Preschool Mother's Day Project

Little Garden Starters

This is looking like a pictorial and I haven't uploaded all the pictures.  My grandson was so excited when I told him that we were going to make something for mommy.  Not only am I the Mimi, I am also the daycare provider.  I try to keep him busy with stimulating projects.  

He is so smart and has such an extraordinary vocabulary.  I try to keep him busy with stimulating projects.  (That could be another blog topic.)  I don't want him to miss out on any of the types of projects that he would be doing in a nursery school.  This time of year they always have such cute projects that involve growing things.

We started by gathering up all of our supplies.  I cut colored paper into strips, got out the markers, some stickers and glue sticks.  He was so happy to accommodate all of my requests... color this... pick stickers... peel stickers... put glue on this... Although he had gotten plenty of glue on the strips of colored paper, he needed help from me to get them all aligned.  Working on this project I discovered that he really loves to using the glue sticks, so I have since come up with a few other projects that allow him to use them.

The little window containers are nothing fancy or spectacular, but to him they are grand!  He checks on them every morning, See, Mimi, more flowers!  I suppose with a little creativity and some cute materials like; buttons and bows, some hot glue, and a few other crafting items they could really be gorgeous.  

At this point they needed to sit and dry for awhile.  I think we had lunch, a story, and a nap.  He awoke just before daddy (my son) got home from work.  He knew we had to wait until daddy got here to put the dirt in.  They were dry and ready to go.

We went to the garage to fill them with potting soil.  You can imagine how exciting that was for a two year old.  Potting soil and a toy shovel...  Oh, Boy!!  It was great!  Then we got to put the seeds into our crafty little containers.  Of course he thought that we needed the whole packet of seeds. 

Next....  Just wait for them to grow...  And they are definitely growing!  There is enough little kale sprouts in that little cup to plant a whole row in his little garden.  I tried to pick things that would germinate fast.  I thought that the beans would be the first thing to sprout, no luck though.  The kale came up real fast, maybe three days.  The Swiss chard took a little longer, but they are up for Mother's Day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

    

My Portable Office

Gets a make-over...

The Old Office/
Lunch Box

The old ReBag had gotten to be a bit tattered....  Although it looks pretty good in this picture... LOL (Trust me, it will be of better use carrying groceries.) Needless to say I was really pleased when my daughter-in-law gave me a new reusable bag.  I have been using reusable bags for quite awhile now, several years for sure.  My children have on occasion joked about the "Bag Lady".  That is quite alright with me.  I am really proud to say that my children, as different as they all may be, each in their own way have learned an environmentally friendly habit from me.  I have five children, so the impact goes on.   You can learn some innovative ways to recycle and repurpose at Recyclebank,  it is website designed to inform, you can earn rewards and discounts on green products too.


Contents of Office

I carry quite a bit of stuff with me every day.  Breakfast, lunch, snacks, a project or two, or ingredients for a baking project.  I am the daycare provider for my youngest grandson.  I like to bring new and intriguing  things for him to do or experience.  Sensory projects, new books to read, crayons, markers and paper, and the list goes on.  He is a very smart little boy, he just turned two a month ago.  His vocabulary is extraordinary and so is his memory.   As you can see I need a large bag for all of my projects on the go.  




Gathering Materials

I started my project by gathering up all of the materials that I might need.  The glue gun, because I wanted to make this a simple no-sew project.  A dress I haven't worn in about seven years.  I don't think I will be wearing my dresses that short any time soon.  Besides I don't think that one of my boobs would fit in it now let alone two.  I have a whole box of print dresses that I saved for sewing projects and quilting squares. 

At first I thought that one box would be all that I needed.  My main concern was keeping all of my paperwork separate, neat and easily accessible.  However, once I got into the project I soon decided to add another.  This time when I went to my little box collection I was in need of one that was just the right size.  Bingo, one of my husbands' pop tart boxes was a perfect fit. 

For some reason I haven't been able to get rid of this old lace tablecloth, now it has come in handy.  I think that the only part of it that is usable is a few feet of the edge.  Of course, I did not need it all for this project so it went back into the lace box.

I didn't include step-by-step directions as it is such a simple project.  First, I covered the boxes with the fabric as if I were wrapping a package, using hot glue instead of tape.  On the open end of the box I just folded it in and tacked it down with the hot glue.  I still had a nice swatch of material left so I made a pocket for the front.  It covered the printed advertising quite well.  I love how all the colors seem to match and touch of lacey fun too.  The finished project even holds my laptop and cords.  :)

The New Portable Office