Boot Print Pottery Pendant

This is a super easy craft you can have a child do. You can even use Air Dry Clay and paint clear nail polish on it.

To make this pendant, form your clay in to a ball shape. Then have the child step on it gently until it flattened, but they have not touched the ground. Use a straw to poke a hole at the top and rmove the clay from the hole.

Allow to dry and then either paint or glaze however the clay you are using dictates.

Have fun!

Teacher Appreciation Gift #5: Thanks for Being a TEA-rrific Teacher DIY Mug

The mug itself is a project I found on Pinterest. This website, The Sweetest Occasion, has some pretty good instructions on how to make a mug like this one. I have read a lot of posts though where people have failed horrible at making this project. I found that the key is to use a lot of fingernail polish right away. This was a good project to use up colors that we had not used in a while that were about half full but we still ended up using about 6 or 7 bottles that were half full to do just one mug.

The other one my daughter made for herself in blues and was hoping it would look like waves in the ocean. She is a swimmer and really like the idea of having a mug like that.

The mug she made for her art teacher she stuffed it with a variety of Teas and we attached a card that said "Thanks for being a TEA-rrific Teacher!"

Her art teacher appreciated the time and creativity she put into this.

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea #3: FREE Printable Fill-In Paper About Teacher

I made both of these for my kids to fill out for their teachers. Feel free to print them off and use for the special teachers in your kids' lives. Even though teacher appreciation week is coming to a close, there are still these last days of school to let a teacher know that they made a difference.

Gifts don't all have to cost money. Gifts that come from the heart will mean even more than another coffee mug. I also like to send an email to the principal letting him know what I appreciate about each one of the teacher's my kids have. I know he appreciates hearing it and sends on the info to those teachers.

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea #2: "Thanks for Helping Me Grow" Hand Print Craft

This is one that my kindergarten son made for his teacher. It's a perfect for the younger child like preschool and kindergarten.

It's a simple hand print craft and he loved painting it for his teacher. They only stay little for so long, so let them finger paint and get those hand prints while they are still little.

Thanks for Helping Me Grow!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea #1: An Apple

I know....An apple for the teacher....How original!?!?!? :)

But seriously, how often do you think a teacher actually get a real apple these days?

Not very, if at all.

We kicked off Teacher Appreciation week this week with an apple for the teacher and wrote on it:

Roses Are Red, Apples Are Too.

I'm So Glad, I Spent the Year with You!

A simple apple, with a paper leaf tied with some butcher's twine. It's a thoughtful and inexpensive teacher appreciation gift. We give their main teacher a gift every day of Teacher Appreciation Week and give one gift to each of their elective class and physical education teachers. So, come back every day this week and find some more ideas.

FREE Lowes Build and Grow - Monster Jam Blue Thunder

Next up in the Lowe's Build and Grow Monster Jam Series is "Blue Thunder". This event is happening this Saturday at 10am at your nearest Lowe's. These events do fill up fast, so you need to pre-register to guarantee a spot.

REGISTER TODAY!

Paper Plate Captain America Shield Craft

This was a fun and easy craft to have my son do. We did this one around the 4th of July since we were trying to make a bunch of Red, White and Blue decorations.

All you need is:

• a paper plate
• red paint & a paint brush
• blue construction paper
• white construction paper
• glue

I drew circles on the paper plate so that he knew where NOT to paint so that it would stay white. He painted red everywhere else. White that was drying I gave him a plastic list to trace and cut out a blue circle and a star cookie cutter to trace and cut out a white star. When the paint was dry, he glued those pieces on.