Thumbs Up for This Teacher's Gift!

When it came to coming up with a class gift from my daughter's kindergarten class a couple of years ago, I was all thumbs.

Or I should say - the kids were all thumbs!

Literally.

Armed with a canvas bag from Michael's, fabric paint, and markers, I dipped my daughter's thumb to make the flower petal prints the night before so the bag would be dry. I took the bag to school the next day to get nineteen more thumbprints! I had asked her teacher beforehand if I could pull a few kids at a time into the hallway do help with a special project during center time - wink! wink!  Being that it was Teacher Appreciation week, she was more than happy to oblige.

With fabric paint squirted onto a paper plate pallet (and baby wipes at hand), the kids choose a color and made their mark! They were excited to write their names with Sharpies underneath too. I added smiley faces once the paint was dry and then wrote their teacher's name across the top.

She absolutely LOVED it, and the kids loved having a hand (or thumb) in creating their teacher's gift!

Popsicle Sticks and Presidents Day

Here's an oldie but a goodie back from my teaching days: Glue a handful of popsicle/craft sticks to a half-sheet of construction paper. Cut out and glue on a paper door, window, and roof. Draw yourself a tree and some clouds...and tah-dah!!!

Don't forget to add good ol' Honest Abe looking out of his log cabin window - my kids got a kick out of taping on that penny.

*For more fun facts about past presidents and the White House, this is a great family read - So You Want to Be President (by Judith St. George and David Small). Great caricatures too!