Halloween

Halloween Decorations for 2007 (The archive in this section contains even more ideas!)

A new twist on some old feinds! Use these templates to create various decorations and party items.

Halloween Decorations from my Flickr gallery

Check out the Halloween Decorations from my Flickr gallery.

Back To School Ideas

Making New Friends

Host a Meet-n-Greet Picnic
- Invite your child’s classmates and their families to meet at a local park either one day after school or on a weekend (just choose one that most can attend).
- Contact the teacher and ask if it is possible to hand out invitations in class so long as all are invited; create a flyer with the details (time, date, place, your name and contact information). Make enough copies of the flyer for all the students.
- At the event, hand out index cards and pencils. List names, phone numbers, and email addresses of those parents and children that you’d like to know better. This is a great way to arrange play dates as well as to find people willing to add their names to your emergency contact list required by the school every year. This is a great way to keep in touch even as the classroom contact list is still being compiled!

Getting and Staying Organized

Supplies and Homework Helpers
- Keep homework and project supplies handy so you aren’t rushing around in the evenings trying to buy or find them!
- Base your supplies-on-hand on the teacher-generated list specific to your child’s grade level. Survey parents of children who have just finished the grade level that your child is entering for a good idea of what you might need!
- Some traditional supplies include:
  - scissors
  - Poster board (white-large and small multi-packs)
  - crayons
  - map pencils (sharpened)
  - pencil sharpener
  - pencils
  - pens-red, blue, and black
  - markers
  - glue sticks
  - index card packs (lined and unlined)
  - folders with pockets and brads
  - ruler (standard and metric measurements)
  - protractor
  - compass
  - calculator
  - large pink eraser
  - masking tape
  - transparent tape
  - loose notebook paper (wide or college ruled depending on preference)
- Items to collect for projects include:
  - egg cartons
  - shoe boxes
  - yarn or string
  - coffee cans
  - cardboard tubes
  - cardboard canisters
School Papers Box (I store mine in the jelly cabinet. One shelf for each child’s box with an additional shelf for supply storage.)
- Save a cardboard shipping box to house all the papers and information sent home during the school year. Make sure it is large and deep enough to hold file folders and their contents.
- Decorate the box and label it with your child’s name.
- Use file folders to store the papers and information; divide them up by subject and label them clearly!
- Include a file for information that you do not consult often but need to hang onto. You can store this one on the bottom of the stack or at the back of the file box.
Magazine Holder for Current Papers (The ones I use rest on top of the jelly cabinet within easy reach.)
- Label a magazine holder with your child’s name.
- Use it to store homework to be completed during the week and all other important, timely information.
Library Book Tote (Ours has been a real life-saver and hangs on a hook in the foyer.)
- Prevent your public library books from getting mixed up with the school library books by storing the public ones in a tote bearing the public library’s name.
- Ask someone at the help desk of your local library if they have totes for sale; many do and your support will be greatly appreciated. Plus, you will have the perfect way to organize your books as well as a handy way to transport them to and from the library!

T-Shirt Transfer Images

Click here for a ZIP file containing the images for t-shirt designs.

You may use any of the images to create things to sell for charity or to give as gifts. My images are copyright protected, and I do not want anyone using them to create commercial products without my permission.

Tips on Charity Events

Decide on a budget that includes the number of shirts (plus shipping if any) and the cost of printing if you are taking the design/shirts to a printer OR the cost of making transfers yourself (check office supply stores for packs). You need to know ahead of the sale whether you are donating all the proceeds or only the profits minus the cost of the materials/production of the shirts.
Pre-wash the shirts before you have them printed!
Use white or light colored shirts or you will have to buy special transfers that work on dark colors. If you do use the dark shirts then the best option is to print the design as a large square on the front rather than trying to doctor the image.

Here is a list of companies and organizations that I have found useful: