Laptop Lunchbox Review Follow-up

Well we've just wrapped up our first full year of Kindergarten and with that came lunches.  Back at the beginning of the year I reviewed the Laptop Lunchbox System that we invested in for Cole. I thought I'd follow up now that it's the end of the year.  He and I both absolutely loved using the Laptop Lunchbox this year.  I loved giving him choices for healthy items and he loved throwing me for a loop and requesting things like couscous (see second picture).  We ended up buying 2 of the lunchboxes so that I could prepare it the night before and put it in the fridge and then also have 1 in the dishwasher.  This made lunch prep even easier. 

More Bird Feeders

Since I was on the subject of bird feeders I thought I'd post some crafts-from-the-fast-bird-feeders that I loved.

Cardboard Tube Bird Feeder

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeders

Dish & Bowl Bird Feeder

This is a little project that the kids and I whipped up for Mother's Day this year.  It was super easy and the kids had fun helping me make them.

Supply List: 1 plate, 1 bowl, 1 long threaded bolt, 4 washers, 4 nuts, ribbon or twill, silicone glue, drill.

Note: I can't tell you exactly what the long threaded bolt thing is but I found it at Home Depot in the nuts & bolts aisle.  I bought the one that is 12 inches long.

Drill holes in your plate and bowl.  This was easy as long as I had a wood block under them.  I just used a piece of our Giant Jenga Game.

Once you've drilled your holes you can begin assembling your bird feeder.  I started at the bottom.  Thread from the end in this order: 1 nut, 1 washer, bowl, washer, nut.  I started my first nut about 1 or 1.5 inches from the end.  Add a little glue in between your nuts and tighten.

After we had the bowl on we worked on adding the plate.  Working on the other end thread in this order: 1 nut, plate,  2 washers, 1 nut.

Before you tighten everything up you want to add your ribbon or twill between the 2 washers.  I cut a small hole right in the middle of the ribbon and just threaded it onto the bolt between the 2 washers.  Add a little glue and tighten it up.

Allow your glue to dry for a few hours, or a day and then fill your feeder with seed and hang it up.  The Cardinals LOVE this feeder.  I have it hanging right off the back patio and they are always up there eating off it.

Book Suggestion: My kids love National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America: The Best Birding Book for Kids.  It's filled with great facts about North American birds and the pictures are outstanding. 

Father's Day Gift Idea

Since Father's Day is this weekend I thought I'd share one of my favorite gifts I've ever made.  It's a board book that I put together for my husband a few years ago.  The kids STILL love to look at and read it.  You can see all the details on how to make your own here.

Summer Organizational Binder

 

I've been working dillegently on getting our 2013 Summer Binder ready to go.  You can read more about my love for the Summer Binder here.

Summer Bingo

 

Probably my most favorite summer activity that we've done was Summer Bingo.  I almost revived it this year, but we're going to be traveling for a big chunk of the summer and it just didn't seem worth it.  If you want to read more about Summer Bingo you can go here.  If you want to download some free Summer Bingo Printables you can go here.

Summer Rocks!

In case you are still looking for something to keep the kids busy over the long summer months, here's what I came up with last year.  It's a cool color coded rock set up that Cole had a blast with.  You can read more about my Summer Rocks! program here.

Summer Fun...

Cole's last day of Kindergarten is Friday and this year I've opted for a little more of an unstructured summer plan.  I still have a summer binder put together, mostly to help keep me organized. 

This year we created a summer list and I put all the things I want to do with the kids over the break.  Some of the activities I've already scheduled or bought Groupons for and some are just part of my wish list.  Everyone got so excited when it went up and they loved reading through the list of fun stuff we have planned.  And yes, if you actually read through the list you'll see I put "dentist" on there.

Wrap Up That Valentine

Don't forget to make some cute heart wrapping paper for your favorite Valentine.

Valentine's Gift Idea

This is still one of my most favorite Valentine's Day gift ideas.  I made these last year for the kids and we still love them.  If you click through to my original post you can download your own "I love you because" cards. 

Valentine's Day Crafts

It's February and that means Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  Here are a few of my favorite crafts to celebrate.

Toilet Paper Roll Heart Butterfly

Cardboard Tube Heart Garland

Toilet Paper Roll Ladybug

Groundhog Day Craft

Here's an oldie, but a goodie from a few years ago.  A little groundhog popping out of his toilet paper roll hole.  Perfect craft for tomorrow's groundhog shenanigans!

Free Truck Valentine Printables

Valentine's Day is just a little less than a month away and I'm excited because I've already got our cards and treats done for both kids' classes. 

Way back around the beginning of the year I went hunting for some good after Christmas clearance sales.  Thanks to one of my favorite sites, Totally Target, I was able to score a bunch of Chuck Trucks for just $0.39 each.  After trying to figure out what to do with these little suckers (and surfing Pinterest for a while) I decided to use them for Valentines for the kids.  I created a printable topper for the trucks, but you could also use it for the little Hot Wheels & Matchbox cars that can usually be found for less than $1.00.

Start by downloading the Valentine Printable .pdf files and cutting out the cards.

Fill in the To and From sections of the cards.  I did these for my daughter, but Cole will fill in his own.  Fold the cards on the center line.

Using double sided tape, or a glue stick, or any other similar adhesive, attach the cards to the top of your trucks.  There you go, easy peasy Valentines that are sure to be a hit.

I've created 2 different types of printables that you can use.  The one above is just the front part of the cards and comes as a 3 per page on the .pdf file.  These would be good if you don't need to write a To and From on them.

Download Printable Truck Valentines Here

The second printable is the one I used.  These are designed to fold over the top of your truck or car. 

Download Printable Truck Valentines Here

Both of these printables are free for you to download and use for personal use.  Please link back to my site if you post information on them on your website or blog.  I always love to hear back about how projects work for you so feel free to leave a comment. 

A Few Features

I've been seriously slacking in bloglandia, but mostly because I've been busy with some house projects (which I'll share soon).  But in the mean time, we were featured on a few different blogs about town.

The paint chip peacock was featured over on the Classroom Creative.

Recently some pictures from Cole's I Spy Birthday Party were featured on Jean Marzollo's blog.  Jean is the creator of the I Spy series so I was really flattered to get an email from her about the post.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Christmas that is merry & bright!