0 FATHER'S DAY + SONG + FREEBIE

Hey y'all . . . I've missed hanging here.  We are officially into single digits now (NINE more to go), but who's counting??!!  In these last two weeks it's gonna be all about keepin' that lid on.  I love how excited my babes get every year, but keeping them engaged can bring about a whole new ball game.  With this said, I am going to use Father's Day to help me occupy some time in a meaningful way.  

This holiday can be easily overlooked with all the end of the year chaos  (I know I have totally ignored it in past years).  Last June, I put together this Dear Daddy packet and it totally helped fill a couple days . . . craft projects for dad, centers, book review, etc.  I'm totally gonna run with it again toward the latter part of next week.  The kids seem to dig these activities!  

I do have a sweet kiddo with a "daddy issue," but she does have a wonderful grandfather in her life.  So, I am going to run with the idea of important men in our lives.  The main focus will be daddies for most, but I know I can market this to my class a bit differently to keep my little sweetie from feeling angst.  This pack already has alternate templates (grandpa, uncle, and blank), so I am good to go.  

What do you have your kiddos make for their dads . . . if anything?  I am going to run with this Dad Jokes Tie that I made up last year, but I'd love to have something to go with it.  Suggestions??

Are you all doing a special event for dads (boy . . . I am full of questions today)??!!  If so, what are you doing?  I just can't swing it this year (we have a field trip this week that kills everything), but I'd love to get some ideas to put on the books for next year!!!  

If you are having an event, have you heard Ron Brown's Dear Old Dad song? It's the sweetest of songs.  A little bird told me that he wrote this song with his own father in mind.  (He was such a genuine and kind man . . . I miss my grandfather.)  

I wish I had the time to have my babes perform this one for their daddies . . . sigh . . . next year.  This song is included in my Father's Day pack or you can listen to and/or snag an MP3 copy of just the song here.  

Well, I can't have you leave here empty-handed . . . I just can't . . . especially after wading through all my rambling.  So, how about a little Daddy Day freebie? Here's a quick and easy flip book for you to roll with (I whipped it up this afternoon).  I plan on putting this in a center and using it to tie in a last minute adjective lesson.  CLICK HERE to add this ditty to your files!

Please excuse my scary as all get out art abilities.
I always tell my kiddos that I try my BEST :)

Alright, I am out of here.  If you want to read more about or pick up my Father's Day pack, click here.  It's on sale through Tuesday.  I better get to lesson planning and report cards (I am a third of the way there, but I'd like to have at least 2/3 of them done by this evening . . . it'll keep the blood pressure down a bit). Thanks for visiting and I'll see you soon.  Hugs gang!

Detail: FATHER'S DAY + SONG + FREEBIE

0 WACKY WORKOUT + IN THE SPOTLIGHT

I promised my team that I would make up some rain forest centers and art project samples for them to use next week, so I don't have too much time to devote to a post today.  However, there are two super cool things that I want to quickly highlight!!  

For all you alls looking to help keep your kiddos engaged and under control these last few weeks, check out Ron Brown's newest collection of songs.  It's called Wacky Workout.  I purchased a copy of this Intelli-Tunes gem to use with the kiddos in the afternoon or during those transition times when I see the "wiggles" start to take over.  Attention spans are so touch and go this time of year and I see this as a huge lifesaver!!!

Listen to two of my favorites!  Push play to start and pause to stop :)

Wacky Workout is available for download on the Intelli-Tunes' Web site.  And this week Ron is offering it up for a very special price . . . it's only $5!  Whoop de whoop!  Chalk one up for teachers everywhere.  CLICK HERE to hear additional samples and/or to snag your copy today.

On another educational note, have I told you how much I heart Pocket Full of Kinders?  Well, Ms. Patterson answered tons of questions and helped me when I just stepped out of that blogging gate a few months ago.  Now, she has featured me on her blog. Boy, am I feeling the love :).  Learn more about me and check out one amazing and oh-so seasoned blogger in one easy click.  Her posts always crack me up and her ideas are priceless.  Thanks again Ms. P!

Enjoy your Sunday my friends.  I am back to working on centers and such (it seems that I got a little distracted).  If you are still looking for something to put together for Daddy Day, don't forget about my Father's Day packet containing these two silly gift crafts (available on TPT).

See you tomorrow my friends.  

Detail: WACKY WORKOUT + IN THE SPOTLIGHT

0 FREE GRADUATION CRAFT + GRAD SONG

I was trying to work on common core stuff this morning, but somehow got myself WAY off track and slid into a whole kinder graduation mindset.  I don't even teach K this year!!??!!  I think my mind subconsciously wandered off to be in a much more happy place . . . creatin' kiddy crafts :)

This is what I came up with today.  It's a spin off of this amazing craft I found on I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar (see link below).  It's kinda corny, but it makes my heart happy.  I turned it into a Kinder graduation invite (FREE template below), but I also made up an alternate writing activity so you can still use it if you aren't doing the whole grad thing.

Invite - Front

Invite - Back

I will confess that I made THREE different handprint crafts until I found this one and I had to make a sample of the owl twice.  I am super tired today and I quickly found that my big old hand is just WAY too large to create samples.  By the time I finished my "creating," I ended up getting paint all over the place (yes, even in my hair) and my desk looks like a bomb went off.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh . . . I am such a dork.  Ya gotta love the life of a teacher.

If this craft/activity is up your alley, here are the steps and the pit falls :)

1. Trim and mount the front of the invite on the cardstock BEFORE you put your handprints down or it will wrinkle something awful.  Whoops!
2. Have your kids put their handprints down prior to gluing the owl down.  It looks much cleaner this way.  Just have your kids overlap their palms a little in the center. (Also see I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar for an alternate wing idea.)
3. You can use the template at I Am Momma or you can provide the elements (construction/scrapbook paper) and model each step.  The owl body is easy . . . just round the bottom corners off of a rectangle and cut a swoop between the top two corners.  
4. Write the invite prior to mounting just in case your little ones mess up. This big one (A.K.A. me) boogered it up and had to peel it off because of a misspelled word. . . told you I was out of it.

That's about it.  It's pretty easy once you know the steps :). The alternate template (for us non-kinder teachers) is showcased below.  If I find the time that last week, I am going to send this home as an end of the year parent gift.  

CLICK HERE to download all of the templates.  
Thanks to PeachPops Clip Art and Fonts for Peas - you guys rock!

On another crafty note, do you have an awesome graduation craft that you would like to share?  Any input is WELCOME! 

Finally tonight, I have to share Ron Brown's Intelli-Tunes graduation song.  I worked this into our Kinder grad last year (the kids sang it) and the parents were eating out of our hands.  Check out the sample below!  It's available for single song download on the Intelli-Tunes web site now.

Graduation Song SAMPLE - Ron Brown's Intelli-Tunes

Push play to start and pause to stop.

That's it my friends.  I am off to the salon to get my scary roots covered up. Now that I am back to my beloved blonde, I am hopelessly addicted to that "bottle."  See you tomorrow.  

Detail: FREE GRADUATION CRAFT + GRAD SONG