Link Love: MAMIVERSE.com

Yesterday, a new digital magazine officially launched. MAMIVERSE.com has been created for modern Latina moms who are looking for a way to connect with each other and stay updated on the latest health, fashion, and education trends. I am delighted to be a regular contributor to another site that is concerned about the future of nuestros niños.

I encourage each of you to take a quick peek at their "schoolMami" section, where they discuss some really great topics related to education. From facts about dyslexia to finding out if your child is ready for advanced placement classes, you'll find informative articles for parents who homeschool and those with children in public or private schools.

My favorite Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo, has a few articles on ways to encourage your child's inner artista. You'll love her how-to for making gourmet glittered crayons. (I know what's on our list of things to do this week!) 

Personal finance expert, Carmen Wong Ulrich, shares some savvy tips for back-to-school shopping, and teacher, Monica Rohr, has some excellent suggestions for school year success.

Con mucho cariño...

Weekend Links: Math Manipulatives to Guayaba Cream

Ultimate List of Printable Math Manipulatives & Games :: Jimmie's Collage (Quick! Bookmark this page! These are the BEST resources!)

I’m White, My Daughter is Latina, and I Buy Black Dolls :: New Latina (A powerful article on helping our children to embrace multiculturalism.)

The Bookshelf: El Alfabeto Cubano :: Dos Borreguitas (Cute!)

Action Pack :: Whipup.net (Can you believe the 2nd issue of Action Pack is already out? 25 pages of ad-free activities.)

Mi Guitarri Music!! :: Wanna Jugar With Migo?

Organizing Your Homeschool Library :: Heart of the Matter

10 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Day Run Smoothly :: Homeschool Classroom

Waldorf Education: Behind the Silk Curtains :: Simple Homeschool

Your Parenting Style. A Quiz :: The Tiki Tiki

Delicious Recipe: Lime Ice Cream with Guayaba Cream and Pepita Brittle :: New Latina (Because I am weak - and everyone should enjoy Life now and then, no?)

Weekend Links: 1001 Libros Infantiles to Tres Leches Cake

Articles, Books, and Lessons:

• 1001 libros infantiles que hay que leer antes de crecer :: Paper Blog (Thanks to ORCA for sharing!)

• Working at Home & Homeschooling: 7 Life Lessons from a WAHM :: Simple Homeschool

• Homeschooling the First Year: Living with (and without) Labels :: The Homeschool Classroom

• Funny Bone Reader Give Away! :: The Homeschool Post

• Manifestación en apoyo a las familias procesadas por educar en casa en España :: BAJO EL DIENTE DE LEÓN (Show your support!)



Crafts:

• Action Pack :: Whip Up (A downloadable mini-magazine for kids ages 7+ who want to do stuff!)

• St. Patrick’s Day Crafts :: The Crafty Crow

• Mas Arboles :: Reciclando en la Escuela (Great ideas for recycling all those crayon bits!)



Recipes:

• Tres Leches Cake, An Easy Recipe :: The Tiki Tiki Blog

Weekend Links: The Giving Tree to Albóndigas

Articles and Lessons:

• El Árbol Generoso / The Giving Tree :: 2 Pequeños Traviesos

• Mothering, A Draft in Progress :: Spanglish Baby (This is SUCH a moving, beautiful post. All mamis must read!)

• lapbook Rascacielos :: ORCA

• Eschewing Obfuscation in Academia via Kinesthetic Jargon-Elimination :: Heart of the Matter (Eh?)

• Elementary Spanish Curriculum!!! Perfect for Homeschool Spanish :: Teaching Español (What an exciting discovery!)


Crafts:

• Chalk Blocks :: Playful Learning (Remember my FB post on the chalkboard globe? Take a look at these blocks…)

• A Dress Full of Pockets :: Rhythm of the Home (For little nature-lovers…)

• March already? :: ¿Ya es marzo? :: Sabor a Cajeta

Givaways:

• Virtual Book Tour: The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred {GIVEAWAY} :: The Latin Baby Book Club (This entire week, five different blogs are participating in this virtual book tour. That's five opportunities for you to win a copy of this beautiful book!)


Recipes:

• Albondigas, The Ultimate Comfort Soup :: Muy Bueno Cookbook (Because we ALL need recipes deliciosos…)

Weekend Links: Nature Journals to the Underground Railroad

Friday morning I will be busy teaching a bunch of homeschool students about bird watching as we participate in the GBBC. I'll be sure to share some pictures on the Facebook page!


• Bird Nature Journal Ideas and the Great Backyard Bird Count Reminder :: Handbook of Nature Study

• FREE ebook! 101 Activities to do with your Preschool Child :: Five J’s

• Lapbook química :: ORCA (Awesome! We need to talk about lapbooks soon.)

• Cursive :: Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home

• The Underground Railroad for all ages :: The Homeschool Classroom (This month is Black History Month, and this link is an excellent resource!)

Weekend Links: Spanish Valentine's Cards to Mexican Flan

• Valentine´s Day Cards in Spanish for Your Niños! :: Spanglish Baby

• The 2011 Pura Belpré Award Winners :: The Latin Baby Book Club

• A simple craft when mami is sick : Un projecto facil cuando mami esta enferma :: Sabor a Cajeta

• Project #74: Kid's Totem Poles :: Bookhou Craft Projects

• Free songs at Amazon: $2 off MP3 Coupon Code :: Teaching Español

• La Revolución Francesa :: ORCA (Hilarious! Shows how it is possible to incorporate legos into your history lessons!!)

• Coordinate Plane Homeschool Math Game (FREE download!) :: Five J’s


And because it is yummy...

• Mexican Flan! :: Nibbles & Feasts

Weekend Links: Foreign Language Learning to Women Scientists

Fun Activities for Teaching a Foreign Language :: The Homeschool Classroom

Muñecas Rusas - Russian Dolls :: Mi Escuelita Montessori 

A few ideas for el Día de San Valentín :: Teaching Español 

The Piñata :: maya*made 

Valentine Card Ideas ::The Crafty Crow 

Q.T. in the Kitchen :: Heart of the Matter 

My favorite, healthy and yummy Ecuadorian snack! :: Kids Go Bilingual 

Beyond the Fizz – How to Get Kids Excited About Doing Real Science :: Steve Spangler's Blog 

Creating your microbe biosphere (make-along project, Part 2) :: The Magnifying Glass 

Also, Evelyn has recently posted on her blog, 2 Pequeños Traviesos, some excellent examples of her Montessori-based homeschooling days. 

Women Scientists Who Made a Difference :: Steve Spangler's Blog (This is a super list, but I am disappointed that there are not any Latinas included.)

Weekend Links: Slow-Cooker Recipes to Parents' Success

Latin Slow-Cooker Recipes. Que Gusto! :: Tiki Tiki (A MUST read!)

Ideas for teaching preschool and elementary Spanish at home :: Teaching Español

La Comida Más Importante del Día / The Most Important Meal of the Day :: Mama Latina Tips

Sharing Childhood Memories with your Children :: Modern Mami

Darling Little Birdseed Cakes :: The Magic Onions



Latino parents' efforts to cultivate empowerment and inclusion are paying off on multiple levels in Forest Grove schools (An AWESOME read!)

Weekend Links: Teaching Latino History to Frustration

Short and sweet today!

• How Can it be Illegal to Teach Our Children Latino History? :: Spanglish Baby

• Family game night :: The HSBA Post

• National Handwriting Day :: The Heart of the Matter

• Homeschooling the First Year: Midpoint Reality Check :: The Homeschool Classroom


• I Can't Do It! Frustration happens at every age of childhood. Here’s what typically causes it, and how you can help your child deal with it. :: Scholastic

Weekend Links: Free Downloads to Felt Solar System

This week has been turned end over end here at my house. Being called for Jury Duty really threw our schedule out the window. But it is over now and I am happy to have had the chance to serve (even though we were dismissed because the defendant submitted a plea), and was almost sad that I didn't get the opportunity to see the whole thing through. It was a great learning experience and provided an awesome opportunity to talk to my daughter about the judicial system of our country.

But I'll be back on track next week! And here are this week's links...


• Evelyn from 2 Pequeños Traviesos has started a page with free downloads. Be sure to bookmark it!

• Free Tickets to Six Flags Parks for Reading :: The Homeschool Parent (If you live near a Six Flags theme park, you have got to check out their Read to Succeed program!)

• Brightening Winter with Poetry Collages :: The Homeschool Classroom

• Spanish is a Muscle :: Spanglish Baby

• Helpful Homeschool Hints: Using Real Art Supplies :: Many Little Blessings

• Science Fishing – Catch an Ice Cube with a Piece of String :: Steve Spangler Science

• Helping Young Children Learn Spanish and Math Concepts is FUN! :: Boca Beth


Crafts

• This beautiful mobile from Happy Find would be a great gift for un hermanito or hermanita, and I think it would be one that you could easily create together with your children.

• Volcano Study :: Montessori Spanish (I was so excited to see this post, because I saw a volcano kit at my local Cracker Barrel and have been thinking about purchasing one to explore this topic with my daughter.)

• Felt Solar System :: The Magnifying Glass (What a GREAT idea! So creative and simple, I wish I had thought of it myself!)

Weekend Links: Flamenco to Ketchup

Oh, it is so good to be back on a schedule! I've missed sharing these great links with all of you. Enjoy!

• January's Libro del Mes: ¡Olé! flamenco :: Latin Baby Book Club

• Día de Los Reyes (Kings’ Day) :: Muy Bueno Cookbook

• Toddlers and Preschoolers Learn Shapes / Las formas :: Boca Beth

• On the Shelf: A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky :: The Magnifying Glass

• Play, Learn, and Discover with Discovery Familia :: Mami & the Multiples

• The Bookshelf: Spanish Books from the Biblioteca! :: Dos Borreguitas

• Wordsmyth: An Online Educational Dictionary for Kids :: Five J’s

• The Gentle Ways of Reading :: Heart of the Matter

And check this out...

• Heinz Ketchup Creativity Contest This is a super contest and is open to homeschoolers, as well. We will definitely be participating!

Weekend Links: Bilingual Books to Villancicos

• Bilingual Books for Navidad :: Latin Baby Book Club

• Winter-Themed Picture Books Perfect for Snuggling by the Fire :: Homeschool Classroom

• 25 Gifts Kids Can Make! :: The Crafty Crow

• Holiday Rice Krispies Trees {Giveaway} :: Modern Mami

• Am I a Bad Homeschool Mom if I Don’t Use Hands-on Projects? :: Jimmie’s Collage

• Huerto Casero / Home Garden :: 2 Pequeños Traviesos

• The Gift of Slow :: Simple Homeschool

• Building a Family Culture Through Holiday Traditions :: Simple Homeschool

• Ice Lanterns :: Ordinary Life Magic (For those of you attending or hosting posadas, this may be a lovely handmade decoration!)

• La Música de Navidad :: YouTube (Everyone give Ana from Spanglish Baby a big round of applause for finding and sharing this amazing YouTube channel that features villancicos navideños!!)

Weekend Links: Music to the World's First Mariachi Opera

• 10 Quick Music Enrichment Ideas :: Heart of the Matter (Love this post!!)

• How to Bake Bread (Teaching Life Skills in the Kitchen) :: Five J’s

• Ornament Advent Day 6: Stained Glass Poinsettias! :: Crafty Crow

• How to Make Yarn Dolls :: Living Creating Believing (Very neat idea. I think my 'Buelita made me one once...)

• Desert Lesson Plan for Preschool and Homeschool Students:: Associated Content (Sort of the wrong time of year, but hey, the desert is always there! Save it for later.)

• Transitioning into the Big Kid Years :: Simple Homeschool

• School Week 11 and 12 :: Montessori Spanish


• And don't miss the winter edition of Rhythm of the Home, a digital magazine featuring "a huge gathering of projects, reflections, traditions and good food for every family to share." It is wonderful and also delves into the Waldorf tradition, so those of you considering this method of homeschooling, especially, should check it out.


And here are just a few more giveaways this week…

• Latin Baby Book Club

• Spanglish Baby


Last, but not least!

• A Trumpet's Note of Hope in a Mariachi Opera :: Houston Chronicle (Story behind the world's first mariachi opera. A moving story and a must read!)


Con mucho cariño...

Weekend Links: Christmas Break to Holiday Giveaways

• Christmas Break :: Homeschool Classroom

• Jose Luis Orozco Sings in Spanish for You :: Spanglish Baby

• Homeschool is Cool Resources for November :: Nature Moms

• 9 Great Places to Find Educational Gifts for the Holidays :: Montessori for Everyone

• Advent Calendar Round-Up! :: The Crafty Crow

• Stocking Stuffers for the Creative Child :: Simple Homeschool

• Fambook - like Facebook... but not :: My Big Fat Cuban Family (Mi amiga, Marta, shares two great ideas for gift giving in large familias!)


Everywhere I look, blogs are having a week to 12 days of extraordinary giveaways. Here are a few that I love, some of which mis amigas are hosting!

• The Crafty Crow

• Simple Homeschool

• Thoughts of a Mommy

• Mama Latina Tips

• Spanglish Baby (Begins next week.)

Weekend Links: Thanksgiving to Book Giveaways

• America's REAL First Thanksgiving... :: Mi Cielito Lindo (Definitely check this out.)

• Fun with Math, Games and Illusions :: The HSBA Post

• Teaching Geography Without Buying a Curriculum :: Jimmie's Collage

• Encouraging Independent Learning :: Homeschool Classroom

• Leaf Study :: Montessori Spanish

• Las Hojas Estan Cambiando (The Leaves are Changing): Part Two :: Multilingual Living

• Utubersidad: Educational Videos in Spanish :: Teaching Español (This is SUPER COOL!! Thanks, Karen!)

• 4 Tips for Talking to Relatives About Homeschooling This Holiday Season :: Simple Homeschool


And our sister blog, the Latin Baby Book Club has several giveaways going on right now, so be sure to head over and take a look at those incredible books!


Con mucho cariño...

Weekend Links: Word Games to Free Books

• Engaging Vocabulary Word Game :: Teaching Español

• Libros vivos de Mates y ciencias :: ORCA

• Bilingual Body Parts Beware! Boca Beth Has You Covered! :: Boca Beth

• Its My Job to Feed the Creativity (in both of us) :: This Vintage Chica

• Gifts from Nature ~ Cinnamon Pine Cones :: The Magnifying Glass

• Project #66 Acorn Owls :: Bookhou Craft Projects (Love the crafts that she shares!)

• Native Sons :: Blue Yonder Ranch!

• Marketing to Kids as a Parenting Tool :: Modern Mami

• Free Books for Kids :: Budget Saving Mom (A list of free audio books.)

And finally, don't miss out on The Old Schoolhouse's digital holiday supplement. It is filled with recipes, gift, and craft ideas for the holidays.

Weekend Links: Pastorelas to Giveaways

• LESTA to partner with HART for bilingual Christmas pastorela :: OregonLIVE

• FREE Thanksgiving / Fall Kit :: Paper Glitter

• Tiempo de Cosecha - Harvest!! :: Mi Escuelita Montessori

• Dia de Los Muertos/Day of The Dead Crafts & Treats for Kids :: The Crafty Crow

• Basics of Counting to Ten for Preschoolers in English and Spanish :: Boca Beth

• ORUGA de mascota / Our pet CATERPILLAR :: 2 Pequeños Traviesos

• Gifts from Nature ~ Kindling Bundles :: The Magnifying Glass

• Tourschooling: How to Make Any Trip Educational :: Simple Homeschool


GIVEAWAYS in the blogosphere...

• Inspiration from a Baby Abuelita Doll (Giveaway) :: Tiki Tiki Blog (So exciting! Try to win Baby Abuelita's newest doll!)

• November's Libro del Mes: Rosita y Conchita *GIVEAWAY*  :: The LBBC (Don't forget that Monday is your last chance to enter to win a copy of this gorgeous little book on our sister blog, LatinBabyBookClub.com)

Weekend Links: Jamoncillo to Free Pizza

It is getting harder and harder each week to keep this list down to just a few, so I'm not going to worry too much about it. I know you will just scroll through and click on the ones that interest you the most anyway!

• Meet The Mendez Family Of La Zamorana Candy, Your Día de los Muertos Sugar Source :: Eat History (An awesome story! Be sure to read the full version in the LATimes - the link is included.)

• Simply Delicious Applesauce : simplemente delicioso puré de manzana :: Sabor a Cajeta

• Bilingual Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen {Giveaway} :: Spanglish Baby

• Adventures in Teaching our Kids Spanish :: Bilingual Fun (Jennifer touches on teaching her daughter to read in Spanish and helps me relax about my decision to make sure mine reads in English first.)

• The Topy Five Videos and Music To Teach Your Preschooler Spanish :: Teaching Español

• Rebelión de los animales :: ORCA

• Learning Math through Play :: Simple Homeschool

• What’s in your Wallet? :: Homeschool Classroom (This is a great article on how homeschoolers can save money.)

• Papel Picado- Halloween Decorations! :: Wanna Jugar with Migo (Super cute!)

• Free Halloween Printables Round-up! :: The Crafty Crow (WOW! This is one incredible list! A MUST see…)




Also, for those of you with a LaRosa's Pizza nearby: Head over to their site and learn how you can register for their student rewards program. It's open to teachers, principals and homeschool educators.

Con mucho cariño...

Weekend Links: Parenting Quiz to Student Essays

Today's homeschool group field trip was to the pumpkin farm!

Wow! There is just so much going on out there this week, that I'm afraid I had a really hard time narrowing things down to just a few links. So I hope you find some of these articles and quizes as helpful as I do.

• What Type of Parent Are You? Take the Quiz :: Modern Familia (This post is great for understanding your own parenting style/strengths.)

• The 4 Phases of Learning in Leadership Education :: Simple Homeschool (This is very insightful, a definite “must read”.)

• Las Hojas Estan Cambiando (The Leaves Are Changing): Part One :: Multilingual Living (This is such a great post!!)

• Calabazas, Brujas, y disfraces :: Wanna Jugar with Migo

• Trabajos de Geografia/Geography Activities :: 2 Pequeños Traviesos

• Mini Arco Ingles :: ORCA (I think this is a fantastic idea that can be applied using any language – I’m going to try it out!)

• It is time for Spain! :: Kids Go Bilingual

• Our Trilingual Adventures with Little Pim: Media :: Spanglish Baby

• Free Books :: Homeschool Parent (Since I mentioned the International Children’s Library a few weeks ago, I thought this might be of interest to some of you. However, these resources appear to all be in English only.)

• Chapter Books for Young Children :: Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home

• Piñata Monster Trick-or-Treat Bags :: Giddy Giddy


Also, I want to encourage ALL of you to head on over to Multilingual Mania over the next week or so and read the student essays that were submitted for the Writing Contest. They are so beautiful and inspirational. And we (the readers) get to vote for our favorites. I think this will be terribly, terribly hard to do!

AND, if you are not already a fan of MommyMaestra on Facebook, you might want to consider it since I do share links to interesting finds, activities, discoveries and more during the week.

Don't forget to take the MommyMaestra Survey and enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

Weekend Links: Yearbooks to Auditions

A slightly different format today because I wanted to share the photo the symbolic butterfly that all the kids in our 4-H club did this week. You'll also see some of the artwork and letters that the kids added to the packet. I am so excited that we found out about this project in time so that we could participate. If you'd like to take a look at the symbolic butterflies and their journey to Mexico, visit the Journey North website and take a moment to read through some of the messages that the classes have left on the site.

• How to Make a Homeschool Yearbook :: How To Do Things (I think this would be a great project for a homeschool co-op, or simply as a record of your child's school year.)

• Making Math Fun with Card Games :: The Homeschool Classroom

• More Mandalas :: Moment to Moment (This is really a beautiful and creative activity for those of you looking to create art using nature with your children. I’m inspired!)

• How To Homeschool Like A Pro :: Simple Homeschool

• Our Top Ten Hands On Home School Projects :: Stitching Life

• Recruiting Your Homeschool Faculty :: Chalcedon

• Bilingual Education & Early Childhood Learning :: Momma Young at Home

Also:

Auditions will be TODAY (Oct. 16) from 1-3 p.m. at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada for the bilingual play, Cinderella Eats Rice & Beans: A Salsa Fairytale. They are looking for two multi-cultural casts of young actors, ages 12-18.  Eight to ten actors of all ethnicities will be cast and Cinderella (Cenicienta) must be bilingual Spanish/English speaking.