ones, yet still work hard to correctly spell the harder ones. If your child becomes frustrated, scale back immediately and concentrate on easier words until she is ready.

• Play a game of scrabble or bananagrams. Believe it or not, playing a game with your parent is much more fun than playing alone.

• Have your child spell words in Spanish...or another foreign language!

• Tumble the Tower. Have your child spell one word, then ask them to change it into another word simply by placing one tile on top of another. Keep this up until the pile tips and their "tower" falls to the ground.

• Ask your child to spell backwards! (As challenging as this seems for young kids, they love it! Just be sure to keep it simple.)

• Have your child write a sentence (either one you give her, or one she makes up on her own).

• With younger kids, play a game of "I spy" (or "Veo, veo") and have them find the letters.  For example, you might say, "I spy, with my little eye, the letter "L"" or you could say, "I spy a letter that makes the sound "buh". This is an excellent game for pre-readers to learn letter recognition.

• Ask your child to arrange the tiles alphabetically.

• Ask your child to spell his name.

• Play memory match with a handful of pairs. Slowly add more pairs to make the game more challenging.


Con mucho cariño...

El Mundo in Eight Seconds or Less

Because there are a few items that I find indispensable as a teacher and a parent, I’m starting a little series of articles highlighting some of the equipment homeschooling families (or any family with children) should consider investing in.

And somewhere around the top of my Homeschooling Essentials list is a globe or world map. I was surprised and disappointed to discover that geography is no longer a mandatory subject in many schools. Well, it is in ours.

In my effort to broaden my children’s horizons and develop their appreciation of other cultures, I purchased a globe this year. I don’t know how I made it through last year without one. I think it is really important to provide a tool where they can visually explore the world and it’s features.

Already we have used this globe so much! And so will you. You can use it when discussing a wide range of topics including:

• “Show me where we live!”
• The Continents
• Land Formations (try to get a globe with raised relief)
• Earth Science (incl. plate tectonics, volcanoes, fault lines, etc.)
• Astronomy
• Ecosystems
• Gravity
• Foreign Countries
• Directions (North, East, South, West)
• Climate
• Culture
• Ocean Life
• National Parks
• History (Native Americans, conquistadors, settlers, colonies, etc… this list is too big to list here)
• To supplement shows on PBS (i.e., Nature)
• And so on….

And the great thing is that you can spend as much (or as little!) as you like when purchasing one. I got mine for $14.99 at Target. My kids are still very little and I think it is foolish to spend a ton of money on an object that is going to be heavily used, possibly scratched, dented, written on or otherwise. We’ve already had little sticky fingers roaming over it, and I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it. I don’t want to inhibit them from exploring it out of fear that they will ruin it after I paid some ridiculous amount.

If, however, you have older children and would like to go ahead and invest in a good globe, please consider supporting MommyMaestra by purchasing one from our on-line shop (we also have inexpensive versions!)

You could also check out 1-World Globes, which has an incredible assortment (who knew there were so many ways to create a globe?!) Especially take a look at their Junior Geographer Adventure Pack. I think it looks like a lot of fun.

You might also consider checking on Ebay or Craigslist to see if you can find any super deals in your own area.

And for some reading material or activities to go along with it, visit La Libreria.


One note of caution: Be very careful that little fingers do not get pinched or smashed between the globe and the frame. I imagine that would really hurt!! I recommend an inflatable globe for children under 6 with adult supervision.

Con mucho cariño…