Cute and Crafty

I was flipping through the Parents magazine that just came in the mail last night and saw this really cute idea-

From the January 2014 Parents Magazine

They call them "Jungle Book Ends".  I thought this would be such a cute idea for the classroom, and it's such an easy way to make customized pieces to match your classroom theme!

Basically all you do is attach a plastic to jungle animal to a wood block and paint it.

That's it.

You're done!

How simple is that?  I totally love that you just paint the block and the decorating object the same solid color.  Simple and not overdone . . . and makes it so much easier to fit whatever color scheme you've got going on in your room (if you have one).

You can get the wooden block pieces from anywhere like Lowe's or Home Depot.  I'm sure if you ask nicely they'll even cut those wooden posts to your desired size.  Then you can find the decoration piece at garage sales, Goodwill, craft stores like Michaels, etc.  I've bought those rubbery animals from Hobby Lobby before as decoration for my daughter's birthday party one year and they were pretty inexpensive.  You can use a hot glue gun to attach your decoration, or if you want a really secure hold you might think about drilling up through the wooden block into the decoration and securing with a screw.  That's if you're really, REALLY serious about a good hold!  Then just grab some spray paint (in any color of your choice) and give the book end a good coat.

I rummaged around in my daughter's toy box and found these items as an example of some things you might even use!

This is actually a bath toy we got her from Walmart.  I think it was $1.

Toy bowling ball and pin.  (Do you recognize these, Dana and Katie?  LOL!)

Rubber Ducky

Tea pot and tea cup from her tea set

Uh . . . this is actually my dog's squeaky hamburger to.  I think it was from the Target Dollar section ages ago!

 You get the point.  Have fun!  Be creative!  I'm thinking that a nice coat of silver, gold, or some kind of metallic paint would glam it up if you wanted to do something like this for your office.

I Heart this Site!

A couple of years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband started bringing me home magazines from the pediatrics office where he works.  They were a great mix of pregnancy, parenting, and kids magazines.  I love looking through these magazines because articles and features are quick reads so they fit in well with our busy lifestyle.  One day my husband brought me home a new magazine I hadn't seen before and that was it . . . I wanted my own subscription because I didn't want to miss out on any of the good stuff!  If you have seen the Disney Family Fun magazine, you may know what I'm taking about!

Games, DIY, crafts, recipes, etc.  Each issue was jam packed full of wonderful stuff!  That's where I got the idea for my daughter's cupcake owl cake for her 1st birthday!  There are so many cute ideas in it that I can't do with her yet since she's only 16 months, but I'm keeping these magazines on file for later use when she can enjoy the activities.

Anyhow some years in my classroom I'm really blessed with a great PTA room mom to help with events such as the Winter and Summer (End of Year) parties.  I can just hand it over to them and they plan an prepare all the goodies, games, crafts, and snacks.  This year . . . no such luck.  That's why I need to find some really quick, easy, and inexpensive activities for my kids for our Winter Party.  A quick Google search brought me to the Disney Family fun website!  So many great ideas!

If you were in my positions . . . looking for something to do with the kids that wouldn't take to much prep (or money) but still packed lots of fun, you may want to check it out.  The website url is http://familyfun.go.com/.  Check it out for your students or for your own little ones!  I plan on doing the Winter Wonderland snow globe ornament, igloo cup game, and am contemplating a few others.  The more I look the more I want to do!

This is the Winter Wonderland ornament from Family Fun 

(picture taken from the Family Fun website)

Enjoy!

Fun and FREE for Halloween!

I haven't been able to do this one in recent years due to students with religious differences, but it was always so cute in the past!  Here is an easy activity for your kids to practice their cardinal direction AND geometry.  It's a Jack-o-Lantern Face map!

Jack-o-lantern Face Map

Cut out a large pumpkin onto poster board as the template.  (You can use the one I've attached too.)  Students trace and cut out a large pumpkin out of orange construction paper.  Then they will need to choose a shape for each facial feature of the Jack-o-Lantern.  They will record this on their map key.  Next the students cute the shape out of black construction paper and glue them wherever they choose on the face.  They can glue them on in the conventional facial feature areas or make the face goofy.

Fill in the blanks, draw your compass rose and viola!  Jack-o-Lantern Face Map!  This is great as a center as well.

Maybe this year I'll go ahead and do it . . . and the students who cannot participate in a Jack-o-lantern can do a regular face instead.  You can even use intermediate directions for students who need more challenge.