Stay in the Present!: A Lovely Gift for National Teacher Day!

Yeah! It's National Teacher Day! Have you thanked your teacher today?

Today, I received one of the loveliest gifts I have ever received in my short years spent as a teacher: a picture frame with a very elegant piece of burlap with the many adjectives that describe moi emblazoned on its humble fibers.

One of the mothers at our school created this simply stunning gift using a word processing program and a special printer that prints on fabric.

I thought that the glorious lunch and dessert was thanks enough, but add in this snappy little gift of gratitude from my students, and you get the proverbial icing on the cake for this perky preschool teacher.

*Take note that one of my kiddos described me as a princess!  Disney eat your heart out! Miss Hatcher has entered the building, but where's my scepter? I already have one very sparkly and glamorous crown!

Treats for Teach: Gift Ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week 2014

Next Week begins Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers everywhere clamor to find deals at local retailers, restaurants, and museums during this national event.

Why celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week only once a year when teachers dispense knowledge, instill motivation, self-esteem and build confidence in students the whole year through? While we love Starbucks gift cards, which lend a pick me up at the beginning of a hectic morning, we often end up drowning in latte overload.

 Look below to see gifts that keep on giving the whole year through and maybe even years to come!

• Buy a simple picture frame with matting at a local craft or big box store. 
• Find a poem that celebrates the contribution of teachers and frame. 
• If possible, place a picture of your child inside and have them sign their name underneath. If they are unable to write, simply have them use their fingerprint and print their name underneath. 

• Ask the school principal what supplies they feel your homeroom teacher would need on a daily basis. 
• Buy a basket and fill it with the school supplies the principal suggested. 
• Wrap in cellophane and tie with a bow or curling ribbon.
• Variation: Buy a gift card from an office supply store such as Staples or a local teacher store.

• Create a cute little pencil holder by hot gluing colorful, unsharpened pencils to a ceramic pencil holder. 

Happy Teachers Appreciation Week Everyone!

Batter Up Against ALS: May is ALS Awareness Month

ALS is a debilitating neurological disease that devastates and tears apart families during the prime of their lives. Those who receive this devastating diagnosis are relegated to getting their affairs in order and watching each nerve and muscle slowly deteriorate, while being unnervingly aware of how their physical body is betraying them.

Military members and men are the most likely to contract this killer disease. Typically the lifespan of an ALS patient is between 3-5 years at best.

The most prominent figure who had this disease was the baseball player, Lou Gehrig, whose heartfelt speech from an ESPN documentary found below, ignited the fight for a cure.

Please spread the word and visit the ALS Association website for more information on advocacy, walks and charitable giving. Click on the highlighted link: ALS Association 

Look Who's Hopping Down the Bunny Trail!

Look who I spied in the neighborhood today! The Easter Bunny came out to play! 


Have a Very Happy Easter, Everybody!

Shout Out to All the Kiddos!: Week of the Young Child 2014 (April 6th - 12th)

Source of photo: http://www.naeyc.org

Yesterday, April 6, 2014, marked the beginning of The Week of the Young Child, which was founded by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1971. This celebration brings greater awareness to the needs of young children (birth to age 8), their families, and those who work within the field to care, inspire and educate them on a daily basis. 

Many centers and associations across the country celebrate this week by holding special events and developing public displays geared toward this most precious age group. 

Our center has decided to create a display of our budding artists' artwork at at local public library. The artwork, which was entirely made by the children, will show library patrons the purity and ingenuity of young children's developing skills and artistic levels. 

Everyone who sees the art will be blown away by the cute, whimsical and energetic spirit that only the young can produce. A little paint, buttons, pizazz, and ta-da!: a masterpiece! 

Please visit the Naeyc.org website to learn more about the Week of the Young Child. 

* I am a proud member of NAEYC!*

Zoo Cool to Be True: A Trip to the Cosley Zoo!

The Cosley Zoo is an adorable oasis nestled in a residential section of Wheaton, Illinois. Children and grown-ups alike clamor to this zoo for their incredible collection of domestic and exotic species including chickens, miniature donkeys, bobcats, bunnies, Nubian Goats and hedgies (hedgehogs) too!

To celebrate the Week of the Young Child (April 6th - 12th) and to enjoy this springtime weather, my mother and I took a car trip to see this lesser-known cousin of the Brookfield Zoo to area residents.

It was so refreshing to know that Wheaton residents (who have a special park district pass) are able to enter the park free and my entrance fee was a measly five dollars, which is unheard of in these trying economic times!

I was amazed at the beauty and cleanliness of both the animals and the park grounds. Ducks quacked happily on a grassy knoll, goats lazed on a wooden dais created for their enjoyment, and bobcats perused their habitat in a happy-go-lucky fashion.

The highlight of my trip, was when I was able to pet a very handsome and prickly young fellow in Cosley's education center. The African Pygmy Hedgehog was an absolutely quill-essential sight to any animal lover big or small and made my day!

As I meandered through the zoo, I found the laughter of the children, the chatter of the grown-ups and the sweetness of the animals become a symphony to my ears on a lazy springtime afternoon.

*The previous video was made before the bobcat exhibit opened. The bobcat exhibit is now open*

Blazin' Boards: April Showers-themed Bulletin Board

Rain, Rain go away come back another day! No, it's okay rain stay!

Our wet and soggy April bulletin board is puddles of fun and is sure to keep the rainy day blues away. The comfort of dry umbrellas and winsome raindrops make "raindrops falling on your head" a total impossibility. Dont' forget the floral surprises that make their appearance known at the bottom of the board.

Remember it's the perfect time to put on your galoshes, shimmy into your raincoat, and sashay into the brilliance of a refreshing spring rain.