Ring, Ring, Ring the Bells (Preschool Cristmas Party)

"Ring, ring, ring the bells
Ring them loud and clear
To tell the children everywhere
That Christmastime is here!"

This is the little song that Chloe learned at school and has been singing for a couple of weeks now. It is to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." I have to stop right here and tell you a little story......a couple of weeks ago, we were in the van riding to church and Chloe was singing this little Christmas song. All of a sudden, she got quiet for a couple of minutes. And then, I heard her singing, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".......I about came out of my seat! I could not believe that she had figured out that the two songs were the same tune. My girl has got an ear for music! I'm interested to see what will happen over the next few years.

Back to the party.........Chloe and her classmates sang this sweet little song, along with Happy Birthday to Jesus, to begin their Christmas party at school. Chloe did a great job singing...it's one of her favorite things to do! Oh....in case you are wondering, the kids are holding jingle bells that they "jangled" while they sang.

Then of course, there were cupcakes, cookies, cheese puffs, and juice boxes. Could a preschool party really happen without these four things?

Towards the end, the natives were getting restless and Daddy seemed to be the best entertainment. They read quite a few books in those last few minutes as they hung out on the rug by the bookshelf. This is Caroline, Kevin, and Chloe.

Christmastime is here......are you ready?

Cute Teacher Gifts

I first saw this idea on another blog that I read, Prayer of Hannah. I thought that it was a really cute idea for teachers. I decided to make these frames for Chloe's preschool teachers, Mrs. Kristian and Mrs. Dawn.

First, I used Publisher to print off this template on white cardstock.



Then, I had my "strong-armed man" start cutting crayons into 1/2 inch pieces. (We also used some bigger pieces so that each frame would have a crayon with the label on it.)

Then, I used hot glue to glue the crayons to the template.

And after some piecing together and teamwork.....here are the finished products!

Some lessons learned:
1. It would have been a better idea to use a 5x7 frame or larger......I used 4x6 frames and they were too small for the project. I would have liked to be able to cut the crayons in larger pieces.
2. I think that if I ever use this idea again, I will print the teachers' names across the top of the frame.....there seemed to be some confusion as they opened their gifts today.
3. Buy a smaller box of crayons....definately didn't use 48!

Overall, this turned out to be a cute and creative gift. I bought the frames at Dollar Tree and the box of crayons at Wal-Mart. Each gift ended up costing about $3 or less.

Thanksgiving Feast at School

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Chloe had a Thanksgiving Feast at school. The teachers had everyone sign up to bring a finger food, and we all sat in the fellowship hall at tables to eat. The kids enjoyed the food, and it was a fun activity to add to Thanksgiving week!

Claire had fun at sister's party too.......the snacks were her favorite part!

This was the best pictures that I could get of these four......they are quite the group! These four girls have been playing together for so long! It's hard to believe how quickly they grow up! L to R: Chloe, Caroline (I think), Mollie, and Ensley (I think). (I will have to verify with April and I'll come back and change it if I'm wrong!)