5 Fun Father’s Day Gift Ideas

With Father’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to share some our favorite gifts given to my beloved husband for special occasions.  

For Christmas just after Emmitt was born, I had a cute little canvas with a picture of Doug and EJ sleeping together printed by personalizationmall.com   

  

Then for Doug’s first Father’s Day, I printed a book through Walgreens Photo.  I don’t want to seem redundant but I can’t help but share a few photo spreads because they are so darn cute!! 

The following Father’s Day Doug received a collage from Walgreens Photo with some of my favorite shots of him and Emmitt together.   

He received a golf magazine cover by Walgreens Photo three years ago. 

Okay, so you are probably seeing my theme here. . . Walgreens Photo is my one-stop shop for personalized gifts.  That being said, they no longer make the golf magazine cover. (They make lots of others, just not the golf one.) 

Last Christmas, I went online and found another great website that prints magazine covers— Yourcover.com.  They are a little more pricey but a great gift all the same! Payton gave one to daddy for Christmas last year.

Last year, we gave Doug a coffee tumbler with photos and sticker letters that spell out “We Love You”  from Target.   

Finally for Doug’s birthday this year, I did a photo shoot with my boys wearing Daddy’s uniform.  Then I put them together to create this keepsake.  The boys had a blast taking pictures with each other. 

Wishing all those Dads out there a very Happy Father's Day!  

End-of-the-Year Treasure Hunt for Pre-K Students

Recently, I had the honor of co-hosting my son’s end-of-the-year preschool party. We created a pirate party complete with a treasure hunt for the class. 

Following a fun pirate snack (a blue cup of Jell-o with an orange slice as a boat in the center), we told the class it was time to go out to play. When the children got to the playground, they discovered a personalized treasure map for each of them. 

The maps led them to a park down the street. On the way to the park, there was a small pit stop, a large treasure chest with a note that read, “Stop before discovering your treasure, you must look like a true pirate!” 

Inside the chest was a personalized pirate hat for each student (a friend of mine got the hats at my favorite store, the Dollar Tree.) 

Each student then discovered a mini-personalized treasure chest at the park.  I purchased the chests at JoAnne’s Fabric for $1.00 each.  I varnished them and wrote their names on the outside with a sharpie.  Inside the chest, I glued a picture of each of them on top and wrote “You are the treasure!”.  Inside the boys boxes were chocolate coins and pirate eye patches that came with the pirate hats.  Inside the girls boxes were chocolate coins and beaded necklaces.

At the bottom of the chest there was a class picture, with the words “I will treasure our time together.  -For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also –Luke 12:34 Tender Heart Christian Preschool May 2013."

After the children discovered their treasure, we walked back to preschool for an end-of-the-year ceremony where the all the children’s parents came and watched the students get their preschool certificates.  Following the ceremony we added a little surprise for Mrs. Compeau, the preschool teacher, each family wrote on a small piece of paper why they treasured her as their teacher.  

It was a nice little keepsake for her from The Monday-Wednesday-Friday Tender Hearts Preschool Class of 2013!  

Tender Heart Preschool - Hays, Kansas
http://www.tenderheartschristianpreschool.blogspot.com/

Memories we will treasure for a lifetime!!

End of the Year Pre-K Classroom Celebration

Each year my students and I invite parents and staff to our classroom for an end of the year celebration.  The celebration always has a theme.  For example, we have had a camp out, circus party, and a bug party.  To ensure this year’s party is a surprise, I am going to share last year’s party theme. We had a friendship garden party. 

A few days prior to the party the children paint shirts with their friend's names on them. Last year’s shirt was a friendship garden.  I purchase the t-shirts for a dollar each at my favorite store--- the Dollar Tree! 

To start our end of the year party we always play games outdoors.  Last year, the children got to plant artificial flowers in the sand box, and spray artificial flowers along the fence. 

After the outdoor portion of the party, we go inside where the children serve their parents and staff with special snacks they made earlier in the day.  Last year’s snack was pudding dirt cups complete with gummy worms and pipe cleaner flowers.   

Following snack the children and families sit around the large group area to watch a slideshow of the year’s events.  When the slideshow is over the parents and staff are wiping their tear-filled eyes as the children present the staff and their parents with gifts of appreciation.  The parents received planted marigolds in jars that had the children’s hand prints painted on the outside last year.  I got the idea from this website.   The staff received laminated flower gardens stamped with the children's fingerprints, similar to the one pictured below.

Finally to complete the party, I pass out the children’s scrapbooks.  In previous years (b.c. - before my own children), I have made them from scratch. However the last few years, I have been making them digitally with the help of Walgreens Photo Center.  I have a two page spread for each month making the book exactly 20 pages.  A 20-page 8.5 x 11 scrapbook is $19.99.  After you purchase one book that size, you have the option of purchasing paperback 5X7 books for 6.99.  I purchase one for each student in my class and then keep the larger 8.5 X11 book for a classroom keepsake.  I always have the book made a few weeks before the end of the year party so I can watch for Walgreens photo deals.  I can usually work it out to get 40 or 50% off my order making each book only $3.50!!  Here is the link.  They are a little pricey by the time I get one for every student but to me the memories are worth it!!