Eskimos in Oz

No, Eskimos are not indigenous to Oz (though Arapeho, Kansa, Comanche, Kiowa, Osage and Pawnee are, with many other Native Americans moved to the area in compliance with treaties, with still others forcibly relocated to the heartland), but since my students were curious about my cultural heritage as we learned about family, traditions and celebrations in November and December, I thought they'd enjoy making their own Eskimo characters for a January hallway display: "We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way, walking in a winter wonderland..."



My students learned about parkas, mukluks, mittens, and fur ruffs, then colored their own characters, decorating the parka's qupaks (fancy trim or embellishments), and gluing cotton balls around the coat hood. I left the trees up from December's display as background, and added white streamer runs of "snow" upon which the Eskimos could play:







Aarigaa! Good job, Super Stars!

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Kindergarten "I Voted!" Buttons

After my printer decided that my original kindergarten "I Voted" button (above) was too color-rich, I decided to make the buttons using a bit of what I had at home:

* patriotic scrapbook paper

* flag stickers

* large circle paper punch

* paper cutter, scissors, pinking shears, and glue

* tabletop laminator

...and some goodies that necessitated a quick trip to Walmart:

* laminating pouches

* adhesive-backed pins





You already know how I love to laminate (it's a teacher thing):





The adhesive pin backs prevented me from burning the tips of my fingers...since I usually use a hot glue gun:





Now they just need to be cut out, and the kindergartners need to vote on Election Tuesday (they're voting for their favorite story, favorite song, and favorite school lunch):



Just in case you're interested in trying these, I made 70+ pins (there are four kindergarten classrooms at my school) in less than an hour.

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Only SEVEN posts away from my 400th post blogiversary! Post a comment on my 400th post for a chance to win one of my Christmas paper banners!

Oz-Fest/Inspiration Binder

My family and I will watch The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, and Tin Man this weekend because...







Uncle Sam says we are to return to the land of Munchkins, scarecrows, and ruby slippers this summer!

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Please do me a favor and help me in the "oohs and ahhs" department once you see my latest attempt at scrapping (my husband doesn't quite understand the need for encouragement for this kind of thing). In preparation for moving this summer, I've been snipping and clipping my favorite recipes, photos, craft and home decor ideas for my Inspiration Binder. I've mentioned before that we have a weight limit for our household goods each time we move, so packing and hauling stacks of magazines isn't feasible. I just can't bear to be without all of the beautiful, creative and innovative ideas I come across though, so I sort the clippings by season/holiday or subject (health/diet; home decor; houseplans; fashion; crafts/patterns), pop them into page protectors and add them to my binders. Wouldn't you know it, I had to buy larger binders because my old ones were stuffed! Here's what I started with this afternoon:



There were so many pretty papers I wanted to use, so I decided on a nine-patch pattern:



I used ribbon as border around some of the squares, and photo corners, brads, and embroidery floss on others:



Out came the chipboard:



Then tags,text, paper flowers and more ribbon:



And a bitty photo of little ol' me when I was MUCH younger (don't worry Mom, it's a digital copy):



I was only able to finish the front cover before the toddler woke up from his nap, so tomorrow I'll be adding the spine detail and back cover:



I feel like it's a bit of a "sampler" of scrapbooking ideas, though I didn't use stamps or "fancy scissors" yet...not sure if I will...

...by the seashore

What can you do with a bucket of wooden tile racks, a bowl of Scrabble alphabet tiles, and a storage container full of shells?







I decided to add some paint, hot glue, and a tongue-twister:





Whhaaaaattttttt? There was no one at home with whom I could play! Sheesh.

Photo Book Gussying Up

Yes, the gussied-up photo albums my daughter gave as birthday gifts were a hit. So much so that several more friends have strongly hinted that they'd like "those cute photo storage books" too. As much as I enjoy working with scrapbooking materials (and making the much larger version of a scrapbook page, the bulletin board), I'm thinking teen girls prefer the ease of an album with slide in/slip out photo pages...after all, BFF's can change more than once in junior high, and that cute boy from science class can turn into that creep who annoys you on the bus after school. Hello new friends, goodbye old photos, off to the dartboard with you!

Here's the second batch, again from the clearance bin at JoAnn's:



Cut ribbon long enough to wrap around the front cover, back cover, and a length for tying the album closed:



Start with a dot of glue (I used my low-temp glue gun) for the "tie" ribbon:



Then cover the tie ribbon and glue glob with the ribbon you've chosen as trim:



Glue the ribbon down along the length of the album cover, then open up and finish adhering the ribbon to the inside:





(After overlapping the ribbon on the inside of the cover, I disguised the rough edge with a green button- sorry, forgot to photograph it!)

I ribboned the other albums...



...and figured...those ties sure are handy!





Dear Daughter wanted more detail, so out came the bag of chipboard letters:



Now three more friends will be happy!

Tweaking the Wheel

...instead of recreating it!

Daughter has some friends celebrating birthdays this month and asked for something affordable but unique to give as presents (ah, the requests we get when our children's allowance is what funds the birthday gift-giving!). Joann's had photo albums on clearance (oh yes, I got them for a STEAL) that I figured would look more appealing with a tweak here and there.



Before...

...and after adding ribbon, ties, chipboard and dimensional stickers...





MUCH better!

The Recipe Binder

... was so much fun to work on yesterday!

Remember, the old binder looked like this, blue and dated,



while the new one has family and retro humor wrapped up all in one:



Yes, I ended up using the photo of my mother and grandmother in the kitchen of the Alaska cabin as the focal point, reprinting my other family cooking photos in black and white, trimming some of the edges with photo corners. I found a retro font online for the title and the labels for the divider pages, and then used some make-you-smile vintage food photos to continue the theme.









Very plain, very simple, and I love it! Today I'll start sorting through all of my recipes and placing them behind the appropriate divider pages, and then I'll start planning the update for my inspiration/idea binder.

Show and Share Thursday

Sounds a bit like "show and tell Friday," doesn't it?

Why "show and share?" Because kindergartners express themselves in a myriad of ways, and not just through speech. Speaking to peers, teachers, and possibly with the greater public is an important skill to help children develop, but I'm a firm believer in teaching children how to share their information, knowledge, inquiries and interests with their audience, opening up communication with at the very least mimed demonstrations, interpretive dance performances, and of course, two-way dialogue. Even the shyest and most reluctant of speakers have come out of their shells after being allowed to pantomime, display a toy or artwork, or dance to a favorite song in front of their peers.

Why on Thursday? Because I've had many parents of my kindergartners email me over the weekend when their kiddos have forgotten their "show and shares" at school on Friday, and my goodness, a weekend is an eternity for five year olds to wait to see their special item again! Having Show and Share on Thursday means that even if an item has been accidentally left at school overnight, it can be remembered and brought home on Friday- happiness all around!

In the spirit of sharing, feel free to submit ideas and links about your favorite things (it would be nice if you provided photos too!) or helpful resources that you think others might enjoy via comments or emailing me (michaelek1(at)yahoo(dot)com) by Wednesday of each week. I'll add your contributions and post everything here and at my Tending the Eclectic Kindergarten blog site (linked on the right) on Thursday.
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Here's a fun recipe (and quick snack for your sweet tooth) when you're wanting something sweet, warm, and a little salty too. It's also easy for kids to make in the classroom if you have a toaster oven and would like a special treat during your snow/winter unit!

Ritz S'mores

Ritz Crackers (I used reduced fat Ritz)
chocolate kisses or chocolate bar pieces
large marshmallows, cut in half

Heat your oven to 350 degrees, use foil or parchment paper on your baking sheet for easy cleanup. Place crackers on sheet, top with chocolate, and marshmallows. Bake (melt) for five to eight minutes (keep an eye on them!), and let cool for three to five minutes before handling. NUMMY!


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For those of you who are wondering what has happened to our home decor since the holidays, let's just say the following photos are probably as close as we're going to get to seeing SNOW this month!

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Some links:

Linda was nice enough to leave a comment from Classroom Displays, and of course I'll be adding the site to my blogroll after seeing the "Where the Wild Things Are" bulletin board! Thanks for sharing!

Honeysuckle Lane is hosting a giveaway in honor of her 100th blog post (my 100th is coming up soon, any ideas on how to commemorate it?) featuring her cards and charms.

Finally, CakeSpy is the newest blog I've found where I can blow my virtual diet (I've broken a few fingernails trying to grab the goodies off of my computer screen) daily!

Enjoy!