Arrow Kids Co.

Happy Bee Day!

We celebrated bee day by playing along with & using great resources from !

I got the idea to add the balloon to use static electricity to move the “pollen” from the flower to the honeycomb from .at.home.mammy ! F (5) particularly enjoyed that part!

We talked about all the different flowers and foods bees help keep alive! I was so scared of bees at their age, but M (3) & F love bees!

(Also, ➡️ to see the honest aftermath 😂)



- The Honest Aftermath
- World Bee Day
- Bee
- Bees

Sunflower Study 🌻

I created this to go with this Sunflower Life Cycle nature study printable from !

Fun fact: Young sunflowers are heliotropic - meaning they follow the sun! 🌞

I was impressed by how focused the kiddos were on coloring the sunflower pages! This was perfect for a rainy morning. 💛



- Life Cycle
- Sunshine
- Sun
- Sunflower

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week & I know many of you can relate to finding solace in nature!

So this week I’m participating in challenge by finding the colors of the rainbow in nature!

I forgot to do red yesterday 🙈- but the kiddos helped me find red & orange today. We found way more red than orange - we finally settled on a rock in the stream 🧡

Farm Shelfie 🚜🐖🐄

Here’s a reminder that your Montessori shelves don’t have to be perfect. You can incorporate some aspects & not others. You can have wooden toys & plastic toys. Swipe to see details of the shelves ➡️

With five children in the house, stuff just accumulates so the simple, uncluttered shelves are impossible to sustain. I only do toy rotation probably bi-monthly at best, right now. The other secret is a loft area that has extra storage (which is also a mess currently - it’s all a matter of balance, I think). Especially because everyone is very busy again, all of a sudden.

I rotated the farm toys down to our school area because of the interest in planting. Also, something about spring reminds me of farms!

What’s on your shelves?

- Farm
- Farm
- Farm

Swipe to read about one school’s solution to the COVID-19 pandemic through furniture design!

I’m not a big fan of birthdays, and this obviously isn’t a normal year, but 30 wasn’t so bad. My boyfriend & I went on a hike with my dog, Hollis. Then we got food from the Chinese place of my childhood. My mom ordered cupcakes & her friend (& basically my second mom) delivered them to me! The day ended with Hollis getting a bath - now she’s totally wiped out! Now I’m out of the shower & drinking wine. Thirty’s not so bad 😎

I got the idea for these tin foil birds from !

This was a fun craft but I definitely had to assist M (3) a lot. First, we crunched up tin foil into the shape of birds. M ended up just exploring scrunching up the foil - which was totally fine and still helped her develop her fine motor skills!

Then we painted paper towels with watered down tempura paints. F (5) joined us at this point, however, he was interested in painting a meteor on the paper towels. Once again, totally fine & super creative! No matter how much planning you do, kiddos will always surprise you! It’s all part of following the child.

After the paint dried, M & I tore up the paper towels and attached them to the bird with Modge Podge. M was able to do this independently with a paintbrush but needed help to keep up stamina.

Finally, I added paper beaks (using Modge Podge again) and used a Sharpie to make eyes. M said she loved them & they were so cute! She then used materials from our sensory puzzle to build them a nest! Coincidentally, on our walk we even saw a bluebird!

Bird Sensory Puzzles

After the crazy snow last week, I finally got to see my kiddos again! And it was a beautiful, sunny day! Spring hasn’t quite sprung, so we’re studying winter birds this week! We’ve been spotting cardinals lately and F (5) loves talking about how birds fly down to Florida in the winter, but we’ve learned that some birds don’t migrate or only migrate short distances.

I made a sensory puzzle of a Robin & Cardinal. The feathers were the most loved part of the sensory puzzles - F asked to keep a couple for himself and later M (3) filled a cup full of orange feathers in her play kitchen.

F also loved the Tic-Tac-Toe game from .multilingual and I introduced M to the 3-part cards. F liked the cards from - he spotted the woodpecker, the Northern Flicker, right away!

There are things I love about winter - I get excited about snow & running can be more pleasant than in the Midwest U.S. summers. But I’m missing the colors right now! 🍃🍂🍁🌞

Any one else feeling the winter blues? What do you do to feel better or bring some color into your life?

I know after class I’m going to get to a park and run there with my dog. I know I’ll feel better being outside even if everything is gray. I’m going to draw from now til class time to bring some color into my life!

***NEW ETSY PRODUCTS***

Nature Exploration Kit

Are you and your child/children explorers? Do you love nature and being outdoors? What outdoor activities are your favorite? In need of new ideas?

This kit is perfect to start studying nature with your child! An informational zine (short, self-made magazine), “Nature Walks & Journaling with Children”, details how to start studying nature through nature walks and journaling with your child. There are many benefits to spending time in nature including improved focus and mood, increased creativity, and a boost in memory. The Nature Activity book and notebooks allow the child to begin nature journaling. A set of illustrated Tree I.D. Cards allow adults and children to identify trees on nature walks. Bug Collection Jars, Wooden Scoop, and Specimen Collection Bags are included to collect bugs and plants for later identification. The child can be responsible for keeping track of what’s needed for nature walks with a visual checklist of included materials.

Materials:
- Magnifying Glass
- Bug Collection Jars (3)
- Specimen Collection Bags (1 medium, 2 small)
- Wooden Scoop
- Nature Activity Book
- Journal (blank)
- Write in the Rain Waterproof Notebook (lined)
- Pencil
- Colored Pencil Set
- Tree I.D. Cards w/ Leaf Venation/Arrangement
- Clipboard w/ Nature's Anatomy Info Sheets

***NEW ETSY PRODUCTS***

Do you use loose parts in play with your children? Are you a beginner at open-ended play or in need of some new materials?

This Loose Parts Kit is perfect for any beginner in Reggio Emilia & open-ended play, or for those who want to expand their existing collection! A zine (short, self-made magazine) explaining the Reggio Emilia philosophy is also included.

Materials:
- Assorted ribbons
- Dried Peas
- Black Beans
- Magnifying Glass
- Recycled Paper
- Air-dry Clay
- Wooden Scoop
- Wooden Knife
- Magnifying Glass
- Porcelain bowls (2)
- Popsicle Sticks
- Pompoms in Tin