Special Events and A Freebie to Boot

Our school does a Parent Volunteer Tea as a thank you to all of the parents that work endless hours in our classroom. I could not run my program without them. They make countless books for me, trace pieces for art projects, and work with children to help them gain confidence and be successful learners. I have so much gratitude for the moms and dads that come through my door each week, filled with enthusiasm and energy! 

I wanted to do a few special things for the tea but I had very little time to pull this off. Here are some simple ideas if you ever get stuck and need "quick and easy" solutions. Any candy in little clear bags with a topper is appealing and easy to throw together. I had tons of skittles so here is what I put in a bright colorful basket (Dollar Tree is my friend). If you want the topper you can grab it here and use it for any special event. It says, "You are better than any treasure found at the end of the rainbow." Leave me a comment if you like this and tell me what you are using it for!

My daughters were in town for Mother's Day (so special for me) and suggested making shortbread since this takes very little effort and the results are gorgeous. We used Barefoot Contessa's recipe and then added a little flower on top to make it look special.

I used candy melts from Michael's for the flower since they would harden (set-up) easily and I just added a hit of pink. The center is just a tiny circular cookie decoration that are bigger than sprinkles and are also available in Michael's. The bags are quick and dirty to use since the ribbon is already woven through the bag and this made it so much faster to wrap!

Mother's Day turned out to be so special in our classroom. We have a grandparent who is a photographer and she came to visit for an entire day. She set up the lighting and backdrop with the help of her daughter. She brought a vintage desk and red apple... The kids were fascinated (so was I).

The results were gorgeous and parents loved them so much. The children told me their mom opened their card and started to cry. Wow! What more could I ask for? By the way this generous lady did this all on her own dollar and refused to let us pay for a thing. She then invited the teacher next door with medically fragile kids to come in and get their picture done. She got beautiful results snapping many pictures and working to get the perfect one. I AM BLESSED TO HAVE THIS GRANDMA IN MY LIFE. 

Mothers Are Magical

Mother's Day is right around the corner and this year I decided to try something a little different. One of our grandma's is a professional photographer and I asked her if she would be willing to take a picture of each student for a Mother's Day card. I loved the idea of it being in sepia and looking like an old fashion picture. She was so sweet to agree to this and bought a "brick" backdrop to use. I think these will be sensational. Now what do I use for a card? I thought about this for a long time and came up with this:

I knew these papers would be perfect for this kind of picture so I bought both and luckily they were on sale. I was rolling along when I found this little number on another aisle...

I decided to add a little pizzazz to the card and make it look a little more antiqueish (okay not a word) but you know what I am sayin'

 I made this for my students to cut and paste on their card but they can do this any way they want to. I will try not to be a total control freak but I will show them some samples like this one:

The picture will go on the other side (right) and the set comes with an envelope they can decorate as they please. I will share some of these when they are finished but I think parents will love these. What are you doing for a Mom gift?
If you need a card I have one you can grab if you would like. It looks like this and allows your students to do a bit of writing too. You get a little bang for your buck as the saying goes. It can be downloaded in my TpT store. Just click on this picture. While you are there check out my end of the year memory book. I can't wait to send this home.

A Free Interactive Card for Your Kinders to Make for Mother's Day

Are you behind right now and just realizing that Mother's Day is Sunday? Do not freak out. I have found out (the hard way) that parents do not need an expensive, time consuming gift from their little doodle but love any project that they do. This is simple and takes just a short amount of time so check it out. It is academic enough to keep all the administrators in your life happy! If I am too late to the party you can put it away for next year. I hope it is something you can use. My staff loves this card so maybe it will work for you.

It is time to take a break from the race to the end of the year and have your students make a special card for their moms. I think this is a keeper because the kids get to make a special cut and paste card, a little strip book goes under the cupcake honoring all the things their mom does for them, and they get to write the word "me" on each one. Quick and easy-peasy. I bet it gets them a hug and a kiss from a happy parent! Mission accomplished. You can grab it right here but please leave a comment and share any projects you love for this special holiday. 

An Interactive Mother's Day Card For Kinders

It is time to take a break from the race to the end of the year and have your students make a special card for their moms. I think this is a keeper because the kids get to make a special cut and paste card, a little strip book goes under the cupcake honoring all the things their mom does for them, and they get to write the word "me" on each one. Quick and easy-peasy. I bet it gets them a hug and a kiss from a happy parent! Mission accomplished. You can grab it right here but please leave a comment and head for the TpT sale.