Tag Archives: school

Chaperoned an Outdoor Education Trip

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The grade school Outdoor Education trip. Somehow, I missed this rite of passage when I moved schools between sixth and seventh grade. Actually, the three-day trip was a welcome change of scenery and nice chance to see my kid with her friends, and maybe more importantly, without her little brother. And, for the record, I’m not really outdoorsy.

I’d never been camping before, though, this was far from REAL camping. I imagined the movie Parent Trap – both versions. And no sleep… kids trying to escape the cabins, playing pranks on each other. Nope, none of that. I think the main reason you don’t sleep is because you’re not in your own bed and you hear all the swooshing of polyester sleeping bags on top of vinyl mattresses during the night. Not to mention, the warm weather.

As chaperones, we watched and helped with classes and activities like canoeing, archery. And the campsite… really nice facilities! (For a camp… this isn’t a five-star hotel, right?)The kids amazed me (most of the time) with their respect and listening skills. I met a few new students, watched how classmates could be so kind to each other… and I saw how some kids can be so competitive. The girls basically went to sleep when they were supposed to, but I did enjoy the sound of giggling and whispering as the other moms and I called “Lights out.

You might call me a brave soul for going on a trip with my daughter… and 109 other students from her fifth grade class. I would recommend it to any parent, if you can set aside the time. I figure, she still doesn’t mind me being around. That may change sooner than later, but I hope not. Thanks, kiddo, for letting me see you in your world. Love, Mom.

Chaperones at archery

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea: Daily Dose of Kindness and Free Printable Template

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Thoughtful teacher gift idea

Don’t know about you, but once Spring Break ends, school days go by like an out-of-control snowball on a sledding hill. And the parties, picnics and project lists grow and grow. So I like gift ideas that are pretty easy to put together, both in time and materials.

A few weeks ago we celebrated National Teachers Appreciation Week, and I had a nice time putting this together for my daughter’s homeroom teacher: a giant “pill box” with letters of appreciation from her students. It’s thoughtful and heartfelt; an option to candy, flowers or a gift card – which we all know we all do.

Along with the letters, I put together a “word cloud” using wordle.net, printed it out and framed it. All the students listed two or three words that they felt described their teacher.

Materials needed for a giant letter-pill box:

  • (5) plastic containers (2-3 cup capacity)
  • Stencils or vinyl stickers for the days of the week. I was able to print out letters and use my Xyron Creatopia machine to make stickers.
  • Scotch tape or clear packing tape

Giant "pill box" for teacher letters

Adhere days of the week stickers on teacher gift

teacher gift in progress - tape boxes together

Teacher gift in progress - days of the week stickers

Teacher gift: place letters in the boxes

Here’s a Cute template for student letters that I made using Microsoft Publisher. Totally optional, but it’s something easy to print out and have all the students do. They can draw a picture and write their letter… so cute. (If you click on the picture below, you will also be redirected to the printable document.)

Teacher letter template - drawing and writing space

Hope this inspires you to shower your favorite teachers with a dose of kindness!

Thursday Tip: Lunchtime Jello

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How is everyone doing? This school year took off with so much energy, and I feel like I’m just now coming up for some air… getting ready to go back down into the river of household-heading, room parenting, writing, blogging, crafting, etc. Like so many, I have a problem saying NO, and I have a penchant for starting projects every time I see something cool. But, after realizing I have way too many daydreams and not enough finished products, I thought I better try to tidy up my projects-in-progress before I start something new.

In the meantime, there’s been plenty of activity around here… hope to share soon. And now, for a Thursday Tip.

Reusable lunch containers are great

More often than not, I’m using reusable lunch containers for my daughter. The ones we have actually fit her cooler lunchbox from L.L. Bean.

Jello right in container

My husband saw that I was making some Jello, and suggested I pour some right into the lunch containers. Totally worked – no staining, either! (He’s so smart.) There was enough Jello for four containers, and the rest was put into an 8×8 glass pan.

Lunch boxes ready for the week

I’d love to hear your lunchtime tips… what are some favorite lunchtime meals?

Back to School Teacher Gift Idea

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I thought it might be fun to give an apple to my kids’ teachers like Kendra did (guest blogger on Tatertots and Jello), but last year we gave spider plants and they grew with the class (cute play on words that wasn’t intentional). This Fall I added a little flag to usher in the school year. A little card would suffice for your teacher… or even a handmade picture by your student!

Spider plants are so easy to care for. They don’t need much light, and if you forget to water them, they’ll wilt, but won’t die that easily. These were just replanted, so they look a little droopy. But I’m sure in a few days, they’ll start to perk up.

Speaking at a Young Authors Workshop

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Are we all tired of winter already? We’ve had a few weeks of completely BLAH weather here with little or no sunshine, but today… look at that bright light shining in the corner of the picture! Sunlight: it brings me to a happy place. This was taken at a Young Authors workshop for fifth grade students where I was invited to impart wisdom about beginner blogging. (I know, don’t laugh. I just started this gig, right? The hosts knew that, as did my friend who connected us.)

Two sessions at 45 minutes each… it went well, honest to goodness truth. And, I have to give credit to the students; they asked really interesting and some insightful questions. Can you write a blog with more than one person? How do people find out about your blog? Why are some websites free and others aren’t? Some of the students even brainstormed website and blog names for themselves which I’d love to share, but hey, I wouldn’t want anyone to steal them. So, a big, big thank you to the coordinators, administrators, teachers and students for having me. I learned some things too.

Where else have I been and what have I been doing?

Some crafting…

Homemade Granola

and some cooking… stay tuned!

**Update: I’m happy to report this is my 200th post!**

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