Shamrock Pin Craft

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Shamrock Template
• green buttons in various sizes, shapes
• pin back
• glue
• tag or card board scraps
• scissors

Directions: This cute and festive pin activity is fairly simple to create.

Step 1. Print off the shamrock templates onto card stock. For my example, I glued the card stock piece onto a piece of tag board scrap to make the back more rigid. (You need the shamrock to be fairly sturdy to hold the weight of the buttons.)

Step 2. Using different sized green buttons, begin gluing onto the shamrock template.

I used different kinds of buttons that I have had collected. I filled in the open spaces with really small buttons. (Be sure to supervise young children as some buttons can pose a choking hazard).

Step 3. After the buttons have been glued on, let dry. Depending on the type of glue you use, it may take a few hours for the glue to be completely dry. I used Tacky Glue for my example as it dries clear, and it also is stronger than glue sticks for long term use.

Step 4. Once the buttons are completely dry, you can then add the pin back. Let completely dry before wearing the pins.

This activity is fun for all ages groups and can be incorporated into learning activities celebrating St. Patrick's Day.



 

 

 

Spring is here... Currently March

Hey Friends...

I don't know about you, but it's been a looooooooong week!  It's kidding season, so there's work to do out in the barns beyond what is needed beyond TPT and creating new classroom materials.  The weather has been up and down.

Christi over at Ms.Fultz's Corner let me know about "Currently" that is hosted by Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade.  I've not done one of these before, but thought I'd give it a go!!! :)   I just about had a panic attack though when my link up posted twice, and the mouse over Pinterest button wouldn't let me delete one. lol   It would be ME that messed it up.  I finally got it to work, but my cheeks are still brilliant pink! :)

Every night about this time, my dogs want to go out and play. My dog Maggie is a little ADD-ish.  She is some kind of hound dog crossed with beagle so if she doesn't get to go run around and play she bounces around the house.  Jake, my other dog is more of a toad.  He likes to play outside, snoop, and  bark at the barn cats (his favorite thing to do), but he also loves to take his naps!

LISTENING:   Right now I am listening to the sound of my dogs responding to the hound dogs across the "holler."  (Canine Cantata?) Some of these hound dogs can be heard for miles away, so I am not real sure where they are. It gets real interesting when they get after a fox, then the fox AND the dogs get going.  Some nights (late spring and early summer) you can sit out on the deck and it sounds like a wildlife symphony.  Birds, crickets, foxes, coyotes, cats, deer, raccoons, etc.  

LOVING: Spring is pretty much here, except for the warmth part. Today it was spittin' snow, while the grass is coming up and the birds are making their nests.  It's a bit crazy. I haven't had a chance to even take down my Christmas lights off of the deck. Oops!   I'm a little bit behind the 8 ball.

After the kids are all born which should be the next few days,  I'll have more time to get caught up. HAHAHA!  Just in time to make a new list of things that need to be done! :)

THINKING:  I've been sitting here for about a half hour debating if I should go out to the barn again tonight.  I keep thinking that I am going to walk out there and find some new babies! Which wouldn't be a bad thing at all. 

WANTING:  I've been thinking a lot about taking a vacation.  Where would I go?  Hmmm.. I've thought a lot about going back home to Washington and seeing all of my friends.  Though the last few nights, I've woken to thoughts of Hawaii.  I've never been there.  I've never been on an airplane so it would be interesting to figure out how to get there. lol :)   I love the ocean.  I grew up in the Northwest where I was only a few hours from the good beaches.  Since moving to Arkansas,  I've not been to one.  I feel like a fish out of water sometimes.  I miss it.

NEEDING:  My first thought was... I... need...chocolate.... :))      I do. Really.  But then I thought about how I really need to clean house.  Clean house vs. Chocolate... hmm..  Well ok so this weekend I'm going to have to set aside some time to get-r-done.  I usually have a tidy house, and the chaos that has consumed my kitchen and living room needs to be fixed.   

It is spring, and in the spring I like to set out different decorations and put a new wreath on the door. I think I am going to make a new one this year.  Do you do anything different in the Spring?

LIKE ~  I like deer. :)   Where I live, they roam through the pastures and into my driveway all the time. There are a couple small bands of does that come through each night.  They've been more active out in the open lately because of the grass coming up.  

LOVE ~  I just LOVE decorating.  I should have been a stylist or decorator.  I love putting different items together.  Pottery Barn was kind enough to send me one of their new catalogs. Big mistake. :) There is a wood desk in their catalog that I would just LOVE to have.   I love COLOR (but it didn't start with the letter D).....   Bright colors make me happy.  I've thought about re-painting my living room this summer.  Decisions decisions....

HATE ~ Delays.  One thing that I am not keen on, and that is waiting in line for a long time or delays in shipments.  I know that it's part of life, but sometimes I wonder what people are thinking! ;)  Then in the back of my mind, I hear my Mom's voice telling me to be patient. HA! :)  

I've spent a lot of time this past week updating my Blog, and working on getting all of the branding done. Whew!  I think I like how everything turned out.

Oops... I think I better go out and check the barn !!!    Enjoy your weekend!

Spring is near.... Hatch some Chicks!

Some of you may know that I live on a farm in rural, Arkansas.  One of the "cool" things about living on a farm is being able to see different animals, and different stages of development. You can learn a lot from a farm, I like to think of it as a built-in classroom!  For kids that live in the city or have never experienced life on a farm, studying about hatching chicks is a great way to bring the farm into the classroom!

The chickens are a hoot! My Mom raises Buff Orpington chickens, which are a pretty big chicken that lays large brown eggs. She also has a few Bantam chickens that are a smaller breed. Sometimes there are a few crosses in the mix, their eggs range in color from a darker cream to a brown color. All of the chickens mingle with the other animals. Sometimes even getting cozy with the barn cats!

I was inspired to create my Hatching Chicks Mini Unit a few years ago after seeing that there wasn't a lot of quality materials on the subject out there.

Click the cover to view the Hatching Chicks Mini Unit

We've always enjoyed counting down the days until the hens came off the nest with their clutch of chicks, and seeing what color the chicks are. We don't need to incubate them as the hens do that for us. We have, on occasion, hatched chicks out in the open because of the warm consistent temperatures in the summer time. Sometimes the hens will leave the nest before hatching out all of her chicks, which leaves a couple unattended. You can hear the little chick peeping inside the eggs, and we usually hunt around to see if we can find the eggs and help them finish being hatched out and then they are placed under a hen at night.

My Hatching Chicks Unit was designed to be open-ended. The packet features a 21 day life cycle with original hand drawn illustrations.

The ring book depicts all 21 days from fertilization through hatching. 

Also included in this packet are 21 Life Cycle Posters to accompany the Unit.

This is just a sample image of what is included.  Chicken Word Wall Cards, Chicken Journal Cover and observation sheets, and Parts of an Egg labeling worksheet.  There are over 16 activities included in this packet.  Pieces are designed to mix and match, or be used as part of a larger unit.

This cute egg/chick craftivity is also included (pattern, and instructions). 

My vision for this Unit was to use it in conjunction with incubating and hatching chicks in the classroom.  Although it is not a requirement to hatch out chicks, the materials can be used without that.  The observation sheets could be used if you visited a farm with chickens. 

Click the CHICK to download the chick writing papers freebie!

Read Across America

Hi there!

I am so excited to be writing to you today about Read Across America! 

This year marks the 16th year for Read Across America!  I just love this promotional event, sponsored by the National Education Association which encourages reading! This year, Read Across America Day falls on Saturday, March 1st!  March 2nd is also Dr. Seuss's birthday! What a great way to celebrate one of the most beloved children's authors as well as inspiring kids to READ!

(The NEA Read Across America Logo was used with Permission!)

If you are participating in a Read Across America project or program, you can add your listing on the Read Across America Website here.  If you would like to have more resources, book lists, or ideas to encourage reading click here.

I was inspired to create a FREEBIE to give away to my friends, fans and followers that would encourage kids to pick up a book!

Click the cover to download the freebie!

I created a special Read Across America punch card, which features 24 spaces on it. The idea is that for each book the student reads, they get a punch or one of the squares marked off. Once they complete a full card, they can receive a prize. It can be something small like stickers or pencils, or even a book. You can continue with this all year if you want to, and collect more than 2 cards for bigger prizes!

I also made book marks featuring a favorite Dr. Seuss quote! These can be laminated and handed out for prizes too!

I've always believed that if you could teach a kid (or adult even) to read, they could do anything that they wanted to! If you pick up a book, you can travel the world, explore ancient civilizations, and even go to the moon!

Danielle's Top 5 Ways to Encourage Reading

5.  Introduce reading at a young age by taking field trips to the local library!

4.  Participate in reading events (like Read Across America).

3.  Visit book stores for story hour, or to peruse the stacks and stacks of books! (Yay!)

2.  Make your own books!  (A favorite of mine since an early age)

1.  Designate time each night to read a book together with your children (or other family members).

                         

I am putting this freebie set on Classroom Freebies too so that others can enjoy them!  If you would like to forward the URL along to your friends and colleagues, I'd love it.

To download the Read Across America freebie, click on the cover above or click HERE.

A Miracle for Miracle....

Dear Friends,

I'd like to tell you what a dear blogging friend of mine is doing to help a little girl in her school that was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.

Samantha (a.k.a. Ms. Smarty Pants) came home the other day and shared the news that a first grader in her school named Miracle was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  Miracle has been through a lot in her life including the loss of her mother when she was a baby, she also has Cerebral Palsy.  Miracle is currently in the hospital receiving treatments. (Miracle is pictured above along with her monkey friends.) 

Samantha jumped to action, putting together a packet of materials she donated as well as her blogging friends, including myself.  There are 31 products, valued at over $100 being offered for a donation of $25.00.  All of the donations collected are being given to Miracle's family to help with expenses (travel to and from the hospital, medical expenses, etc).  

Together, with your donation of $25.00, we can make a difference to help Miracle and her family.  

To learn more about the products included in the packet, and to make your donation, click on the links above.  The link will take you directly to Samantha - Ms.Smarty Pants Blog.

Thank you so much in advance for taking time to read this message. Thoughts and prayers are with Miracle and her family for complete healing.  A huge thank you to Samantha for allowing me to be a part of this effort. Miracle's story truly touched my heart.

Domino Matching Game

Materials needed:

• Stickers
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Lamination film / Clear Contact Paper
• Domino / Matching Game Template (Click link to download)
• Avery Magnet Paper (optional)

This project is simple, and easy to put together in just a few minutes. This is one that the kids can work on right along side of you.

The domino/matching game can be created with any color card stock, or any type of stickers. For my example I chose to use 2 colors of pastel cardstock to make a matching game. I selected a package of baby farm animal stickers which would match well with the farm theme.

Directions:

1. Print off the domino/matching game template onto cardstock. Using a template makes it easier to keep the game pieces the same size, and it saves time having to draw it out onto the individual pieces of paper. Print out as many sets of domino/matching game pieces as desired.

2. Cut out the individual game pieces, leaving the line in the middle. This provides you with 2 halves in which to create dominoes OR you can create a matching game as shown in the example.

3. Select the stickers for your project. Stickers don't have to be acid free, as you will be laminating over top of them.

4. Place the stickers onto the domino/matching game pieces as desired. In the sample, one animal sticker fit perfectly on each square of the game piece.
5. After the stickers are secure on the game pieces, laminate it for durability using a heated laminator or clear contact paper.

Now you're ready to play!

Follow me on Pinterest for more inspirational ideas for classroom projects, and learning resources!

P.S.  We had our first babies of the season on February 7th.  There will be anywhere from 15-20 more being born between now and the 3rd week of March!    This is what I do when I am not working on new projects, and creating! :)  

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope that everybody had a great day today.  I think I've had enough chocolate to sink a ship today! :)  As many of you know,  it's kidding time here on the farm.  I've been up at my parent's barn checking a doe that is due.  We were hoping for some Valentine's Day babies... nothing yet!

When I am not in the barn, I am busy creating new learning materials.  I am SOOO looking forward to Spring.  I love everything about it.  The bright colors, smells, and the newness of the little babies being born on the farms.  I've often though that the outdoors was the best kind of classroom.  Just think of all of the sorting, classifying, and counting (just to name a few) that you can do!