DIY Sunday!!

So if you are like me and have young children at home,  you KNOW just how crazy an un-structured weekend can be...

Yesterday, my daughter Natalee missed gymnastics (which she LOVES) to go to a birthday party, but all kinds of chaos broke out as a result of an out of routine day.  SO...that led to this morning's DIY project which has been on the back burner for some time now. This DIY is so crazy simple, that I'm not sure why it took me so long to do, but it was the perfect remedy for a laid back Sunday morning.  The best part of this project was that my daughter got to help and feel "special"!  This project had "NO BABIES ALLOWED" stamped all over it.  My little guy, Avery had some quality time with his daddy!


So what was the project you ask?

Dollar Store Clear Stones

We made alphabet buttons using some simple tools that you can buy from your local dollar store.  We made two sets of alphabet letters (lowercase and uppercase) in two different colours.  I bought one package of stones from the dollar store (which just happened to have the exact number I needed for both sets), some clear glue and some white cardstock and used two different coloured permanent markers which I had here at home.  Some of you who have lovely printers and beautiful fonts may choose to make these using the computer, but because it was a last minute project we used permanent markers and my handwriting.

Here is Natalee with our lowercase letters!

The letters turned out pretty well!  I just wish the picture would have shown you how nicely!  Right now these little letters are perfect for using at a literacy station, but you can also add magnets to the back of them to use on the chalkboard.  Check out the close up below!

This little idea led to my next creation...if you are a scrap-a-holic, then you know the oodles of scrapbook pieces you have laying around.  I took some of my pretty paper scraps to make these "button magnets" below, again, perfect for using on the chalkboard!

Scrappin' Magnets

TIP:  If you choose to do this little project, make sure that you can use the stones that you buy from the dollar store by checking them out in the store.  Not all of these little stones will be so clear. Also, if you are using them for letters, make sure you test a letter before printing them all out.  They do magnify whatever is behind them.  Also, not all of the stones are the same size, so it is best to do a letter and trim it for the particular stone you will be gluing it to!  

Another Idea:  Modify these little stones to use as punctuation marks! Use them at the end of sentence strips in a work station!

So, that was today's DIY project!  I hope that you like it and find it useful in your own classrooms.  If you have kids at home, it's a great way to do a purposeful craft.  We are going to donate these to Natalee's Kindergarten class tomorrow as a surprise for her teacher who just came back from Maternity Leave!! This little project took me back to my primary teaching days not so long ago!

Oh yes, I couldn't post a picture of one of my babies without posting a picture of the other, so here is my little man in his new space dogs jammies :)

Avery - 8 months

Have a Super Sunday!