You Go Girl...You ROCK in a Jar! A Craft for Yourself!

So I'm feeling kind of UGGH the other day...just one of them days, you know?  And I'm checking out Pinterest and I find something from Eighteen25 called You Rock Jars.  I knew what I had to do next to get myself out of the dumps!

And there you go!  An instant pick-me-upper whenever I look over at my You Rock! Jar.  I just love, love this craft and hope you can find a use for it also.  You know as teachers, sometimes we don't get "enough" praise for all our dedication and commitment to our kids, so all teachers need a You Rock Jar!  These would be ideal for tween girls especially; you can write anything you want on the rocks.  You could use the words, "awesome", "faith", "beautiful", any word would work!

And did you notice the Bling clothespins I used?  If you can remember, I LOVE bling.  If it has bling, I love it!  So I wanted to share with you something I bought yesterday for my computer...

Isn't it just awesome?  Whoever heard of a Bling keyboard?  When I saw it, I knew it was mine.  I got it at Hobby Lobby if you have one of those stores near you.  OMGosh, I just love my new bling keyboard.  What kind of things do you do to "pick yourself up"?  What do you do to boost your self esteem when you're feeling blue?  I'd love to hear; maybe I could try your suggestions also!

Have a Wonderful Day,

And the Winner is...

Friends, 

thanks so, so much for all your support with my new blog, Creative Playground!  I'm just so giddy with all the new friends I have on my journey with this blog and hope you have enjoyed all my posts thus far!  Now, for what you've been waiting for...

Thanks again to all that entered and followed.  I think I've sent everyone their Free Follower's Resource Pack...Please let me know if I missed you!  

Thanks Again Friends,

Splish Splash Sunday: Make Your Own Water Slide!

I'm so glad we finally had good weather here in Michigan today.  I actually H.A.T.E. Winter; people that have lived here for 50 some years seem to forget how to drive in snow and they're the ones you have to watch out for.  I for sure stay off the road on the first snowfall of the season...the "Driving Crazies" seems to hit everyone and they're all over the road.  When I make a million dollars on TpT, I'm moving from Michigan for sure!  (So that means I'll probably be stuck here for the rest of my life.)

Any-hoo, yesterday was one of the first good, hot days we've had here in West Michigan.  So Garyn and I tried a new craft that I knew he'd love.  Garyn has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) along with his Autism, which means his senses are all out of whack.  All five of his senses are "hyper" active, so they are all very extreme.  For example, he can smell things that you and I can't smell.  He can't eat in the lunchroom at school, because of all the different smells.  It gives him a massive headache and sends him into a downward spiral.  So he has to eat by himself with his aide everyday.  Another example, is his hearing.  He can also hear things that we can't hear.  So on the bus, he has to wear headphones because the sounds of the kids and the bus hurts his ears.  Poor thing, I can't even imagine what it's like for him.  But he loves to TOUCH water, something with his sense of touch?  So this craft was right up his alley!  I'm sure your kids will love it too...

Do you think your kids would like something like this? You could make it longer by putting two tarps together, but we have a smaller yard so I stuck with one.  What kind of water fun activities do you do at your house?

Have a Wonderful Sunday,

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free for Friends Friday (on a Saturday!)

Here's a Free for Friends Freebie!  (on a Saturday).  Included in this freebie are 10 phonics printables that ask students to find and color the pictures that show the specified vowel sound.  Students in Kinder to  Low First would benefit most from this activity.

Click Here to Get These Printables

I hope you enjoy these free printables!  Leave me some comment love if you can use them; I'd love to hear from you!

Have a Blessed Day,

Tutorial Thursday: Fireworks Jar

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I've been waiting for my Garyn to ask the question I get every year...
"Mom, can we do fireworks this year?"  

Um, no.  I. am. scared. of. fireworks.

They just seem so darn dangerous and I really don't want my fingers blown off, or his for that matter.  We've done sparklers before, but that's about all I'll even try.

So, I'm checking out Pinterest the other day and I see this rockin' tutorial from The Gold Jellybean about the following craft.  I decided after making these, that this craft would be perfect for our "fireworks" this holiday.  Add these jars to sparklers, and we'll be all set!

I forgot to add that this is not something I'd let the kids make themselves, unless they were older, due to the chemicals involved.  But, if you hot glue the lid down, they will have a blast playing with these Fireworks in a Jar!

Also, please make sure you check out:

~Rafflecopter Giveaway for Free Follower Resource Pack and chance to win $30.00 TpT Gift Certificate

~Product Swap for Bloggers Sign-Up

Happy Crafting,

Everything is Awesome!

If your kids are anything like mine, all they've been waiting for is this Summer's release of the movie and video game featuring these AWESOME little toys!  So here's to "Everything is Awesome" and two printables for you to download for your favorite loved ones, may they be your kids or students!  Included are a Design-Your-Own printable and a writing printable in which students must describe what they designed.

Click Here to Get These AWESOME Printables!

It would be really awesome to put your students' pictures in the head.  Take their photos, cut them into the head shape and glue them in.  Now that would be awesome!

 So, if you need a saying or song for the day, please let it be, "Everything is Awesome!"  I mean, isn't that song addicting?
Today I'm hooking up with The Teaching Tribune's Worksheet Wednesday.  Click here to find many more free and awesome worksheets!

Also, please make sure you check out:

~Rafflecopter Giveaway for Free Follower Resource Pack and chance to win $30.00 TpT Gift Certificate

~Product Swap for Bloggers Sign-Up

Have an Awesome Day!

Back-to-School Product Swap

Hola Friends!  I'd like to extend an invitation to all you Bloggers to a Back-to-School, Product Swap I'm hosting.  Basically, you choose one of your products (it doesn't have to be a Back-to-School product) and you'll be matched with another blogger.  You'll swap products, try them out, and then blog about your experience!  Sound like fun?  Please read on below...

Click Here to Sign-Up for the 2014 Back-to-School Product Swap!

There are some teachers already signed up and ready to swap, but we need YOU to make this a successful event.  What an excellent way to promote your product and gain some viewers for your blog!  We'll have a Swap Linky when all's said and done, to see each others' wonderful reviews.  So make sure to sign up before June 30th.  Matches will be made then.

Wonderful Monday to You...

Two for Tuesday~ Oh, So Bright!

Happy Tuesday to You All!

I hope this finds you resting and relaxing on this Tuesday... Two for Tuesday to be exact!  I'm teaming up with The Teaching Tribune for their weekly TpT sale.  If you love a good sale, then this is the sale for you as a large group of teachers come together and offer their best products for HALF OFF!  What?  Half off?  Love it!  As soon as I'm done talking to you, I'm off to shop myself, hoping to find many treasures!

First, I'd like to offer you my Oh, So Bright Frames and Task Cards.  Oh, so perfect for Summer!  Included are the twelve frames you see here, which can also be used as task cards for centers, activities, or products.  There a lot of bright and cheery prints that I'm sure you'll love if you enjoy color like me!  Here are two samples from the set:

 The second sale item I have for you today is the matching set to these, Oh, So Bright Borders.  There are twelve borders/frames included that match the set above in the same prints!  Wow!  You can mix and match prints and frames and just have so much fun creating.  These too are half-off.  Both sets are only $2.00 each which is perfect for a Summer Sale.  You can get them at my TpT Store for TODAY only at this wonderful price.

Thanks for visiting me today and I hope you are enjoying your Summer days,