SchoolatHomeandBeyond on LTK

A Tour of our Life Science Shelves🌱 Happy first school day of 2026! I’m in our classroom swapping out materials and just remembered that I never shared our life science shelves. Lately, we’ve been studying earth science and haven’t used our life science materials at all. So here’s a very overdue tour of some of our life science materials.🌿 Top Shelf: Life Science books; Wooden animal cell from @mirustoys (note: We have the old version. The new version is in color and very lovely.). Second Shelf: Shells that we’ve collected over time; Wooden plant cell from @mirustoys (same note as above); Bean germination acrylic block; plant cell model. Third Shelf: Tree of Life materials from @wasecabiomes. Bottom Shelf: Life Cycle materials and Everglades mat materials from @wasecabiomes. I’ve linked several items for anyone interested, so I’ll share that link in Stories. I’ve also linked some of these materials in my LTK (link in bio). Happy New Year!✨ LTKFindsUnder50 LTKKids

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The Book of Seeds: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World (Life-Size Guid... | Amazon (US)

Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World | Amazon (US)

The Tree-Spotter's Companion (Smithsonian) | Amazon (US)

Flora: Inside the Secret World of Plants | Amazon (US)

Zoology: Inside the Secret World of Animals (DK Secret World Encyclopedias) | Amazon (US)

Bean Germination Specimen Paperweight in Resin In Clear Lucite Block (bean) | Amazon (US)

Learning Resources Cross-Section Plant Cell Model, Plant Anatomy, Science Classroom Accessories, ... | Amazon (US)

Analyzing a Picture Book Using a Simple Graphic Organizer📚

We recently received this cute new picture book and decided to use a graphic organizer to think through these simple questions:

📚Who is the main character?
📚What did the character want?
📚What was the problem?
📚How did they solve the problem?
📚What was the resolution to the story?

For this activity we used the picture book, “Gigantic: The Small Whale with a Big Heart” from @randomhousekids, our @expomarkersofficial dry erase markers, and a graphic organizer from @jackandlinktoys. My daughter loves any opportunity to use dry erase markers, so they added extra interest to her work!

This activity may be easily replicated at home! Simply grab a picture book, pencil, and paper.

And here are more questions to ask when reading picture books:

📚Does this story remind you of any real-life situations or problems?

📚How does the character change from the beginning to the end!

📚What might have happened if the main character made a different choice?

📚How does the setting affect what happens in the story?

📚How does you know how the character is feeing?

Have a great Thursday night!

#homeschoollife #picturebooks #montessorihomeschool #RandomHouseKidsPartner #EXPOmarker

#LTKKids #LTKstorytime #LTKmomlife

Art Books for Big Kids+!🎨

We recently received these art books and I’m so pleased with them that I had to share! If you or your child (or tween, or teen — you know what I mean 😉) enjoy making art, these are worth adding to your wishlist!

The spring + nature theme is fun and fitting for the season. Hang around for the full video to see inside some of these books. My video was getting too long, so I’m sharing the rest in Stories.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!📚

@quartobooksus @lifeidesign #quartobooksus #quarrybooks #tockportpublishers @flow_magazine #flowmagazine

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Here are two book recommendations that my son has enjoyed reading several times. These are middle grade books geared for children ages 9-13.

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Art History inspired Plus Plus sets!

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Picture Books we’re currently enjoying.📚 Sometimes we find ourselves in the mood for a good, quick narrative — one with a, “Grandma, can you read me a story?” kind of vibe. These picture books fit the bill precisely. They’re not too long, they each tell a story, and they include simple character development and a plot resolution.

#simonkidscrew @simonkids #RandomHouseKidsPartner @randomhousekids

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This morning my 4th grade daughter used this Evan Moor Daily Language Review workbook. I like the grammar and sentence correction exercises present throughout the book

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Here’s a link to my son’s Geometry book! This video shows a flip-through of just two sections of his book. Geometry is proof-heavy, so the book covers direct and indirect proofs a couple of lessons along with deductive reasoning. The rest of the book is a traditional Geometry textbook

#LTKKids #LTKmomlife

Earth Science: The Periodic Table of the Elements✨

In our Earth Science studies today we discussed atoms, elements, compounds, energy, and matter. Our discussion led to a study of the Periodic Table of the Elements!

My daughter was fascinated by the elements and letters of the alphabet analogy. With a few letters we can form an infinite number of words and with a fairly small number of elements, a great deal of substances, both living and non living, are formed.

We used our blank, wooden Periodic Table of the Elements and corresponding elements tablets to play a game! Each of us pulled an element out of the basket, gave each other clues, and tried to guess the element. When we couldn’t guess, we simply matched the element to its place in the Table and discussed its uses.

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This is sweet book suitable for cat and animal lovers! It’s told from the perspective of Crouton, a kitten who is waiting to be adopted.🥹

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The Space Science Handbook is a fun book of science projects for kids in grades 3-8. The science projects are a good supplement for anyone studying astronomy and Montessori Great Lesson 1

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Books for the Budding Artist🎨

Does your child enjoy drawing or painting? Lately my kids and I have been enjoying these art-themed books. I don’t always sit down to draw and paint, but I was excited to do so when we received these books! And bonus — they may be available for delivery in time for Christmas!🎄

These books are suitable for a variety of ages and skill levels. My 12 year old son especially enjoys, “Painting Woodland Watercolors” and “Flowers and Friends in the Garden”. My 10 year old daughter still likes to color so she enjoys all of these titles, including, “Cozy Coloring and Drawing”.

Happy Holidays!

#quartobooksus #quarrybooks #rockpaint #walterfosterpublishing @quartobooksus @bobbiegoodart @eggsdoodz @hee_cookingdiary @ritagould_illustration @anneroosart

#LTKGiftGuide #LTKKids #LTKmomlife

Building the Montessori Bead Decanomial, aka the Times Table!✨

Today my daughter completed a big work in Montessori math! She built the Montessori Bead Decanomial, also known as the “Times Table”, “Multiplication Table”, or “Pythagoras Table”. In keeping with her recent theme of visualizing multiplication facts, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to present this material. The Bead Decanomial completely isolates the concept of multiplication and allows the facts to be physically visible to the child all at once!

Here’s how she built it:

First, we discussed perfect squares, which she built and documented in her math journal.

Then, we slowly discussed multiplication facts (from one to ten), while she built the decanomial using the Montessori Bead Decanomial box.

Her final step will be to record these multiplication facts in her math journal. This was a lot of work for her today, so she’ll jump back in tomorrow to record the math facts…which means this work is still out and available on the floor of our schoolroom.😍

When I was growing up I was only shown the abstract (printed) Multiplication Table. That’s it. Anyone else?🙋🏽‍♀️ I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments, below!

#LTKmomlife #LTKKids #LTKdayinmylife

Visualizing Multiplication Facts✨

Lately, my daughter and I have dedicated time during her math lessons to visualize multiplication facts. She understands the multiplication concept (eg: “six times seven”, or “six, taken seven times”, equals 42), but it’s been very helpful for her to visually see these facts. On repeat. This is where our geoboard, Montessori bead bars, and Montessori Multiplication board come in handy! She and I used these tools together during her early multiplication studies and she still finds them useful now.

Here’s a description of the materials she’s been using lately (slide 2):

Montessori Bead Bars - Useful for teaching fundamental math basics like linear and skip counting; Also useful for teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, squaring, finding the square root, and cubing;

Geoboard - We used this resource, along with rubber bands, to collect pegs associated with multiplication facts (see slide 2). This is a quick, visual way for the child to make each fact and see it clearly on the board.

Montessori Multiplication Board - This is another resource that helps the child visualize each multiplication fact. The child uses the board and accompanying beads to manually build each fact.

Does your child have any favorite math resources for learning multiplication? What are your child’s favorite math games for practicing multiplication? I’d love to hear your thoughts, below!✨

#LTKmomlife #LTKKids

Cultural Celebrations!✨

Happy Holidays!✨ As we continue the holiday season I thought this would be the perfect time to share a look inside some new-to-us and new-ish books about celebrations!🎉 The celebrations covered in these books include a mix of unique traditions, special foods, fasting, parades, music, lamp lighting, fireworks, dancing, family gatherings, and special ceremonies that reflect elements of a culture’s history and values.

Please note: This is by no means an exhaustive list of celebrations. These books are new to us this month and I thought I’d share! In fact, holiday celebrations notably missing from this list include Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Dia de los Muertos, Bodhi Day, and so on. Also, some of the holiday celebrations mentioned in these books have already occurred this year (i.e. Diwali and Thanksgiving), but I included them here as they’re relevant to the topic.

Thank you @randomhousekids for sharing these titles with us! #RandomHouseKidsPartner ❤️📚

#LTKstorytime #LTKKids

Map Making: A Biomes and Political map of The United States✨

Yesterday my daughter finally wrapped up a BIG work for her! Over the last few weeks she painstakingly created a biomes and political map of the United States complete with state names, landforms, and waterways!

Using the Montessori puzzle map of the United States, she first assembled the puzzle onto large paper. Next, she traced the shape of each state and re-assembled the puzzle. After that she labeled each state, then drew mountain ranges, other landforms, rivers, and lakes. Finally, she colored her map, paying extra attention to landforms and waterways.

Some benefits of map making include:

🗺️ Better memory formation and information retention;
🗺️ Improved brain connectivity;
🗺️ Enhanced spatial skills;
🗺️ Improved creativity and critical thinking;
🗺️ Improved fine motor skills and dexterity;
🗺️ A deeper understanding of geography and the world.

Does your child enjoy studying geography and making maps as part of their lessons? What are their favorite types of maps to make? Let me know in the comments👇🏽!

#LTKFamily #LTKKids #LTKFindsUnder100

Middle Grade Books on our “To Be Read for Fun” List📚

One way we prepare for the chilly seasons is to stock up good books (and board games, but more on that another time)! When it’s frigid outside many of us tend to hangout indoors which means more time for good books, games, and projects.

We recently welcomed the books shown here into our home for fall. These are on our “to be read for fun” list. We don’t have reviews to share just yet, but my son, who loves a good mystery, has already read and enjoyed The Mona Lisa Vanishes!

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My daughter’s Crate & Barrel Anders bookcase is sold out, but I’ve linked similar options!

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This Sawyer bookshelf from Crate and Barrel is out of stock, but I’ve linked similar options!

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My daughter’s Crate & Barrel bed shown here is out of stock, but here are some links to similar options!

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This is a fun group game for kids ages 6 and up! It’s also fun for a group of kids and their parents/caregivers.

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See the links, below, for some of our favorite homeschool reference books!

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My kids were playing this game today and they LOVE it! I enjoy playing with them. It’s called, “Charades for Kids” and it can even be played with only two players (they play together)

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This is the financial literacy book my son has been working through. It covers banking, buying and selling, insurance, budgeting, obtaining a loan, saving for retirement, and investments. It’s an excellent educational resource for kids. I’ve linked books for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, as well.

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Here are some of the math materials I use with my 9 year old daughter.

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Here are links to the materials and books we used for our Human Anatomy, Circulatory System studies. I’ve also included additional supplementsl materials since some of what we used here has sold out

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Alo makes some of my favorite workout sets. They’re both comfortable and stylish. I’m 5’6” 140lbs and I get a size medium bra and size small leggings. And I usually purchase black so my perspiration doesn’t show.🤪

#LTKStyleTip #LTKActive

My 11yo son is currently loving these two fantasy adventure books from the Nic Blake and the Remarkables series!

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Here are links to some of the books we’re using to study human anatomy!

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My daughter started a new reading comprehension book this week! The passages are longer that what she’s accustomed to and so are the activities. The book is right on grade level so there’s no need to order a grade up or down.

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This is one of the resources I use as a reference as I guide my child through the Montessori math series.

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These are the items we keep on our homeschool science cart. Having this cart handy means easier science experiments for us!

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My son also enjoys nonfiction chapter books and this one is a favorite! I accidentally omitted it from my last post

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Here are some of the early chapter books my son enjoyed reading when he was 4-8 years old. He began reading middle grade books around age 8/9 and I have another post with those recommendations.

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This is one of the reading comprehension books my daughter enjoys using. It is culturally relevant, which I very much appreciate

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Here are links to a few options of the Montessori colored beads that we use for my daughter’s math work. We use a decanomial which includes golden ten bars. If you already have ten bars you make be able to get by with a checkerboard bead box (which doesn’t include ten bars)

#LTKKids #LTKFamily