Parent Volunteer Thank You Gift From The Heart

This year I found the perfect idea for my parent volunteer thank you gifts and I am so pleased with how they turned out!  I am always looking for ideas that aren't too expensive, or impractical, and that really show our appreciation.  

June Pinterest Pick 3

It's time to link up with June Pick 3 Pinterest party! This month I picked a few art activities that I think would make fun challenges for kiddos over the summer break.  A few of them could keep them engaged for quite some time.  Hope you enjoy these creative ideas.

 

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May Pinterest Pick 3: Saying Thank You

As we head into the home stretch it's time to say thank you to those who have helped us along the way this year.  Whether it be a fellow colleague, a parent volunteer, or your own child's teacher it's always nice to send a little something to let them know they are appreciated.  

I am sure y'all have seen some of the jokes going around about how your teacher really doesn't want some crafty idea you found on Pinterest, what she really wants is a gift card.  I have to admit this made me chuckle, and depending on what crafty thing is given, it could be very true.

However, I do think there are some clever ideas to be found on how to say thank you without breaking the bank or taking tons of time.  Here are a few of my current favorites:

I love this idea and it includes a tutorial and a free printable! How perfect is that! If you don't want to sew a key chain you can just grab a cute one that represents something the person likes and use that.  I don't recommend anything with apples though.  ;-)

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April Pinterest Pick 3

Spring is here and the days are finally warming up!  I always smile a little brighter with the warmer temps and longer days.  The end of April brings Earth Day and an opportunity to share with students the need for proper care and keeping of our precious planet. This month my April Pinterest Pick 3 pins are all from my Earth Day; Sharing the Planet Pinterest Board. 

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I simply love this idea!  For use in the classroom you could break your students into smaller groups or you could do a large one whole class, but not worry about keeping track of the fingerprint colors.

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This fun freebie from Kelly's Classroom includes 30 printable fun facts about recycling. These can be used as flipbooks, included in science journals, or just used as discussion starters.

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This last pin from First & 2nd Grade Fever shows a simple way celebrate Earth Day with your students.  Brainstorm with your class ways they can pledge to take care of the Earth and make a poster to display all month.

For additional Earth Day ideas be sure to check out my Pinterest Board,

Follow Mom2punkerdoo's board Earth Day: Sharing the Planet on Pinterest.

And if you haven't already entered the giveaway for my Blog Reveal Celebration be sure to do so today.  Contest ends soon!
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March Pinterest Pick 3

I know February is a short month, but seriously, where did it go?  It's time already for another link up with  PAWSitively Teaching and The Inspired Owl's Corner for the March Pinterest Pick 3 Party! It's March, so it's all about green! My favorite color! Be sure to check out my St. Patrick's Day Fun board on Pinterest for additional fun ideas to do this month.

Follow Mom2punkerdoo's board St. Patrick's Day Fun! on Pinterest.

Art: How to Draw a Shamrock

If you've stopped by before you know I am a fan of directed draws. Here is another simple one for some Shamrocks.

Click to see this pin!

Say Cheese: Photobooth Fun

Photo booth props are so fun and these are FREE!  Have a little St. Patrick's Day fun sporting your green top hat and bow tie!  Don't forget to say "cheese"! 

Click to see this pin!

Keepsake: Handprint Shamrock

How stinking cute is this?  What an adorable keepsake and so simple too! Green paint, some sort of paper or canvas, handprint....done! 

Click to see this pin!

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February Pinterest Pick 3 Party

I love this new monthly linky hosted by PAWSitively Teaching and The Inspired Owl's Corner. This month was a little harder to choose for than last month!  To narrow it down I decided to stick with Valentine ideas and choose 3 of my favorites from my Valentine Love! Board.

Follow Mom2punkerdoo's board Valentine Love! on Pinterest.

Game: Spot the Heart

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Such a simple and fun game for both home and school.  Spend a few minutes "hiding" hearts for students or family members to find. In the classroom have students keep a list of all the ones they find as they go about the day.  Remind them to keep it a secret (hard for some) Then, compare lists at the end of the day or week to see if how many were found.  Also, fun to suggest kids go home and do this for their family members.  Just a fun and easy way to spread a little extra love.

Art Project: How to Draw a Rose

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As someone who really would have appreciated a teacher who gave more directed draws when I was a kid, I find myself drawn to the website Art Projects For Kids.  I gave up on art too early in life. I was never happy with my end product, but I realize now I never really had enough instruction.  I love the step by step process that leads students to success. While everyone's may be similar, no two are ever exactly the same. These would make a perfect gift for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day too!

Font Fun: Print Your Own Valentine Card

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I have always been a huge fan of making Valentines rather than purchasing them.  That said, sometimes the time and effort to make that happen just isn't available. A simple way to generate some cute and original "homemade" Valentine's is to install a few "Love" themed fonts and type out some fun messages. Then, print and go! I have found that kids especially love to experiment with fonts and there are only so many projects that allow them to play with really cutesy fun fonts.  This is a great collection of 12 free fonts that are perfect for making some sweet Valentine notes.

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January Pinterest Pick 3 Party

I am joining up with PAWSitively Teaching and The Inspired Owl's Corner for their January Pinterest Pick 3 Party. Of course, picking only three is tough!  To narrow it down I've decided to choose three from my Winter Fun! board. The concept of indoor recess for days on end is one that has me frantic for new and different activities.  I really like the outdoors!  Anyhow, these three pins are all ideas that could be brought out as something new and fun to do during an indoor recess time.

I stumbled across this pin a few weeks ago and loved this brilliant, and oh so simple idea for make a tree out of paper snowflakes. What a perfect indoor recess activity in the winter months and a new a different way to display paper snowflakes.

Check it out!

This next pin I have yet to try to make myself, and it may in fact be a bit of challenge to assemble, but it looks so darn cute. I bet there are some talented 4th and 5th graders that could figure it out in a snap.  I am sucker for free printables and this could be a great geometry activity too.  

Check it out!

This third pin is from one of my new favorite sites.  I've mentioned it a few times on the blog already, but I am sorry it is just worth mentioning again.  Have you been to Doodle Art Alley yet?  If not, you really need to go check it out! I am not kidding.  For a doodler like me I just can't get enough, and there are tons of free printable doodles and activities for kids of all ages to enjoy.  

Check it out!

If you are looking for more fun ideas to use in the classroom or at home this winter be sure to follow my Winter Fun! board on Pinterest.  

Follow Mom2punkerdoo's board Winter Fun! on Pinterest.

Pinterest Board Widget Tutorial

Have you put a Pinterest Board widget on your blog yet?

This may be old news to many, but it is new to me.  I recently discovered I could add a widget to link to a specific Pinterest board on my blog posts.  I love this and it's so easy even I can do it...which is saying something! The picture above is an example of what will show up on your blog after you have added the code.

Here's what you need to do to make this magic happen:

First go to the Pinterest Board you want to link to and then click on the 3 little dots in the upper right hand corner of your board, They are next to the button that says "Edit Board".

Once you do that you will see the option to "Make a widget".  Simply click on it and the code you need will magically appear!  

Now simply copy the code. The next part is in fact the trickiest part, but even as a new blogger I was able to make it work! After you have copied the code return to the blog post.  You will need to switch from Compose to  HTML at this point.

Once you have done that all you have to do is find the spot on your page where you want to the Pinterest Board to show and paste in the code you copied!  I usually do this at the bottom of my post, but you could really do it anywhere you like.

Final step is to go back to "Compose" and preview your post to see if you are happy with the look and then save.  It really is that simple!

One last note, Pinterest has a help page on building a widget for your blog and you can change the shape and look of how the board will look when you add it to your post.  I happen to like the square look, but there are several to choose from.

Click to see the options

Hope this helps!

Be sure to check out my Teachers Pay Teachers Tips board on Pinterest for more helpful ideas.

Follow Mom2punkerdoo's board Teachers Pay Teachers Tips on Pinterest.