NEW {Erin Condren} monthly notes pages...

I recently received my Erin Condren planner for 2017-18.  It goes from July '17 to June '18.  With July right around the corner I have been flipping through the nice thicker pages, getting ideas of how to use certain parts of my planner.  The notes pages at the beginning of each month were first on my list to determine a use for.  These pages are altered slightly from the notes pages in the previous year's planners.  

I went through a few of my older planners, watched some you tube videos and started making a list of possible ideas for these pages.  Here is what I came up with for July...

I started by writing the month in script at the top left.  Then I wrote my headers in the circles.  I chose to use monthly goals, birthdays, events, and blog/instagram posts.  Other ideas you could use might be...work, finances, projects, tasks, memories, thankful for.  You could also do some sort of "currently"...watching, listening, reading, loving, etc.  

Next I used my ruler, which comes with the planner, and drew some lines to separate the space under the circles.  These will become my columns to write in, one directly under each header.  I used a sticker from the designer sticker book at the bottom of the columns.  For the bottom box I decided it was the perfect place to write a bible verse that I could meditate on for the month.  

Please share what you do currently or are planning to use these pages in your planner for.  If you would like to see a video detailing the new planner and some of the accessories, check out my friend Jamie's walk through here.  Are you interested in ordering an Erin Condren Life Planner for yourself?  If so you can save $10 by clicking here!  

egg hunt fun...

Easter is right around the corner and egg hunts are already happening.  We had our Easter celebrations at preschool this week and having an egg hunt for the kids is one thing we include.  In order to make it more educational, we write the kids names on the eggs.  Then when hunting they have to collect only the eggs with their name on it.  

This is a great tool for helping with name and letter recognition.  Plus this is a good exercise for hand eye coordination.  Not only do they have to pick up the egg, look at it and determine if it says their name but then they have to place it into a plastic bag.

When the weather is nice we go out in the grass to hunt for our eggs.  But sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate, so we go in the gym.  It's not quite the same but the kids still enjoy finding their special eggs.

After they have collected their eggs, we tie up their plastic bags and put them in their backpacks.  They get to take home their eggs and discover what is inside with their family.

I don't know about you but when my daughter does an egg hunt she comes home with lots of eggs. So what do we do?  Have egg hunts over and over again at home!   You can do a variety of egg hunt games while sneaking in some learning as well!  

NAMES....As I mentioned earlier, write your children's name on some eggs and hide them around the room.  Have them hunt and try to find only the eggs with their name on it.  If you only have one child, like me, write names of family members, friends, or even pets on a few eggs.  

COLORS...Hide several different colors of eggs around the room.  Then give your child a specific color to find each round.  

SIZE...Eggs come in all shapes and sizes.  Why not try hiding different ones around the room and each time they hunt, instruct them to find a different type of egg....large, small, animal shaped, sparkly, etc.!  

EXERCISE...Another fun idea is to put little slips of paper in each egg with things for the kids to do.  Have them find one egg at a time and bring it back to you.  Then have them do whatever the slip inside says.  Some ideas are...touch your toes, run in place, crawl around the couch, jump as high as you can, balance on one foot, hop like a bunny, etc...

After your child has exhausted the egg hunts (or YOU are done hiding and rehiding them...lol!) check out Pinterest to discover some fun uses for those plastic eggs you now have an abundance of!

Inexpensive {Disney Souvenir}

When we were in Disneyland this past November we took advantage of a fun experience offered on Main Street....Cut Paper Silhouettes!  There is a little shop on Main Street where a talented cast member works their magic to cut out a paper silhouette of the person of your choosing.  These are offered at Magic Kingdom in Florida also.   

The gentlemen we had worked so fast, it was amazing!  He cuts out two at a time, so you get mirrored images, 2 for the price of one!  This is such a wonderful deal.  The price is just 9.99 for each face in the picture.  Then you have the option of buying frames if you'd like.  We just opted to frame them ourselves at home.

There is not usually a long line and this is such a fun inexpensive souvenir to have from Disney.  I would definitely recommend checking it out the next time you are visiting Disney World or Land!

I just love having this sweet silhouette on display in our home to remind us of the memories we had while in Disneyland!

Kites {Spring Unit}

Spring is definitely in the air here and we have been discussing all things spring in my preschool classroom.  One of our fun topics during this unit is kites!   Here are several ideas we've found to be fun and that the kids really enjoy.

make a kite...The kids get to color and then cut out a diamond shape.  We then attach a string and let them "fly" it around the room.  I like to hang them on the wall and display them for the length of the unit.  I think it is a good boost of self esteem for the kids to see their artwork displayed whether in the classroom or at home!

dot to dot kite...This printable is a simple 1-10 dot to dot that will help kids with number order, number recognition and simple line drawing.  We use this page as a wipe off.  Just place the printable in a clear, plastic sleeve and have kids use dry erase markers to complete the dot to dot.  Then simply wipe away and you are ready for the next student to try.

kite math game...I made this kite board for the kids to use by simple attaching small paper diamonds and a string to some poster board.  The kids must identify the number and then thread that many beads onto the corresponding string.

kite lacing activity...This Melissa & Doug shapes lacing set is a great for kids to practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

kite puzzle...I made a simple kite puzzle by laying out some triangle blocks in the shape of a kite.  I then traced around each piece, creating a puzzle.  Now the kids can correctly place the triangles in the spaces to create a kite.

Check out these books to go along with the kite theme...

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Just a Kite by Mercer Mayer

Olivia and the Kite Party by Alex Harvey

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Hello again!

I sure have been missing in action lately!  My last entry was from September...wow!  Sorry if you were missing me.  I was beginning to feel like blogging was more of a burden then fun, so I have enjoyed taking a little break.   BUT I am missing it some, so I thought I'd ease back in.  I really do enjoy it as a creative outlet and a place to share ideas that can be referenced later.  Hopefully I can share the occasional post with you here but feel free to follow me on Instagram where I'm more active!