Another Cute Gift Idea

This has been around since the Stone Ages (literally), but it still makes a cute and personal gift.

I have a TON of old, discarded mat board that was donated to the Fine Arts department, and I cut some into about 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch squares. To complete the 'frame' I used some wallpaper scraps, and card stock, shorting each one about a 1/2 an inch.

I use the School Smart Metallic Tempra paint (LOVE IT!) for the fingerprints.

Since this was a mother gift, we used the thumb for the mother and the pinkie for the child.

After the paint dried, I added the bird features and the text.

For the gift bags, I found a pattern for a Reindeer Gift Bag complete with templates, if you like. I let the kids freehand their antlers, and we made a red construction paper nose to help hold the bag closed with the gift inside.

Cute, simple, easy and cheap. Only thing missing is glitter!

Sharing the Joy

My school is somewhat of an odd duck. We're a charter school in a low-income school zone. We are also America's Choice and Title 1. We have alot of chiefs and many hats to wear. While our students have every advantage at school, many have little or nothing at home. I wanted to encourage them to look beyond their own circumstances. I wanted them to see other people who need support and assistance as well. I decided my Wednesday classes would make holiday cards to take to the local Veterans' Administration hospital.

The kids actually enjoy the process, and after some explaining, really don't mind they are making something for someone else. Like all my projects, I provide support, step by step, as these students haven't yet developed the skill to work without close direction. We're working on becoming more independant, but we're not there yet. For the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, we made cards with wall paper sample trees. I LOVE wallpaper books. They provide a variety of styles and prints, but only in a small amount, perfect for encouraging choice and design selection.

Our procedure was:

The kids really did a nice job with the lesson. And, like many of my projects a glitter bath was a requirement.



And, I apologize for the formatting of the pictures in this blog. I'm not sure what's going on!