Montessori-Inspired 3-part cards for the Safari Ltd GREAT LAKES Toob

The regions of the USA have a great variety of wildlife.  Whether you're studying the geography of the entire nation for homeschooling or you want to familiarize your kids with the animals in your own area, the Safari Ltd Great Lakes Toob would be a great addition to your collection.  The set includes 10 plastic figurines of common regional animals including Canada Geese, Sturgeon, and Mudpuppies.

I have a personal goal of creating Montessori-inspired 3-part cards to match every Safari Ltd toob.  I have several of them, which can be found by clicking on the colored text here.  I am pleased to add the Great Lakes toob to my collection.  Scroll down to get the printables for free!

If I was studying this region with my kids, I would also add many of the animals from the River toob and the North American toob.  For this reason, I also added a few extra cards to the printables pack, so you can make an even more robust unit study.  Here are a few things I found to add to your learning:

Freshwater Fishing for Kids- The Great Lakes hold 20% of the freshwater on our planet, which means there's a lot of great fishing to be done on the shorelines and on the water of the lakes.  Get your kids started with this helpful book.

A Beaver's Tale- The Great Lakes were an important part of the transcontinental fur trade, but many beaver populations were completely decimated.  This book tells the story of the beavers homecoming to the Great Lakes region.

A Kids' Guide to Chicago- One of the big cities along the Great Lakes is Chicago, IL.  This book showcases over 100 city favorites, which would make it perfect for both Chicagoans and visitors.

Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species- Bats are flying mammals, which I think makes them pretty interesting.  The Great Lakes toob contains a small brown bat.  Learn more about bats from around the world with this cool book.

Small Brown Bat- If you can't get ahold of a real bat to observe and study, getting this stuffed animal would be a good substitute.  Besides, it's a mammal, just like a kitty.

Are You a Dragonfly- Learn about the dragonfly life cycle and the metamorphosis it experiences as you read this charming backyard book together.

Lynx Figurine Toy- Did you know that bobcats and lynx are very similar?  So similar that most people can't tell them apart!  Lynx have longer back legs that cause them to tip forward when they're standing.

Canada Goose Stuffed Animal- There's something about this goose that just looks very snuggly and nice, like it would tuck right into the crook of your arm.  Studying Canada Geese is also an easy way to talk about migration and other ways animals adapt to the winter.

Great Lakes Fish Collection- This pack of 5 toy fish is designed to help kids identify the freshwater fish they'll be able to catch in the Great Lakes region.  Perfect for sensory bins, bath time, pretend fishing, or school projects.

Goose Hunting Call- You don't have to be a hunting family to appreciate the fun of learning how to make animal sounds.  My 8 year old son loves to stand in the backyard and attract eagles with his dying duck sounds (haha).  It's a great way to learn more about geese too!

Authentic Sounding Sea Gull Toy- Don't wait until you visit the Great Lakes or ocean to hear sea gulls squacking in your ear.  Get this toy and hear it all the time!  Perfect for bird watchers!

Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails- Our family enjoys playing the original Ticket to Ride game, where you use train car pieces to build routes between cities.  This new game contains 2 boards, one world map and and one map of the Great Lakes.  It would be a great way to teach geography for the region.

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After you've put in your email address into the box, check your inbox for the confirmation email.  Open the email and click on the button to confirm your subscription.  You'll get a second email with a link to download the printable.  Download the PDF from the protected page.  Print the first two pages twice and laminate them for long-term use.  Then, cut out all the cards and separate them by sets.  Leave one set of cards exactly as they are- with the picture and label attached.  With the second set of cards, cut the label off the pictures to make two piece.  The card with a picture and label, the card with just a picture, and the card with the label now make the three parts of the traditional Montessori 3-part cards.

Once you have the three cards, you can present them to your child in the traditional Montessori method.  Have the child match the picture card with the label to the other two cards.  They can also match the Safari Ltd Great Lakes toob animals to the picture cards or label the figurines with the cards.  The child can also spell out the words with a movable alphabet like printable cards or shaped letters.

You can also chose not to separate the picture from the label to make a set of cards for a classic memory match.  You can your child can take turns choosing two cards and seeing if they're a match.  If they are a pair, then that player gets to keep them.  If they're not a match, the player must turn them over and the other player gets a turn.

You may also want to print just one copy of the cards and allow your child to match the Safari Ltd Great Lakes toob to the pictures.  Together, you can talk about the animal names, where they live, and sort them by type.  The figurines are great in messy play, sensory bins, and more!  My kids love to play with them, especially outside.

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