Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Some years I do projects and some years I don’t. It depends on my class. I will not do any projects if I have students that do not have a mom or there are circumstances that are not pleasant. I know you are probably thinking why cancel it all for just a few students.

After talking with a coworker, she said how she felt during this time, and it really made me change the way I view it. We are NOT required to make gifts or do anything for this holiday. We know that we skip Father’s Day because it is in the summer, so I do not feel bad about my decision. However, this year I am good to go, so I thought I would show you some quick, easy, and cheap projects you can do tomorrow!

Silhouette

This first project can be done in many ways! I have made it in a charm, card, and picture frame, and this year is a keychain! I have had a lot of positive feedback from moms that this was their favorite gift and something they will keep forever. That is a winner in my book!

First, start out by having each student stand to the side and have them look at something a little higher than eye level.  You need to be able to see their whole profile, so fix their hair and have them remove the hoodie. Tell them to smile then take their picture. I do this while they are working independently or as they are coming in in the morning.

The next thing you need to do is upload them to your computer. Put them in a file and make sure they are not HEIC. If they are you will need to go to HEIC converter and convert them all. This took me about 15 minutes. HOPEFULLY, you do not have to do this step.

Once you have your pictures go to Remove Background and remove the background for each picture. As soon as you do one picture hit DOWNLOAD then drag the download into PowerPoint. Right-click on the picture then go to format picture. On the right-side menu hit the picture icon at the top then change the brightness to 0. Your picture will be a silhouette then you can change the size depending on what you are making.

I got these keychains on Amazon, and it is enough for 2 years or you could split them with a coworker. I measured the inside and adjusted the picture to fit. Then I printed them and cut them to size. I slipped them into the keychain, and I’m done!

Blowing Kisses

This Mother’s Day craft is such a cute photo of the kids blowing kisses! Here is my inspiration from Penny Pinchin Mom

You could buy small canvases or just print them on cardstock. Take a picture of each kid’s profile and have them blow a kiss to something on the wall. Pick something that is higher than their head and say one to 3 blow out the candle. This can be tricky to get it to look right and the kids seem to be embarrassed to take these. If you have an office or cubby area where others can’t watch them do this, it will help.

You can follow the same instructions to remove the background and if you pick the edit button on Remove Background you can even have the kids pick a background they like. This makes it easier to cut out for you!

If you are doing the canvas, have students pick their mom’s favorite color and uses acrylic paint to paint the background before using modge podge (equal parts water and white glue) to adhere the photo. Then have them use a solid color or scrapbook paper to cute out 5 or 6 hearts to glue on their canvas or card.

FREE Cupcake card

This is something that I have prepped then have them do a page or two a day. I do not try to do the whole thing in 30 minutes or try to rush through it. Better to just put it away and save it for next year when you have time to do it right and it look nice. Moms deserve their best work!

This is a FREE file from Kelly Witt on TPT. I print the whole top part of the cupcake on light pink and the back on white and have them decorate the cupcake liner.

This year I am doing the silhouette keychains and the FREE Mother’s Day Cupcake Book. I am spending time each day with the book during our writing block and the keychains took me 30 minutes total. What is a project you like to do for Mother’s Day?