Back to School Countdown {A Recycled Advent Calendar}

I won't start this post by saying, "I can't believe school starts one week from tomorrow for us!" but I will say this summer is a bit of a blur!  So many great memories, carefree days, and fun times, but now it's time to move on to a new chapter- SCHOOL TIME!

I shared my back to school countdown last year.  But I wanted to update the look a bit, and add some new activities. My boys ALWAYS have the first day jitters, so I like to make the days up to the first day as fun and exciting as possible, and a countdown is the perfect way to do it. 

You can click on the link above for more tips on making the countdown calendar, but basically I just dress up a toilet paper roll, and then put a little treat and activity inside the roll each day.  We countdown the week before school, so like  I said we'll be starting tomorrow!

The link above also has a list of activities we do in our countdown.  This year I'm adding a few new ones.

Back to school Mad Libs (tune in tomorrow for some great links on that)

Make a back to school Rainbow Loom bracelet

Take a quiz about last year's school year

You can do anything you'd like for your countdown.  Personalize it for your kids, and make it fun.  That first day can be a bit nerve-racking and overwhelming.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Valentine Countdown & Activities

It is the day before February, and I should have done this post a week ago, but you still have today to get it put together, or go ahead and save it for next year.

If you're somewhat of a regular here at Blissful Roots, then you know we love counting down to the holidays at our house.  It's a great way to sneak in some math lessons, (numbers, counting, how many more, etc…) build anticipation, and do some fun activities that probably wouldn't get done otherwise.

In October, I shared my Halloween toilet paper roll countdown, and today it's the Valentine's Day version. 

Toilet paper rolls are perfect for this project for so many reasons!

*They're free.
*You always have plenty of them (if you get in the habit of saving them).

*You're recycling when you use them.

*They're the perfect size for holding a small treat and note.

*They're a blank canvas for decorating however you'd like. 

I found my white and red polka dot paper at Michaels.  Then I added some ric rac to the top and bottom of the covered toilet paper rolls.  I found the red glitter hearts at Dollar Tree, then used some blue number stickers I had for the numbers.  I painted them white and added a bit of glitter.  I used red tulle to stuff in the tops of the toilet paper rolls because I was out of tissue paper (what I usually use). I have to say I'm really liking the tulle this time around.  I've never used it before. 

Inside each toilet paper roll, I put a goodie bag (found at Dollar Tree or Michaels) with an activity on a note, and a small treat.  Pretty easy and low-key.

If you want to start this tomorrow, you can just do one toilet paper roll a day.  I do that some years when I'm not too on top of things.  Some years I have all 14 days ready to go and set out on February 1st.  Other years, I just do one toilet paper roll a day, and switch the number on the front and replace the treat and note in the goodie bag. Do whatever is easiest for you.

And in case you're needing some ideas for valentine activities, here's a list of what we do.

*Valentine tic-tac-toe

*Read a valentine book

*Pick out/make your valentines

*Heart attack someone

*Conversation heart graph

*Goldilocks valentine story (check back on February 11th for more details)

*Make valentine cookies, cupcakes, cake, treats, etc...

*Shaving cream and food coloring hearts (follow directions in post, but just use red, pink, and purple food coloring and then cut into heart shapes when done)

*I love… journals

*Love letters jar

*Love notes & mailboxes

*Symmetrical valentine art project

*Valentine movie (Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is always a favorite)

*Valentine breakfast, lunch, or dinner (more details coming soon on that as well)

So, that's how we spend our time leading up to the big day of love.  What are some of your favorite valentine activities?  We've been doing these for several years now, and while my boys haven't complained, I'm sure they wouldn't mind mixing it up a bit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Christmas Countdown Blocks & Printable

I tend to get a bit carried away with Christmas countdowns.  We have advent calendars, a December calendar, an ornament a day countdown, our Days 'Til Christmas blocks,....  I could go on and on.   Just like I mentioned in my post here, I love how calendars and countdowns help kids with math concepts.  I have six-year-old twins and a three-year-old.  These kind of activities are perfect for teaching them about numbers while anticipating an exciting event.  

I  know there's a million countdown blocks out there, but I think it's always fun to see someone else's take on them.  

SUPPLIES

*2 wooden blocks (mine are 2 inch squares, but any size will do)

*craft paint

*scrapbook paper

*Mod Podge or glue

*numbers 

*decorative stickers/embellishments (optional)

*glitter (optional)

*Days 'Til Christmas printable

HOW TO

There's not really any rocket science involved in the assembly.  I painted my blocks, used Mod Podge to put the scrapbook paper on, and then put my numbers on.  I didn't have any number stickers on hand, so I cut out some numbers from my Cricut Classic Font cartridge and put red glitter on them.  

I then printed out my 'Days 'Til Christmas' wording, cut it down, and mounted it on two pieces of scrapbook paper. 

Okay, so there may be a tad bit of rocket science involved with the numbers on the blocks. I started putting the numbers on and quickly realized there weren't enough sides on each block to have every number (0 through 9).  Luckily, Jenny at Jenny Garland had the low down on how the numbers should be arranged on the blocks.  Thank you, Jenny!  I would probably still be trying to figure it out.  Here's how the blocks and numbers should be.

Block #1

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Block #2

0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8  (make sure your number 6 can be flipped upside down to look like a 9)

That's about all there is to it.  I just lean my blocks and sign against a green glittery Christmas tree I found in the dollar bins at Target, but you could display them any way you'd like. 

 Only 21 days left until Christmas.  Are you ready?  I'm not, but I'm determined to be ready a week before this year (I say that every year).  :)

P.S.  Here's a quote for you today as well.

////////////////////////////////////////

“Chop your own wood, and it will warm you twice.”

-Henry Ford

////////////////////////////////////////

Linking up to these parties.