Memorial Day Sale at LearnandGrow.etsy.com

Sale ends at midnight (PST), Monday, May 30th. Don't forget to use the coupon code: memorial40 at checkout. Refunds cannot be issued if you forget to apply the coupon code. Happy Shopping & Happy Learning!

All About Fathers and Grandfathers and All Things Wonderful Link Up 5/23

I thought that for this "All Things Wonderful Link Up" I would try to get a little ahead. I made these fun printable memory papers for your children, students, or even yourself to fill out. These "My Father" and "My Grandfather" printables would be perfect to give your special father or grandfather on Father's Day (this year it is on Sunday, June 19th). If you missed my "All About My Mother Printable" CLICK HERE.

This first one is to fill out about Dad. CLICK HERE to get your copy.

The second one is to fill out about Grandpa. CLICK HERE to get your copy. I absolutely LOVED hearing the responses that came from the Mother's Day papers I made. I know that the responses for these Father's Day themed papers will be equally tender as well as hilarious.

Thank you so much for all of you that linked up to my "All Things Wonderful Link-Up" last week. I still need to stop by a few of your blogs to leave comments. I love finding new blogs and we all love comments right?

Now it is time for you to link up a "wonderful" post from your blog or website. It could be a wonderful tutorial, something you have done with your children, a piece of artwork you have made, a favorite recipe, DIY craft project, decorating ideas, wonderful things you have found in blog land, etc.
Come join the fun every Monday. I usually get the link up up and running Monday evening. Link up to this post, and let us know what is going on over at your blog.

Link up Rules (short and sweet):
1. Please type in the direct link to the post you are sharing, not your blogs home page.
2. Use a short title describing your post you are sharing. ie. Kids Snack Idea @myshaenoel, or gardeningtips@myshaenoel, etc.
3.All links shared must be family friendly, and not contain anything offensive or inappropriate as far as pictures, language, and content, etc.

I am linking this post to (you can find their buttons on my sidebar): ABC-123, Rook 17, Running with Scissors, Not Just a Housewife, and The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up.

Giraffe Art Project- Mini Unit, and All Things Wonderful Link Up 5/16

This month in preschool and at home we have been talking all about Zoo Animals, during our "Colorful Zoo" themed learning unit. I don't know who has had more fun, myself, or the kids. Since I love both art and literature, I decided to make a fun "Zoo Book" for my students and my children to put together. Each zoo animal has it's own page that includes an art project, facts, and some poetry and songs. There is also some more exciting pages included in the book that I will share with you on a different post. I am going to share a preview of one of my art projects today. I am almost finished creating the book, and once I do it will be available to download at my Etsy store. The Zoo book will come with all of the pages and patterns needed to complete this book. I will keep you posted, because seriously, this is one of my favorite things I have created.
Today, I want to share with you a "Giraffe Art Project" we made as well as a "Mini Giraffe Unit" I made for you.
My Shae Noel Giraffe Mini Unit:
In this FREE download, you will receive a the fun giraffe art project that you can see pictured below, a giraffe puzzle (I love it when I get to use my own illustrations. It just makes me happy.), and a list of Children's Book suggestions when teaching about giraffes. CLICK HERE to save and/or print this "Giraffe Mini Unit". If you love it, let me know. Your comments not only inspire me to share more, but they also make my day.
My Giraffe Artwork SampleHere is a sample of the art project that is included in this mini unit. We made the giraffe's spots on his neck by cutting out shapes from felt. My daughter's and one of my student's artwork samples. My little ones loved making their giraffes. Of course their favorite part was gluing on the felt spots. They liked the soft texture. I love how one of my students decided that his giraffe needed to be green and yellow. Why not right? Remember, it is the process, not the product that counts. I love that saying. I also love how awesome of a job my girls did in cutting out their giraffes (top right giraffe, and bottom middle giraffe). Not bad for a 6 and 4 year old. Here are some fun and informational books we enjoyed reading when talking about giraffe's.


Here is another great read-aloud:Ten Tall Giraffes by Brian Moses Now it is time for you to link up a "wonderful" post from your blog or website. It could be a wonderful tutorial, something you have done with your children, a piece of artwork you have made, a favorite recipe, DIY craft project, decorating ideas, wonderful things you have found in blog land, etc.
Come join the fun every Monday. Link up to this post, and let us know what is going on over at your blog.
Link up Rules (short and sweet):
1. Please type in the direct link to the post you are sharing, not your blogs home page.
2. Use a short title describing your post you are sharing. ie. Kids Snack Idea @myshaenoel, or gardeningtips@myshaenoel, etc.
3.All links shared must be family friendly, and not contain anything offensive or inappropriate as far as pictures, language, and content, etc.




This week I plan on linking this post to (see their buttons on my side bar):
Made By Little Hands Monday, Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me, abc and 123 Show & Tell, Running With Glitter, Show Me What You Got at Not Just a Housewife, Sisters Stuff, A Crafty Soiree, Free Pretty Things for You, Creative Share Wednesday, A Mommy's Adventure-A Great stART, Handmade Love Thursday, For the Kids Friday, Fun For Kids Friday, Read-Explore-Learn, Preschool Corner with Homeschool Creations, Weekend Wander, What My Child is Reading, No Time for Flashcards, Just Something I Whipped Up at the Girl Creative, and Teach Preschool

Yet Another Feature

I was already feeling like I was having a great Monday, a great start for a new week, and then I just found out I was featured on yet another blog. Wahoo! Delicate Construction featured my "Little Bug Calendar" I made. If you missed it, just click on the Little Bug title and it will take you to the post.

Delicate Construction is another awesome website that features a lot of fun Arts and Crafts projects both for Mom and Kids. Michelle is one creative gal. Hop on over to Delicate Construction where Michelle is hosting not only a fun Kids Related Link Party, but also a giveaway for a box full of crafting materials. Don't forget to link up to my link party "All Things Wonderful" as well.

Thanks again Delicate Construction.

Just Featured

Thank-you SunScholars.blogspot.com, for featuring my "12 Months of the Year Activity Pack" as well as my "I Know an Old Teacher Story Prompt Idea". I appreciate your kind words! If you missed my two featured posts, just click on the titles and it will take you to the two different posts that both contain free downloads. Also, if you haven't checked out Sun Scholars Blog, you should. Rachel does an amazing job sharing fun learning ideas that she does with her own children, as well as ideas from other moms and teachers.

Don't forget to come back for my next "All Things Wonderful Link Up" that will be posted on Monday.

Beach Bucket Makeover and All Things Wonderful Link Up 5/9

The day before Easter we had a chance to go to the Ocean with some wonderful family friends of ours. There is nothing better than hanging out at the beach, and spending time with family and good friends. Well I thought that before we went to the beach that it would be fun for the girls to decorate their own beach buckets to take with them. Boy did they have a lot of fun doing this. Didn't they turn out darling? I just love their illustrtions!
This is a picture of the girls heading out to the beach. Yes, it is April and they had full on sweat outfits, jackets, and rain boots. Where we live the beaches are not warm and full of sunshine. However, it turned out to be a really nice day and the sun did peak out of the clouds. The girls beach buckets were filled up that morning with delicious "Razer Clams" that we dug up as a family. O.K., so I should say my husband dug up and I watched. My girls were not the least bit shy holding the clams and lets just say they are pretty gross looking. Just think of a huge giant slug hanging out of a shell. I have pictures but I didn't want to gross anyone out. Boy, do they taste delicious all cooked up however! Yes, that is right you see Easter Eggs scattered about. My friend and I thought that it would be fun to do an Easter Egg Hunt at the beach, and the kids loved it. The beach was pretty deserted after the "Razer Clam Digging" ended, so the kids (all 6 of them) had a blast hunting all over for eggs without anyone disturbing them. Now it is time for you to link up a "wonderful" post from your blog or website. It could be a wonderful tutorial, something you have done with your children, a piece of artwork you have made, a favorite recipe, DIY craft project, decorating ideas, giveaways you are hosting, wonderful things you have found in blog land, etc.
* Sorry this is a day late. I lost connection to my internet last night.
Come join the fun every Monday. Link up to this post, and let us know what is going on over at your blog. Link up Rules (short and sweet):
1. Please type in the direct link to the post you are sharing, not your blogs home page.
2. Use a short title describing your post you are sharing. ie. Kids Snack Idea @myshaenoel
3.All links shared must be family friendly, and not contain anything offensive or inappropriate as far as pictures, language, and content, etc.



Grab an "All Things Wonderful Link Up Button" on my side bar. I would love to have more people have an opportunity to know about this link up and to be able to share their great ideas. Come back every Monday for a new Link UP. Link list is open from Monday-Sunday.
Linking to: abc and 123 as well as the lovely blog buttons on my sidebar.

All About My Mother and Grandmother Papers to Fill Out

To honor my student's Mothers, I made this paper for them to fill out. I had my preschoolers draw their Mother and write their name at the bottom of the paper, and then I wrote down their answers for them. If you have older children, you could have them fill out the paper all by themselves. CLICK HERE to download this "My Mother" paper.

I know that their are a lot of children who are either raised by a special Grandmother, or have special Grandma's in their lives. So, I made this paper for them to fill out as well. CLICK HERE to download this "My Grandmother" paper.

I can't tell you how cute and hilarious my students as well as own daughters responses were. I was seriously trying to hold it together on a few of their comments. Little Red who is 4 years old guessed I was 3 years old, and said that my favorite thing to do is give her hugs and kisses. Little Blonde who is 6 years old guessed that I was 24 years old, and she said that her favorite thing about me is that I am a nice Mom. Awe... so sweet.

Some of the responses that cracked me up from my preschool students were:

"My Mom doesn't like to play the Wii because she only plays it on Tuesdays and Saturdays."

"My Mom is 100 years old."

"My Mom doesn't like to break her blow dryer, because it can catch on fire."

"My Mom doesn't like to clean, because she just wants to play with us."

"My Mom doesn't like to go potty."

"My Mom likes to take long naps because she is really tired."

"My Mom doesn't like to lay on the couch and watch t.v. all day."

"My Mom has hazel hair, that is what her says. Her doesn't know what color of hair she has."

My favorite responses were when asked what the best thing about their Mom was, so many of them said:

"The best thing about my Mom is that she loves me."

"The best thing about my Mom is she likes to give me kisses and hugs."

"The best thing about my Mom is she is nice."

"The best thing about my Mom is she likes to play with me."

ALL of my students have amazing Moms, which makes me so happy.

So Happy Mother's Day and Grandmother's Day to you all! May you feel loved and appreciated not only Sunday, but throughout the whole year.

If you missed my printable Mother's Day Bookmarks (that include 3 different types of sets) CLICK HERE to download them.

MOTHER'S DAY SALE: I have decided to extend my sale through Sunday at midnight (PST) at my Etsy Store, LearnandGrow.etsy.com, where you can get 25% OFF ALL of my educational and artistic resources. Just simply type in: THANKS25 in the coupon code area to receive 25% off each item.

The beautiful flower image used was from a kit I purchased from Digital Scrapbook Studios to help with the Japan Relief Effort. CLICK HERE to find out more information.

Help with Unwanted Spacing in Posts

Hello blog friends. I have a question for you. I keep getting huge spacing gaps in between my writing once I publish my posts. I have tried going back and deleting the spaces in both the compose and the Edit Html mode. Unfortunately, neither have solved the problem. Does anyone know how to fix this problem and get rid of the extra spacing. A good example is the extra spacing in between a few of my paragraphs on my Printable Mother's Day Bookmarks post.
Thanks for your help,

21 Preschool-Kindergarten Educational Items Giveaway Winner and Coupon Code

Thank-you so much for entering this giveaway! I wish I had 100 of these boxes to send out. I loved reading your comments and I know each of you would have loved this box. At the end of the school year I will try to put another box together and do another giveaway for you.

With that said, the winner of the "21 Preschool-Kindergarten Education Items Giveaway" (thanks to random.org) is...

Comment #255
hedgerhousehold said...
Follow on GFC
jenhedger at hotmail dot com
April 28, 2011 3:53 PM

Congratulations hedgerhousehold! I hope you enjoy all of these wonderful educational items. Please e-mail me at, learnandgrowshop@yahoo.com, with your U.S. mailing address, and I will gladly ship your box to you.

Now, I can't leave you all empty handed, so I have a few gifts for each of you.

CLICK HERE to be taken to a Printable Bug Calendar set I am sharing with you.
CLICK HERE to be taken to 3 different sets of Printable Mother's Day Bookmarks (one set contains bookmarks your children can decorate for you), and to top it off I am giving my blog readers and FACEBOOK followers a coupon for 25% off my entire Etsy Store, LearnandGrow.etsy.com. Simply type in THANKS25, in the coupon code area during check out to receive this amazing discount. I will try to list items that sale ASAP, so my store will continue to be fully stocked.

Thanks again for entering this giveaway and for all of your kind comments. I loved reading each of them, and I look forward to visiting all of your blogs. Don't be a stranger, come back and visit soon.

12 Months of the Year Packet Winners, plus coupon

Thanks so much everyone for entering my "12 Months of the Year Packet & Etsy Store Items Giveaway"! I appreciate your kind comments, and even though only 2 people have won this giveaway, I have two gifts for you as thanks for entering...And the winners are (thanks to random. org),
Comment #24
Leonard and Christy Marez said...
I just started following your FB page. :)
April 26, 2011 5:34 AM

Comment #46
Mandy said...
You are very talented...this looks great! We would love to win.
mandy55404@yahoo.com
April 26, 2011 1:03 PM

Congratulations! If you have won this giveaway, please e-mail me at, learnandgrowshop@yahoo.com, and let me know what 2 other items you would like from my Etsy Store (LearnandGrow.etsy.com). I will then e-mail your 2 choices as well as the "12 Months of the Year Packet" digital file to you. Yeah!!!!!!!

GIFTS FOR EVERYONE
So, the first gift is a thank-you for entering my contest, teacher appreciation week, and Mother's Day coming up. I have created a coupon where you can receive 25% off all of my items and in my Etsy Store (LearnandGrow.etsy.com). Most of my items are around $3.00, so this is an awesome deal. When checking out at the end of your shopping trip, simply enter the code: THANKS25. The coupon is good until Thursday (May 5th), at midnight (Pacific Standard Time).

My second gift is an adorable Bugs/Creepy Crawlies Calendar Set, that you can save, and print out. Just CLICK HERE to be taken to the post to download this very Springy set.
Thanks again and I hope that you will come back soon. If you haven't already read my Mother's Day Printable Bookmarks post CLICK HERE, for something special.

Printable Little Bug Calendar Set

I wanted to thank you all for entering my fun contests, as well as wish you a happy Mother's Day and Happy Teacher's Appreciation week. So, here is an adorable "Little Bug Calendar Set" that you can download for free. You will receive 12 months of the year calendar headers.

Calendar number pieces. And... Happy Birthday calendar pieces, as well as blank cards to write in other special events for the month.

CLICK HERE to download this set. This set will be available for a limited time. Please remember to read my Terms of Use page. I would love for you to share this post with others, just please leave a link back to the Bug Calendar Post, not just the PDF file page. Thanks so much and enjoy!

Mother's Day Printable Bookmarks and Mother's Day Children's Books

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mothers out there. I wanted to not only make something special for you, but I also wanted to make something your children, students, grandchildren, etc. could make for the special Mother figures in their lives. My girls and I had so much fun making these bookmarks together. There are two sets of book marks that are ready to be given away, and there is one set of bookmarks that you can have your children decorate themselves. Scroll down to see samples, a tutorial, wonderful Mother's Day Children's Book suggestions, and the link to save, download, and print this file.
Mothers I am so lucky to have not only have the most amazing, giving Mother in my life, but I also have two very dear grandmother's that have had a great influence on my life as well. I am now fortunate to have 2 Mother in Laws who are wonderful too. These amazing women have blessed my life immensely and I can only hope that someday I can become the Mother's that they are. I love you all! I am also so lucky to be a Mother myself. I know that there are some women who have not had the opportunity to be one yet, as well as other's who maybe don't feel like being a mother is their calling in life. I do know that I am so thankful to a Heavenly Father who knew me well enough to know that there isn't anything that I would rather be in life than a Mother. I hold the calling of a Mother so sacred and I thank God everyday for blessing me with my two little angels. These are Little Red's (4 years old) illustrations she did for her bookmarks. So darling! I love our family picture and the little teddy bears. Both of my girls Love to draw & I think that they are such cute little artists.
Our daughter's were both miracle babies, and have brought so much joy to our family. This is one of Little Blonde's (6 years old) Bookmarks. I love how she drew the two of us.
To all of you Mother's out there, hug your children, give them kisses, tell that you love them each and everyday, speak softly to them, remember to tell them the good things they do each day, teach them how to love others and to be kind to others, and enjoy the precious spirits that God has sent to you to watch over. Like they all say, they really do grow up too fast. My little ones are only 4 & 6 years old, but they are already growing up faster than I would like.

Thanks for letting me open up my heart to you a little and once again, "Happy Mother's Day".
Tutorial (If you want to skip it, scroll to the very bottom to download all of these fun bookmarks)

What you will need:

-scissors

-printable bookmarks from My Shae Noel

-hole punch

-ribbon

-Fray Block (optional, helps seal the edges of the ribbon so it doesn't fray)

-permanent marker, or pen to draw the illustrations and colored pencils or markers to color with.

-laminating pouches and laminating machine (optional)

These are the bookmarks you will receive. Cut them out and hole punch the top.

Laminate the bookmarks and tie a ribbon to the end. Awe...so cute!You will receive this set of Mother's Day bookmarks containing original illustrations by me.
:0) We all love to draw in this family. You will also receive this set of printable Mother's Day Bookmarks containing gorgeous vintage clipart from The Graphics Fairy. I really appreciate thegraphicsfairy.blogspot.com, for sharing such beautiful, vintage clipart. And last but not least, you will receive these "DIY" bookmarks that you can print out and have your children add their own custom illustrations. If your little ones are really little just have them color the bookmark. To download all three sets of printable Mother's Day bookmarks, CLICK HERE. I hope that you enjoy them. Let me know if you use them, or make them. I love hearing from you.

Mother's Day Children's Book Suggestions Here are some great books that we have been reading this week at home as well as with my preschool classes. Another great book not featured is Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman and
Is Your Momma a Llama? by Deborah Guarino.

Linking to:(you can find their buttons on my sidebar)

abc and 123, The Graphics Fairy, The Girl Creative, Made by Little Hands, No Time for Flashcards, Running With Glitter, Sisters Stuff, Teach Preschool, Preschool Corner with Homeschool Creations, A Mommy's Adventure:stART, Read Explore, Learn, A Crafty Soiree, Fun For Kids Friday, Weekend Wander, Rook No.17:A Little Birdie Told Me, and What My Child is Reading