4th of July {a day of sparkle!}

I love the 4th of July for 3 main reasons. 1) Hubs is off of work & we can hang out with the family all day soakin up the sunshine. 2) Glitter in the sky. Fireworks are just millions of sparkles overhead. So fabulous! 3) And this is the most important reason. This is a day where our entire country comes together to stand as a team. Political party doesn't matter {except to the politicians} and neither do any of our other differences. For one day, it's all about our similarities as people and AMERICANS...just how we teach our kids that it should be.

Now, on to some good celebrations. Since no one is working tomorrow, neither is my blog. Enjoy the day with these festive finds.

{Red, White & Blue Sangria}
At the risk of sounding like my Magic 8 Ball, will I be cutting the pineapple into those adorable little stars? My sources say no. But I'm sure it will still be delicious.

{Firecracker Cakes}
Pop Rocks. Get ready to find them because this will be a reoccurring theme in today's list. I won't have time to try these out this year but I think they are stinkin cute...and they explode in your mouth!

{Snap, Crackle & Pop Rocks cookies}
She added her pop rocks & sprinkles with frosting but how awesome would these be as ice cream sandwiches?! Put some vanilla between 2 cookies & then roll it in the edible firecrackers. Fun AND refreshing!

{Rocket Dogs}
I laughed out loud when I saw these. Hot dogs are a grilling staple, right? Even if I thought I wanted a hamburger I would have to change my mind when these were presented as an option!

{Let Freedom Rings}
Love. And so would any kid. Of any age.

And a couple of {cheap & easy} decorations
Paper frillies in mason jars & streamers weaved over a table. Ta-da! Instant party.

To keep your kiddos busy...
How about an ongoing game of Bingo?  Who can find a hot dog, flip flop or  popsicle first?  This {free printable} will keep them busy while the grill is firing up.

Or grab your pool rings and water bottles from the cooler for a super cheap DIY ring toss!

If you have little little ones who have to go to bed before the fireworks, help them feel included be creating fireworks in a jar for them to keep on their dresser when they go to sleep.

Another super simple game for any hot day: grab a paintbrush & a bucket of water and see how many times your child can write their name, sight words or math facts {whatever you want to work on} before the water evaporates from the sidewalk.

If they're old enough to use a sparkler {wahoo!} do like the outdoor weddings have taught us and use those to write sight words as well!  Chances of singed hair highly decreased when fingers have something to do with the wand of fire.  ;)

Happy 4th of July everyone! And thank you to all who have served {past, present & future} to keep our country strong.

oceans of fun at the beach!

In case you're taking your own little ones pool side or to the shore {or teaching on the theme because it's just perfect for summer} here are some cute and easy crafts to do.  No template to share because the're pretty easy...and end up even better when kid-created.

To add some sparkle & shine to the starfish, throw some glitter paint spots on there.  You could even add sand to the paint for additional texture or brush it on with glue before adding the glitz.

I love this sweet clam...complete with pearl inside!  We added glitter to this too {of course} because pearls are so shiny.  This would also make a great place to write about a beach trip if your kids are thinking about sending a postcard back home...or if you want to sneak in some writing practice!  ;)

Look closely at this whale for my favorite part...his teeth!  We used what we already knew about the inside of a whale's mouth {thank you, Nemo} and researched real pictures to get a better look.  Using yellow yarn came straight from a child and I thought it was the perfect thing!  You could use tissue paper or crepe paper for the water spout for a better contrast.

The octopus and jellyfish both have cute dangly legs/tentacles to wave about.  The octopus' mouth is actually on the back because once we watched a real octopus eat, this little artist knew she couldn't put a smiley mouth on the front.  {Their mouths are actually up underneath their heads!}  And the jellyfish we watched were more of a pinkish shade but my friend who chose the jellyfish didn't want HIS to be pink...{not a battle worth having, am I right?!}

Hopefully you can use the first picture above to eyeball the rest of the designs.  We added teeth to the shark and had fish of all colors and sizes but the patterns were quite simple and ended up being great for teamwork practice.  {Do you think I should put this here?  How would you make a claw?}

If you have a Discovery Education account, there are fabulous video clips there about the ocean and the animals who live there.  {If you don't, you need to start harrassing your admin to get it now.}  There are also some great clips on YouTube...just be sure to watch them before showing any kids to assure there are no potty words or icky body parts on the beach!!

I think I can, I think YOU can!

Summer.  It's SO close!  There have been some milestone events occurring in the past few weeks including the birth of my precious nephew!  {Mr. Magoo as he has been appropriately nicknamed.}

I am so super proud of my sister.  She is already the best mom and has agreed to send me a new picture every day.  :)  I can't wait to go back and spend more time with them after school gets out!!!

But don't let me get ahead of myself...

Our team {the residents of K-Town} always celebrate the end of the year with a team dinner.  This one was especially special since it'll be my last dinner with these ladies.  I've been with most of them for 6 years and that's going to be a hard bond to break!

They gave me some awesome going away gifts including a new {hilarious} egg hatching kit complete with a "manual egg turner" and some glittery eggs...although they couldn't tell for sure if they were fertilized.  I guess I'll find out in 21 days if I have sparkly chickens walking around!

The signed frame is a treasure and will go with me to sit on my new desk in my new classroom at my new school.

And the gold star is to hang on my door for my new teammates to see "so they know that you're fabulous."  Do they know me or what?!  So sweet.

Plus, my neighbor Erika made me these adorable cupcakes.  Ah!!  I had to eat 2 that night...can't leave a stiletto without it's pair!  ;)

Less fun and more time consuming than that, though, is the fact that I've been packing up my whole life {totally feels like it, right?!} to empty out my classroom.  Staying 2-3 hours after dismissal isn't the most fun way to spend these gorgeous afternoons but I know it has to be done...and the stopping point seems nonexistent!  3 carloads & a couple dozen boxes later and I'm about done , getting closer, making a dent.

It's no wonder I get home and crash.

{don't you want to just kiss those little lips?!}

But...I have 2 more days and I can make it.  You can make it too!  Just hang in there and be sure to get your daily laughs.  Hopefully this will get you started as you try to figure out what in the world you're going to do in those last few hours...