I start with a Sterilite Snap Box (found at Target) and do the lettering with the help of some painter’s tape to keep me straight.  Then I head to my local Craft store (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc) for the innards.  The key is to buy in bulk and get into my Costco-size Ziploc bags to do the dividing.

So here are the goodies:

1)  Velvet coloring activity I found in the $1 bin;  2) safety scissors; 3) glue stick (you might want to warn the parents about this one); 4) crayons – I like these new Crayola twistables; 5) a bunch of stickers; 6) foam stickers (animals, stars and bells, letters and numbers); 7) colored craft sticks; 8.  regular craft sticks; 9) bells; 10) pompoms; 11) googly eyes; 12) pipe cleaners; 13) activity books: dot-to-dot, mazes, etc. (School Zone Publishing has great ones for about $1.40 each and available here:

Mazes Animals Activity Zone

My dear friend Erika – a teacher – uses books, cute lettering and stickers:

How cute is that??

She also uses these adorable reusable shopping bags for boys:

I also heard an idea a while back about a special playdate (bowling, horseback riding, a trip to the bounce house place, etc) in lieu of a present.  I’ve been trying this with mixed results.

Yes, and sometimes, I just grab the LEGO set and go with it!

What are your ideas for birthdays?

This is one of those ideas, that has been in my brain for so long, I’m not sure if it was an original idea, or if many years ago I heard about it and tucked it away to use in the future. It’s probably the latter, but I have no idea who to give the credit to!

So, you know those ‘calendar kiosks’ you see this time of year in the mall? The ones with 50% or 75% discounts for 2012 calendars?  Well I’m telling you, this is the time to snatch up a few of their calendars!  I pretty much adore all puppy pictures…

Here’s the plan. You look for those day to day calenders where you can rip off a new sheet for each day. And when you find a fun kid-friendly one- you buy it!  Then, you tear off a sheet and slip it into your child’s lunchbox.  It has been so much fun to put these into my girl’s lunches.  They don’t even have to match the correct date – in fact, even today, I put some of these stickers (snowman), from this 2010 Calendar, into their lunch box. I put a quick note on the back. And then I smile, as I imagine their smile opening their lunch box.

Look at some of these other fun ones I found at a quick amazon search…banagrams…one of my favorite games (you’d have to remember to keep a pencil in their lunchbox for this).

Or origami…

Or a Brain Teasers…

And while you are looking for a calendar to snatch up, you can print up some jokes to put in their lunchboxes. A quick google search of “lunch box jokes” will bring lots of options. To get you started, here are some cute printable ones I found at Sprik Space blog.

And don’t forgot to put a quick note on the back of anything you put in their  lunch box! I love the idea of making my girl’s smile, even when I’m not with them!

World geography is not just for elementary school anymore! Preschoolers are ready, and often eager, to learn about the world… the whole wide world!  We moved into a new house when our boys were 3 and it was the perfect time to explore their natural interest in geography.

I started in the bathroom:

This shower curtain from Target is fantastic!  Not only can I tell at a glance if entire bottles of Mr. Bubbles and body wash are being emptied in lieu of appropriate bathing practices… we can talk about countries and continents in the shower, while we dry off and when we brush our teeth! I also love these colors and the bathroom is so bright and fun with orange, lime green and bright blue towels. Win-win!

The shower curtain went over so well that I had some maps my brother and sister-in-law gave our boys mounted so they wouldn’t curl up on us as we explored our world.   Conveniently, the maps slide right behind our couch for storage when we’re not looking at them.  Every time a new or different part of the world is mentioned in a book, song or movie- the boys race to pull out the maps!

I got this idea from Kid World Citizen for the My Place in the World project.  I did modify it slightly: I printed images for my kids to glue and we didn’t stop at ‘My Planet’ (how could we?), we added our galaxy and the universe! What a great visual this is to help kids understand the relationship between cities, states, countries, continents… I just loved this idea!

How do you teach geography to your adorables?

My Aunt and Uncle sent us Rory’s Story Cubes this Christmas.  I had never heard of them and let me just tell you how fantastic they are!

The product description explains: “Rory’s Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. There are infinite ways to play with Rory’s Story Cubes – Try them as a party game or ice-breaker, for literacy development, speaking and listening skills, creative inspiration, a mental workout or problem solving. Anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Simply roll the cubes and let the pictures spark your imagination.”

I have my 4 year olds roll the dice (9 in total) and use the pictures in any order to generate a story.  They learned in about two days how to form their story with a beginning, middle and an end.  We talked about plot, characters, themes, etc…   This has been a wonderful tool for their imaginations!

Every time we get them out (which they suggest often), I think of new uses that would be just right for Story Cubes.  The Story Cubes fit in my purse and would be perfect to pull out at a restaurant while we wait for our food.  These would be perfect in a classroom for all ages- they could help spur and develop creative writing in high school students and first graders alike.  Can you imagine being able to answer “Get the Story Cubes!”  every time you hear “I can’t think of anything to write!!”

These were such a fun, unique gift and have quickly become an important tool for me as much as a fun game for our whole family.

So, if you are like me, I never want to just throw away all those beautiful Christmas cards that some thoughtful people in my life took the time to send me…but there’s always the dilemma…what to do with all those cards?!?! Well never fear, here are 10 ideas to ‘upcycle’ your Christmas cards! Psst – these ideas would also work for birthday cards!

1.  For years I have made gift tags out of the cards. I simply cut out square/rectangle tags, then tuck them away with my Christmas stuff for the following year. You can also make them a bit more ‘fancy’ by adding a ribbon to the tag, like these below. This idea inspired by my husband’s amazing (almost) 94 year old Gram!

2. Make placemats. (similar to these Thanksgiving ones).  Super simple to make! 1. Tape two pieces of paper together. 2. Lay out your cards (don’t forget to do both sides) and tack them down with a bit of glue.  3. Cover with clear contact paper. Viola, Placemats! I made these with my daughter’s 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd year birthday cards. I pull out the placemats from time to time and even though they are now 8 and 10 and still enjoy reading all the messages on their cards. This idea inspired by my childhood friend Linda’s mom…who had these on her table when I would visit.

3. Make a wreath. I think this would look cute hanging on a bedroom/bathroom door. Inspired by Better Homes & Garden.

4. Make garland for your Christmas tree, or some Christmas ornaments. Simple circles attached to string. My tree has needed garland for years, and I am so going to make this garland with my girls one afternoon this winter! This idea inspired by none other than Martha Stewart.

5. For several years, I had made a photo collage on my refrigerator so I could see all those smiling faces from my photo Christmas cards year round.  Simple to do with the purchase various sized clear acrylic magnetic frames, like these.

6. Turn them into notepads.This idea inspired by Home Studios blog.

7. Make a book. Punch holes in the side of the cards or photos, and clip them together with a simple metal ring. I can so see my girls enjoying flipping through these books…and me too as I pull them out each year with my Christmas stuff!  Here’s one example I found at Close to my Heart Art Blog.

8. How about these cute blocks? Simple wooden cubes, cut out squares, buy pre-cut letter stickers (or use a cricut machine to cut out letters) and a little decopauge – and look at these cute blocks you have to display!  Inspired by Better Homes & Garden.

9. I made so many of these cute lil’ gift boxes when I was a kid, I still remember how to make them now 25 years laters! I was glad to find this tutorial to share with you. They really are quite simple to make. I think I might need to introduce my girls to this craft! Tutorial found on Atomic Shrimp blog.

10. And lastly, in case you are feeling really creative, how about these lovely branches? Isn’t this simply a beautiful way to upcycle your Christmas cards? Idea inspired by Everyday Mom Idea’s Blog.

Love these ideas!  Thanks Cathy!

With Christmas just days away – here are a few websites that can add a little bit of ‘merry’ to your day!

Elf Yourself

Just add pictures and your family members can become dancing elves! My girls look forward to this every year and I never hear the end of “when are we going to elf ourselves?” until we do it. I love their giggles most of all. If only I really could dance like my elf-self! Also, it’s fun if you upload pictures of grandparents or cousins – and send them the clip of them as dancing elves – which is sure to bring laughter and smiles.  This is FREE and they also have some you can purchase, as well.

Norad

They are currently keeping track of Santa’s busy week ahead before the big night! Your kids can visit countdown village for some online fun.  However, the very best part of this site is that they actually track Santa’s Sleigh Ride on Christmas Eve and you can see where Santa is in the world all evening long!  They also have a FB page and last year they were really great about providing regular updates on Santa’s whereabouts!  Also, did you know that Norad has been tracking Santa for over 50 years?

Capture the Magic

Upload a picture of your living room. Add Santa’s picture. And then you can prove Santa has been at your house!  I have not yet tried this site, as I just found it this year, and must wait til Christmas Eve – but I think it would be good for those doubting children (umm, mine!)! I wonder if the $9.95 for the photo will keep my kids believing for one more year?! It may just be worth every penny if it does!

Do you have any online Christmas websites that help your family ‘jingle all the way’ through the holidays?

There is no other place quite like a library.  Even if you don’t use your local library for yourself, I urge you to take advantage of what it can offer your children, for FREE!!

• Use your library’s website to search for books with your child’s name in them.
• Search for books about something your child is passionate about (animals, tools, space, tractors, fire engines, princesses, weather, geography- anything!).
• Type in the author and/or illustrator of a book you or your child already loves and see what other treasures they have for you.
• Investigate books about things going on in your child’s life: starting school, anticipating a new sibling, relatives visiting, holidays you celebrate, seasons changing, moving homes, learning to swim, ride a bike or even read!
• Put books on hold.  I am sure that if you add “picking up books on hold at the library” to your to-do list it will be one of the shortest errands you run.
• Don’t hide library books away.  Label a special shelf for them, have a basket that can be a special library book spot where your child can see their covers.  When we first bring them home, I line our library books up in front of our fireplace and my boys can’t wait to read through every one!
• Let a librarian help. They are wealth of knowledge, most of them love what they do and are eager to help you find books that are short, long, bright, fun, funny, for little kids, for big kids, for medium kids… just call or ask!!
• Let library books be the perfect platform to teach your children to both respect and revere books.  Neither of you will regret the lessons learned, the knowledge gained and the fun you had.

Cathy writes:

I have several Christmas traditions I enjoy doing with my girls, but one of my favorites is our mini Christmas stockings.  Our last house was a split level, so the mini stockings hung on the railing…all 24 of them.  (I bought them from Oriental Trading.) Our new home doesn’t have a railing, so…I bought little suction cups and put the stockings in my window, as you can see here.

Depending on the year and if we are traveling, it is either our countdown to Christmas or it’s our countdown to leave for our trip.

We have an activity for each day. I simply wanted to be purposeful about slowing down and enjoying time together, as a family, during the hustle and bustle of the season.  Some of the slips of paper said things like:

• ·         Sip hot cocoa (with marshmallows, whipped topping and sprinkles) by the fire (one of my favorites!).
• ·         Drive around and look at Christmas lights.
• ·         Wear Santa hats and play a board game.
• ·         Buy candy cane ice cream.
• ·         Watch a Christmas movie.
• ·         String popcorn.
• ·         Put together a puzzle.
• ·         Bake Christmas cookies (one night).
• ·         Decorate cookies (next night).
• ·         Sit by the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols.
• ·         Go for a walk in freshly fallen snow.

Now as my girls are growing, not only do I want to slow down during the season, I’ve also been thinking about how I can instill the generosity of the season into them.  So my new plan is to do one day of our ‘fun’ activities, followed by a random act of kindness the next day. So in the stockings this year, I am going to include some of the following:

• ·         Tape candy canes and coins to outside of vending machines.
• ·         Drop off toys to local toy drive.
• ·         Take hot cocoa to your teachers today.
• ·         Find an online organization and make a donation.
• ·         Maybe we’ll go ring bells for Salvation Army.
• ·         Maybe we’ll pay for the person’s order in the car behind us at the drive-thru.
• ·         Maybe we’ll deliver treats to their daddy’s work. Or our local firemen.

One additional tip, I don’t fill all the stockings with the ideas at the beginning of the month…I do have all the slips printed up, but then I only put 3-4 days in at a time. This allows me to plan around the weather and our ever changing schedule! (i.e., obviously we don’t want to drive around and look at lights in a snow storm!)

I don’t know if they look more forward to the stockings or if I do…it’s definitely a toss up! But I do know we’re going on eight years of mini-stockings and we all still love them! And I also know these years will not last forever. But I do plan to add some cash into the stockings in their teen years…that should stretch out the joy for a few more years!

What is a favorite Christmas tradition your family enjoys?

And share your ideas below for what you’ll be including on your list – let’s make it easy for all of us!

If you have a great idea to share, email heidi@thegoodstuffguide.com!

CHRISTMAS RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

1.  Take Hot Cocoa to your teachers

2.  2^nd Saturday

3.  Leave a present for the mailman

4.  Take someone special a shake or frosty

5.  Bake cookies for daddy to take to work just ‘cuz

6.  Leave Happy Notes and Candy Canes on Cars

7.  Leave change and mini candy canes at vending machines

8.  Leave Christmas treats in cart for next shopper

9.  Shop for family for Christmas for 2^nd Saturday

10. Deliver Christmas treats to neighbors.

11. Pay for car behind us in drive thru.

12. Send card to someone

13. Treats for the librarians. Leave money to pay overdue fines.

14. Hide dollars in the dollar store.

15. Send e-cards

16. Leave quarters at the laundry mat

17. Take Christmas books up to NICU

18. Send someone who is struggling some money

19. Hand out presents at park (color books/crayons?)

20. Pass out silly bandz to every kid you see

21. Plugging meters downtown

22. Ring Salvation Army Bells

23. Donate something to a Children’s Charity

24. Leave a big tip for someone.

Cathy writes:

“Every November, since 2006, we’ve been doing the same activity. I have this old cornucopia that sits on our dining room table. Next to it are strips of blank paper and pens. Every night at dinner, we write one thing we are thankful for, share it, and put it in the cornucopia. Then on Thanksgiving Day, we read them all. Then I saved them all. And when I finally had enough at the end of last year, I made place-mats with them.”

“Tonight was the first night they were on our table. The girls smiles and enjoyment from reading them was simply precious. They were trying to get each other to guess who had wrote what! I also saved their fall artwork during these years and put it on the place-mats too.  Two sheets of paper, covered with contact paper. Simple. Easy.”

Now is this brilliant or what??  Love this idea Cathy!

My kids just finished doing the most awesome fundraiser. It was a Fun Run, 5k and 10k race to raise money for the whole school district. The best part was that for several weeks leading up to the big race they started a “Running Club” at the school to get ready. Anyone who was interested could join. Tuesdays and Thursdays during recess kids could go over to the soccer field and run. For every mile that was completed the child received a plastic charm that looked like a running shoe. Wow, was this a success. My kids couldn’t wait to get more charms. Teachers were talking about how much better the kids focused in class and parents were talking about how excited their kids were to exercise.

Once the big race was here, both of my kiddos insisted on the 5k. Although I thought it was too far for them I figured we could give it a try, we could always just walk it. Our whole family ran it together and everyone finished with huge smiles on their faces. So, not only did our schools raise a lot of money but our kids gained confidence and healthy habits. The afternoon after the race my son excitedly asked if running club was the next day at school. When I explained running club was over because we just finished the race, he actually looked out the window, bit his lip and his eyes welled with tears.

Thank you for teaching my boys more than just academics.

Do you have any great school fundraisers to share? Let us know!