Creating Preschool Memories

It has been a long time since my last post. I got busy getting ready for my preschool class to start. I have a new class now and I am ready to start updating you on all of my fun preschool teaching ideas!

Kids LOVE seeing pictures of themselves. Parents love seeing what their kids do during the day. In my class I have taken these facts and used them to create the perfect end of the year gift. I know...I know...it is only September. Why am I already thinking about the end of the year gift? Well, my end of the year gift is a scrapbook so it is best to start right at the beginning.

I started doing the scrapbooks with the kids last year, and they got rave reviews! You can even get the kids involved creating the pages.

Materials:

*2-pocket poly report cover: It is only $0.99 at staples. I like it because it is durable plastic so the kids can handle the scrapbooks. They come a variety of colors. They are also transparent, so you can see the cover page through the book.

*clear sheet protectors

*card stock

*camera: Take a lot of pictures throughout the year!

This is the cover page. Also place a picture of the child on the cover. I will show page layouts without the children's pictures for their privacy. This year I am doing the year from A-Z. Each week I take pictures of the students doing something that begins with the letter of the week. For example the first week I did "All-star students arrive for the first day of school." Depending on how independent your students are, you can let them create the layout or you could just have them glue their picture on a layout that you have created. The students will enjoy looking through their own and their friends books!

Ideas for the new school year!

I can't believe that it is already August! That means time to get ready for a new school year. The project that I am currently working on is cubbies for my students' papers. I think that cubbies are the easiest way to store children's work. They are always in the same place. This gives the students and parents an easy routine to pick up work and notes. It also becomes very obvious who is not remembering to pick up work and notes.

In the past I have only had a folder for each child's papers. It wasn't a bad system until we had wet projects! Where can we keep the projects so they are out of the way, but spread out so they can dry? If each student has their own cubby, it is easy to simply place each students' project on top of their cubby.

So I am on a tight budget. If you look up cubbies online or in the stores, they can be very expensive!!! So I have chosen to make mine. I am using the medium postage boxes. I will update you on how the project goes!

Quote of the Day

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart."
~Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Don't Forget to Save Memorabilia for your Scrapbook!

I LOVE to take pictures! I also love to put pictures in my scrapbooks. That is, after all, the purpose of scrapbooking, right? It is a place to put all of your memories such as pictures. I, however, don't get that excited about creating blank pages with pictures. Sometimes I decorate with pre-made borders. Sometimes I find stickers that go with my them. However, my favorite
thing to use is memorabilia from my own life! This makes the pages even more memorable. It gives me a chance to use items creatively, and it brings a new dynamic to my memories!

On this page I used a gift bag that I got while I was working at Walt Disney World as the background. I also included a postcard and a sticker that was given to me from a child. These are events that I certainly wouldn't have stopped to take a picture during; however, they are events that I would like to remember!

I saved money on this background by using the map that we used to find our way around Animal Kingdom. I cut out the map and also cut out the explanations that Disney gave about the attractions we were on when the photographs were taken.

Does anyone have any other cool ways to use memorabilia in a scrapbook?

A Fun Girl's night, date or activity!

What should we do today? I feel like that is always the question... Movie...dinner... sometimes the normal things get old. If you enjoy creative projects as much as I do, I have the perfect suggestion. Go paint pottery! I was in Kentucky last week and my sister and I took my mother to the Mad Potter for her birthday. It was wonderful! When you go in you can pick out whatever pottery you would like to paint. They have tons of options that are individually priced. Next you choose what paint, stamps or decorating tools you would like to use. Then you get to be as creative or simple as you like! It is also great because while you are painting you have time to talk and socialize (and if you don't have a lot to talk about, the project you are working on provides a perfect subject to discuss!)

After you are finished painting and decorating, leave your creations at the front counter to be glazed. You can go pick up the finished products in about a week.

Here is the spoon rest that I painted for my mom! There are stamps, but I chose to free paint my own flowers. The added bonus of this activity is that my mom got an experience and a personalized gift!

This is the vase that my sister painted. She used a small dowel to create the circles and a shaped wire to make the blue designs.

All the pictures are taken before the pottery was glazed. The colors become much brighter after they are glazed! Look for a pottery painting studio around you!

Visit the Mad Potter website to learn more! http://www.themadpotter.biz/

Childhood Creativity

Quite a few years ago I decided that I LOVED scrapbooking.

To be exact, I was in sixth grade. I was graduating from elementary school and I had taken several disposable cameras to be developed and had a TON of memorabilia from my school and recreational experiences. I had two choices: 1. Put all the stuff in a shoe box where it would likely be forgotten... or 2. Create a beautiful book full of all the memories. I opted for the second choice. That summer scrapbooking was my project.

This first scrapbook is of course much different than the scrapbooks that we create now with all of the acid free supplies that are available. This, however, makes it even more exciting to go back and look through the pages. This book was completely my own. I used my own creativity and artwork on each and every page. I sponge painted borders and created my own embellishments with colored paper and glitter!

It is amazing to see how far scrapbooking has come! There is now decorated tape, ribbons, scissors, paper and embellishments to support scrapbookers. Whenever I need some fresh ideas, however, I love to go back and review my childhood creativity!