Our Favorite Teacher Gift!

This year Molly had the most amazing PreK teacher ever!  We feel truly blessed to have had her teach Molly this year, and don't know what we would have done without her.  When I saw this great teacher gift idea from Everything Pink, I knew I wanted to make it for Mrs. Kok.  Click here for the link to her great instructions.

About a month before the end of school, I sent a note home with all the students, explaining the gift idea and instructions along with 5 questions to have the kids answers, and then asked them to ask and write the kids answers and return to me with any money donation for the gift by a certain date.  I included that if you can not donate or have another end of year gift planned that is fine, but to still return the questions.  :)  I noted if each family donated $5, we would have $100!

The five questions I asked the kids were:

1. What I will miss most about Mrs. Kok is…
2. This year Mrs. Kok taught me…
3. What I will miss most about being in Mrs. Kok’s class this year is…
4. What I will never forget about Mrs. Kok is…
5. Mrs. Kok loves me because...

The kids answers were so adorable, I was even tearing up.  5 year old are so sweet!

I typed up the questions and answers from each of the students and then printed the boys on blue paper, and the girls on purple paper and then cut them each into the size of a dollar bill.  We ended up with $106 for the gift!!! So I got 100 new one dollar bills from the bank (you need to order these about a week before you need them), and used the $6 extra to buy a flower from the greenhouse to go with.  :)

Once I had each question and answer printed and cut, I made a title paper, and then put together the stack:

Title Page, a piece of cardstock cut the same size, then question and answer, dollar bill, question and answer, dollar bill..... every other until they were all in the stack.  Then I added a blank piece of blue cardstock for a backpage.  

Here is how think our stack was before the top got added.

 

After the stack was complete, I used hand clamps and two thin pieces of wood to clamp the top of the pages together. 

Then I used Pad Book Compound to put the book together.  

 

You simply paint on a coat, and then wait about 20 minutes.  It dries into a binding just like the top of a pad of paper has.  SO awesome.  This way, the teacher will be able to rip out and use the dollar bills and be left with a book of memories.

Molly's teacher loved it, and was so surprised and thrilled, and was a little teary reading the kids answers.  I would definitely make this gift again.  :)

 

It's Summer!

 

 It's been so long since I posted, I have to try figure out what I'm doing again.  :)  My last post was Molly's first day of school this year, so since today was her last day of school, I thought it could be the perfect time to start up again as we get ready for Summer.  I've had a nice blogging break, but friends and family keep asking for updates, so I thought I'd try to post here and there this Summer.

For the last day of school, I made an "It's Summer" bin to help the girls celebrate break beginning.  It's just a plastic tub filled with a few things for the dollar section that will be fun to get the summer started.  I included: Frisbees, Silly String, Sunscreen, Fruit Rollups, Squirt Guns, Water Balloons, Photo Stickers, Bubbles, Kool-Aid, Play and Go Packs, and Hand Sanitizer.

  
 I put a sticker on the top of the bin and tied 3 balloons to it.  Nothing crazy, but the girls LOVED it!  It made it extra special when Molly got home from school to celebrate.  She's been marching around all afternoon saying, "I can't believe I am in Kindergarten!  (Neither can I Molly).