Have a heart!

This the season that hearts are everywhere. It's also a great time to think about heart health! I'm participating in a wonderful fundraiser for the American Heart Association called "the heart project", See the heart project post earlier this month for more info.

I am gearing up for our school fundraiser "Jump Rope for Heart" and I'm "Going Red for Heart Disease" every Friday this month.

In addition to the projects we've done for the e-book, decorating hearts has been a popular activity in our art center. My favorite valentines are always the sweet homemade kind.

If you'd like to donate $5 to the American Heart Association, you can click here and get a free copy of the heart project e-book as a thank you.

You can order a printed copy of the heart project book here for $20.

US $20.00

Order the Printed Version

I'm giving away a free copy of the heart project e-book right here. Leave me a comment (with your email address) telling about your favorite Valentine card or gift between now and Monday, February 20th. On Tuesday, February 21, one random comment will be chosen to receive a free copy of the heart project e-book! 


**Winner will be drawn from random comments and notified via email. If the winner does not respond to notification within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.** 

the heart project: Melissa and Doug Trunki Giveaway

I am excited to be participating in a wonderful collective fundraising project for the American Heart Association called: the heart project. Spearheaded by Jamie, over at hands on: we grow, over 70 bloggers have come together with over 100 arts and crafts ideas related to hearts. Pictures of each project have been collected and put together in a cute little e-book.  With a $5 donation to the American Heart Association, you can receive a copy of the e-book as a thank you gift! 


Check out this AMAZING little trunk/riding toy, the Trunki from Melissa and Doug! It's  perfect for little people! This would have been so handy when my kids were small. It certainly looks like it makes the hustle and bustle of airport travel with children considerably more fun! There are lots of accessories to add to the Trunki. You can get decals to make faces on your Trunki or add matching saddlebags! Check it out:

Pretty cool, right? Well, it gets even better! You can enter here to win one of 2 Trunkis being given away by Melissa and Doug! They are wonderfully supporting the heart project and have offered to sponsor this giveaway! Wooo Hooo!!!! 


Here's how you can get this sweet ride:


There are 4 Trunki and Teddy Bear auctions currently being held. Click here for links.


You can enter to win one by donating $5 to the American Heart Association and getting the free e-book of the heart project.

For more ways to give to the American Heart Association, see this post.


Leave a comment on this post and enter via Rafflecopter here on the form below or on any of these participating blogs between now (Feb. 8) and Feb. 15:


little illuminations (you're here!)
hands on: as we grow
The SEEDS Network
Toddler Approved
Putti Prapancha
Share & Remember
Broken Treasures
Living Montessori Now


(entries will be combined from all blogs for giveaway)


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Be sure to stop by Melissa and Doug's Facebook fanpage and say "Thanks!" for supporting this fundraiser!

 Terms and Conditions:
*** Available to US residents only.**
* This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner(s) will be contacted by email 48 hours after the giveaway ends. If you have any additional questions - feel free to send us an email!

* No purchase is necessary to win.
* Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
* Winners will be chosen via random.org by 2/14/12 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If winner does not claim prize within 48 hours or forefits, prize will be redrawn by random.org and the new winner will be notified.
* Void where prohibited by law.

Sharing the Love from Pay It Forward

I am so excited! We received a lovely package from Flights of Whimsy filled with goodies from "Down Under" in the mail earlier this month. This package was part of Karen's "Pay It Forward" post. The idea was originally the brainchild of Sherry and Donna from over at Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning. I am thrilled that I was able to participate, too!!! 


My gift package included: a calendar with beautiful pictures of the animals of Australia, 

And an adorable little kangaroo holding the Australian flag,

We were thrilled to discover "Wombat Stew",  a fabulous picture book filled with animals of the bush!

We've been reading "Wombat Stew" and I'm practicing my Aussie accent and silly animal voices with each reading.

And.....a BOOMERANG!!!!

We spent a wonderful afternoon trying out boomerang throwing. None of us were successful in having it return to us when we threw it, but it sure was fun trying!!!!

Our class wrote this thank you note to Karen that will be in the mail this week:

Dear Miss Karen,

Thank you for sending us a wonderful package. We are enjoying the calendar and book "Wombat Stew". It is very funny! Thank you for sending a boomerang! It is very fun! 

Love,  

Mrs. Ayn's class

I can't wait to "Pay It Forward" to 3 lucky readers in March. Be sure to check back and look for the opportunity to participate and Pay It Forward, too!

Baby Hawks

A lot of what I generally post here are the planned activities that we do. Those activities are just a small part of our day. The children have quite a bit of unstructured free time to pretend, explore, create and play. I love to watch  as some of these play scenarios unfold. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes enlightening, but usually entertaining, and often mesmerizing and, as in this scenario, simply beautiful. My friends concocted a scenario of being mother hawks teaching their little hawks to fly.  

They used a little depression in the ground formed by our storm water erosion as their nest. Mama Hawk told the babies to "get down and stay down" so they don't get eaten. When I asked who was going to eat them, my friend, Hannah replied, "Um, the predators, of course!" 

 

Watching the kids "fly" around the playground, wings outstretched, wind in their "feathers", I was taken by this moment of purity of imagination. If just for the moment, they were completely free!

Thanks for visiting! Leave a little "comment love"~I'd love for you to share your thoughts!

Special Visitors for Pet Week in Pre-K

We've had some very special visitors in our class for Pet Week. We've been learning about pets and how to take care of them.


We had Alex the Yorkie visit...

And a Yellow Lab, Berkley...

We learned about the tack (or horse supplies) used to take care of a pony...

and got to see and smell the various types of feed that ponies enjoy.

We also met the pony who the tack and feed belonged to! Meet Midknight, the Pony!

Hannah demonstrated how to brush her pony and pick his hooves.

The children each got a turn to come up and pet the pony!

We love our pets! I am so thankful to have wonderful families that took the time to come and share their pets, especially the Marshall family, the Oldham family and the Pace family!


If you's like to read more about our Pet Week activities, check out "Pet Art" and "Pet Week Play in Pre-K"


Thanks for visiting! Leave a little "comment love"~I'd love for you to share your thoughts!