Soul Pancake: Kid President 20 Things We Should Say More Often

There are way too many times that we don't say what we want to or what we should or when we should.  Kid President does it again, this time reminding us the importance of opening our mouths and speaking up!

Maybe if more of us listened to what he has to say, the world would be a better place!!

fashionABLE Scarves

When I heard about this company, I had to share it with you.  fashionABLE has a mission to create a sustainable business for women in Africa.  Here's their mission statement:

"The fashionABLE mission is to create sustainable business for Africans so they aren't dependent upon charity, but instead earn the dignity of a job. We offer opportunity to everyone, with a primary focus on empowering women. When we invest in a woman, statistics demonstrate that she will have a life-changing impact on her family and community... and herself.

Through your purchase, you are ABLE to provide opportunity, and a woman is ABLE to have a new choice."

Their products are beautiful, hand made, and affordable.  Here's what caught my eye:

 

Scarves range in price from $32 to $65.

Leather Wrapped bracelets handmade in Ethiopia $24

Handmade leather wallet from Ethiopia $28

In Ethiopia, prostitution is something many women get involved with, and they become trapped in the industry unable to break out of the negative cycle.  fashionABLE is committed to rehabilitate and support former sex workers and help them create new, positive lives.  All products are handmade by women, and are supported by a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.  

Check out www.livefashionable.com and check out what they have to offer.  I think I may purchase a scarf to wear this summer!

4th of July: {DRINKS!!}

Okay...so I'm a LITTLE excited that summer is almost upon us.  In fact, as I write this, I'm sitting outside on my porch with my laptop blogging.  I can't get enough of the fresh air and the sounds of summer.

The fourth of July is in just a few weeks!  This year, we'll be spending it celebrating a special little boy's birthday!  In the meantime, I figured I would start to get you all excited for the festivities to come!  There are some pretty awesome RED, WHITE, and BLUE! treats out there.  Yesterday, I blogged about some awesome desserts,  and today, I'm bringing you drinks...alcoholic and stuff for the kiddos!  Enjoy!!

Red, White and Blue Sangria

Pop Rocks Shooters!

4th Of July Fruity Ice Drinks

A recipe for the kids...and the adults!

Love the ice cube idea!!

Splash of grenadine,1-2 shots UV raspberry vodka, 1-2 shots parrot bay rum, lemonade Fill glass with ice. Put splash of grenadine over ice. Pour Rum over ice. Then lemonade, then UV blue razz vodka. Pour slowly!

Pina Colada with Blue Raspberry Syrup, garnished with a watermelon star!

Happy Planning!!!

Dirt Dessert... A hit for summer parties!

A summertime favorite dessert... dirt! Dirt dessert is alternating layers of crushed Oreo cookies and a lightened chocolate pudding mixture that's made to look like dirt... all complete with gummy worms!

This is a HUGE hit with kids! I've seen it time and time again and the kids go crazy over it! I hope you try it at one of your summer parties. It's super cute in a flower pot or sand bucket, too!

There are many recipes that you can follow for Dirt Dessert. Here's one of my favorites from Brown Eyed Baker:

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (about 15 ounces) Oreo Cookies
2 (3.9-ounces) packages instant chocolate pudding
4 cups milk
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces Cool Whip
Gummy worms (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Crush the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor (or, place the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin); set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together both boxes of the instant pudding with the milk for about 2 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the powdered sugar, then gradually increase the speed back to medium until a fluffy texture is reached.

4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate pudding, then fold in the Cool Whip until completely combined.

5. The dessert can be assembled in a number of ways - in a rectangular or square serving dish, in a trifle dish, or in individual cups. However you plan to serve it, layer the dessert with alternating layers of the crushed Oreos and pudding mixture, beginning and ending with the crushed Oreos. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving. Decorate the top with gummy worms before serving, if desired.

Here are a few other ideas for ways to serve:

Teacher Gifts! {Free Printables}

I love this teacher gift idea... "Thank you for quenching my thirst for knowledge." You can never have enough water bottles! Click here and here for FREE PRINTABLES and for more information about these ideas! 

4th of July Desserts!

Can you believe it??? The 4th of July is just around the corner!  It's time to start planning what you're going to be bringing to all of the barbecues that weekend!! (The 4th of July is on a Friday this year!!)

Here are some yummy desserts I just HAD to share with you!!

Red, White and Blue Fudge Stars

Firecracker Cupcakes

These cupcakes look incredible...and so easy!

Don't these skewers look amazing, too?!

Red, White and Blue Fruit Cookie

A Very Berry Tart

Coconut Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

5 Things to Discuss Before Moving in Together!

I am thrilled to be planning my next big move...in with my boyfriend!  Over the past few weeks, we've been talking about a lot of things and getting ready for our merge.  We both have our own places, and have moved enough to know what works and what doesn't....but there's always an adjustment period when you merge lives with someone else.  I thought some of the topics we've been discussing may be helpful to you if you're deciding to move in with the love of your life, too!

1. Finances

Talk with your significant other before moving in together about how finances will be handled.  Will you split the rent?  Will one person pay more than the other?  Who will pay for the utilities? Groceries? There's so many things that go into running a household.  When you live by yourself, you don't need to think about how things will get paid, but once you're sharing a space with someone, it matters!  Another thing you may want to discuss is how cool in the summer and how warm in the winter do you like your living space to be?  I know my boyfriend likes it cool in the winter and warmer in the summer to save money.  I am certainly the opposite, and I am pretty sure I'll be paying for that, but comfort is important to me!

2. What stuff stays...and what stuff goes?

Since we both have fully furnished apartments, it's going to be pretty interesting how we end up merging our furniture!  We have two of everything...two living rooms, two bedroom sets, and a whole lot more.  We'll be getting a storage space to store all of our extra furniture to use in the future.  In addition, we have a lot of everyday things like housewares, which we will have to go through!

3. Guest Policy

Does one person love to entertain and the other person likes quiet nights at home?  Whatever the case, just a quick conversation about how guests are handled makes a big difference.  Most of the time, it won't matter, but if you have friends parked on your couch until 3am on a work night, you might not be a happy camper!

4. Time Together...and Time Alone!

Alone time is super important to keep the spice alive in your relationship.  It is ultra important to both of us to keep our friends and have time together and alone with all our friends.  I know there are nights when all I want is my pajamas and the couch! My friends should know that just because I'm moving in with my boyfriend doesn't mean I'm unavailable to hang out!!

5. Discuss the Chores

Does one of you like things neat and the other doesn't mind the pile of laundry on the floor?  Whatever the case, discuss when you're going to be sure to clean and what you're responsible for cleaning.  That way, certain things don't get on one another's nerves.  Discuss meal plans and how you'll handle dinner during the week so you're both on the same page.

I'm sure if you discuss these points and a few others you'll be ready for the big move!  There's no doubt that things change when you move in together, but the fact is if you're in love and you can't imagine spending time without one another, living together will lead you to a life that's even more fun than it is now!

In the Classroom: Summer Writing Prompts

I try to set my students up with successful tools for Summer Reading and Writing before they leave my classroom. Over the past few years, I've asked students to decorate Summer Writing Notebooks. Sometimes this happens in the classroom and we decorate notebooks together, and sometimes I ask them to decorate at home. Either way, it builds excitement for filling clean pages in a new notebook.

There are several writing activities and challenges that my students take part in before bringing their notebook home on the last day of school. I'll be sharing them here with you! Tomorrow, we'll get started with some fun summer journal writing prompts. Creative ideas to get their minds going!

The prompts that I'll be using are from Genia Connell, Scholastic Teacher Blogger. I  mentioned her in my posts a few times last week. Be sure to check these posts out here and here. Genia posted about 5 Ways to Keep Your Students Writing All Summer Long. One of her tips was about journal prompts and she shared 75 Summer Writing Prompts that she sends home with her students.

Genia provides one prompt per day and most of the time, the prompts are about a special thing that happened on that day. Here are some examples below:

June 18 

On this day in 1983, Sally Ride became the first woman in space. What would you like to 

be the first to do? Go into the future and write a newspaper article that tells the world the 

who, what, when and where of your great accomplishment as “The very first person to 

ever…” Include quotes from yourself and other people who know you. 

June 19 

Today is known as Juneteenth. This special day commemorates the ending of slavery in the 

United States in 1865. Write a speech about what freedom means to you. Perform the speech 

for someone at your home or tape the speech and become your own audience. 

June 22 

The largest hailstone on record was recovered on June 22, 2003, in Aurora, 

Nebraska. With a diameter of seven inches, this hailstone was nearly as large 

as a soccer ball. Write a fictional narrative about a day that you were outside 

playing when something unusual started falling from the sky. What was it? 

What did you do? Remember to start with an attention-grabbing beginning, a 

middle with important details and an ending that wraps up your story for the 

audience. 

Click here to download all Summer Writing Prompts. 

I'll continue to keep you updated with the activities and challenges that fill their notebooks. I'll also continue to post some fun Summer Reading stuff, too!

DIY Project: Summer Activity Jars

While participating in our link parties, I came across this awesome blog: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. Such a cute blog, but even cuter post about Summer Activity Jars. 

We've been having a lot of discussions about summer in my classroom over the past two days.  When I saw this photo, I thought of my students right away. I know some of them would love having this routine incorporated into their summer days, especially when sometimes "every day looks the same." I love the idea of sticking to routines and not getting sucked into the lazy days of summer. These jars are a cute way to switch things up and accomplish things at the same time! Click here for directions on how to make these. 

I was also admiring Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom's summer schedule for her kids. I'm a schedule/routine kind of girl - it's probably the teacher in me. But, I also know how important a schedule is to kids. I feel bad for some of my students because I know they suffer greatly without a routine or schedule. I love the variety that's incorporated into this schedule. So fun!

The Science of Love: The Power of Compliments

If you follow 730Moments often, you know that I post a lot about Soul Pancake and their awesome videos.  The latest experiment they completed for their Science of Love series focused on the power of accepting compliments.  Couples felt closer afterwards, and each member of the partnership had increased self-esteem.  It made me start to think about how I accept compliments, and how important they really are to a relationship.  Having the person you love express how they feel about you makes couples feel that much closer.  Take a look:

Here was the follow up video:

One thing is for sure, couples should try to compliment one another often.  It makes couples feel more connected in life.  Also...the person on the receiving end should accept it and explain why the compliment means a lot to them.  

I know I'm going to try to be more open and accepting.  You should try it, too!

In the Classroom: Summer READING Bucket List!

I blogged about Summer Bucket Lists in the classroom last week and it was a big hit! I loved the activity and can't wait to incorporate into my classroom this week. I found this image on Pinterest and thought it would be another great connection to our fun bucket lists. 

Throughout my Summer Reading & Writing Unit, I offer my students suggestions for "when every summer day looks the same." We've all had those, right? One suggestion is to keep up with summer reading by varying each day with a different theme or topic. 

The Stuffed Suitcase blog is offering a great Six Week Summer Reading Challenge and each week is a different theme! Read and complete activities during that week based on that theme... for kids, adults, and families! Although their activity book is geared towards elementary kids, I could totally revamp this for my middle school students. 

I also really, really love that they're encouraging everyone to share their journey through the hashtag #ReadGo2014! So awesome and so fun!

Please stop by the Stuffed Suitcase blog for more details! I hope you consider joining the 6 Week Summer Reading Theme Challenge! I definitely plan on telling my students about this, too! :-)

10 FREE Book Apps for School Age Kids!!

I'm excited to go into school tomorrow because I'm launching my Summer Reading & Writing Unit! I've been doing some extra research to strengthen this mini-unit and came across this great find: 

10 FREE Book Apps for School Age Kids

I found this through Pinterest, which linked to igamemom.com, and I can't wait to share all of these with my students tomorrow! I downloaded each one onto my iPad and it looks like every app is still free with the exception of Journey to the West. I didn't search very hard for it though - so maybe it's still there. 

I am copying and pasting what igamemom.com wrote about each app because she explained them each perfectly. I am really in love with each one! I think my students are going to love these suggestions!

Aesop for children: a different one from that in 10 Free Book Apps for Pre-school Kids.  This one is from Library of Congress.  There are over140 classic fables, with beautiful illustrations and light interactivities.  There is no narration in the app, kids have to read it by themselves.  A great read aloud book.

WWF together: introduces some amazing animals, such as tiger, elephant, panda, with stunning photographs, accompanied with short paragraphs and animal facts. All animals in the app are endangered.  There are some interactive activities in the app. For each animal, there is an cute origami with instruction of how to make it.

Science 360:  not a book in traditional sense, but in my opinion, this is what the books in the future should be like.  Made by National Science Foundation (NSF), this free app has a wealth of information about science around us. All the contents are updated weekly, so you always get the most recent development of science and technology.

Biography comics who: designed for kids 8 and older, the series has 29 biographies. Two books come with the app for free: Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. The rest are available via In-App Purchase. The right level writting plus funny cartoon expressions make it a fun read for the kids.

Fotopedia national park: there are over 3000 stunning photos of the 58 National Parks in the USA accompanied with park information.  It is a great app to share with kids and together to appreciate what the nature can offer.  You can even use it as a travel planner.

Cool to be clever:  tells the true story of Edson Hendricks, who invented early internet concept.  Edson was bullied at school, but found comfort in an imaginary world where he had machine parts, and no biological organs or emotions… A great read about persevere and about bully.

Sound uncovered:  a fascinating app takes you explore the many intriguing sound related phenomena, hands on. It is like going through a museum of sound. Do you know what happens when two different notes are played at the same time? The app lets you hear it while you can adjust the two sound sources yourself – fun thing for kids to do.

Journey to the west: adapted from the classic Chinese novel of the same title, it tells the story of  the famous Chinese Monk Xuan Zang who traveled to India to find the holy book of Buddhism. The main character of the first 2 apps is Monkey King: how he was born, and how he found the best weapon for himself.

Creature of light: companion app for the popular exhibition Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence, Creature of Light offers a close look at some of the extraordinary organisms that produce light. The interactive animations, stunning pictures and videos are integrated together to reveal the beauty of this amazing natural phenomenon.

Weird but True: a great read from National Geographics.  There are more than 300 Weird But True kid-friendly facts.  Kids will have a good time reading the facts with wachy sound effects. Used to be a paid app, it is been free for a very long time.  Make sure check the price when you download the app.