Top 10 Halloween Children's Books of 2017

It's that time of year again. You know the one. When all of the little ghosts, goblins, and princesses come out in droves in search for tricks or treats. With that comes a fun Halloween themed reading list that you can bond over with your children.  

All can be found on Amazon.com 

Enjoy 😃📚🕮

1 ~ 

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin

This gently spooky twist on “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” makes a favorite nursery rhyme just perfect for Halloween!

The itsy bitsy pumpkin
rolled down the spooky street.
He passed a ghoulish ghost
and some stinky goblin’s feet.

A little pumpkin is trying to find his way back home! And with a little help from a friendly witch, he is soon safe and sound, back on his porch—where there are no spiders to be seen! Little ones will love this fresh fall spin on a classic nursery rhyme!

2 ~ 

Room on the Broom

The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand!  Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom.  But is there room on the broom for so many friends?  And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

3 ~ 

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus

A haunted Halloween bus ride that will have children singing with excitement.

THE SPOOKY WHEELS ON THE BUS is a humorous Halloween-themed version of the classic song THE WHEELS ON THE BUS...with a few ghoulish tricks and treats up its sleeves! 

Count from One Spooky Bus up to Ten Goofy Ghosts as this Halloween ride races through town picking up a few unsuspecting passengers along the way.

4 ~ 

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything 

Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the little old lady heard...clomp, clomp, shake, shake, clap, clap.

And the little old lady who was not afraid of anything had the scare of her life! With bouncy refrains and classic art, this timeless Halloween story is perfect for reading aloud.

5 ~ 

Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins

Pete the Cat takes on the classic favorite children's song "Five Little Pumpkins" in New York Times bestselling author James Dean's Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins.

Join Pete as he rocks out to this cool adaptation of the classic Halloween song!

A perfect way to share the Halloween spirit with young children.

6 ~ 

Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete

Pete loves Halloween and candy but not so much scary surprises. Follow Pete as he goes trick-or-treating from house to house and discover what is waiting behind each door.

With over ten flaps that open to reveal fun spooky surprises, this book is spooktacular!

7 ~

Little Blue Truck's Halloween

8 ~ 

Eek! Halloween! 

Boynton celebrates Halloween!

A new addition to the Boynton on Board series, with over 21 million copies sold, Eek! Halloween! is all treat and no tricks, a journey with Boynton and her nutty characters through the tradition of Halloween.

It starts with an uh-oh—the chickens are nervous! Strange things are happening. One chicken saw a pumpkin with flickering eyes, another spied a mouse of enormous size. They all saw a wizard and a witch, and a spooky robot. “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? / Relax, silly chickens! It’s HALLOWEEN!”

9 ~ 

It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse! 

Join Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he decorates all the pumpkins in the patch in this sweet board book from Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond.

Mouse is excited for fall because that means it is time to decorate pumpkins! But one is missing. Where could it have gone?

This is the perfect Halloween book for the very youngest reader, and is just the right book to get kids and budding artists inspired to work on their own Halloween crafts.

10 ~ 

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Peanuts)

Spooky tricks and hilarious treats abound in this retelling of the beloved Halloween special that comes with holographic foil and embossing on the cover!

Celebrate Halloween with Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang!

It’s Halloween night, which means costumes, trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples…and waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Linus is certain that the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch to bring toys to all the children of the world. Could this be the year that it finally happens? 

Find out!

Raising Leaders and Thought Provokers: The Montessori Way

The distinctive approach behind the Montessori Method is to encourage individuality and creative thinking.  This design was constructed by an Italian doctor by the name of Maria Montessori, who set out to observe children of all ages and discover their particular learning styles.

Here are just a few things a Montessori classroom has to offer its students:

The classroom is devised for children of different ages.  For example, in a Primary class, you will find children ages 3 years – 6 years.  The younger children learn from the older children, while the older children aid the younger with the concepts that they have already grasped.  According to the American Montessori Society (AMS) “This arrangement also mirrors the real world, where individuals work and socialize with people of all ages and dispositions.”

The child’s mind during the first six years of life is like a sponge.  They absorb everything around them much easier than us adults.  Languages are especially encouraged during this time frame.  It is their greatest window of opportunity.  Just think how hard it is for you to learn another language at your current age.  A young child can learn several!

Every Montessori classroom you visit has its own unique construction.  Teachers love to add their special touch, but you will see it is done in such a way that the end result is the same.  That being said you have four core areas of the class.  Those include Language, Math, Sensorial, and Practical Life.  Art, Science, and Geography have their places as well.

Every activity has a built in control of error which encourages critical thinking at every level.  Students will recognize, correct, and learn from their mistakes.  This will also instill that self confidence that we all want for our future generations.

Another unique feature in the Montessori community is the emphasis on conflict resolution.  The children are encouraged to resolve their issues in a more diplomatic and peaceful manner.  This will plant the roots needed to carry them throughout life and develop into the great leaders we are sure they will become.

A Virtual Tour of The Montessori School of Herndon

Come in and visit one of the happiest schools in Herndon, Virginia. A place where children are excited to return every morning.

When you first enter the Montessori School of Herndon from Dranesville and Old Hunt Way, you will notice our beautiful landscaping.

But, be careful. Students and Teachers at Play :)

The field offers plenty of room for our annual Fun Fair where you'll see it transformed into a carnival full of rides and games.  Isn't our PTA the best?

When you take that trip through the parking lot, you will notice our playground where we spend a lot of time running, sliding, and kicking the ball around.

At the top of the hill, is where you can park and enter the office.

Once you make it inside, we will answer any and all of your questions while showing you around the school. You'll get to meet the teachers and see our students in action. We know how important it is to find a school that fits your child's needs, and where you can feel comfortable knowing that they are safe and loved.

We take pride in our 32 years of success in educating the youth in Fairfax County.  Our program is ability based and all materials have a built in control of error to encourage self-correction which in turn establishes a true sense of accomplishment.

They will make friends.
They will be challenged.
They will learn new life skills.
They will speak new languages.
They will participate in extracurricular activities.
They will use their imagination for play.
Chess anyone?  Yes, we learn that here too!



So schedule your tour today.  We would love to have your family become a part of ours. Visit www.montessori-va.com and click on the Visit tab, or call us at 703-437-8229

Potty Training...Dun Dun Duuuuuuun!

So, it's that time of year again.  All of the parents are getting ready to send their littles back to school, or in some cases this is the first time for many. They're out buying uniforms, lunch boxes, and school supplies.

Then, there are the OTHERS.  You know who you are.  The ones who are desperately trying to get their preschooler potty trained before the new school year begins.  You take your child to the bathroom fifty thousand times a day in hopes that once, just ONCE they'll actually go this time.  Only for them to pull up their pants, walk into the living room and have an accident all over your brand new carpet.

You went shopping for all of the Princess or Spider Man underwear you could find, but NOTHING works. You threw away just as many, because who wants to clean all that?

Here are a few tips to getting your child on the right track to potty training success!

Start early

I know it sounds crazy, but give them some credit.  They are capable of far more than it seems. Buy a child sized potty. Introduce the two of them and get acquainted.  They'll be spending a lot of time together over the next few months. Some parents favor the potty ring that fits over the toilet accompanied with a stool for easier seating.

Consistency is key

Make regular trips to the restroom. Don't get discouraged if they already had an accident.  Go. Keep trying.  Allow them to be independent by undressing on their own before mounting that intimidating potty. This is a major life event for them.  It's a pretty big deal.

Rewards

I'm not a huge fan of rewards, but I made an exception with my child in this department.  He loved hot wheels cars and thank goodness those were cheap. Lets face it though, I would have spent every last dime if he would just...use...the...potty. With all of the bribes made, pleading for him to use the potty as opposed to the floor, he had enough cars to cover his entire bedroom floor. Ok, well close enough.

Take a trip to the dollar store for one toy of their choice. What child doesn't love the dollar store?

So, if we're perfectly honest here, we all know that potty training is tough. Take these opportunities to bond. I know, I know.  Bonding in the bathroom during their "business" sounds strange, but what else are you going to do?  Talk together, sing their favorite songs, read a book. Whatever it takes to make it a better experience for all of you.

Good luck!

Famous Montessori Students

Did you know that the founders of Google and Amazon were all Montessori kids?  How about P. Diddy or Julia Child?  Yes!  They are all a product of Montessori Education.

I know, right? If you ever considered sending your child to a Montessori School, don't disregard them just yet.

Check out this post by Daily Montessori and hear from some of the most successful.

http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-questions-answers/famous-montessori-educated-people/

Make and Take One Hundred Chain

That is what we call it in our classroom.  This is a number sequencing work that the children love mainly for the fact that they get to take it home and share with their families.

There are a few layers to this activity which include different areas of curriculum in a Primary Montessori classroom.  We're talking Practical Life, Art, and Math, all wrapped into one beautiful package. Let us not forget hand/eye coordination and an activity that encourages focus.

I mix the numbers for them so that when cutting them out they have to think about number placement as opposed  to simply cutting and gluing.  Here is a link to the pattern I use, http://www.math.kent.edu/~white/graphpaper/one-bold.pdf

Next, we bring out the glue!  Aren't you glad I didn't say glitter?  :) To reduce the mess level from Def Con 20 to more of a 5 we put glue in these cute little plastic jars (tiny bubble bottles that you find as Birthday party gifts in goodie bags) and supply them with Q-tips. I have experienced a less sticky classroom.

I make strips for the children to glue their squares in numerical order.  Eventually, each child will have ten strips with ten numbers up to one hundred. What?  Yes, counting by tens! I don't know about you, but growing up, counting by tens was the BEST.
Each set of ten numbers is in a different color.

This is an on-going project that I discovered online years ago, and it has been a hit ever since. Before I send the children home with their new One Hundred chain, I decorate our windows with them for a couple of weeks.  This allows for them to admire their hard work when entering the classroom.

Ideas for using this chain at home are a wonderful added extension.

You can give your child a marker.  This is where I encourage parents to keep it fun and interesting. Make your markers creative such as M&M's, Goldfish, Cheerios, or other snacks that they love to eat. Have them place the marker on the number you say between 1 - 100.

How about some addition and subtraction?  For example, ask them to cover numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 with markers. Add three more markers, which will put them at 7. Now, eat two. How many do you have left?  Show them that their marker rests on the answer after they count the remains.

How cool is that?  Have fun with your children and be supportive during their educational journey.  It is one of the most important things you can do for them as they grow.

Enjoy!