I decided to make my North American Continent Box Cards on my own. I took inspiration from all of the wonderful cards out there that I have seen others make. I included the same main categories that you find anywhere with special attention to our own country Canada.
I think that when creating these boxes that bigger and more doesn't always make for a grander experience. Certainly have a few cards and some great maps and good are a fantastic start. You can also take a virtual trip on your computer to visit destinations and history all over the globe in addition to to those who are lucky enough to be able to travel.
The most important thing is that your children feel their connection to their global community.
These boxes are typically introduced when your child is familiar with the continents.
These boxes will grow with your child and provide endless opportunities for further study & projects.
If you do not want to make your cards you can purchase amazing cards at
Montessori for Everyone & Montessori Print Shop
I have many images of various things that we have at home. Certainly not all of these things are stored with our Continent Box. We keep our cards and smaller souvenirs in our box.
These boxes will grow with your child and provide endless opportunities for further study & projects.
If you do not want to make your cards you can purchase amazing cards at
Montessori for Everyone & Montessori Print Shop
I have many images of various things that we have at home. Certainly not all of these things are stored with our Continent Box. We keep our cards and smaller souvenirs in our box.
Flags of North America were by far the easiest to do, mine are from Wikipedia.
I found amazing information about Canadian Provinces here . This site had all of the info required to make 3 part cards for all Canadian Provinces. I printed a few sheets to add in.
Polished Amethyst Official Stone of Ontario, Canada
Prime Ministers of Canada 3 Part Cards
This little wallet holds a few different currency examples from North America.
Above are my Canadian Currency 3 part cards . Below are a few other things we have picked up from travel, or things we found interesting. These stamps are fun. The little lighthouse is from Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.
The Upper Canada Bank Notes, tiny birch bark canoe and early children's wooden toys are from Black Creek Pioneer Village Toronto, Ontario. The Light Infantry Whistle and Peg Top are from
This is a stone carved Inukshuk and the Nunavut Flag Our neighbour is from Nunavut and she was so kind to give these to us.
North American Animals. Below are animals of Arctic Canada.
These cards are from Target. We found world landmarks, US states, and US animals.
The tiny Sombrero was given to us from Nanny. The book and souvenirs from Jamaica were bought by a good friend on vacation to add in. The pottery above is from Hawaii, as is the tiny car and suit below for Xander .
These are a couple of story books we picked up during travel. One is from PEI and the other is from Vermont. We pick up local stories about the areas we visit.
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| These are examples of great books that we have in our collection at home. |
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| This is a fun global art book. This book has art projects from each continent it's amazing! I also bought an international kids cook book here. |
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| This is a model of the famous Nova Scotia, Bluenose, a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921 |
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| These are souvenirs we picked up while in Washington DC this summer. |
This is our Montessori Canada Puzzle Map, labels, and labelled control map is below.
Also our Montessori North America Puzzle Map, labels and labelled control.
This hair barrette was given to me by my sister, and has Anishnabe beading.
These little dolls are from my husbands grandmother. She purchased these dolls from her travels all over the world. We were so excited to have these to add in.
I wish to thank all of the blog moms out there who have given me great inspiration and ideas to create such a wonderful North American experience for our children.
If you are interested in seeing our exploration of Canadian First Nations Cultures you can visit these posts!
Native North American Unit Study - Part 1
Native North American Unit Study - North West Coastal People Part 2
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Great job! I like Your American continent box and theese dolls looks so cute ;-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies...I never could have done this without all of the inspiration and sharing of ideas going on out there!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my word! I just found a gold mine. Your blog is fantastic. How have I not seen it yet? I'm looking forward to looking through your archives and I added you to my blogroll. Stop by anytime and say hi.
ReplyDeleteLori @ Montessori MOMents
mymontessorimoments.com
Oh, and I featured your blog on the Montessori MOMents facebook page. I'm hoping to send people your way. They'll love it as much as I do! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Montessori-MOMents/186597394722411
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments Lori!!! I have seen your blog and so admire all your hardwork and knowledge. We are doing our best, but as I say over and over all of this has become possible because of all the other blog mom's out there sharing ideas...so thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteHello there! Thank you for sharing this! I have one box with all the things I have so far to start making the continent boxes. Would you please let me know how you made the envelopes for the cards? I have a laminator and I use 5mm sheets. I also have a blog http://tatyland-montessori.blogspot.com. Thank you!! Monica
ReplyDeleteHi Monica!!
ReplyDeleteI got the idea from Montessori Print Shop http://www.montessoriprintshop.com/Storing_Nomenclature.html
I sort of did my own version of it with what I had on hand. I actually used clear contact paper from walmart to laminate, but MPS did use a laminator. I used orange card stock from a multi pack I had. I folded up the bottom up to about a 1/2" to the top and the trimmed the width to fit my cards with about a 1/2" extra on the sides. I placed the pocket face down on the contact paper and then folded the contact paper around the sides and trimmed. I used a knife like MPS to make the pocket opening. When you see her tutorial you will see what I mean. There are lots of ways to make these...some people even make fabric bags...I love that Idea and may do it for some. I hope you can get my overcomplicated explanation...lol...if you have a more questions I will be happy to help!!
Good luck with your boxes they are a labour of love thats for sure :))
Glad I found your blog! Love your items from this box! We're from the states and the north America box is our heaviest and fullest! How are you storing this?
ReplyDeleteWell...things like the ship live in our Son's room on a regular basis. Many of the bigger books have specifics to all the continents so they are all on the shelf and not packed away. I have two shelves for setting up materials for each continent that I will rotate out. I have two clear boxes for this continent - one for print items and the other holds objects. There are a couple things that will return to their home when we have finished this continent study (this time around) like our pottery from Hawaii. But yes...this is our largest collection by far as well...being Canadians. Some of the things we have in it are very large but I really wanted to include them on the shelf even though they won't fit into the boxes. Thanks for the comment...I'm gonna hop over and check out your blog!!
ReplyDeleteI love your continent boxes, Cherine! I featured your North American continent box and photo of Native American dolls in my Montessori-Inspired Native American Unit post today at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2013/10/14/montessori-monday-montessori-inspired-native-american-unit/
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb!! I will head over and take a look at all the resources you've collected :)
DeleteI notice you buy a lot of items from the states while you live in Canada? Do you get charged duty fees when the item arrives? Which province do you live in? Thank you for your wonderful blog!
ReplyDelete