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Making them yourself isn't necessarily more affordable, it depends on whether you can find the materials cheaply. I actually looked quite awhile before I found wooden beads that would be cheaper than buying them premade!
It's wooden beads strung onto jewelry wire. I got the method from another Montessori blog, I can't find the link right now, but here's my blog post where at least there's a picture of them: http://motherbynature.ca/2010/03/tot-school-weekly-update/
If you just want plastic beads, it's way cheaper, but I wanted wood. 
As for the snake game, there are several online sites with information on Montessori activities, including some complete Montessori manuals. 
