cutest ever

I might have the cutest cheerleader. 

 The cutest ever. 

Sorry, let me indulge for a moment. 

  
or two.

whats on the table- preschool in the winter

Here are a few things out on the tables for our morning table activities.  I've got a little something on the light box, but apparently have taken no photos.

I printed these out last year, from 1+1+1=1. I printed out the black and white and color version.  The kids seem to like both equally.

These little cupcake toppers were found on clearance somewhere last year. Instead of foam, we are using gingerbread playdough.  The kids have been making a lot of birthday cakes with it.

The idea for these snowflake counting cards came from Preschool Alphabet.  I just printed off a snowman clipart I found online and added a cut out paper number.

The snowflakes are noodles that I colored white with some paint and rubbing alcohol mix.  There's glitter in there too, but it really didn't have the result I was looking for.

This winter card with matching picture cards is just a little something I made up using clipart online.

We have set out several copies of this little snowman book.  I'll have to double check where I found this online.  Only a few students choose to color and work on these.

I added a little to the winter sensory bin from last year.  I'm pretty sure that's a puffin in the box, but no one seems to care.

Last year I said that the kids weren't that interested in this sensory tub.  This years classes seem to like it just fine.  Someone has even been biting the foam snowballs.  I wish I could catch my sneaky biter. 

This is my favorite snowflake table activity.  I like it more than any of the students do.  It's pictures of real snowflakes.  Kiddos can use a magnifying glass to help them match them.  I made this set, but stole the idea from My Montessori Journey.   All the photos are from this snowflake and snow crystal photo gallery website. 

I put the farm set out and the kids are practically fighting to play with it.  Thankfully, Lou, is alright with me taking his old toys into school.  Last year I had to beg and sometimes sneak them.  I even had to on occasion rent them for $1. 

fun gift to me

I couldn't wait to open Christmas presents this year like I was 6 years old.  That's cause my new silhouette cameo was all wrapped up and under the tree.  

My sister and I got right to work on it.  Here's the first few projects:  

We dug out the glass etching cream from a few Christmas' ago. 

She just got some new Pyrex pieces for Christmas and I had a few naked ones.  

Most of my pieces got tagged three years ago- but these pieces are way cuter!  I love that you can use any font you have on your computer to cut on the Silhouette.

We just cut vinyl and used the negative part of the letters to make a stencil. 

All of these took under a half hour total. 

I cut out letters for Bee's cheerleading megaphone.  I can't wait until her first game to share photos of her in her uniform.  She's completely darling in it. 

I added a snowflake cut out of 'frosted glass' vinyl to a glass block with lights inside.  I got the glass block as a Christmas gift, and really liked it.  Now I can leave it out longer.

I cut out a fresh bunting for the area in my classroom under the cabinets above the sink.  I purchased the bunting shape in the silhouette shop.  It came with three bunting shapes total so I'm all set for future bunting making as well.

This is the bulletin board we had up for December and January, but I cut the snowflakes out and added them after Christmas break.

I made a window decal for my sister in the shape of a P for Purdue (using the tracing feature) and a robot for my brother (an image from the online shop), he's a physics teacher and coached robotic teams (that is probably not the real name for that, but it's something robot building related).

I went to the store this weekend to get heat transfer vinyl but they're all sold out.  I must not be the only person to get a fancy cutter for Christmas.

pretty much exciting

I have something that has been in the works for months now.  It's getting so close to the time when I can share it.  Here's a sneak peak though. 

kangaroo part 2

Part 1 with last years Kangaroo ideas are found here.  This year, we did mostly the same things, but I added a few.  I found this non fiction book that has some great photos.  I know the kiddos will get bombarded with non-fiction text once they get into big kid school, thanks to common core, so we might as well get them thinking that way now. 

Lou let me take his kangaroo into school (as long as I was the only toucher).  I made up a little apron for her and Bee found the perfect little critter to go in her apron.  It's really a tiny cat, but I think if you are old it's a kangaroo, it looks like a kangaroo. I just used it while reading Katy No Pockets (see last years plans). 

For the end of the day, I made up this toothpick poking activity.  Another girl I teach with offered this suggestion, if the toothpick is to thin for the kids to hold onto, a golf tee with work equally well.  This year I have fewer kids who really enjoy the tapping activities.  Last year, they all loved it.  Each class is so different.

snow

We have this hill in our yard, which is nice one time of the year.  And this is it.  That's my sister in the white hat, Bee in the pink hat. Lou is in the hood, and later without hood, just curls.

I'll try to remember next summer when I'm mowing the hill just how much we love it.

Christmas happenings

This sort of wraps up Christmas for me.  The decorations are coming down today.  Bee (wearing her current favorite shirt) and Lou made a living nativity set one evening while I got dinner ready. 

It's well labeled.  She's Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Lou's sign says he's Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. 

Then I saw this guy in the recliner.  No label.  Must be the shepherds watching over their sheep at night?

Mary and Joseph cuddled the baby.  Then, as with anything they do.  It goes from sweetly cuddling a baby to this....

Bee had a lovely program at school. 

 Lou had a program too, a different day. I arrived an hour early and had to sit several rows back.  The first seven rows were saved with end to end ipads.  Someone suggested they might be door prizes for early arrivals!  This seems to be a common trend at their school events, rows and rows saved with scarves and purses and not a person in sight.
 

The preschool put on a lovely Christmas program too.  The kids sang two songs, did a little rhyme and then there was a nativity 'play.'  Check out Mary's shoes!

This was dress rehearsal, but they were precious.

Too sweet not to sneak a photo of the kids at the library in here.

Lou and I volunteered at church loading food into trucks to be delivered to the food pantries for Christmas season.  He had a really, really fun time.  He loaded and carried as much as the the grown men. When our work was done, he asked for more.  We worked and worked and went home feeling happy.   I need to find more opportunities for him to volunteer!  Bee wasn't felling well and stayed home with daddy.  We all went Christmas caroling the next weekend and had an equally good time.

With family in town, we did some fun things.  My siblings and I like to give an actitivy to each other rather than a gift. 

We went rock climbing.  I'm in the green shirt, Bee is in pink, Lou in grey.  My sister is in the yellow shirt.

We gifted everyone a hockey game. 

Bee got to go out on the ice with friends during one of the breaks to pick up colored pucks. People throw the colored pucks out to try to win prizes. Her friend in the pink won an Ipad! 

Here's the fam.

Bee wanted to get her photo taken with the ice hockey girls. They are like a non-cheering cheerleader.  Hostess girls really. 

 
Bee got a play for Christmas from us.  It's American Girl and pretty vintage.  It's called a theater kit.  I've had it on hand since just before she was born. Turns out she has a flair for the stage!  I did a quick google search and it looks like they still sell them.  Here are the actresses (and director Lou) from the play at curtain call.  Daddy and uncle Dave were the tech crew.  This one was called Hairum Scarum, I'm searching down others as we speak!

Moving on to