Love is in the Air and a FREEBIE!

I love the month of February. There are so many exciting things happening this month! 

- "I Love to Read" month

- The Olympics

- Valentine's Day

- President's Day

- Black History Month

- Dental Health Month

- Groundhog Day

- the list goes on... 

At our school we also have conferences and 2 lyceums left to squeeze into the month. Whew! I wish that there was a way to put a few more days into February! 

I have created a packet of materials that require NO PREP to use. Well, I guess you do need to print them off, but does that count? 

I'm planning on making one for each month. If there is a specific skill that you would like to see, let me know and I'll try to include it next month. These were just some of the basic skills that my kiddos need to review. You can check out the packet by clicking on the pictures below: 

Also check out my February Number Puzzles and Pocket Chart Games by clicking on the pictures below. 

All of my Valentine's Day/February products will be on sale through the end of the week! 

And now, onto the FREEBIE! 

Ever wonder what to do with all of your extra or broken crayons from your classroom? Well, let me tell you about what I started doing last year.

Most people have heard about melting down broken crayons to make larger crayons, but why not turn them into a gift? My kinders last year loved them and I thought I would do it again this year. 

Unfortunately, I didn't think about taking pictures until AFTER I had done most of the crayons. So, the few pics that I took on my phone will need to do. :) 

Materials Needed:

Crayons - Craft Knife - Oven - Muffin Tin or Candy Mold - Snack Size Ziploc Baggies

I found this candy mold in the baking section at Walmart. Isn't it adorable?

Step 1: Gather all of your crayons and a craft knife. Simply slice lengthwise down the crayon and peel the paper off. Newer crayons work the best as they paper peels off easier. 

Step 2. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees

Step 3. If you are using new crayons, you'll need to break them into smaller pieces. Place them into the mold/muffin tin until it is pretty much full. 

I put similar colors together so the picture below shows blues and purples. 

I also made other ones with yellows/oranges, shades of green, and reds/pinks. 

Step 4: Place the crayons in the oven for about 10 minutes. You will need to check on them often until you figure out how long it will take each batch to melt. I checked at 9 minutes and could still see the shape of the crayons and came back 2 minutes later and they were completely melted. I'm not sure what happens if you "overcook" them, but it might not be so pretty! :) 

Step 5: Let them cool. I tried to take them out of the mold after 20 minutes and broke off a leg from one of the little people. I waited another 20 minutes and they popped right out!

Step 6: Continue with other colors.

Step 7: Put them into baggies and attach the gift tag. I simply printed these out, cut them out and stapled them over the opening on the baggie. I've left space on the gift tag for you to write your name. Sorry I don't have the ability to make it editable. :( 

Want to make these for yourself? Click on any of the pictures above to get the gift tag. I've created one that says "You color MY world!" and another that says "You color OUR world!"in case you are giving the gift from more than one person. My para and I usually give gifts together. We'll be adding these crayons to a few other little items for our kiddos. What do you like to do for Valentine's Day?