Monday's Math Marathon Begins with a Monster Book of Dimensions

Welcome to the first day of MommyMaestra's Math Monday Marathon! This summer I'm sharing fun books, activities, and other resources to keep your kids happily learning math during the summer vacation. Help your children avoid Summer Brain Drain by letting them practice some of the skills they've learned in school, so they don't have to re-learn them again in the fall.

We are going to be relying heavily on The Secret Life of Math book, but today I'm starting off with the frighteningly fun book, Perimeter, Area, and Volume: A Monster Book of Dimensions.

In this hilarious book, monsters of all shapes and sizes are starring in - and going to see - a monster movie. Along the way, they're helping your child learn about the three dimensions (sometimes called height, width, and depth), as well as perimeter, circumference, area, and volume.

My children thoroughly enjoyed this informative picture book. David A. Adler may just be my favorite math book author. The learning is story-based (Learn about area: How big is the movie screen?  Volume: How much popcorn does a jumbo bag hold?  Perimeter: How much fencing do the monsters need to buy to go around their yard?), and teaches the concepts simply and in such a way that my kids can easily understand.

Take a peek at these examples:

THE ACTIVITY:

After reading the book, we were inspired to create our own Monster Theater. Out came the shoeboxes, construction paper, glue, tape, scissors, and other craft supplies. Within an hour or more, my kids had created their own movie theater diorama.

During the process we talked about what 3D means, and what measurements make up the three dimensions. Then we explored the other concepts mentioned in the book:

• To practice finding the area of an object we measured our movie screens.

• We measured around the opening of the theater to find the perimeter.

• We wanted to know how many monsters would fit inside the theater, so we measured the volume of the shoebox.

• We also practiced measuring the various dimensions by creating our own monsters and measuring their height, width, and depth.

My kids absolutely loved this activity. It kept them busy and entertained for an hour or two in the afternoon.

The book is in English, however, the activity could stand alone for Spanish- (or English-)speaking families, as long as mami or papi are around to explain how to measure and calculate.

And if you'd like to see this book translated into Spanish, leave a comment below and if we have enough, I'll forward them to the publisher.

(For other monster math books in Spanish, take a look at Monstruos Matematicos in my online shop.)

To calculate PERIMETER: Just add up the lengths of all the sides.

To calculate AREA of a RECTANGLE: Multiply the length by the width.

To calculate VOLUME: Multiply the height by the width by the depth.

This activity is best suited for children in 2nd grade and up, but it was a great way to introduce the concepts and terminology to my kindergartner who helped measure and enjoyed creating the theater.

Here's how it turned out:

My daughter is just now learning multiplication, so we used lima beans to figure out the volume.

Con mucho cariño...

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Perimeter, Area, and Volume by the publisher for review. The opinions and activity above are my own. All book links lead to my own online bookshop.

The 2012 Doodle 4 Google Contest

There is one week left to enter this year's Doodle 4 Google Contest! Actually, the deadline is this Friday, March 23rd, but the submissions must be postmarked no later than tomorrow (Tuesday), March 20th, 2012.

When I read about the competition this weekend, it reminded me of how last year, my daughter had a Doodle 4 Google birthday party where she invited all her guests to create their own masterpieces. Then the kids took home their creations, had their parents register them, and mailed them in. I noticed that this year, however, the process is even easier as students are no longer required to register to enter. Instead, all you have to do is fill out the entry form and include it with your submission.

This year's theme is: "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…" The competition is open to all U.S. students in K - 12, including homeschoolers (YAY!). AND all the information is available in Spanish (double YAY!)! You can find all the information and guidelines here, or watch this short video. Last year, they received over 107,000 submissions from students coast to coast.

This year's winner will receive a 30,000 scholarship, and $50,000 for their school, and have their artwork featured on the Google home page? AND this year's winner will also have their artwork printed on Crayola's box of 64 crayons.

I'm super bummed I didn't get this to you sooner, but perhaps you can do what I plan to do today: throw today's lesson plan out the window and rewrite it to include an hour or two of art/history. I wonder what period(s) of time my kids will choose? Or you can plan it for tomorrow, though you'll need to get the the post office ASAP before they close!

And if you need a little inspiration, be sure to watch the video at the beginning of this post introducing last year's winner, Matteo Lopez, a second grader at Monte Verde Elementary School in South San Francisco, California.

¡Buena suerte a todos!

Bilingual Dr. Seuss Activities and Crafts



Via: 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By



Feliz cumpleaños, Sr. Seuss!!

Today, families and individuals all over this country will be celebrating Read Across America...and Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday! There are not a lot of bilingual activities available that I can find, but here are a few in Spanish or English that I really like. If you happen to have a favorite, please share it with everyone in a comment so that others might benefit, too.

Printables, Crafts, & Activities

• First and foremost I have to share this incredible Spanish Dr. Seuss activity pack from KinderLatino. The set includes alphabet matching cards, letter Ss activities (for letter, syllables and words), rhyming cards, a word sorting activity, read and color, emergent reader and some number cards.

•For craft ideas, there is simply no better resource than The Crafty Crow!

• Ingles 360 has several cute Dr. Seuss-themed printables in English.

• Last week, I shared some great resources for The Lorax.  I still think they are fabulous! :)

• And last, be sure to check out the awesome Dr. Seuss poster created by Mamiverse featuring "30 Dr. Seuss Quotes that Can Change Your Life." (Shown at right.)

Online

• PBS KIDS Lab has some great online Cat in the Hat games and activities based on their popular TV show in both English and Spanish.

• Seussville.com is, of course, without compare, though it is available in English only.

• And don't forget SpanglishBaby's giveaway of a Lorax gift bundle.

Celebrate America! with Little Hands®

In the spirit of yesterday's holiday, I wanted to share with you one of the books I am using to teach American history to my kindergartner and 2nd grader. Little Hands® Celebrate America! is such a fun book for introducing young children to our nation's history.

Inside these pages, parents and teachers will find a short - but informative! - story (description) of the symbols, history, geography, and heritage of our country. For each topic, there is also an accompanying craft or game. For instance, at the beginning, Hauser talks about the U. S. flag and the symbolism behind each element. Children can create their own personal flags with a picture of themselves in the blue square, and/or design their own American flag using stars, stripes, and the colors red, white, and blue.

Hauser also introduces important works such as our national anthem, and describes in simple terms the meaning behind the Pledge of Allegiance. My children loved creating their own miniature Liberty Bell, as well as the simple science experiment that explains why the Liberty Bell broke to begin with...

As you go through this book with your students they will learn to identify famous American landmarks, memorize patriotic songs and poems (America the Beautiful, etc.), discover famous Americans (Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, Martin Luther King, Jr., Tecumseh, etc.), and learn about our national holidays.

Along the way they'll make a freedom drum, a cornucopia, a Navajo bracelet, a suspension bridge, and many, many other fun crafts.

This is simply the best book for young, children. I have been using it as the core, and supplementing it with books I purchased on Etsy and Amazon, as well as some from our local library. I've also been using printables that I've found online (check out my Pinterest page).

This book is available in English only.

So if you are looking for a great little book to teach your K-5th grade child about American history, this one's for you! You can find new and gently used copies in my online store.

Con mucho cariño...

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my kids' lessons. I was not contact in any way by the publisher. 

Presidents' Day Activities, Coloring Pages, Books and More

Happy Presidents' Day!! The more that I learn about our U.S. presidents, the more I appreciate this day. Although Presidents' Day typically focuses on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, we have had a number of fascinating men running the United States: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, the list goes on and on. I am grateful to them, and their willingness to take on the incredibly difficult job of running this country. Have you noticed that every single president has left office with a head full of gray hair? I don't think that a single person entering into this position has a clue about what they are getting into and how hard it will be to try and hold the country together.

With this being an election year, I think now is an especially good time to discuss the office of the presidency, how a president is elected, and what they must do once they are in office. 

Tonight, as I type this, my husband and children are sitting in the next room watching Abraham and Mary Lincoln, A House Divided: American Experience on PBS and learning about Lincoln's life. Though it is way past their bedtime, we're letting them enjoy the moment, knowing that tomorrow we will be remembering him and other US presidents. 

Anyway, in honor of all the men who have so bravely led this country, here are some excellent resources for learning more about them and the office that they've held.

LESSON PLANS

• Scholastic has a good lesson plan titled, If I Were President, that covers a wide range of activities.

• Teaching Resource Cneter has a some great activities and lesson plans on George Washington. They also have an article dedicated to a Code to Teach the Oath of Office.

• lovetoknow home school also has some good lesson plans.

• I really love this math/social studies activity where students graph/map which state has produced the most presidents.

• I think older children will really enjoy these lesson plans from Lesson Planet.

• Mr Donn's American History page on American Presidents has lots of great lesson plans, games and activities, too.

• Mr G's World of Social Studies has a page dedicated to the presidents of the US with some fun trivia, and other data.

• ClassroomHelp also has information on topics like who died in office, who had a nickname, presidential salaries, and vice presidents who became presidents. 

• Here is a printable story in Spanish on Presidents' Day from edhelper.com.


ACTIVITY SHEETS & COLORING PAGES

• Enchanted Learning has some great printables for Presidents' Day. These include worksheets and short books for beginning readers.

• FreeKidsColoring.com has a nice sized coloring page of the President's Seal and several for both Lincoln and Washington.

• Crayola.com has a great coloring page for George Washington and others for Presidents' Day.


CRAFTS

• First, I have added so many cute Presidents' Day crafts to the MommyMaestra Pinterest board, Presidents' Day, so be sure to check that out.

• Kaboose has some super cute crafts, such as this Craft Stick White House and this Powdered Wig.


VIDEOS & PHOTOS

• National Geographic Kids has a great collection of U.S. Monument photos including Mount Rushmore, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and more.

• If I Were the First Latina/o President - super cute video of Latino children's description of what they would do if they were the first Latino president.

• Love this video on how a president is elected.

• Schoolhouse Rock/America Rock - Presidential Minute video.


BOOKS

• Who Was George Washington? by True Kelley and Roberta Edwards

• Who Was Abraham Lincoln? by Janet B. Pascal

• Presidents' Day by Anne Rockwell

• If I Were President by Catherine Stier

• If I Ran For President by Catherine Stier

• Little Hands Celebrate America!: Learning about the U.S.A. Through Crafts & Activities by Jill Frankel Hauser


BILINUGAL BOOKS

• Yo también puedo ser presidente (Spanish Edition) by Yanitzia Canetti

• El Día de los presidentes by Mir Tamim Ansary

• Otto se presenta para presidente: (Spanish language edition of Otto Runs for President) (Spanish Edition) by Rosemary Wells

• Dí­a del presidente (Presidents Day) by Rebecca Rissman

Valentine's Around the Web

This year I have seen an explosion of great ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day with your niños. There are so many clever and creative crafts, that I wanted to share some of my favorites.  So stop by and take a look at the MommyMaestra Pinterest board on Valentine's. Enjoy!

(Note: Since I am not big on candy, you will mostly see other types of treats and ideas for giving as Valentines.)

Con mucho cariño...

Interactives from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maybe by now you are figuring out that I love museum websites...especially those that offer quality educational content. So naturally, I was really excited when I found that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a section on their site exclusively for interactives. And not just one or two, but eighteen! From Knights in Central Park to Cézanne's Astonishing Apples to How Van Gogh Made His Mark, you'll find some informative and interactive programs that allow you and your students to learn online - and have fun doing so.

Their site also offers videos, podcasts and a Kid Zone where children can print up their own map and guides of the museum. There is also an educator's section with lesson plans and other publications.

Enjoy!

Los Reyes on the Internet

Here are just a few of the new resources I have discovered on Los Reyes Magos. For a complete list, be sure to check out the main resource page for Día de los Reyes.

Pasitos de Colores has an adorable short story about Los Reyes. Just click on the picture and it will take you to their site. Once you are there, you can scroll down and click on the first picture. This will pull up a slide show to make reading the book easier for you and your children.

ParaBebes has the cutest site where kids can choose their favorite Magi and then send him an email with their wishlist. (I asked for a new car. Ahem.) And he immediately responds with a short video! All in Spanish. Love it.


Mi Sala Amarilla has a great collection of printable letters to los Reyes (it's also where I found the link to ParaBebes). You can download and print your favorite design!

Dibujos.org has this adorable banderita you can print and have your students color/decorate. Then just string them together and you've got your own Día de los Reyes banner!

Con mucho cariño...

Handmade Navidad: 5 Fun and Easy Pine Cone Crafts

There is no scarcity of pine cones around our place. One little walk through our front yard will yield a bucketful of cones of all different shapes and sizes. This year we've decided to put them to good use and I've been searching the web for clever gift and decoration ideas. Here are a few of my favorites:


from MamiTalks.com

If you are looking for decorations, I love these little pine cone trees that my friend, Dariela, shared on her blog, Mami Talks. They are so simple to make, and yet they look lovely with the little splash of color from the small pom-poms.


Mummy's Busy World teaches you how to make sparkly, festive pine cones with just a little bit of paint and glitter. These could be used as decoration, or given as gifts.


Last year, The Magnifying Glass shared easy directions for making cinnamon-scented pine cones. We love this idea and are making some to give as aromatic fire starters. We've even gone a step further to create peppermint potpourri using the same directions, just a different essential oil and a variety of cones of different shapes and sizes.

from MarthaStewart.com

Also on the gift-giving front, I think these pine cone picture frames are genius! Naturally, they are from Martha Stewart (how does she make things look so classy and why can't I think of them first?!) Her site doesn't mention the hanging pine cone ornaments in this picture, but I think they would be terribly easy to make using real pine cones. A little white or silver spray paint and some velvet ribbon, no?


Have you visited The Magic Onions blog? She has two tutorials for creating wax-dipped pine cone ornaments. One of them uses crayons and the other uses beeswax. Both are beautiful and worthy of gift giving.

Con mucho cariño...

Latin-Inspired Ornaments

Today's post is a collection of my favorite Latino-themed ornaments on the web. I've been so pleasantly surprised by the creativity and the ingenuity that has gone into making them! I especially like how these can be given as gift sets, or used to decorate your own tree. And I think every child might love to make their own versions of these ornaments.

Happy crafting!

Muy Bueno Cookbook found some easy buñuelo tree ornaments on Chef Marcela's blog. I love how they turned out, and I think the red velvet ribbons go perfectly. Don't you think these would make a lovely gift set? Just carefully pile them into a decorative tin and give...

Ruby from Growing Up Blackxican recently shared her miniature posada piñata ornaments on Spanglish Baby. They are adorable and easy for your children to make.  

Oh Happy Day also teaches you how to make some adorable mini-piñatas. I think they could easily be made into ornaments with a little bit of yarn or twine. These are a little more complicated and probably best suited for older children.

First Palette has a simple poinsettia ornament craft that I really like. I'm thinking of having the kids make some of these using tiny, gold bells in the middle.

I also like these stained glass poinsettia ornaments made out of paper towel tubes on the Crafty Crow!! Gorgeous, no?

My friend, Lisa, who recently created a tutorial for MommyMaestra on making your own traveling nacimiento, has also created a tutorial for New Latina on making felt ornaments.

Con mucho cariño...

Beauty and the Beast Coloring Pages

Did you know Beauty and the Beast is coming back to theaters on January 13th? I'm so excited! This is my favorite of all the Disney movies. And I'm even happier to be able to share these coloring pages of your favorite Beauty and the Beast characters with you. Just click on the pictures below to download your free coloring sheets!

Thanks, Disney!

Con cariño...

Holiday Crafting: Traveling Miniature Nacimiento {TUTORIAL}

I am so excited to be able to share with you this tutorial for creating your own traveling nativity, that was lovingly created by my friend Lisa Renata of Sabor a Cajeta for her own children and yours. If you haven't visited her beautiful blog, please do. And if you like this tutorial, please, please leave her a message below thanking her for all the hard work she put into creating it for MommyMaestra readers.   ~xo

We are in the middle of the Holiday Season. Some are getting ready to travel afar and visit loved ones for the festivities. Some are staying home and celebrating. Many will be attending Posadas. Unfortunately, where we live there is no one I know of that celebrates Las Posadas, something I loved doing as a child.

Our house is decorated and we have a Nacimiento displayed, in fact, we have the entire Bethlehem City. You know, one of those really-nice-don't-touch-or-you'll-break kind. Yea, that kind? For the longest time I wanted a small set for my kids, one that they could play with. We received a beautiful one from the grandparents, but it is still breakable. The chiquitos can play with it, but they can't really take it along with them. This year I decided I needed to make one for them. I'm a great believer that one learns best through hands-on play. That is exactly what I want for my kids. To learn about the reason for the season, sort of say, through play. So I made them this:

It is perfect! It is small enough that they can take it where ever they choose to, even travel with it on a plane, or a car, if need be.

Want to learn how to make it?

This is what you need to do:

To begin, start by painting all the faces. Let them dry completely before you begin to paint another layer.

Next work on Maria (Mary). I find her to be the easiest to paint. After painting the face (and letting dry), paint her blue dress and head scarf. It is very simple, just paint it all blue. Once you've done that and it has completely dried, add some details with a deeper blue (or you can leave it as it is.) Finally, with a black permanent marker, add some hair locks around the face and also add the eyes, mouth, and nose.

Continue with the Angel.

1. Paint face and body. 2. Paint hair. 3. Add dress details with a gold permanent marker. 4. Cut out wings out of wool felt. 5. Glue with hot glue (or any other strong adhesive). 6. Front view. 7. Back view.

For José (Joseph) and the Reyes (Wise Men) you are going to follow similar steps.

After the faces have dried, add the hair, mustache, and beard following the steps below. To make them each a little different, I colored their hair in different shades.

Again don't forget to...

Now you'll add the finishing touches to José (Joseph):

After painting the face and body and letting it dry completely, add the head scarf following the steps above.


Those wise Reyes:

Add details to each garment with a gold permanent marker. Make each crown a bit different.

For the Niñito Jesus (Baby Jesus) you will need two tiny pieces of felt. One in off-white the other in tan.

Cut your off-white piece of felt about an 1 inch square. Then a tiny oval piece using the tan color. Glue the tan piece in the center of the 1 inch square (see above), then start to fold each side and keep in place with a dab of glue. (Follow steps above). Finally, round the tip of the corner about the baby's head. You now have a swaddled Niñito Jesus.

Lastly, decorate your box however you like. I wanted to leave some of the natural wood showing, so I just added color in certain areas. I also added small "x" details with a gold permanent marker.

Once everything is completely dry (about an hour or so), then:

Listo! You are done.

Now give it to a little someone you love and let them:

Have fun crafting!

-----------------------------------------

Lisa Renata is a US-born Latina who experienced Mexican culture first-hand when she lived there as a child. A book lover, a mama raising her two kids bilingual, and a crafter- with a camera always in her hands. You can often find her interpreting and testing for the local school district ESOL program, working on her blog Sabor a Cajeta, or making new items for her Etsy shop SaborCajeta.

Spanish Christmas Cards {Printable}

Yesterday, Tara asked on the MommyMaestra FB page if I had any ideas or templates of Christmas cards. I thought that was a great idea! We make cards all the time for birthdays and such, so I put together a few easy-to-print designs.

If you are looking for some simple holiday cards in Spanish, here are four designs for you to print up. They include an image with either "Feliz Navidad" or "Felices Fiestas" on the outside, and they are blank on the inside to be personalized by your child/student. They come two to a sheet.

(I also have images of children with blonde hair. If you'd like me to customize some cards for you, just contact me.)

These cards are now available for purchase through my etsy shop.

Enjoy!

Con mucho cariño...

Diego Rivera Lesson Plans, Books, and More



Niños pidiendo posada by Diego Rivera

In honor of Diego Rivera's 125th birthday which was celebrated today around the world, I thought I would share this mural he painted of children participating in a traditional posada. I knew that he must have painted something in honor of this event, given his passion for portraying the daily lives and cultural traditions of his people. A little digging yielded the picture above. (Please ALWAYS preview sites that you google/find in a search engine without your children nearby, as some have bad links that show highly inappropriate images.)

It occurred to me that I don't have any posts dedicated to Diego. I have one sharing resources for studying Frida Kahlo, but poor Diego had not yet been featured on MommyMaestra. So I am pleased to share with you some of the resources that I have recently found, and others that I have already used with my own children. Enjoy!


LESSON PLANS

• Surprisingly, I found a really good lesson plan on Crayola's website. It is a clever way to introduce your children to Diego's world and get them to thinking about the same issues that he would have thought about.

• Deep Space Sparkle has what appears to be a really good 16-page booklet on the artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. You can learn more about it - or be inspired by it - by visiting their site.

• Denver Public Schools has put together a more detailed lesson plan for 3rd grade. I think it can easily be adapted for older or younger students.

• I also like American Masters' lesson plan on pbs.org.

• Also, this page on Garden of Praise has a pretty concise biography of the artist.


COLORING PAGES & MORE

• The Museum Chick has the perfect coloring page of Rivera's The Flower Carrier.

• And I like this mural template from Art Projects for Kids.


BOOKS

• Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Their Lives and Ideas, 24 Activities (For Kids series) by Carol Sabbeth

• Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh

• Diego by Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter

• My Papa Diego and Me/Mi papa Diego y yo: Memories of My Father and His Art/Recuerdos de mi padre y su arte by Guadalupe Rivera Marín

• Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and David Diaz


And lastly, if you happen to live in the New York area, the Modern Museum of Art currently has some of Rivera's work on display...

Ken Robinson: Why We Must Nurture Creativity In School

I am a fan of TED Conversations/Talks. Perhaps after you watch this video you'll know why. I am so grateful to my friends at Children Inspire Design for sharing this video today. 

Sir Ken Robinson is an entertaining speaker, but don't let his jokes fool you. His message is loud and clear. He makes a case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. I was really moved...and it has open my eyes with regards to my own daughter's abilities and innate nature. I would love for you to watch it yourself and tell me what you think...

Make Your Own Chocolate Kit {GIVEAWAY}

My kids and I have had the absolute best time studying about chocolate. It was hard for me to remember not to get too detailed for my kids, who are only 5 and 7 years old. But I was really pleased with the mini-unit study that I created for them.

In our exploration of the world of chocolate, we started off with the book, Smart About Chocolate: A Sweet History by Sandra Markle. This book is written for children and was perfect for my two. It covers everything from the characteristics of the cacao beans (bitterness, color, etc.) to its historical roots in Central America with engaging stories about the Maya and Aztecs. I loved how the books shared brief stories about Montezuma (Did you know he drank more than 50 cups of chocolate a day?!?), Prince Philip of Spain, and Milton Hershey.The book also discusses when - and how - milk chocolate was formed.

Smart About Chocolate also includes a fun recipe, surprising facts, a book list, and even an experiment for little scientists. The illustrations are funny and engaging and had my kids giggling from the very beginning. I totally recommend this book.

After reading this short book, we spent some time online at the Field Museum's website going through the interactives. I also used some of the activity/coloring pages on chocolate from this website (they're in English).

But the best part of our study was making chocolate ourselves. While researching my lesson online, I found a Make Your Own Chocolate Kit from Glee Gum. I purchased it from Amazon. The kit comes with the ingredients shown in the picture above. This includes organic cocoa butter, cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, starter crystals, a temperature indicator, two cacao beans, and paper candy liners. 

The instructions were easy to follow - but you have to follow them exactly! Making chocolate is not a simple process. While we were waiting for the chocolate to cool, we nibbled on the beans and immediately spit them out complaining about the taste. I thought this was a simple, but effective way of showing how important the process is of adding the other ingredients to combat the bitterness of the bean.

They also allow time in the process for adding extra ingredients such as marshmallows, nuts, etc. We chose to add peanut butter to 1/3 of our candies. And afterwards we had a "taste test." The girls loved the peanut butter chocolate combo, while my son preferred the straight chocolate.

Not only was the kit fun and educational, it's also all-natural and eco-friendly. Although the kit comes with the story of chocolate, you can also find an educator's guide and sample lesson plan on their site.

We really had the best time doing this!

If you'd like to find a store in your area that sells this, or any of the Glee Gum kits, check their online store locator.

THE GIVEAWAY

After we had so much fun with this project, I wanted to share. So I contacted Glee Gum and asked if they'd be willing to offer a kit or two as a giveaway. They graciously agreed and are offering one Make Your Own Chocolate Kit to a MommyMaestra reader.

To enter, simply leave a comment below.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Wednesday, November 30th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. and contacted via email - so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment!

And to increase your chances of winning, you can:

1.) Blog about this giveaway and include the link to your post in the comments below.

2.) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following: Win a Make Your Own Chocolate Kit from MommyMaestra! http://bit.ly/tyWqyj @LatinMami #chocolate #homeschool #giveaway

Don't forget to let me know by posting a separate comment for each entry!

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!

Disclosure: This giveaway is offered in collaboration with Glee Gum. I have not been compensated in any way for offering this giveaway, and it results from my contacting them and asking for a contribution to our Chocolate series.

Bilingual Thanksgiving Mobile {Printable}

Technically, this week is dedicated to CHOCOLATE (Yay!), but I am going to sneak in a few free Thanksgiving printables that I've created for my kids and thought you might enjoy as well.

The first is a bilingual mobile that we created as a Thanksgiving decoration. It includes six Thanksgiving/Fall-themed images in both English and Spanish. It is a simple mobile, a good activity for small hands. You can download it by clicking on the image below.

Feliz Día de acción de gracias!

The Muppets' Road Trip Game {PRINTABLE}

Are you headed out of town for Thanksgiving? We're not, but I'm doing a lot of shopping this next week which means a lot of time in the car and stores with my kids. And I thought, well, since we ALL KNOW what's coming out exactly one week from today, maybe I'd go ahead and share the following printables that Disney sent me (and if you've seen them before, then you are apparently reading the same blogs I do! Lol.). Simply click on the pictures below to download each activity.

The funniest one, I think, is the Muppets' Road Trip Game, which includes hilarious challenges to keep the kids busy, such as seeing if they can spot:

• 1 Person who looks like a relative of Gonzo’s?
• 4 Miss Piggy fans (people singing to themselves, fixing their hair in a mirror, etc..)
• The letters of Disney’s "The Muppets" in license plates

You can also print up a couple of 3D Kermit and Fozzie Bear papercrafts.

Are you planning to go and see the new Muppet movie when it comes out? I am a die hard Muppet fan. I grew up watching the characters and I even have the series on MY Christmas wish list.

When Jim Henson died, I felt such an incredible sadness for the whole world. I guess that was because I felt like he had had such a profound impact on my childhood that who knows how many other children found comfort and friendship in his beloved characters. As a child I fell in love with all of the Muppets, and I mourned the loss of such creativity and comedic genius.

It makes mi corazón so happy to know that his legacy will continue and that children today (especially my own!) will have a chance to come to know and love and laugh with the same special characters - Kermit, Miss Piggy, Foz, Gonzo, and so many more - as I did.

I want to make sure you all know that I received Disney promotional material all the time, but I'm pretty selective about what I share. Mostly, I choose those things that I know my own children will love. I am not paid to talk about the films, but I simply share the activities and photos that I think may interest you all. And I am grateful to Disney for providing me the opportunity to offer these materials on MommyMaestra.

Wishing you all the happiest of weeks! (Thanksgiving is almost here - YAY!!!)