musings of me

Message About Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas! Sorry I kinda dropped off the face of the earth….my two boys were quite sick and then I’ve been sick for the last few weeks with a bad chest infection……….

This morning I woke up to read that (yet again) I am apparently having clip art issues. I started this blog because I felt I wanted to give back to some new teachers starting out (as others did for me when I started). I have ideas that I wanted to share and I wanted to do so without getting anything in return (like money). I researched tons of clip art companies and once I decided on one, called then a BUNCH of times to make sure I was doing the right thing by sharing them with you (for free). It has come to my attention though that they have changed their Terms Of Use and now I am unable to share things I create with you for free (I am also NOT allowed to sell anything with their clip art). I feel sick to my stomach as I have invested quite a bit of money into clip art and while I can still use it for my own kids and my own class, I can no longer help any of you out.

I can still create things using Scrappin Doodles and KPM Doodles, so you may see an occasional thing from me using their clip art but to be quite honest, it concerns me that I could spend money on more clip art and then the designers can just change their mind and then you have to do whatever they decide.

Another reason I was offering things for free on my blog is that I was trying to help people out financially………when I first moved to the States, I was teaching in a small Christian school and only making $14.000 a year (yes, you read that correctly)….there is absolutely NO WAY I would have been able to spend a lot of money on the great units being offered on TPT.

(Apparently my opinion on this matter offended people as I got some pretty reude responses and people had to post as "Anonymous"!........I've decided to not write my opinion, even though it's my blog and I'm entitled to it!).........sorry to have offended you if I did.

I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing with my blog yet…..we’ll see. Just wanted to let you know where everything has gone!

Christmas: F is for Fa-la-la-la-la

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:43:00 +0000

Sorry I didn’t get my post out last night……..busy, busy, busy! Here’s the craft we did for Fa-la-la-la –la….we made the notes with our thumbprints.

We spent a little bit of time trying to learn “Away in a manger” – it’s going to take some more practice :-)

We are also taking part in a “Kiddy Christmas Card Exchange” over at “ The Toy Box Years. What a wonderful idea! My two have been running to the mailbox everyday to see if there’s something in there for them! We completed our cards yesterday and will pop them in the mail today.

Today’s book was (nothing to do with Fa-la-la-la la) “Once there was a Christmas Tree”. It is such a BEAUTIFUL story! If you don’t’ own a copy, I would definitely recommend it! The story tells of the bear family who go out to get a Christmas tree and then see Mr. Fox who doesn’t have one. They cut their tree in half and give it to him. Mr. Fox sees that Rabbit doesn’t have one, so he cuts his tree in half and gives half to Rabbit. Rabbit sees that Mrs. Mice doesn’t have one, so he cuts his tree in half and give it to her – what a LOVELY book about sharing!

I made a cut and paste activity to go with it and then I re-vamped a Christmas tree activity that I had available on m blog last year. Count the ornaments and add the correct star to the top. You can click the picture above if you’d like a{free} copy.

I have to say that over the next week at least, my posts are going to be short and maybe just involve a picture of our ABC craft. I have to get all my ISP’s written for our big boys, I have a Student home “Christmas Dinner” (involving Reindeer games), and then our home is being Commandeered over Christmas Break (which means another set of house parents will be in our student home (not in our apartment) while we are off for 2 weeks) so we need to have a lot of stuff packed up. I thought I would be a bit more ahead of my game and have posts written etc.…….but it didn’t happen!

If I get some other things done, I’ll add them but I just wanted to warn you that there may not be downloads every day…..

Christmas: E is for Elf

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:16:00 +0000

Today we read “The Happy Elf”. I wasn’t sure if Channing was going to be a huge fan because it had quite a few words – he loved it! That kid has been surprising me a lot lately :-) Anyway, if you haven’t read it, its about a little elf named “Eubie” who really wants to join Santa on the sleigh. Due to the fact he was so happy all the time (and annoying others with his great mood), he was places on the naughty/nice list checking. He notices that there is a whole town on the “naughty” list and decides to help them. It’s a good story and comes with a fun music CD too :-)

Here is the E if for Elf craft that we did.

We made this cute little days of the week and counting book called “Busy Elf!” Click on the picture above if you’d like a {free} copy.

I had all these little gift ornaments sitting in my school stuff stash, so I decided to make a game for the boys. I came up with “Stack the Sleigh”. Basically you need a dice and a playing mat for each person (and at least 10 gifts for each person playing)…..you could always play with some other kind of trinket or candy if you want. Roll the dice and put the correct amount of gifts in the sleigh. For younger kids, the game ends when someone stacks their sleigh…..for slightly older kids, when you stack the sleigh, trade your gifts in for a reindeer. Keep playing until you have all 9 reindeer (and then play once more to make it to 100). You are welcome to make up your own rules but that’s how we played it :-) Click on the picture above for your {free} copy – once again, it looks blank on 4shared but it’s NOT!

We also made some elf stocking patterns………super easy!

How can you pass an elf day up without a “you’ve been elfed” experience :-) Channing and Sully put on their little elf hats and put these cute little tins on all the boys beds dressers while they were at school.

Our own little elf “Trix” left up the movie “Prep and Landing” which we watched.

After I put the little ones in bed, I was pondering what I should do with all the broken ornaments we have in our student home so I came up with this little guy……I think he turned out cute! If you want to see how I made him, head over to The Crafty Community.

Christmas: D is for Drum

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Today we read ” Drummer Boy”. Both of the boys really enjoyed it and asked for me to read it again later in the day. We didn’t get a chance to do much because:

a) We’re working this weekend and trying to decorate our student home.

b) Sully has a double ear infection and is EXTREMELY clingy.

c) Channing still has the weird swollen eye…….it’s not so much swollen anymore but it is red.

We did do our craft and watch the VeggieTales “The Little Drummer Boy” too.

I have a few fun things planned for “E is for elf” so I’m hoping my boys are feeling better soon :-)

Christmas: C is for Cookies and Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:41:00 +0000

We read “The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher” today as part of our ABC’s of Christmas Countdown. This was a new book for us this year – I decided to get it from Amazon a few weeks back due to some great reviews. Can I just say that is books is ADORABLE!!! so much so that I even read it to the big boys (our 12 middles schoolers) who thoroughly enjoyed it to! It is a cute story about a sprinkle snitcher who steals everyone's sprinkles on Christmas eve so the moms don;’t have any to put on the cookies that the children are all dreaming about eating the next day. The whole town is devastated and no one is brave enough to go after the snitcher but a little boy. He tracks the snitcher down and they devise a plan to make the wrong, right! The text is written in rhyme and the illustration are equally as good. The book was written in the 1960’s and has recently been re-published…..I would get your copy before they run out! I know this book is going to be read MANY times over the years (today alone I read it at least 5 times!).

Here is the C is for cookie craft that we did. Just use equal parts of paint and white glue, mix together and paint on the “C” to look like icing. While it is still wet, sprinkle on some real sprinkles and let it dry. It dries all glossy just like royal icing :-)

We also did this cookie beginning sounds sorting activity. If you’d like a {free} copy, click the picture above.

The boys made their names with cookie letters. The letters came from this cookie alphabet.

C is also for “Christmas Candy” so we made some candy patterns. There are 5 or 6 sets and a blank one to make your own. If you’re interested in a {free} copy, click on the picture above. The download also includes the activities in the pictures below!

I stuck some “candy pieces” on the end of clothespins and the boys used them to clip onto the candy jars. The candy jars go from 1-10 and the candy pieces are included.

Candy……..what a great opportunity to learn about sharing! I made mats for sharing between 2,3 and 4 people (or cutesy animals!). Pick a number card to put on the mat, count the correct amount of candy and then see if you can share it equally between the people. Click HERE to download all the “Candy Math” activities.

Each year, our student home teams up with another home (elementary boys) and we go caroling around some of the other elementary homes. Then we head back and make cookies………it really is one of my favorite things! It was the first year we took our little guys along and they had a blast. Do you see Channing’s swollen right eye?! It has actually gone down a lot in the picture but he woke up with it out of the blue…….weird! I did call the doctor and they said to give him Benadryl…..which I did and not much improvement – has anyone had this happen before?

{As of 7:18 Saturday morning, it’s still swollen!}.

We had a fun (and LONG) B day :-)

Christmas: B is for Bell

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Today we read “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell”. My boys LOVE these silly stories :-) Below is the craft we did for “ B is for Bell”.

We used some little craft bells with this counting mat. Put the green number and word in the green box, put the matching tally marks in the red box, put the correct number of bells in the yellow box and then use craft bells to make the correct amount in the 10 frame. I have included the numbers 1-20…….HOWEVER, I couldn’t fit two to frames on the mat so I made an extra frame that you can stick it at the bottom of the mat. You can click on the picture below to get your (free) copy.

The number cards also came in handy for threading bells onto pipe cleaners!

We also did a color/word match, some silver and gold bell sorting and we made a “Jingle Bell Pattern” book. If you’d like a (free) copy, click the picture below.

We also took a big jingle bell (I think I got it from Dollar Tree last year) and played a game of “Who Has The Bell?”. It would work MUCH better in a classroom but my guys loved it all the same. The four of us sat in a circle (I didn’t really play though as I was “helping”) and everyone put their hands behind their back and had their eyes closed. I carefully put the bell in someone’s hands and said “Jingle bell, jingle bell,,,,where is it? Can you tell?”….the person with the bell then jingled it and a select person had to guess who had it. Like I said, my boys LOVED it but it would work MUCH better with a bigger group of kiddos :-)

Last but not least, I made up this quick emergent reader adapted from the book we read today. It includes everything that the old lady ate in the book and my guys thought it was a crack up – there’s also a “puppet” of the old lady “eating” for you to make and glue on the end of a popsicle stick. You can click on the picture above to get your (free) copy.

The clip art I used to make the printables comes from:

Djinkers

KPMdoodles

Scrappin Doodles

Christmas: A is for Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:28:00 +0000

In our Christmas bag today was “Alabaster’s Song” by Max Lucado. Channing has been asking me for a while if he will ever see an angel so he thought this story was great.

Here is the A is for Angel craft that we did. We used a coffee filter for the wings and basically just glued the rest together. The boys (even Sully) did a great job so I know it’s definitely simple enough for even a 2 year old to do :-)

I also cut out these alphabet cards and stuck them on the wall of the boy’s room. We used flashlights (we were pretend modern day shepherds) to find different letter. If you have older kids, you could do this and have them spell out words etc. You can click on the picture above for a copy of the cards.

We also played the “Heavenly Host” game (The favorite of the day). Every player needs a red mat (I laminated ours and put them on a cookie sheet). There are also angel circles (to go in the circles on the mat) – I cut these out and hot glued magnets behind them so they’d stick on the cookie sheet. You’ll also need a dice.

How To Play: Roll a die and put the same amount of angels on your mat. When you have covered all the spaces, trade your angels in for an “A” card. Keep playing and the next time you fill your board, trade your angels in for an “N” card. Play continues until someone spells “Angel”.

You do NOT have to use cookie sheets if you don’t want :-)

Click on the picture above for you (FREE) copy.

The last “Angel” activity that we did was to make our “Little Angel” book. Both of my boys LOVE these books so I knew it would be a winner. Simply color, cut and staple the book together. I have included a little puppet for you to glue on the end of a popsicle stick to use while you read. The book includes positional words and the kids can make the angel do what the words tell them. there are 10 interactive pages to enjoy.

Click the picture above for your (free) copy. I have to warn you that the document LOOKS blank but I assure you that when I tried it, after you download it, the document is there…..must be a glitch in 4shared’s system or something.

I hope you can use some of these activities too……write me a comment if you do :-)

Thanks to DJinkers and KPMdoodles for the cute graphics, tracing font and frames!

See you tomorrow for “B is for Bell”.

I’m link this to:

Our Christmas Book List

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:59:00 +0000

This year we are doing the ABC’s Of Christmas so I tried to incorporate books that would fit in with each letter. I had trouble with a few so I added our favorite books on those days. Here are the books that you will see cropping up on my blog over the next month :-)

Some of these books may be out of print as I’ve had them for a while but I’ll link the best I can.

Books for 2011

A – Alabaster’s Song

B – There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell

C- The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher

D – Drummer Boy

E – The Happy Elf

F- Once There Was A Christmas Tree

G – Gingerbread Mouse

The Gingerbread Pirates (a favorite from last year).

H – Humphrey’s First Christmas

I – Snowmen at Christmas (I’m thinking icicle….)

J – Tiny Baby Jesus

K – The King’s Christmas List

L – The Light of Christmas

M – Mortimer’s Christmas Manger

N – The Nutcracker

O – Olivia Helps With Christmas

P – The Jolly Christmas Postman

Q – A Magical Christmas

R – Olive, the Other Reindeer

S – Song of The Stars

Oh, What a Christmas!

T – Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

U – Merry Christmas Curious George

V- Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas

W – Willy and May

X – The legend of the Poinsettia (for xmas around the world)

Y – The Legend of the Christmas Kiss

Z – The Christmas Lizard

others we’ll be doing for a special day (if we have time):

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Polar Express

Some Aussie Favorites:

An Aussie Night Before Christmas

An Aussie Day Before Christmas (I had trouble finding a link)

Wombat Divine

The Golden Kangaroo

A Bellbird in a Flame Tree

Santa’s Aussie Mix up

If you are looking to get a new book for Christmas this year, my favorite book of all time is “The Christmas Lizard” (see list above)…….Amazon only sells used copies now but it id well worth it! I so wish I had have bought 2 copies as mine is getting a little worn but the illustrations are BEAUTIFUL and the story is WONDERFUL and kind of ties Christmas all together by explaining the true meaning. We always save this one for Christmas eve :-)

I’d LOVE t hear what your favorites are! Leave a comment or link to your list in the comments below – I look forward to checking them out!

Check out some other GREAT books at TBA – click on the link below!

The Christmas Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:52:00 +0000

Each year, we do a countdown to Christmas with books. In the past, I wrapped each one up and then the boys got to open it each day – they had an absolute blast! This year though I got to thinking about paper………..it’s expensive AND it takes me forever to wrap up all of those books (not to mention how many trees I was wasting by the amount of paper I’d be using each year to wrap my books). I was brainstorming one day and came up with “The Christmas Bag”. I think I’ve mentioned before that I am a TOTAL novice on the sewing machine and really have no idea what I’m doing……but where there’s a will there’s a way!

The bag is big enough to hold all sizes of books (and some Christmas DVD’s too) and the boys will simply open the bag each day to find what goodies are inside. I also made 25 of the little number ornaments that I can easily pop on the bag so the boys know what number we’re up to. We’ll hand these up after each day on the wall in the shape of a tree:-)

I hand stitched the middle part of the bag. I have the pattern for the tree if anyone is interested in making their own {Click HERE}.

I even lined the inside of the bag (to a non sewer, this was a BIG deal and caused me great stress but I think it turned out).

I alternated the red and green color (material and number buttons). The buttons came from Jo-Ann but are kind of pricey (about $6 a packet and I needed 2……make sure you take a coupon along).

There is a green rope that ties the bag together (which you can vaguely see in the top picture). All in all I’m happy with how it turned out and am having visions of passing it down to grandkids one day :-)

I can’t WAIT to start filling the bag with books! Stay tuned tomorrow for a list of the books we’ll be reading.

North Pole Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Last year we did “The Elf On The Shelf” and it was a MASSIVE hit with our 2 little guys. This year, I snagged this (much cuter) elf at Hobby Lobby for only a few dollars and thought I was set to go…………THEN I saw the “North Pole Breakfast” idea on Pinterest and knew it was a tradition that I wanted to start with our family too. I decided that our breakfast would be today (first Sunday after Thanksgiving) and here’s what it looked like:

The cute plates came from Hobby Lobby during their 50% off Christmas sale last week (not sure if it’s still going on) and the adorable little elf cups came from Wal-Mart for only $1.

“Trix” (our elf) left us a hat, socks and PEZ….all from the dollar section of Target.

The menu…….

The letter to Santa that “Trix” asked us to fill out so he can take it to Santa tonight.

Santa left a note for the boys reminding them why we celebrate Christmas and the “rules” of Trix being in our house (like not touching him).

It’s a little hard to find “treats” that Sully can eat with his peanut allergy but I did find some white Cotton Candy and called it “Snow Clouds”.

Here’s a quick picture of the boys……I (unfortunately) didn’t get too many as I was busy dishing out and cutting up the food :-)

We were too full at breakfast to have our “snowman soup” so we had it after lunch instead.

All in all, it was a HUGE success and I hope the start of a great tradition! I made the printables using clip art from KPMDoodles and Miss Tina. Unfortunately I can’t share the files with you due to the copyright on some of the graphics BUT if you head over to “Me & Marie”, Ashley Has some WONDERFUL printables that you can use (for free!).

Come back tomorrow for a post about another tradition we are about to start!

I’m Having A Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:08:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As a thank you to all of you, I am having a little sale in my TPT store. You’ll be able to get 15% off everything…….. no need to do anything special, the discount is already applied to all of my items :-)

The sale will only last until tomorrow, so head on over and check it out (you can click on the picture above to get there).

Enjoy your family!

The above clip art is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thanks you Djinkers!

Christmas Lights!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry I haven’t been around much lately……I don’t think I told you but my husband and Channing went to Australia for a VERY quick visit (they were only gone a week). Unfortunately I didn’t go because when we purchased the tickets, I was still in the process of becoming a US Citizen and you aren’t meant to leave the country while it’s being processed. We had no idea it was all going to happen so fast for us (and I could have gone in the end). Oh well – I’ll get to go next time! I’m about to pick them up in about an hours time………..I have missed them like CRAZY!!! My sweet hubby and I have only been apart ONE day since we have been married and I think I’ve only been away from Channing for a night too……..needless to say that while Sully and I were BUSY, there was still lots of “missing” going on around here.

Anyway, I’ve been crazy busy trying to get some Christmas things ready for my kiddos and I thought I’d give you one of the printables a little early. It’s a counting/color Christmas lights book that includes the numbers 1-10. I hope you’ll find it useful :-) You can click on the picture above to grab your copy!

Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m now an author of

The Crafty Community

…..it’s an AWESOME new blog filled with craft ideas for kids! Come over and follow along, it’s going to be bursting with crafty fun.

Once again, the clip art and tracing font I used to make the Christmas Light Printable, is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thanks you DJinkers for allowing me to use it!

Holiday Celebrations Around the World (another keepsake book)!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:07:00 +0000

Wow! I can’t believe I got it done but I did! “Holiday Celebrations” is my newest Keepsake book. It includes a short sentence or two and a craft (of course) from 14 countries!

There are 16 crafts included, along with templates for everything. It will supplement any holiday world trip you were planning with your kiddos :-)

Here are the countries included:

Scandinavia

Australia

Denmark

Germany

Mexico

England

Holland

Wales

Philippines

Russia

Israel

Italy

U.S.A

France

Most pages are really simple but some are a little ore detailed which is why I am moving the age range on this one to K-3rd grade. It’s available in my TPT store if you’d like to check it out (it’s 45 pages long)! You can get there by clicking on the picture above or HERE!

I hope you’re still reading because (you know me, I’m all about giving away)……….the first 3 people to comment here on my blog (with their email address) will be sent one for FREE!!!!!

Christmas Book Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:38:00 +0000

Congratulations to these lovely ladies! I hope you have TONS of fun making them :-) Isabel, can you email me musingsofme@yahoo.com with your email address!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered! I hope you’ll head over to my store to check them out.

Keepsake Book Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:35:00 +0000

As promised, here are the two new books I’m giving away:

Here is some info about them:

The Tale of Christmas

“The Tale of Christmas” keepsake book is back by popular demand! This adorable keepsake book tells the story of Christmas with a craft for each page. Each craft is easy to complete and uses materials that you probably already have.

What a great opportunity to make a memory with your kids as you explain to them the true meaning of Christmas!

Pages include:

Angel

Donkey

Bethlehem

Baby Jesus

Star

Shepherd

Wise Men

Gifts

As always, this keepsake book is a great one for parents to keep and show their kids when they get older.

Holiday Fun!

Do you love holiday craft but hate all the bits of paper and mess? My “Holiday Fun” keepsake book is the perfect solution. This book includes an original poem with a craft for each line. This book includes 11 of my all-time FAVORITE holiday crafts in one place! Kept together in a book to look at for year to come!

Craft include:

Wreath

Christmas tree with lights

Ornament

Reindeer

Elf

Santa

Christmas Cookies

Gifts

Candy Cane

Carolers

What a great gift for parents! Each craft is simple to complete and uses materials that you probably already have. I hope you enjoy the holiday season and making a memory with your kids!

Here’s the good news! I am giving away these two books to 3 people!!

All you have to do is leave me a comment below and you’ll be entered :-)

You have until Midnight tonight (EST) to enter.

If you can’t wait, They are available in my TPT and

Teacher Notebook store for $3.50 each or you can purchase my “Holiday Bundle” that includes both books for $6.00.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Christmas ABC Coloring Book (Freebie)!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:53:00 +0000

I know that Thanksgiving is not even here yet so it’s weird to be thinking about Christmas………..my fellow Aussies however are thinking Christmas and the celebrations are in full swing! This year I’m doing an ABC countdown to Christmas with my boys (more about that in a future post) so I whipped up this coloring book. It’s and A-Z coloring book of all things Christmassy. We’ll be focusing a LOT on the true meaning of Christmas in our house but there are some other fun things we like to do as well. I hope your kids enjoy it. You can get your copy by clicking on the picture above.

The clip art and tracing font that I used to make this cute book are copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thank you so much DJinkers!

I’m happy to announce that I have finished my two new keepsake books:

Back by popular demand (and now with templates)

and

Both books contain some of my all time FAVORITE Christmas crafts! I will be having a giveaway of these books on Sunday so please come back later to join in the fun (they will also be available for sale in my store sometime tomorrow).

The Big Event!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:16:00 +0000

Yay! The party was a HUGE success so I thought I’d share it with you…..just in case you have a little superhero too that want’s a fun party :-)

Before we get started, today is the LAST day (until 5pm) to vote for me at Circle Of Moms…..do you mind jumping over there (see pink button on my side bar)….I’d LOVE to make it in the top 25!

OK, this was my inspiration board from Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/musingsofme/superhero-party/

HEAPS of fun ideas!!

Here is what each little hero got when they arrived at the party:

A cape (they got to choose the color…….I cut them all out and my lovely MIL sewed them all for me :-)

……….and a mask (the girl ones are a little pointed at the ends)….I sewed these so they are not nearly as neat as my sewing skills are not the best).

They also got a Hero ID. The circle on the front is where they put their thumbprint…………At the conclusion of each “Station”, they got a sticker to put on the corresponding star. To complete Hero Training School, they needed to have sticker on each star.

I also gave the parents a note so they would have some clue as to what was going to happen.

I also had some activities set up outside to do while we waited for everyone to get there:

A skyscraper scene that the kids stood behind and got a photo…..I wasn’t counting on the amount of wind we had that day but we still got a few good shots.

A “Pin the mask on the sidekick” game…….(I sewed this too).

“Duck For a Hero” game where the kids had to use tongs and try to catch a duck with a candle drawn on the bottom. I got the little hero ducks from Amazon but as you can see, they aren’t the best floaters!

We everyone got there, we went inside to play a game of “Pass the Kryptonite” (a big rock I sprayed Green)….we used this song to play the game to:

After that, the kids got into 4 groups (I had a mom lined up to help with each group)…..I had emailed them a list of activities earlier in the week but here’s what they got at the start of the party-

It included a list of the kids names in their group, the order they were doing the activities, stickers to out on the kids ID’s and any other last minute changes I had to make to the activities after I emailed them.

Now let’s get onto the hero training tasks:

I made the heavy weight by using 2 bouncy balls (MUCH cheaper than using polystyrene balls), and a dowel……..it worked out great. I made the big boulder with used paper and tape (along with trusty old black spray paint).

Sully loved this task! The kids had to use their super strength to left the weight and the boulder….You should have heard some of the cute statements from the kids….”I am soooooooo super strong"!

At the “Hero's take action” task, I stuck 6 pictures of villains on helium balloons and the kids had to use the hero bean bags (which I made) to “get them”…….this was Channing’s favorite task of the day :-)

At the “Hero’s Save the Day” task, the kids had to balance over the “lava” to save the dog (and walk back across with it).

At the “Hero’s Do the Unexpected” task, the kids had to put on the glasses and tie (which I made) and complete the obstacle course:

First thing to do was to jump over the yellow sticks.

The kids then had to go through the “bat cave”……

Jump into the hoops……

Walk across the stepping stones ($1 drain mats I got from dollar tree and spray painted)…..

Zig- Zag around the cones with the egg and spoon………

Go under the limbo……

……and finally get to the telephone booth where they took off their glasses and tie and changed into their cape and mask! We used a u-haul garment box that we had from when we moved 5 years ago…..I tried to find a refrigerator box but they are pretty much impossible to find unless you have lots of time in which to wait for one (I planned thing thing in 2 weeks so I didn’t have the time to wait).

At the “Hero’s Stand for Truth” activity, the kids all sat down and listened to the statements. If they were true, the kids stood up. If they were not, the kids sat down.

At the “Hero’s Don’t Give Up” task, the kids had to pick up the “kryptonite” (more rocks sprayed green” ) with tongs (so they don’t lose their power) and fill their buckets.

At the “Hero’s Have Power” task, the kids had stick their hand in the mystery box, feel one of the things (pictured on the box but the kids didn’t see them to start with) and guess what it is.

At the “Hero’s Have Gifts” task, the kids put a hero bean bag (the same as the ones pictured further up in the post) on their head and had to walk on the (crooked) line without it falling off.

I didn’t get a picture of this one but for the “hero’s are Helpers” task, I had some “jumping Spiders” and the kids had to help them jump from one line to another………please note that they do NOT “jump” on carpet….we ended up flicking them – I should have tested it first!

At the “Hero’s Have Courage” task, the kids had the walk across the “spider web” without touching the web…….the boys LOVED this one. One of Channing’s little friends thought the web was real and showed GREAT courage by actually doing the task!

Finally, the food!!!

I didn’t get a good photo of this either but at each place, was a bag holing the kid’s lunch…it says”Hero Tucker” on the front and included:

Mini ham and cheese sandwich

A super flexible cheese Stick

A power-up fruit cup

A funny bendy straw for the juice

I made these cute hero cookies for dessert and attempted rainbow Jello parfaits but they didn’t work (the cool whip rose into the next layer – YUCK….can anyone tell me why this happened? I had some of the Jello mixed into it…..) Anyway, when the first layer didn’t work, I just made them into rainbow Jello cups :-)

This is the coloring sheet I made to go under each hero’s lunch plate…I had crayons at the tables so they could color when they were done.

The backdrop…..

The water bottles (for the adults)…..

the juice bottles (for the kids).

The cake that I made!

The inside of the cake……..Chocolate and orange layer with chocolate buttercream (it was really yummy!) and Yellow marshmallow fondant.

The spider cupcakes (I got the silicone holder for $2 a pack of 6 from Hobby Lobby!).

The take home bags….these included:

Hero Pop rocks (which we got from the dollar store), Hero Cards of virtue and my Book “Little Hero’s Flight” which you can find on my printable page.

The Hero Cards of virtue, included 12 little cards that matched each of the tasks…..they also include a Bible story to match each task so the parents can use them at home.

We Read “Charlie’s Superhero Underpants” by Paul Bright….what a CUTE book!!!!

And finally, every little hero got a certificate (signed by Batman) and a medal (make with a cookie, aluminum foil and a paper cut out) and a hero lollipop!

Oh what a blast we had!!! I’m kinda glad I have a whole year to plan for the next one…….trying to plan this in 2 weeks almost killed me….I had HEAPS of fun though :-)

I designed everything using the following clip art sets:

Papers: Cocoamint

Clip art used in coloring sheet: Alice Smith purchased at Scrappin Doodles

Clip art used in “task” signs and hero cards of Virtue: SpringHill Graphics

Frame used in Certificate: Kpmdoodles

Clip art used in Certificate, parent letter and on cookie Medals: Marie Truelove

Clip art used on villain balloons: Spring Hill Graphics

Clip art used in backdrop and Little Hero Book: Zenware Designs

Only Two More Sleeps!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Just popping back in again (I can’t seem to stay away can I!). I’ve been studying hard for my civics test :-) Wondering if you guys could pray for me this Friday morning (at 8:20am!). I have all the paperwork labeled in a (massive) folder and ready to go :-)

I’ve also been working on 2 NEW kid keepsake books for you – I’m hoping that one will be done by next week….but I am full steam ahead with the superhero party plan after I get through Friday so we’ll see if it happens!

Found out today that I was also nominated for this:

I don’t usually get into all the voting etc. but think this is an awesome opportunity…….if you get a chance (or have a free 5 seconds), click on the link above and vote for my blog…..If you like the things I create and find them helpful, I’d love for you to consider voting! You can vote each day until November 8th. I won’t pester you any more about it after today (as I’m also not into begging) ……..it’s all a bit of fun :-)

More (FREE) Fall Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:17:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Just thought I’d pop in to let everyone know that my surgery went well and I’m on the mend! I have my citizenship interview this Friday so I’ve been studying the civics test questions……I’m feeling pretty confident that I know the answers so I’m looking forward to it :-)

Since I’m feeling better than I thought, I was able to link up some of the other Fall Fun activities that I made a few weeks ago. You can download them by clicking on each picture.

Pumpkins On The Vine is a counting strip book…………..trace the number and then use a paint dauber or thumbprints in orange paint to put the correct number of “pumpkins” on the vine. The booklet goes up to the number 10.

Match the correct word to the colored leaf card. Trace the word on the recording sheet and color the leaf next to it the correct color.

How many crows are on the scarecrow? Put a number on the mat and count out the correct number of crows. There are TWO recording sheets for this one (for numbers up to ten and then for numbers up to 20).

Use the Leaf Pattern Mat to make a pattern and record it in the pattern booklet. I noticed that when you go to 4shared, it looks like the document is blank….I tested it and if you download it, it will be there – must be a glitch in their system or something).

Use cubes to measure how tall the (6) pumpkins are and then fill out the recording sheet……….the recording sheet also includes comparing numbers.

Pumpkin Patch is a fun little roll and cover game. All players need a game mat. Roll a die and use orange pom poms or little pumpkin erasers etc. to cover the correct number of “pumpkin” spots. The winner is the first person to cover all of the pumpkins.

All of the clip art used to make these printables is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thanks you so much, DJ Inkers!

Also, I wanted to share with you that one of my lovely readers nominated me for a spot at:

Top Mommy Blogs (see the button at the top of my blog)

I was sooooo excited – there are a TON of great blogs to check out on the list. If you have a chance, could you click here http://www.topmommyblogs.org/blog-list?page=4 to vote for my blog :-)

I hope you’ll enjoy all these fun activities!

Out Of Action!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:46:00 +0000

Thought I’d let you guys know that you won’t be “seeing” much of me over the next month. I’m having surgery tomorrow and will be out for a few weeks. After that I have my citizenship interview (yay – almost there) and THEN, I’m planning a SUPERhero party for Channing’s 4th birthday. I can’t wait to share it all when get back………..

I didn’t get to post all of my fall printables – I ran out of time…..oh well, at least I’ll have a head start for next year :-)

A Nutty Sort

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Here’s a Nutty Sort for you! Sort the acorn numbers onto the correct side of the work mat (odd or even)….leave it as that for younger kids but get the older kids to fill in the numbers on the recording paper.

Click on the picture if you’d like it (It’s FREE). If you find it helpful, please leave me a comment.

The clip art used to make this printable is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thanks you DJINkers!

Let’s Make A Scarecrow (Free Book)!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:01:00 +0000

I LOVE making scarecrows :-) This year we’re going to have a scarecrow building competition with the big boys. I made this cute little book for Channing to make and thought you might enjoy it too.

Click on the picture above if you’re interested – it’s FREE!

*The clip art used to make this book is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thank you so much, DJInkers!

Fall Fun Cards (FREE center activity)!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:35:00 +0000

My favorite season is well under way…….I’ve even been having to wear my jacket the last few days!

I have made a bit of a change in how I’m designing things………I would really like to be relevant to both teachers AND homeschoolers, preschool kids AND kinder (and maybe a little 1st grade too)….that way the activities can grow with the kids and I don’t have to try and re-invent my things for my own kiddos each year. Some things obviously won’t relate to all but hopefully you’ll be able to find some things that you can use with all your kids at the same time :-)

That being said, Here are my Fall Fun Cards – there are 3 sets of 6 cards. Here’s how you can use them:

1. For Pre K kids, choose one set (they are color coded: Orange, brown and blue)…….you will be using them as 3 part cards. Print off the Base cards for the set and the word card set. Cut off the words and have your kiddos match the correct word to the picture. They can check their answers using the base cards.

2. For Kinder Kids. You can have the kids match the words to the picture (like I explained above) and then have them write the words under the picture in the “Fall Match” recording sheet…..there are 3 recording sheets to match the 3 sets of cards.

3. For kids that need extension or for 1st graders, have the kids use the cards and put them in alphabetical order. They can then fill out the recording sheet….there are 3 recording sheets to match the sets of cards.

Click on the picture to download it!!!!

I hope you’ll find these helpful – please leave me a comment to let me know if they are (that way I’ll make more in the future).

I decided not to make a “Fall Pack” as there are already so many AWESOME one out there ………….you WILL be seeing many “Fall Fun” things coming your way…..check back daily (they will all be FREE!!!).

Check out these Fall Fun things:

Fall Fun PreK Printables from Homeschool Creations

Apple Unit from 2Teaching Mommies

Leaf Unit from 2Teaching Mommies

Apples from What the Teacher Wants

Apple Fun from me

And don’t forget to check out my Fall Book :-)

*The clip art used to make this book is copyright and designed by Dianne J. Hook. Thank you so much, DJInkers!

Number One!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:07:00 +0000

Here are the Number One pages I created for our “I Can” series. On the first page, kids can rainbow write the letter, stamp the letter and create a little craft (there’s a little rhyme that goes along with it). There is also a little “Number 1” book……similar to my “Little Letter Books” but I made this one to staple right onto the page.

On the second page, kids can trace the number, the word, color one picture and draw one picture. If you’d like a copy, click on the picture above.

Over the weekend, I posted “My Printables” page…..I hope you didn’t miss it but I posted all 26 of the “Little Letter” books……..

We’ve had a rather busy week with two new kids enter out home and another two make rather dramatic exits…..it’s been tough! I’m definite;y looking forward to this weekend (we’re off AND it’s our anniversary!!!!)!

My Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Mike and Michelle) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 21:26:00 +0000

I am terribly sorry but I have had to remove all printables from my blog due to copyright issues!