‘Tis the Season to be Selling with Creative Phrasing

Use the lesson below to show upper elementary and middle school students how creative word phrasing and holiday selling are linked together.   Build vocabulary and increase verbal skills and logical thinking with these unique puzzles.

‘Tis the Season to be Selling
By Alan Stillson, Copyright © 2011

One method of boosting sales during the holiday season is with letter play.  You change one letter in a well-known holiday season phrase and it plugs your business.

Here’s an example:
You own a wedding chapel.  You change “We wish you a merry Christmas” to “We wish you a marry Christmas.”

Try to find a letter change in the bold word to plug each of these businesses:

BUSINESS                                                   HOLIDAY SEASON PHRASE

Boxing arena                                    ‘Twas the night before Christmas
Florist                                              Had a very shiny nose
Health food store                              Joy to the world
Sporting goods                                  It came upon a midnight clear
Tanning salon                                   The twelve days of Christmas
Optometrist                                       The eight days of Hanukkah
Plumber                                             The values of Kwanzaa
Transmission shop                              A partridge in a pear tree

Stumped?  Send Alan Stillson an e-mail at astillson@sbcglobal.net to ask for the answers.

Alan Stillson is the author/co-author of printed puzzle books, an e-book of brainteasers and a musical that will be showing in June and July.  Please click onto http://stillsonworks.com/mswp/mswp.html for details. Please feel free to share this message.

Happy puzzling and Seasons Greetings,

Alan Stillson
astillson@sbcglobal.net

Georgette’s Coconut Macaroons Recipe

1/2 cups Marchino Cherries cut in quarters
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
1 BAG OF flaked coconut about 2 1/2 cups
Pre heat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mix vanila, coconut and can of condensed milk. Mixture should be firm. Shape cookie into ball shapes. Place a piece of cherry on cookie. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the surfaces are golden brown.
Cool completely before removing the cookies from the foil. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Copyrighted 2011
Georgette Baker
Cantemos
Spanish Songs for Kids

Spanish songs for Kids was created to document traditional songs and finger plays from Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries. My name is Georgette and after living in South America for 23 years, most of the kid’s songs I could remember were in Spanish but I was sketchy on the lyrics and the music. Here I have compiled stories, preschool songs, traditional songs and games on Cd’s, all are English Spanish and many come with accompanying books! Share with your children your fun, favorite songs of yesteryear. Let’s sing! Cantemos!

December Holidays From Around the World

Georgette Baker is a professional performer of 20 years, a certified teacher who is also fluent in five languages, Spanish included. She lived in the South America 20 years and grew up singing the songs she has compiled in this book / tape. She plays the guitar, piano, accordion and a Venezuelan instrument called the ”cuatro” ! See http://www.cantemosco.com

She recently recently shared the following with AMC:

I will be performing at the following venues in the month of December. The events are all free and Plan today to bring your children to December Holidays From Around the World See locations below:

Chino Youth Museum Dec 2 from 3:30 -4:15
13191 Sixth St.
Chino, Ca 91710

Whittier Public Library  December 12, 7pm-7:45
7334 S. Washington Ave.
Whittier, CA 90602

Graham Library  Dec. 13, 3:30-4:15
1900 E. FIRESTONE BLVD
LOS ANGELES, CA 90001

Los Angeles Public Library  Dec. 17,   2pm
630 W. 5TH ST
LOS ANGELES, CA 90071

Georgette
Spanish songs and children’s music was created to document traditional songs and finger plays from Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries. My name is Georgette and after living in South America for 23 years, most of the kid’s songs I could remember were in Spanish but I was sketchy on the lyrics and the music. Here I have compiled stories, preschool songs, traditional songs and games on Cd’s, all are English Spanish and many come with accompanying books! Share with your children your fun, favorite songs of yesteryear. Let’s sing! Cantemos!

Date-Cream Cheese Rollups

We thought it would be nice to share some favorite recipes for those looking to expand their horizons and try something different this holiday season.

Cooking and baking for the holidays make for such wonderful practical life exercises.
Below, is a recipe submitted by Nan Barchowsky, from Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting.
Learn about this innovative, logical program at BFHhandwriting.com, by visiting http://www.BFHhandwriting.com

Date-Cream Cheese Rollups

1 cup sugar
1/2 pound cream cheese
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
grated lemon peel
confectioners’ sugar
pitted dates

Cream butter and cheese together. Blend in flour and salt, and peel.
Wrap in plastic film and chill several hours or until it is firm enough to roll.
Roll to 1/8 inch thckness on a board sprinkled with the confectioners’ sugar.
Cut in 1 x 3 inch strips with a pastry wheel.
Put a date in the center of each strip and roll up.
Place rolls on a cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Practical Life Lessons for the Holidays

Please see https://montessori21stcentury.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/practical-life-lessons-for-the-holidays-2/ for updated 2014 lesson planning ideas!

Enjoy!

Heidi

Cooking with Kids this Winter – Practical Life Exercises

Eating and (to a lesser extent in recent times) cooking meals within a family or other group are important daily rituals with many traditional and practical elements which can enrich the lives and skills of children.

Rae at The Creative Process shares both the meaning and many artistic representations of meal sharing in Sharing Food, Food in Art Unit Study. http://www.amonco.org/winter1/montessori_winter1.pdf

Gayle Henderson discusses the subject of family meals and includes an interesting questionnaire about family relationship styles here: http://www.ivillage.com/family-dinner-value-sharing-meals/6-a-128491

This University of Florida Extension article goes into even greater detail. It also encourages families to not only eat together, but cook and clean up together, too. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1054

Cooking provides many great opportunities for children to practice both academic principles and practical life exercises.  Reading recipes, shopping, cleaning fruits and vegetables, measuring ingredients, making substitutions, serving family or guests, and trying new flavors are all wholesome and educational activities that help children learn and grow. They also offer opportunities for children to “absorb culture”, as Maria Montessori put it.

This short article talks about how one busy family uses friendly family “cook-off” competitions to share their love of cooking and for one another.  Male and female family members of all ages participate, and relatives who don’t cook get to eat and vote along with everyone else. http://www.associatedcontent.com/shared/print.shtml?content_type=article&content_type_id=1765762

Do you have good cooks among your family and friends?  Do they have “signature” dishes you look forward to eating over and over again?  If so, and especially if they are older folks, a fun and meaningful project is to compile these recipes and related stories into a booklet form that your whole family can share and save to remember when the beloved cooks are no longer around to share their cooking secrets and stories. For some great hints on how to get started, check out this article: http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/04/28/preserving-family-recipes/

Farm Country General Store has a great selection of cookbooks —  historic, thrifty, beginning, Amish, etc.  – as well as books on gardening, nutrition, and other related subjects. Many are on sale now, just in time for the holidays!  http://www.homeschoolfcgs.com/index.php/cPath/34

Also, here are some recipe ideas from our resource list members to get you started.

Main dishes and side dishes

Children and adults alike enjoy a dish that looks fancy but is actually easy to make. Laeticia from Professor Toto shares a great example of this with her recipe for Crêpes for Children http://www.amonco.org/winter7/montessori_winter7.pdf

For a variety of filling ideas for both main dish and dessert crepes, check out: http://www.world-of-crepes.com/crepe-filling-recipes.html and http://www.easy-french-food.com/crepe-filling.html

Mary Roberts from Hello Wood Products offers another simple but tasty main dish recipe with her Onion Pie.http://www.amonco.org/winter7/montessori_winter7.pdf

For a taste of a different culture, try Verna from The Music House’s recipe for Aromatic Basmati Rice with Saffron. http://www.amonco.org/winter3/montessori_winter3.pdf

Get kids to eat their greens with Elaine from Kimbo’s fun Spinach Dip. It is perfect for many types of fall/winter gatherings. http://www.amonco.org/winter6/montessori_winter6.pdf

 

Desserts and sweets

Introduce children to a new flavor combination with Pistachio Poppy Seed Cake from Rick at Fun With Languages. http://www.amonco.org/winter2/montessori_winter2.pdf

Have fun with this classic recipe for Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie Cut-outs from  Cooking with Children Can Be Easy. http://www.amonco.org/winter2/montessori_winter2.pdf

Ligia from Childsake offers a quick and easy no-bake Holiday Cheesecake as a festive dessert for busy families. http://www.amonco.org/winter5/montessori_winter5.pdf

For a baked cheese pie, try this recipe from Sara L. Ambarian, which makes two pies: http://www.amonco.org/ambarian4thofjuly.html

Get more cheesecake topping ideas here: http://www.baking911.com/recipes/cakes/cheesecake_toppings.htm

Dale Gausman at North American Montessori Center shares a traditional dessert with a tropical twist with his Ginger-Coconut Baked Apples.http://www.amonco.org/winter3/montessori_winter3.pdf

Even the youngest budding chefs can help make Dianne from Conceptual Learning’s Nutty Chocolate Pudding Squares. What a great opportunity for the little ones to get involved and serve their own creation with pride!  http://www.amonco.org/winter4/montessori_winter4.pdf

Georgette at Cantemos shares some sweet snack recipes with her Dried Pineapple and Chocolate-Dusted Almonds. http://www.amonco.org/winter4/montessori_winter4.pdf

Perhaps Farmer’s Favorite Fudge from Larry at the Farm Country General Store will be come a new family favorite for you.  http://www.amonco.org/winter6/montessori_winter6.pdf

Find more recipes in AMONCO’s Christmas in Australia Unit Study, including historic and delicious Anzac Biscuits.  http://www.amonco.org/winter2/montessori_winter2.pdf

 

Kitchen chemistry, substitutions and science for older students

The following sites have lots of interesting and useful information for older children to use in the kitchen.

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/common-ingredient-substitutions/detail.aspx

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/index.html

If you know an aspiring “Iron Chef”, this blog provides really complex and interesting information about both the chemistry and the art of cooking, with gorgeous photos of nouvelle cuisine. Check the left sidebar to see specific subjects, or just enjoy whatever is current.

This Winter Cook and Bake Up a Storm

The winter months are perfect for practical life cooking lessons indoors. Begin the first month of the new year discovering some fun new meals and treats you can make in the kitchen. Members of my family and friends made cookies for holiday gift giving, and we had so much fun in the process. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, why not try some new cookie recipes? As you know, cooking and baking can be educational as well. Suddenly, boring math lessons involving measuring and estimating take on practical applications.

First, select what types of cookies you want to make. Fun Felt has created a wonderful blog that you will want to explore in detail at some point. Karen offers many varied types of hands-on lesson plans, crafts and other activities for you and your family to enjoy. For now, let’s just concentrate on her link to some delicious chocolate candy recipes. Visit Fun Activities for Kids and look to the right of her blog. There you will find a link to Chocolate Candy Recipes. If you thought making truffles would be too difficult to tackle, think again! You will find additional delicious candy recipes at this link as well.

By clicking here, you will find recipes for pumpkin cookies, elephant ears sugar cookies and Oma’s cookies. Turn a common fudge recipe into something spectacular. Go to http://www.amonco.org/spring6/montessori_spring6.pdf and http://www.amonco.org/spring6/montessori_spring6.pdf to discover recipes for sour cream fudge and peanut butter fudge.

Montessorians Dale Gausman of http://www.montessoritraining.net and the late Kathy O’Reilly, courtesy of her daughter, of Cooking with Children Can Be Easy provide invaluable information that can be found in the seasonal AMC hands-on newsletters.

First, you will want to read through the Making Apple-Cinnamon Muffins unit. Let Dale walk you through setup, presentation, making the muffins, tidying up and tasting – all Montessori style. Extension exercises are also included.
Click here for details. Kathy always incorporated organic products into her recipe planning, whenever possible.
Click here and
here for two of Kathy’s recipes..

Cooking will also be appealing to your children, especially if you steer them to resources where they can locate information about recipes and the ingredients. The Internet is full of useful information, but the public library also has a collection of outstanding books about cooking, baking, dessert planning and more.

For additional information on nutritional meal planning and tips on how to involve your children in the meal planning and preparation visit
Healthy Nutritional Tips for the 21st Century Families

Make 2011 a year for incorporating home-grown food into your diet. Sara Ambarian, author of A Bride’s Touch, embraces the philosophy of providing integrated lessons in gardening and cooking for children and teens, to help them become more environmentally aware, nutritionally informed and consumer savvy. Sara also shares how the family can become interested in growing different varieties, and how these sprouts add flavor and texture to various salads, sandwiches, etc.
Click here to access her gardening tips and recipe information.

Now, with these few leads, you and your family have no choice but to get started and cook up a storm this winter in your kitchen.

Don’t forget to enter the January contest for your chance to win an apron for a boy and an apron for a girl. Visit http://www.amonco.org/directory.html

Enjoy!

Heidi

www.amonco.org

The Study of Animals – Some Hands On Lesson Planning

The American Montessori Consulting website contains some hands on lessons about animals that you can use right now in your school and home classrooms.

In Part III, http://www.amonco.org/winter3/montessori_winter3.pdf of the AMC Montessori Hands On Newsletter, Montessorian Dale Gausman contributed the Acting Out How Animals Survive Winter exercise. This exercise will greatly aid children in their understanding of hibernation, adaptation, and other key science terms.

For additional information about how animals survive during the winter months, please visit Animals in the Winter – Links for Montessori Unit Study

Anna, from Wood, Etc., suggested that young children make Zebras that can be used in an Animal Safari unit study This project is indeed easy and inexpensive to make. Click here to download the instructions for this and other general hands on exercises.

To plan a unit study about wild animals please visit Let’s Go on an Animal Safari!

Enjoy!
Heidi
http://www.amonco.org

Montessori Practical Life – Cooking for the Holidays

The holidays provide multiple opportunities to encourage your children to become interested in cooking. Fractions come alive as children measure out the ingredients needed to provide those yummy desserts, appetizers, salads and main dishes!! The following activities and lessons can be modified and integrated into Montessori learning.

Cooking With Math-Math Central
Cooking Traditions
Disabled Kids and Cooking: Celebrate Recipe Day and Teach More Than Math
Guide to Cooking With Kids
NNCC Cooking with Children: Kids in the Kitchen
Cooking – Practical Applications – Grades 4 – 6
Cooking Up Fractions Recipe
Lesson 4: Cooking with Fractions
Mesasurements in Cooking
Montessori Fall Hands-On Lessons
Montessori Winter Hands-On Lessons
Montessori Fall Newsletter
Healthy Nutritional Tips for the 21st Century Family
Home-grown “fast Food” for Busy Families
Thanksgiving Thoughts: Passing Along Some Positive Perspective with the Pumpkin Pie by Sara L. Ambarian

Free! Montessori Winter Lesson Plans

Winter and the holidays are now just around the corner, and once again, the AMC resource participants have not let their readers down. Many of the participants have contributed outstanding lesson plans, recipes, crafts and more that you can use right now in your school and home classrooms. Please see to read the current 2013 issue!

Heidi

http://www.amonco.org