This & That…and a Couple of Valentine’s Day {Gift} Ideas

***Y’all…we are going on the THIRD STRAIGHT DAY of NO SCHOOL.  The streets are coated with ice and we can’t go anywhere!  Can anyone say cabin fever?!  I SO wish grocery stores delivered!  We’re scrapin’ the bottom of the pantry for food.  Popcorn and Club Crackers just don’t cut it, y’know?!

***I’m on the #30 blog of the Meet the Teacher Linky party and WHOA.  Y’all are all SO cute and talented!  I LOVE getting to know more about each of you!!  I plan on making my way through the other 54 blogs in just a bit.  I’m wrapped in a blanket with a big cup of coffee listening to my boys entertain themselves upstairs.  I’m finding SO many great blogs…I just LOVE it!  I plan on saying “hi!!” to each of you!  Promise I’ll get to yours soon if I haven’t already!  And if you haven’t had a chance to link up, go now!  And if you have linked up, don’t forget to check out all of these fantastic blogs…and while you’re there, please say “hello”!!!

***Did y’all know that my bloggy BFF, Babbling Abby, just started a new teaching blog?!  Yes folks.  It’s true.  And it’s gonna be pretty dang amazing, I’m sure of it.  Head on over to The Inspired Apple and say “hello”!  if you haven’t already!!

***I’m really thinking about setting up some kind of “teacher bloggers” convention/luncheon/somethinglikethat.  I’d love to meet all y’all face-to-face! Would that not be SO much fun?!  

 

Now onto Valentine's…because it’s just around the corner!

How do y’all celebrate?!  Do y’all do anything fun for the class party?!  My last year teaching Kindergarten, I decided to make it cutesy…and I loved it.  Y’all…I LOVE this commercial “holiday”! 

I made a little banner…

I semi-decorated the tables…

And we made these cute little bags to hold all our Valentines.

 

 

What about gifts?!  What do y’all like to give to your kids?!  Here are a couple of fun, very inexpensive ideas!!  I’m all about giving the kids something fun & cutesy without breaking the bank! 

 

Channel your inner Martha and make these fun little love pops!  SUPER EASY!!! I gave these to my Kcuties one year and they were a hit!  You just cut out a bunch of little hearts, place several of them together one on top of the other, hole punch, and slide a sucker right through!  The kids LOVED these!!!  I put them in a flower pot and had the kids pick a couple for themselves before they left for the day!  Wanna make these for your babies?!  Read all about it HERE!

 

 

I pass these out EVERY year, in addition to a little sweet treat.  I always use sign language to say “I LOVE YOU” to my kiddos.  That’s another way I like to get their attention.  I make these as my valentine card.  Fast, easy, and they don’t cost a thing because you’ve already got the supplies in your classroom!  Just trace your handprint, cut it out, and curl the two middle fingers around a pencil.  Cut out a heart, glue it on, tape it to a straw, and VOILA!  A Valentine from the teacher!  And cute, too!

 

I LOVE these next two ideas.  I haven’t made these for a class yet, but both of them would be the PERFECT class gift.  VERY inexpensive and FUN!!!  I made these for the kids in my boys’ playgroup last year and they loved ‘em!! 

 

This is homemade play-doh.  SO easy to make and it truly didn’t take any time at all!!  I just used heart shaped cookie cutters to make the heart shapes.  Then I cut off the top of a ziplock baggie, folded scrapbook paper over the top of that, and tied it together with cute ribbon.  These would be great gifts for preschool kiddos or K’s & firsties.

 

I’m giving this one to my firsties this year!!  SO dang easy!  Sugar cones & cotton candy wrapped up in plastic & ribbon!  LOVE THESE!!  And you can get the cotton candy for $1 either at Wal Mart or the Dollar Tree.  And a little goes a LONG way, so you don’t need that much!!

You can get the recipe for the playdoh and check out the assembly instructions for both little projects on my little domestic blog.

Now off to “meet” more fabulous teachers!!!