I’m excited about another of the Montessori By Mom Toolboxes! The Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox is designed for ages 3-6, but it’s perfect for homeschoolers needing activities for multiple ages (or for parents wanting activities that can grow with a child).
I mainly planned to review the toolbox with my4-year-old grandkids, Sophia and Caleb, but many of the activities will work well with my 8-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, too.
Disclosure: I’m a Montessori By Mom affiliate. I was given the Dinosaur Discoveries Toolbox for this review. This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori By Mom
Montessori By Mom is a small business started by Nathan and Teresa Hadsall, two teachers who wanted to empower parents to teach their own children using Montessori principles and activities. Nathan and Teresa offer a subscription service, sending a box of themed Montessori materials and activities for 3-6 year olds each month. Everything you need for teaching your child with the materials is included in the monthly subscription. With each box, you’ll get
- Video instruction for many activities (The videos are wonderful! Parents with no Montessori experience can feel comfortable introducing the Montessori activities after watching the video instructions.)
- Video instruction about basic Montessori principles and teaching techniques
- All the materials needed
- Extension activities with other materials from home
- Access to an online forum where you can ask questions and connect with other parents
Montessori By Mom now has a Montessori By Mom store where you can buy single toolboxes, activity sets, single items and refills, and printables and videos.
Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox and Activities
The Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox has a large number of activities you can create with the materials to work with a variety of ages.
Teresa and Nathan give many ideas for various ages and levels of difficulty. Each material can be used in multiple ways, and the extensions ensure that the activities can grow with your child. The instructional videos and online resources are wonderful … and it’s so nice to have all the materials included. The Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox is available in the Montessori By Mom store.
The toolbox includes:
- Rubbing Plates
- Real Dinosaur Fossil
- Dinosaur Figures
- Dinosaur Dig Kit
- Rock Crayons
- Classification Chart/Poster
- Classification Cards
- Dino Dough Kit
- Bag of Plaster
- Bonus Dinosaur Puzzle
- Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox Guide
- Instructional Videos (online)
- Online Printables and Resources
Dinosaur Discovery Activities Using the Montessori By Mom Materials
These are just a few of the activities you can prepare using the Dinosaur Discovery materials. There are many additional ideas in the videos and online parent resources that are included with the toolbox. As in many of the Montessori By Mom toolboxes, I’m impressed that there are so many different levels of activities included. It’s especially helpful for homeschoolers to have activities for toddlers through elementary.
In the extension activities, there are many more activities than I’m showing here. There’s also a progression of activities to follow, similar to what would be used in a Montessori classroom. I’m just showing a few of the activities on my shelf.
Montessori Shelves with Dinosaur Themed Activities from Montessori By Mom
Activities We’ve Already Done with the Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox
Working Together to Make Dino Dough for Plaster Fossils
My 4-year-old grandkids, Sophia and Caleb, had lots of fun with the making-your-0wn-fossil-with-dino-dough-and-plaster activity. First, they made the playdough using the playdough mixture included. There are two options, and we used the one that adds boiling water. I added the boiling water and did the initial mixing when the water was still hot, but Sophia and Caleb did everything else.
Pouring Plaster over Dinosaur Impressions in Dino Dough to Make Plaster Fossils
Sophia and Caleb had fun mixing the plaster mixture and making dinosaur fossils. They used the Dino Dough for many days afterward, too!
Excavating Part of a Stegosaurus Model’s Skeleton
Even though the Montessori By Mom toolboxes are designed for ages 3-6, there are often activities that are perfect for younger or older kids as well. My 8-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, loved working with the Dino Skeleton Excavation Kit! There are 4 possible types of dinosaurs, and Zoey was excited to discover the one we had was a stegosaurus. Zoey worked a long time on this … and got it out more than once!
Using a Hammer and Chisel to Excavate Part of a Stegosaurus Model’s Skeleton
Here’s Caleb working on the dino excavation. Sophia worked on it as well. And this was an activity they did more than one day. They all had fun with the excavation process and were very excited to complete it, too!
Many of the activities from the Dinosaur Discovery Toolbox have been popular already. Both Sophia and Caleb made dinosaur rubbings, all three enjoyed examining the real dinosaur bone, and Caleb completed both of the dinosaur puzzles. It was a great experience for all of them and a perfect addition to our fossil unit!
Montessori By Mom Toolboxes + Toolbox Review and Activity Posts
Here are all the Montessori By Mom toolbox review and activity posts I’ve published here at Living Montessori Now.
Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
Shoots and Sprouts Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
Practical Life Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
Building and Blocks Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
Land, Water, Air Activities from Montessori By Mom
Art Appreciation Activities from Montessori By Mom
Learning Language Activities from Montessori By Mom
Making Music Activities from Montessori By Mom
Earth Exploration Activities from Montessori By Mom
Montessori Work with Scale Distances of Planets from the Sun (using materials from the Space Explorer Toolbox)
Dinosaur Discovery Activities from Montessori By Mom
Montessori By Mom has a few other Toolboxes, too: Mad Scientist (for skills such as pouring, color mixing, volume, and measurement), Space Explorer Toolbox, Movement and Motion, Caves and Caverns, Journey to Japan, Delicious Discoveries, and Kings, Queens, and Castles.
MONTESSORI BY MOM SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS!
I really love the Montessori By Mom materials and curriculum. I definitely recommend Montessori By Mom for parents looking for a simple and fun way to start using Montessori at home.
Montessori By Mom offers $10 off to new subscribers with the coupon code AFFDECH at checkout.
Montessori By Mom is based in the U.S., but there’s even international shipping! Montessori By Mom also has a Montessori By Mom store where you can buy single toolboxes, activity sets, single items and refills, and printables and videos! You can connect with Nathan and Teresa on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (where you can see their public videos, including a Montessori By Mom subscription sample). They also have a blog with more helpful information. Montessori By Mom runs the Montessori By Mom Family (Facebook group), too, “as a way way to support anyone interested in providing children with a Montessori experience. We also want our customers and fans to be able to connect with us and each other!”
The giveaway is now closed. Instagram Giveaway
What You Will Win: The Montessori By Mom Toolbox of Your Choice Worth $59.95 and $100 Credit for the Living Montessori Now Shop!
I’m excited to be partnering with @fortheloveofhomeschooling and @montessoribymom to offer one of you the chance to win a Montessori by Mom Toolbox of your choice PLUS $100 Living Montessori Now Shop Credit!
To enter, simply:
1. Follow @livingmontessorinow, @montessoribymom and @fortheloveofhomeschooling on Instagram.
2. LIKE and SAVE the giveaway post on Instagram.
3. Tag as many people on the Instagram giveaway post as you like in separate comments. Remember each tag is an additional entry so more tags = more entries!
4. Share the Instagram giveaway post to your stories by clicking the little paper airplane next to the comment icon.
That’s all!
The winner will receive their choice of Montessori by Mom Toolbox PLUS $100 Living Montessori Now Shop Credit!
Giveaway runs until tonight, March 4th, at 11:59pm PST! Winner will be announced within 48 hours of giveaway closing. Not sponsored by Instagram. Open to US and Canada only due to shipping restrictions.
Good luck!
Update: The winner of the giveaway is @learningadventureswithnoah! Congratulations!!!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and very special thanks to Montessori By Mom!
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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