Kindergarten Handprint Scrapbook

When my daughter was in kindergarten last year, she had the sweetest teacher!  As her room mom, we worked together really well and she was always so receptive to all the ideas I came up with for the class.  One of the most fun projects I worked on with the class was creating a scrapbook for each student.  I had seen a few ideas while browsing Pinterest, and kind of pulled together my favorite parts from each of those ideas to create our own.

This is how it worked.  Every month, I went into the classroom for a day and we worked on our scrapbook page for that month.  I used 12 x 12 paper, divided into 4 equal squares.  The design was pretty much the same for each page - one square for their name, one square for their handprint, one square for a poem and one square for a drawing/writing sample.  Everything on the page came together to represent the season or a holiday - the colors on the page, the handprint creation, and the poem.

Since our last day was in early June, I did our last handprint in May and started assembling the books to distribute to parents on the day of our end of year class picnic.  I punched two holes in each page, including the front and back cardstock pages, and bound them together with binder rings.  To make it look cute, I tied school themed ribbon to the binder rings.

I wanted to share this now, in case there are other room moms out there looking for a fun class activity that you can put together a little at a time over the course of the school year.  It was definitely a lot of work, but so worth it in the end.  The kids loved seeing the finished product and their parents were so happy with such a sweet keepsake of their year in kindergarten.  The handprints were adorable and also showed how much they had grown.

Here are some pictures from our Kindergarten Handprint Scrapbook, with notes!

Front Cover - cardstock, used memory book cover sheet found HERE
Inside Front Cover - kids drew self portrait on this sheet found HERE

September Poem
Way up high in the apple tree,
two little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could!
Down came the apples.
Mmm, they were good.

September drawing/writing - kids drew a picture of something they learned about in kindergarten; they dictated their statement, I wrote it

September Handprints - apple trees

October Poem
5 little owls on a moonlit night, 5 little owls are quite a sight
5 little owls are you keeping score? One flew away!  And then there were 4.
4 little owls happy as can be.  One flew away!  Then there were 3.
3 little owls calling "Whoo!  Whoo!"  One flew away!  And that left 2.
2 little owls having lots of fun.  One flew away!  And that left 1.
1 little owl we are almost done.  He flew away!  And that leaves none.

October drawing/writing - kids used Halloween stickers

October Handprint - candy corn

November Poem (poem was underneath picture that kids colored)
Five little turkeys open the barn door.
One waddled off, then there were four.
Four little turkeys sitting under the tree.
One waddled off, then there were three.
Three little turkeys don't know what to do.
One waddled off, then there were two.
Two little turkeys looking at the sun.
One waddled off, then there was one
One little turkey better run away.
Soon will come Thanksgiving Day!

November drawing/writing - writing template:  _____ is thankful for ______.

November Handprint - turkeys

December Poem
We're thinking of you this time of year.
Wishing you happiness, joy and cheer.
May all your days be warm and bright.
And your nights filled with holiday light.

December drawing/writing - they drew a picture of a gift they wanted for the upcoming holidays

December Handprint - reindeer

January Poem
I wiggle my left hand, I wiggle my right,
inside my mittens, warm and tight.
I wiggle my pinkie, I wiggle my thumb,
when I make snowballs, my hands don't get numb.
I wiggle my left hand, I wiggle my right,
inside my mittens, warm and tight.

January drawing/writing - cut out paper snowflakes

January Handprint - hand inside mitten

February Poem
Valentines, valentines
Pink, red and blue,
I've made a pretty one,
Just for you!

February Handprint - two hands to make a heart

March Poem
I'm a little leprechaun.
Can't you see?
I'm as tiny as can be.
I only come around just once a year,
that's when St. Patrick's Day is here!

March drawing/writing - lucky penny, found design HERE

March Handprint - leprechaun

April Poem
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
recycle, recycle.
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
it's easy to do!
'Cause your trash,
and my trash,
make up way
too much trash.
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
it's easy to do!

April drawing/writing - writing template: I can help the Earth by _____.

April Handprint - Earth

May Poem
Dig a little hole,
Plant a little seed,
Pour a little water,
Pull a little weed.
Chase a little bug,
Heigh-Ho there he goes,
Give a little sunshine,
Let it grow, grow, grow!

May drawing/writing - draw/write about an activity you like to do outside

May Handprint - flower (tulip)

The last page was a class picture we took outside one day.  I had all the kids sign a piece of paper, made copies, and inserted this on the last page with the class photo in the middle.  A sweet little keepsake to help them remember their friends!

Teacher's Chocolate Survival Kit

I love my children's teachers!  I guess that's why I volunteered to be room mom for both of my kids' classes this year - yes, I often wonder, what was I thinking; and no, I don't have that much free time, although I like to think I do.

When your children are lucky enough to have caring, dedicated and positive teachers in their lives on a daily basis, it's nice to do a little something for them to show them how much you appreciate all that they do.

I made this teacher's survival kit for my daughter's teacher for American Education Week.  As a former teacher, I remember that week all too well.  It was exciting and stressful all at the same time, but a little treat would surely help a teacher survive any rough patch during that week.

I purchased a plastic jewelry organizer at my local craft store and covered the lid with some pretty scrapbooking paper and adhesive letters.  I added some of the teacher's favorite treats and topped it off with a pretty ribbon.  She loved it!

This would make an easy and sweet gift for a teacher at any time of the year!  I'm thinking of making one for myself to keep at home!

Handprint Quilt

I just wanted to pop in to share a special gift I made with the help of some fantastic students and a few helping hands of fellow moms.  This handprint quilt was my first quilt and I think it turned out rather well!  A special thank you to Kristen who posted THIS awesome, and very easy to follow tutorial on her blog!

Cool Pencil Pouch!

My son had a hard time finding a pencil pouch he liked for school this year, so we bought a plain one with plans of making it much cooler.  I've been practicing my hand embroidering and wanted to give it a try as we turned a plain black and gray pencil pouch into a really cool pencil pouch featuring his favorite book character!

I printed out pictures from the internet and pinned them to the pouch.  Then, using embroidery floss, I stitched right over top of the design on the paper.  When I was finished, I just tore off the paper leaving only the stitching behind.  I think it turned out looking really cool!  My son is really excited as well and can't wait to show it off on his first day of school!

 

Smartie Pants

I think I saw the "Smartie" Pants idea in a Family Fun magazine and thought they were so cute!  I made them last year for my son's kindergarten class and again this year for his first grade class (and even for his kindergarten teacher for her new class). 

I cut a pants shape from cardstock, using brads to hold the corners together and glue to hold the bottom of the legs shut.  I drew details onto the pants and stuck a few smarties candies inside each.  On the little tag it says, "Have a Great Summer 'Smartie' Pants!"

They are pretty easy to put together and a really cute end of the year treat for all the kids' hard work!

Handmade Autograph Books

I remember when I was in elementary school, in the fifth grade, we bought these autograph books to have our friends sign.  We were finishing up elementary school and moving onto middle school, and some of our friends would be going to different schools, so this gave us the opportunity to write a little note and wish them well.

I decided that even first graders can have a little fun with gathering autographs of their friends and made these handmade autograph books for my son's first grade class.

I cut the paper to the size I wanted (mine are approximately 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"), punched holes in one end, and tied the pages and cover together with some yarn.  I used blue and white for our school colors, and added a blue bird picture to the front for our school mascot.

Inside, I included a page for the kids to write some information about themselves.  Not only will this help to prevent lost books, but it provides the kids with a writing opportunity.

They have this entire last week of school to use their books with their friends, and I included 40 pages, which gives them enough space to get autographs from all of their classmates as well as friends from other classes too!

Sharing at the following blogs:

Flamingo Toes

Paisley Passions

Freezer Paper Stencil Shirts

I got together with two friends the other night to make these freezer paper stencil shirts for our big kids to wear on their last day of school.  Freezer paper stencils are really cool and pretty easy to do.  You can see the details on THIS POST when I made one for my son when he participated in the Race for Education at his school.  The first time I used a Xacto knife to cut out all the letters (that was a lot of work!), but this time around I had a Cricut to help me out!

The front says, "Look out 2nd Grade Here I Come!"  and the back says, "Thanks for a Great Year Mrs. ____!"  The kids are going to wear these on the last day of school and have all their friends sign their shirt.  We did this last year and it was a fun keepsake!

I also made one for my daughter who is excited about starting Kindergarten in the Fall!

Apple Gift Card Holder

Gift cards are another easy teacher gift.  It's a simple way to show our appreciation, but allows them to pick out something they would really like.  I saw this idea over at Inking Idaho to create an apple gift card holder and wanted to recreate it for a gift card we were giving.

Here's what we came up...

My son gave this to his teacher last year with a gift card to our local bookstore along with THIS handmade bookmark.  Very simple, but turned out super cute, especially paired with the handmade bookmark.

I Love Reading Bookmark

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, you may be thinking of ways to show your appreciation to your child's teacher.  This bookmark is just a small token, but a really cute and thoughtful idea. 

Last year, my son made this bookmark for his teacher.  We had seen the idea in Family Fun Magazine and loved how simple the project was.  Using cardstock for the base, we simply added my son's picture (in the shape of a heart) and wrote some of his favorite books he could first read on his own.  We added some school themed ABC ribbon as a tassle.  We also included a gift card to a local bookstore in a cute gift card holder.

Free Activities for Summer Fun & Learning

Summer is right around the corner, and if you're like me, you are already looking for some fun things to do with your kids and family.  So, as I've been searching around the web, I kept note of everything to share with you.  I love that all of these activities are free (or really inexpensive), but I like even more that there is some learning snuck in there too.  Start marking your calendars now!



Borders Double Dog Dare You Summer Reading - Kids under 12 can read 10 books (their choice), record them on the printable entry form, and bring it to the store for one free book from the selection provided.
http://www.borders.com/online/store/MediaView_double-dog-dare

Barnes and Noble Imagination's Destination Summer Reading - Kids read 8 books (their choice), record them on the printable reading journal, and bring it to the store for one free book from the selection provided.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp

iVillage and PBS Kids Summer Reading Community Challenge - Signing up for this online reading challenge will get you a daily email with fun activities to build reading skills, tricks and advice from your challenge coach, book suggestions for kids of all ages, tips from other parents taking the challenge, and a chance to win daily prizes.
http://challenges.ivillage.com/kids-summer-reading

Public Library Summer Reading Club - Almost every public library system in the US hosts a free summer reading club for it's community.  You can check this listing here to find a library in your area and contact them to find out if they are participating.
http://www.publiclibraries.com/

Kids Bowl Free - Check here to see if a bowling alley near you is participating.  Bowling is not only fun, but a great form of exercise and a good way to sneak in math!  (shoe rental is not included)
http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/

Family Summer Camp at Bass Pro Shops - Free family crafts, workshops and other activities.  Check the website for all the details and schedule of events.  Runs May 30th - July 5th.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&lf=&pageID=4769&cm_sp=SummerCamp2009-_-CFM_05_20_09-_-Crafts

Great American Backyard Campout - Join the National Wildlife Federation's Great American Backyard Campout June 25th for a night of old-fashioned fun outdoors.  Also get free camping tips, campfire songs and stories, recipes, games and activities.
http://online.nwf.org/site/PageNavigator/gabc_2010_home

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics - Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project.
http://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/

Kids Workshops at Home Depot - Kids workshops are free how to workshops designed for kids 5-12.  The hands on sessions are offered on the first Saturday of each month at all Home Depot stores.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?catalogId&langId=-1&pn=Kids_Workshops&storeId=10051

Free Crafts for Kids at Lakeshore Learning - Free crafts for kids, every Saturday.
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/store_locations/storeCrafts.jsp

Regal Theater's Summer Movie Express - Moviegoers of all ages can climb aboard to enjoy a great selection of films. During this 9-week festival, select Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theatres will offer selected G or PG rated movies for only a dollar on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00 am.

http://www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress/default.aspx

I've heard that Michael's craft stores will also be hosting a summer crafts program, Passport to Fun, a summer of events for kids, June 21 - July 30.  Kids receive a passport to keep track of the crafts they've completed and get to make two crafts each week.  Details will be coming soon and I'll update when I hear anything can be found on their website; just click on a country to get all the details! 
http://www.michaels.com/Passport-to-Fun/PTF,default,pg.html

If I come across any other free activities (nationwide), I'll be sure to share them here on the blog as well.  Hope everyone's plans, whether you plan to stay at home or go away for vacation, leads to lots of fun!

Personalized Teacher Tote Bag

My son's teacher is amazing, so I knew I wanted to make her something extra special for Teacher Appreciation Week.  With the help of our parents, and every child, I helped to create this adorable tote bag for her.

Since she is on the "green team" for our school and enjoys getting the kids outside in nature, I thought I would use a nature theme for her bag.  On the front of the bag, I painted tree branches and sewed on 23 tiny green leaves.  Then, each of the kids put their thumbprint on a lighter piece of fabric that was attached to each of the green leaves (with Heat n Bond tape).

On the back, I embroidered the school year onto a piece of fabric and stitched that onto the bag.

Our school's PTA put together a "Favorite Things" binder, where each teacher filled out a sheet with a list of their favorite things.  So, we took some ideas from her list and added some of her favorites to her tote bag.  She loved everything!

Crayon Letter Shadowbox

I made these crayon letter shadowboxes last year for my daughter's preschool teachers after seeing the idea over at the Trendy Treehouse.  These were pretty easy to put together and didn't cost very much.  Here are the list of supplies you will need:

• shadowbox type frame (I used an acrylic box frame)
• cardstock
• crayons
• Xacto knife (plus a thick piece of cardboard for cutting)
• hot glue gun
• letter stickers (optional)

I started by taking apart the acrylic box frame.

Next, I printed the teacher's initial on a piece of cardstock.  I chose a very light line so it couldn't be seen if the crayons didn't cover it completely.  This piece of cardstock is the same size as the cardstock that came in the frame (minus the folded edges).



Then, using the Xacto knife, I started cutting my crayons as needed to form the shape of the letter.

Once the crayons were arranged how I liked, I used my hot glue gun to run a small strip of glue on the back and glued them into place on the cardstock.  I also used letter stickers to spell out the teacher's name on the side.



Finally, I placed the cardstock with the crayons onto the white cardstock that was inside my frame.  I pulled up the folded eges and slid the box frame on top of the creation.

I made two of these, and the second one with the letter 'M' was definitely a bit trickier but still turned out pretty well.

I paired the frames with a new notepad and pencils and tied them together with some pretty ribbon and these free teacher printables I found at Tip Junkie.

The teachers thought they were so cute, so I plan to make them again this year for my daughter's teachers as well.  These would work great for Teacher Appreciation Week or an end of the year gift.