Sorting Sprinkles is Now 1 Year Old! / Angry Birds Birthday Party

Last year on this very day, I was publishing my very first post on Sorting Sprinkles. I told myself it would really just be an online notebook of what the kids and I did for school; a way for me to keep everything together with pictures and links of the printables used. And then, somehow, the word got out and I started getting visitors...lots of visitors. I must admit it's been quite humbling to see my ideas being appreciated by so many of you and coming from all four corners of this world, and so today, I'd like to dedicate this post to my First Blog Anniversary starting with my most sincere Thank You to all of you:

Zahavah, Adrian and I strolling in a German garden this Spring

Thank you to all my loyal readers, my subscribers, and Facebook fans but also to the ones who stop by every so often to see what we've been up to. Thank you to all of you who've taken the time to comment on a post, to pin an idea or to share one on a social media. Like I said, I never thought Sorting Sprinkles would be so well received considering there are so many educational blogs out there but I am grateful it found such a special spot in so many people's heart. A special thank you to the following websites/blogs for referring so many of their readers to my own little world in the past year:

1. Living Montessori Now

2. No Time for Flashcards

3. Growing a Jeweled Rose

4. Reading Confetti

5. True Aim Education

and a final thank you to my family of course; without whom, this blog would not exist.

May you all have a wonderful and peaceful new school year! :)

Valerie

Sorting Sprinkles's editor

Sorting Sprinkles - Since July 29, 2012

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And now, on to a special celebration that took place this month to honor the beginning of Adrian's 5th year on Planet Earth! May I add that he requested a Solar System themed birthday for months before abruptly changing his mind in favor of an Angry Birds themed one? I did my best to accommodate his change of heart and judging by the excitement on his face on the day we picked to celebrate him, I pulled it off well enough. Phew. :)

The invitation

Homemade of course. It cuts down the costs; can be e-mailed or given in person. Best of all, I found this template at Angry Birds 365 and it was FREE! How delightful is that? Later, I downloaded another freebie that included the Angry Birds computer fonts so I customized the invitation for my son's own birthday party.

The Table Setting

When researching options for my son's Angry Birds party, I saw lots of adorable table settings but Birthday Express's layout was simply stunning: simple, doable, yet impressive. I didn't have all their supplies of course and being short on time, I had to use what I had but overall, Adrian and his friends loved the table setting. The brown paper was purchased for one euro at our local Tedi Euro shop and so was the birdhouse you see in the middle. The wooden blocks were something we already had (a gift Adrian received from his grandpa two years ago) and the Angry Birds pompoms were already made (made them myself for our Angry Birds week). I did end up purchasing an 8 person party package including the plates, cups and napkins but that's all (ooo...I did purchase balloons and presents too!). The "napkin rings" were paper towel roll cut in half and painted red with a TNT label and the golden eggs were plastic Easter eggs I painted with a gold acrylic paint I already had on hand. Low budget yet very cute I thought.

Some of the Food; with Brilliant Names

The birthday party was a luncheon in itself and the main fare was hot-dogs and hamburgers (I know, how healthy!). I usually shy away from such a menu and had never gone forward with that before but ended up loving it for several reasons this year: it's quick, it's cost-efficient, BBQ grilling will not heat up your house (European houses such as ours tend not to have air conditioning and in July...it is hot enough after baking an entire cake), it keeps the preparation and clean up to a minimum, it keeps the little ones happy and  let's face it, for once, I got to enjoy the party too instead of being in the kitchen the whole time. :) On the side, we also had some fun dishes: "twigs" (pretzel sticks), "piggy parts" (various vegetables), "bird nests" (Tostitos scoops), and "smashed piggies" (green grapes and strawberries). The names and name cards are to be credited to Birthday Express.

More Food; More Brilliant Names!

La piece de resistance: The Birthday Cake

Homemade as well. Nothing against the local bakeries of course but I've been baking the children's birthday cakes since their first birthday so it's become somewhat of a tradition and I wasn't about to stop this year. Adrian commissioned this cake early (read: as soon as he decided he wanted an Angry Birds birthday party) so I looked at the possibilities for a homemade cake. I decided that since my mom was going to be in town that I probably wouldn't want to spend hours decorating the cake so I went ahead and purchased the Angry Birds Knock on Wood Game so I could use some pieces of the game as cake decorations. The rest is icing, pretzels sticks and almonds for the bird nests and eggs, some Whoopers for boulders and that's it. FYI, the cake was a Devil's Food (Chocolate) Cake topped with a Buttercream Frosting.

Favor Bags for our Little Guests

I once read that the rule of thumb for inviting children to a birthday party was to invite as many kids as the age your child is turning so technically, this year, our quota was five kids. We ended up inviting six but only three came (plus Zadrian's sister...and his grandma who travelled all the way from Canada!). Originally, everyone was coming but we had some last minute cancellation due to sickness (Adrian had a cold and Zahavah spiked a 39C/103F that morning and so were some of his friends sadly). For those who were able to make it, we had  favor bags all ready to hand out before the departure to thank them for coming to share in Adrian's big day. To make the bags, I bought colorful paper bags at the store and printed out Angry Birds faces and glued them to the bags. Inside, the children found small presents such as giant sidewalk chalk sticks and "Angry Birds poop" aka Smarties (pictured below).

One of the favors found inside the bags

I had seen this idea on Danee's Stampin' Delights and decided to replicate it myself. Bought a large tube of Smarties (similar to M&M for my American friends) and filled small bags with them. Sealed the bags with a homemade tag. I simply found a Red Bird clipart, printed it on white cardstock, glued it on red cardstock and drew some "Smarties" with markers. I once again used the Angry Birds font.


Games were not played at this year's party unfortunately. I really wanted to get that Green Pig pinata and do a egg relay race and other cute birthday games but with the kids being sick, no one really wanted to move/play... If you happen to be looking for some educational games though, read my past post on Angry Birds Weeks and you might just find what you were looking for...

Angry Birds for Preschoolers Part 1

Angry Birds for Preschoolers Part 2

Angry Birds for Preschoolers Part 3

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The Beauty of Theraputty

So I guess by now most of you have figured out that I won't be posting much about the "tiny-units" of the summer. In between preparing for the next school year and enjoying the summer, my time blogging has been cut dramatically but then again, I think most of you are probably taking the summer off and thus not really in need of any ideas for these units anyway, right? I must say my time spent on school with Adrian this summer is much lesser than anticipated. After our first guests left, the weather turned out to be SO nice that we never really went back to our regular school schedule. I am not lying, it has not rained in over 4 if not 5 weeks now. The temperatures are also very comfortable too (not too hot, not too cold) so school time is mostly spent outside, drawing with chalk, riding bicycles, picking cherries, playing in the water and the like (although sometimes we're inside, with our math and language worksheets). But there is one activity Adrian can't get enough of and something I always indulge him in: Theraputty. Theraputty is usually something you'll find in an occupational therapy office; something a child or an adult will work with to rehabilitate their hands or fingers. It is also used to increase the strength of the hands and fingers after an accident for example. In Adrian's case, I made the purchase last year after I noticed he could use some help in the finger strength department (specifically so he could eventually hold his pencil the proper way for a "long" time. Ever since, we've done quite a few exercises, which he always welcomes with joy.

Theraputty

Theraputty is a bit like play dough but it is harder and it can be stretched quite a bit. It also comes in different strengths (each strength has its own color but different makers means different color coding too) and it is slightly sticky/adhesive. You do not want to use it on say...a paper towel as it will not peel off but if used on a table, it will peel off well. It also does not hold its shape. Preparing activities ahead can be challenging as it stays shaped for only a little bit of time before taking the shape of the container it is kept in but that makes it quite interesting to work with. A few more things to keep in mind prior to working with Theraputty: it stains clothing. It kind of "melts" into the fabric and somehow does not come out of the fibers (WD-40 helps tremendously but doesn't remove everything every time!). Also, although it is somewhat like Crayola's Silly Putty, Theraputty isn't Silly Putty: it won't bounce and remember, it is "hard"! :)

Now on to our latest Theraputty activities (all done with a medium strength Theraputty made by Theraflex):

 

Theraputty Porcupine

I made the first porcupine and Adrian's task was to remove the quills and eyes (poor porcupine!) Then, Adrian had to flatten the putty and make his own porcupine. Pulling and poking, rolling and stretching  all require strength.

Theraputty Monsters/Ghosts

Another stretching activity. Shaping the putty can be tough so strength is put to the test here. Decorating Theraputty always makes it more fun, even if the goggly eyes don't stick/sink in very well. It'd be a great Halloween activity I think if you're into thematic weeks.

Breakfast food for our monsters and ghosts: pancakes and sausages

Our monsters and ghosts were hungry so after we finished them off, we made pancakes and sausages for them. Pinching a tiny bit of Theraputty off in between the thumb and index finger is not that easy as it's hard and stretchy by the way. Then of course, a tiny ball had to be made in between those two fingers and finally, the thumb was used to squish the ball on the table to make "perfectly round" pancakes. The sausages were made by pinching and rolling the putty.


The following activities were all done throughout last school year and by clicking on the picture, you'll be taken to the post featuring the Theraputty activity seen. Enjoy and get ready for more Theraputty in School Year 2013-2014!

Theraputty Candies

Pirate's Treasure Chest and its Coins Stuck in the Mud

Frog Spawn at the Bottom of the Pond

Rotten Teeth Ready for Extraction

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Today, I'm happily linking up to

Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Thursday Toddler & Preschool, Tuesday Tots, Preschool Corner &5K, Serenity Saturday, Virtual Montessori Sharing Fair, and Artsy Play Wednesday, Monday Kid Corner, We Made That.

If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!

Montessori Curriculum for Kindergartners 2013-2014

Before you read any further into this post, I would like to mention that this "curriculum" is really meant for my son, Adrian, 5 years old. This is not your typical Montessori curriculum for a Kindergartner and the reason for that is simple: Adrian will be attending school full time during the day (a Montessori "inspired" German school) and as such, our time at home will be limited. I thus chose to focus on certain areas, mostly the ones that need work but also the ones that won't be taught much in school and the ones that are loved by my son. The following curriculum will still give you an insight of what a Kindergartner might be doing in a typical Montessori school as my plan is based on a proper Montessori curriculum but it will not be comprehensive for sure.

Astronomy : A science that will have its place in 2013-2014
Seen here: Classifying types of galaxies. 

Language
Without a doubt, language will be the focus of our new school year. Despite many efforts on my part and his German school's part, Adrian is still not writing much...if at all. This is mostly due to his grip on the pencil which we have all tried to improve, so this year, we'll be on it again. Writing and reading will thus be a big part of the language program for this year starting with a simple revision of the initial sounds, and then we'll quickly move on to the pink reading series. We did start it last year and pretty much completed it in terms of reading (stopped short of reading sentences) but we'll revise it first and well to make sure it's a strong base before we move on to the blue reading series (4 letter phonetic words and over). As far as writing is concerned, we'll practice, practice and practice re-starting with the insets and dotted letters and numbers, moving on to writing these on wide-lined paper. Fingers crossed!

Math
Adrian loves math and is already past the level of Public School Kindergarten so we'll simply, slowly add more math elements. For example, in a traditional K level, children are taught to count to 20, and Adrian is well beyond that so this year, after a quick revision, we'll simply build on where we left off. I'm not quite sure where we'll be stopping as I follow my son's rhythm but I think it's safe to say we'll be working within the 0-100 range, decimal system and with addition and subtraction. :)

Geography
Sadly, geography has never been a big part of Adrian's curriculum in the past years. I really wanted it to be but the materials were quite expensive and I felt like there were so many other activities we could be doing too since he was "so little". Thus, we've never really "talked" about the world much but ever since I introduced the Montessori Continent Map-Puzzle, he's been asking for more geography activities and has been caught more than once looking at his daddy's giant National Geographic World Atlas. This year, we shall "visit" every continent and study them in detail: we're talking music, art, animals, flowers, food, landmarks, etc and possibly introduce the countries and flags hosted within those continents.

Practical Life & Sensorial
Being short on time means that corners will have to be cut. Practical Life activities and sensorial work will probably not be on the shelves very often this year. At 5 years of age, I see practical life activities as a learning moment anyway, not so much as a tray (can be taught anytime without a formal presentaion). That being said, my son loves pretty presentations and trays and loves using his five senses, scooping and transferring and other practical life work, so if we have time and I see it fit, I'll definitely pencil it in. :)

Art, Music & Movement
Art, music and movement can most definitely be done outside of my "school hours" (besides, I know he will be doing arts & crafts and some music in German school) so I don't plan on including anything but one hour of art & music appreciation every Friday (possibly art one Friday out of two and music the other Fridays). These will be "classes" shared with his younger sister Zahavah where types of music might be introduced for example (rock, jazz, pop, etc.). Adrian might also be asked to listen to a musical piece and identify the composer using our 3 part cards. Same might be done with artists although at a very easy level (matching paintings for example instead of matching to the artist) since this is more of an Elementary work in Montessori schools.

Other Sciences (Physical Science, Botany, Zoology, Astronomy, History, Geology, Ecology)
Science is fascinating for a 5 year old. I can't say "no" to any of these wonderful subjects but I can't fit it all in knowing my boy will be in school full-time either. As such, a little bit of out every subject will be presented where applicable. For example, during our Milky Way and Beyond Week, we'll of course hit a lot of astronomy; same goes for geology during our I Rock week. I consciously picked out themes that will allow Adrian to explore a lot of science this year despite not having a lot of time.

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Today, I'm happily linking up to

Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers, Preschool Corner &5K, Monday Kid Corner, and We Made That.

If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!

2013-2014 Kindergarten Themes for Adrian

Drum roll please: I have finally finished to "dot the i's and cross the t's" on my Kindergarten themes for 2013-2014! Honestly, this list was somewhat ready well before Zahavah's was, but I somehow was hesitant to go from draft to final version. As some of you may know, Adrian, now 5,  will be entering Kindergarten this fall and will be attending school full-time as a result. It wasn't exactly a choice; technically, Germany doesn't allow children to be home schooled so Adrian must go to school "full-time" this year and if we wish to "home school" him, so be it...but only after school is over. :) Adrian of course loves to learn and loves "school with mama". I do have my doubts as to how much he'll really be able to do after a full day in German Kindergarten; thus the hesitation at putting together themes and a new home school binder together for that matter. In the end, I am still going forward with themes this year because Adrian loved the concept last year but I won't prepare nearly as many activities as I did in the past. I also decided to keep home schooling in place for Adrian because Adrian is still behind in some areas of learning and well...I'd like for him to read English too! ;)

Adrian and I at a garden this summer; lots of botany!

2013-2014 Kindergarten Mini-Unit Themes

September

It's All About Me !

Home of the Oldest Countries : Europe

On the Farm

October

The Colorful Season : Fall
Little Monsters & Robots
Build it Up : Legos, Playmobil and MegaBloks
Halloween

November

The New World: North America

Inventions & Gadgets

Training Camp (Sports)

Thanksgiving

December

The Angry Birds Strike Back

The "Frozen" Continent : Antarctica

Christmas

January

To the Milky Way and Beyond

On the Go (transportation)

Home of the World's Largest Tropical Rainforest : South America

I Rock (rocks)

February

Celebrating Dr. Seuss (children's book author)

Valentine's Day
Mini Winter Olympics

At the Zoo

March

My Healthy Body (nutrition, human body)

St. Patrick's Day

By the Pond

The Terrible Lizards (Dinosaurs)

April

Construction Zone

The Largest Continent: Asia

In the Garden

Easter

May

Up in the Sky (weather)

The Sweet Life (sweets & candies)

The Smallest Continent : Australia

Don't Bug Me ! (insects)

June

Ocean Life

Circus Time

The Cradle of Humankind : Africa

The continent study is spread throughout the school year as you can see but it may be blended in the month itself instead of being completely separated from the other themes covered during that month. I'll see how best to cover it. One thing is sure, Adrian's developed a passion for geography lately so he'll be very happy to see it on the "menu" this year! :)

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Your comments make my day ! 

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Today, I'm happily linking up to

Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers, Preschool Corner &5K, Look What We Did, Money Saving Monday, Monday Kid Corner, and We Made That.

If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!

Montessori Curriculum for "Toddlers"

Let's face it: I'm a planner. A big time planner who spends hours, if not weeks, sifting through "pages and pages" of books, blogs, websites, and albums each and every week to plan the "perfect" Montessori themed "lesson" for my kids. Over the years, I've naturally accumulated A LOT of "stuff" to plan out these days of discovery and learning: from the free Montessori albums (yes, some people have generously published their albums online!) to the much appraised, practically AMS endorsed KHT ones (my all-time favorites). I'm not sure why but I love collecting Montessori albums (a bad habit considering most of them don't come in cheap!). This year again, I'll be using a mix of it all (and probably venture off curriculum again and again...and again...). Curious about what I have planned for my 2.5 year old? Here is the "big picture" with a few hints of what we'll explore in the upcoming school year. If you want more details, you'll most definitively want to stay tuned! :) 

Montessori Albums: The Most Useful Way to Prepare Yet Another School Year
Pictured Here: Three Albums Made by Kht Montessori

Practical Life

Without a doubt the area we'll be focusing on the most this year. As a growing toddler, Zahavah would love to become more independent and this part of the curriculum will do just that. Practical Life activities will teach her to care for herself (dressing frames, hand washing, shoe polishing, etc.) and her environment (sweeping, weeding, washing dishes, etc.) but will also explore the facets of grace and courtesies (pretty please, anyone?, did I hear a "thank you?", etc.). This portion of the curriculum will also feature food preparation, cutting preparation, and writing preparation without forgetting exercises involving fine motor development (whole hand grasp, wrist turning, three finger grip, etc.).

Sensorial

Zahavah is still very much in the sensitive period for Sensorial Exploration and as such, a big chunk of her school time will be spent on such work. I am planning to introduce her to the following Montessori elements: Pink Tower, Brown Stairs, Tactile Fabric Box (different kinds of fabric), Primary Color Box (aka Color Tablets Box 1), Hue Matching Box (aka Color Tablets Box 2), Visual Fabric Box (different patterns on the fabric), Geometric Presentation Tray, Knobbed Cylinders, and Power of 2.

Mathematics 

This year, Zahavah will be focusing on getting familiar with the numbers 0 to 9. It will be mostly a year of preparation for her in this area. An introduction to the number rods and the Sandpaper Numbers shall also be done if and once she appears comfortable seeing, hearing and manipulating numerals.

Language

For a "toddler" like Zahavah, the language shelves will always be filled with diversity but mostly for a preparation to writing and reading. Little "Z" will of course not be doing too many "proper language activities" this year but one can keep in mind that many sensorial activities (such as sequencing), art (drawing, anyone?) and practical life (love pattern cards) activities help to the development of the skills involved in writing and reading. To help the small muscles involved in writing, we'll also be doing a lot of fine motor activities involving the much celebrated "pincher" technique (hello eyedropper!). Amongst the actual "language" activities, Zahavah will do a few activities based on oral expression such a reciting poetry and start tracing with the metal insets (eh...ours are made of plastic though...yep, I'm a bargain hunter sometimes...).

Art
Basic Art Skills such as tearing paper, learning to use scissors, and learning to properly handle different mediums (think crayons, paintbrushes, pencils, etc.) will be presented. We'll also go over Basic Art Activities (making a collage, clay sculpture, painting, etc.) of course. Zahavah being so young, I am still debating whether to introduce Art Appreciation. I really want to but in Montessori schools, this is Primary/Elementary stuff, not Toddler work.  I know next year will come soon enough and will truly open the doors to the Elements of Arts and techniques so I'm truly trying to hold myself back here; for everyone's sake... :)

Music & Movement
Singing, dancing, playing music instruments, and participating in musical games is currently on our curriculum. I'd love to introduce more but musicians and their work can wait another year for a formal introduction. Listening to them on the other hand...now that is something more doable but only outside of school hours.

Geography
I love studying geography but unfortunately, this year won't feature a lot of it for Zahavah. Sure I'll introduce the subject and we'll include a study of various landscapes/cityscapes/seascapes, but other than that, we'll keep our focus on other areas... :(

Physical Science
This is one of these albums where restraint is a must. If it were up to me, I'd present it all but I constantly have to remind myself that I have three years to introduce all these wonderful activities to my child and that her comprehension will only grow with time. As such, so far, I've hand-picked only a few presentations for this year, including the beloved sink or float activity. I think I'll also be including some work on light refraction, some water, air and sound "fun" and possibly some inclined planes tasks. It's a year of discovery after all...

Botany
Mentioning my toddler will study botany next year always sounds a bit strange I must admit, but botany truly is everywhere and Zahavah's first school year would not be complete without a light touch of it. I expect we'll talk about leaves, grasses, plants and flowers without getting in too deep.

Zoology
Children love animals and Zahavah is no exception. As my themes include several "types" of "animals" (pets, zoo, bugs, forest "friends", etc), we'll get to go through several picture sets of animals and 3 part cards I'm sure. I am also thinking I'll make a few booklets and maybe a wall chart or two to go with it all. We will most most definitely try to head to the zoo, the pond and farm as well for some zoology field trips.

History
Being that I have a history minor, I think it's safe to say that I love history. Of course, nothing will please me more than pass this love on to my daughter. This year, I intend to cover as much history as possible. :) Of course, being that she is only 2.5 years old, history will be mostly taught in its concrete aspect this year and a big part of it will be done daily thanks to our classroom calendar which will feature of course the usual month/week/day/season and all. Other than studying the calendar, we might go into Zahavah's timeline a wee bit and introduce the clock as well. The passing of time (the making of history) will also be examined. I'm excited already! :)

Astronomy
After much thinking, I decided not to include "any" astronomy into Zahavah's first year of school. I simply couldn't make it fit under any of my chosen thematics and although a lot of the presentations are  suitable for children Zahavah's age, I also felt like waiting until next year might be beneficial in terms of understanding at which point I would also have a unit on Earth Day and "Space Exploration". "Z" already knows a lot about the solar system thanks to her big brother though so as part of our daily circle time, I'll probably include the phases of the moon. I think she'd like that as she's always on the lookout for some lunar action.

Geology
It's never too early to introduce geology to children. Kids love nature...to include rocks so I'll most certainly include some rock hunting activities. Once the introduction to the subject has been done,  geology can often be made part of Practical Life, Sensorial and even Math trays (tonging, matching, counting, etc.). The more proper geology tasks such as the hardness scale tests and properties of the rocks won't probably be studied until next year...:)

Ecology
Zahavah being a little young, our  focus will truly be on Sensorial and Practical Life activities this year. Ecology will still be introduced but very little and only when truly relevant to our theme. For example, with our Up in the Sky theme, I may chose to do a presentation on Air/Smoke/Fog/Smog. When studying forest animals, making a simple bird feeder or "playing" with a small "Keep our Green Spaces Green Sensory Bin" (aka don't litter Sensory Bin) would also make sense.


As it is only July, I am still working on what will be included each week. I tend to include only what can relate to my chosen theme of the week so it can prove tough at times to include a lot of Montessori elements to my weeks. This year, I may try to do things differently and add some activities that don't fit perfectly simply because Zahavah is ready and looks like she may be interested in that kind of work. One thing is sure, I'll dig deep to find a connection! :)

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Your comments make my day ! 
(Please note : comments won't be visible until after my approval!)

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Today, I'm happily linking up to

Montessori Monday, The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Thursday Toddler & Preschool, Tuesday Tots, Preschool Corner &5K, Serenity Saturday, Virtual Montessori Sharing Fair, Monday Kid Corner, We Made That.

If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Adrian might only be five years old (well 5 in a few weeks anyway) but according to his dentist, he may be only a few days/weeks away from losing his first baby tooth. Stunned? Me too! The premature loss of this tooth is indeed not "natural"...and causing me much sadness but despite much begging and multiple inquiries, it is likely to happen and the result of "environmental unawareness". Simply put: My son walked into a parked car and bumped an upper central incisor so hard that the poor deciduous tooth's root was well...no longer completely attached to the pearly white. How did he do that? I guess he wasn't looking in front of him while walking and bumped against a car's side mirror. Thankfully, having completed a mini-unit on Dental Health a few weeks prior and discussed how "baby teeth" get loose and eventually fall out to be replaced by permanent teeth, Adrian didn't panic when he felt his tooth had become shaky. He simply and proudly announced that he was a big boy now and that it was time for him to get a bigger and stronger tooth. :) In the light of these recent events, I quickly set to research what the Tooth Fairy has been up to these days in case it would come pay us a visit and then made sure everything was ready for its arrival...

Homemade Tooth Fairy Kit

The Tooth Pillow - Hanging on the Doorknob


Tooth Pillow - Close -Up

When I was a little girl, I used to put my tooth under my pillow and the Tooth Fairy would come replace it by a monetary gift in the middle of the night. Apparently, one night, the Tooth Fairy was caught in the act. Not wanting to ruin this for Adrian, but also because I might forget or wake up "A" by trying to find the tooth, I decided to make him a Tooth Pillow to hang on his doorknob. The lost tooth will be put in the mouth of the Tooth Pillow and will be replaced by a monetary gift once the tooth has been collected. Thanks to this clever concept, the Tooth Fairy won't even need to go in the room...and chances are, it will be much harder for tired fairies to forget to as well...  :) I made the pillow myself using MmmCrafts Pattern's and their ideas to decorate this little pillow. I initially found the idea for the pillow on Making Life Whimsical though.

A Certificate of Record

Once the tooth has been picked up by the fairy and the money spent, what's there to remind the child of the Tooth Fairy's visit? Not much... So how about about a certificate? I got mine for free from Toys in the Dryer and printed it on certificate paper purchased from Office Depot a few years ago (leftover certificate paper I used back when I was a teacher).

A Letter from the Tooth Fairy

A personalized letter from the Tooth Fairy? Why not? Everybody loves getting letters! I plan on mailing Adrian's letter so it will get here a few days after the fairy comes to make it look like it came from the Office of the Fairies. I always check the mailbox with the kids so finding something addressed to no other than himself, Adrian will be rejoicing I'm sure. I used the Toys in the Dryer seal on the letter to match the certificate. Gotta make it match you know...P.S. I removed my son's name from this one as I used his full name. The rest is exactly as it will be mailed.

The Tooth Fairy Dust

Not that it's a must but it makes it kind of cool and more credible to sprinkle a bit of fairy dust from the point of entrance (a skylight in our case) to the Tooth Pillow. I put salt exclusively in my shaker because I honestly have a tough time removing glitter from my wood floors but if you don't, go ahead and make your kid's day by sprinkling very fine glitter on the floor as a trail and spread the magic! 

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Today, I'm happily linking up to

The Kids Co-Op, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, TGIF, Share it Saturday, Mom's Library, The Sunday Showcase, Sun Scholars's For the Kids Friday, Stress-Free Sunday, Thursday Toddler & Preschool, Tuesday Tots, Preschool Corner &5K, Serenity Saturday,  and We Made That.

If you would like me to link up with you, please don't hesitate to ask, it might take me a week or two, but I generally do!