Looking for an August Calendar Printable? This 2018 special days calendar links to companion activities for each special day in August. Print it out to use in the classroom, and keep track of all the fun days ahead. Enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Click links below image for the most recent calendar of special days 2018.
Click the link under the image to find our August Calendar Printable 2018 template with links to activities and crafts for Special Days and Holidays in August. The printable is 8.5 x 11, landscape without a border. When open, click file, make a copy, and then you can save your copy and edit it to your heart's desire!!
Rushing out the door without time for breakfast? We've been working on breakfast hacks to help your morning back to school routine. Our Walking Mini Pancakes recipe is an easy breakfast idea for kids- Parents can eat them too! Keep scrolling down for our fun recipe. Enjoy!
Pillsbury™ Mini Pancakes packs are just one of the many brands participating in Sam's Club eBox Tops program. It is easy to collect and enter. Buy 3 or more Box Tops for Education™ items in one transaction at Sam's Club® between 8/1/15 and 7/3/16.*
Snap a picture of the receipt showing date, UPC codes and total purchase amount. Send picture to samsclub@btfereceipts.com by July 17, 2016. There are other ways to enter on Sam's Club's Website.
Enter your code by July 31, 2016, and they'll award your school the eBox Tops you've earned. You can do it!
Mayhem loves her Walking Mini Pancakes.
How to Make Walking Pancakes
You will need:
Pillsbury™ Heat-N-Go Mini Pancakes (Maple Burstin')
Fresh Raspberries or Strawberries (or both)
Cream Cheese
Stevia Powder (optional)
Heat your Mini Pancakes in the microwave according to package instructions.
Remove, and open package.
Spoon in 2-3 Tbs. of cream cheese (yes, you can use whip cream instead).
Can I use Box Tops for homeschool? Wouldn't that be awesome? The answer is yes, but probably not in the way you hope. Homeschoolers can use Box Tops for Education, but the homeschool has to be registered as a 501-C3 organization. So, perhaps a co-op you use, an online academy, or a homeschool that is registered with the state. Click this link to learn more about Box Tops for Homeschoolers. Scroll down for more info on Box Tops for Education. Enjoy!
When shopping at Sam's Club you must try all the samples, and eat in the cafe!
If you aren't familiar with Box Tops, when you see that pink logo on your food, you might wonder, "What is Box Tops for Education?". As homeschoolers, we participate in Box Tops for Education. The kids love to cut out and collect the little pink logos.
In the past, we sent them to our online homeschool teacher for Connections Academy. This is a great way for schools to earn money to purchase items for the classroom. This year, we'll log into eBoxTops and choose our favorite school.
How to redeem Box Tops for Education for homeschool.
To earn greater rewards quicker, we shop at Sam's Club. Sam's Club offers an online portal to redeem the Box Tops. The eBoxTops redemption is easy, and many of the Box Tops found on the items at Sam's Club are worth more than items that don't come in bulk!
Even better, the kids actually like to shop at Sam's Club. They get to taste samples, and if they behave, I reward them with pizza or ice cream from the Cafe. Jake asked if we could come back once a week!
Want to earn cash for your children’s school? It’s easy! Over 80,000 participating schools are eligible to receive donations from General Mills® through Box Tops for Education™ (BTFE). Shop the participating products below at Sam’s Club, and redeem them for your school. Your school earns 10¢ for each Box Top redeemed!
Our favorite brands offer Box Tops for Education.
We get a great value on all of the kids' favorite foods when shopping at Sam's Club. We bought Betty Crocker™ Hershey’s Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Mix, General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Betty Crocker™ Fruit Roll-Ups, Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls (Pepperoni), and Pillsbury™ Mini Pancakes. There are many other options including Yoplait® Original Variety Pack.
Box Tops for education homeschool groups.
Bed head, but happy to eat his favorite breakfast
of Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ outdoors before school starts.
Pack a lunch for school everyday? What to pack in the school lunch bag is tricky. Will they eat it? Do they need something for bartering? Is a fancy lunch box necessary? Sometimes, like field trip days or summer camp days, you need to pack a sack lunch rather than a lunch box. We're sharing fun ideas for the coolest sack lunch ever. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*
Fun School Lunch Bag Ideas with Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers.
We headed to Walmart for a great value on pack-able lunch items. All good school lunches deserve Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers! These are always are go to snack for after school snacks. Their back-to-school bins are full of things you'll need from school supplies to fun snacks to hand sanitizers. So, we grabbed some Wet Ones® Individual packs too. They make it easy for kids to clean their hands after messy food, and they kill 99.9% of germs.
Shopping at Walmart for our lunch items.
As a fun surprise, we like to draw games on the lunch bags. This week, we played Fish Tac Toe and Jumping Jellyfish with our Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers (Cheddar and Pretzel). You can also play with the multi-color crackers, you only need two different colors and a friend. To play Jumping Jellyfish download the free printable instructions, and pop them in your child's lunch bag with their favorite lunch item and Wet Ones® Individuals.
Lunch Bag Ideas: Draw Fish Tac Toe or Jumping Jellyfish on your child's lunch bag.
Quick Breakfast on the way to School:
If you are in need of Fast Food before school, but don't have the time or money to make a run to a restaurant- make your own! If you are running late or heading on a road trip, pack a fast breakfast.
We grabbed a lunch bag and filled it with individual Wet Ones, a banana, fruit snacks, juice pack, and a pancake on a stick (you can also use corn dogs). The corn dog or walking pancake microwaves in less than a minute. Wrap it it a paper towel, and toss it in the lunch bag. The kids can enjoy "breakfast" on the way to school.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® + Pepperidge Farm® . The opinions and text are all mine.
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Circle Games and Activities for Youth: Camp Songs and More
Camp Songs always bring back the best memories! Circle Time isn't just for preschoolers! Circle Activities and Games are fun for teens too. If you're planning activities for an after school program, summer camp, scouts, or youth group, these school-aged circle camp activities make nice icebreakers. We've used these group circle games and songs to welcome kids to camp, introduce each other, and as a way to make attendance and head counts fun.
Menu Planning for After School: Try These Snack Ideas
After School Snack Ideas don't have to be just chips or apples. There are a variety of easy to prepare items intended for breakfast that are ideal for after school snacking. Check your local Walmart freezer isle to find snacks kids will like that are easy to prepare and affordable. We're sharing weekly menu ideas that we used in our day care. Scroll down for a Free Weekly Menu Planner Printable. Enjoy!
After School Snack Ideas: Weekly Menu Planning Free Printable.
Walmart is your place for Back to School prep.
#fuelforschool
When prepping the menus each week, we made sure that the menu included a dairy item, a fruit or vegetable, and a good source of protein. Often times, we combined a craft activity with the snack making edible art. All of the items in our menus are available at Walmart where you get great value for your money.
Sample Weekly Menu Plan
Monday:
Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage on a Stick, Apple Slices, Milk
Friday:
Jimmy Dean Sausage Egg and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches with Apple Juice
Kids go all day with very little to eat. School lunches don't fill them up, and a lot of kids don't eat them anyway. When you can have a quick filling snack after school, your kids will be happier at homework time. Some kids may eat less at dinner, but you'll know they had a good source of protein after school- so you won't worry as much. A lot of kids are hungrier after a good quality snack, so they'll be ready for a healthy dinner.
Tips for a Quick and Easy Morning Breakfast Routine
Serve up a quick and easy breakfast that your kids will eat! Why force it? You want your kids to eat a breakfast that will stick with them until lunch. The important thing is fueling their morning with lots of protein, but that usually requires too much effort for our busy morning schedules.
Rethink what you serve for breakfast. Waffles and toast won't last. Bacon and eggs are a lot of work. We're sharing tips and easy breakfast ideas to make your mornings easier. Check your freezer aisle at Walmart for more fun choices. Don't forget to scroll down for our quick egg tips. Enjoy!
Easy breakfast ideas kids will eat: Mini Corn Dogs.
State Fair Mini Corn Dogs are easy to make. We toasted ours in the toaster oven in under 15 minutes, but they also taste great when microwaved. Add some fruit and glass of milk, and you've got a good start to your day. Make your morning easier with Walmart. They offer lots of great value on back to school needs.
Easy Breakfast Ideas.
Mayhem likes to skip breakfast or eat something sweet. She couldn't wait to start her day with mini corn dogs. The cornbread batter kept her sweet tooth at bay. She also loves Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage Sticks. They served them for breakfast when she attended kindergarten. Pair them with eggs for a fun breakfast!
Toasted Mini Corn Dogs.
We have several chickens and ducks, so whenever possible, we incorporate eggs into our diet. Scrambling eggs every day can get old plus it is messy and takes up valuable time. We often take a shortcut and scramble our eggs in the microwave!
How to Microwave Eggs
You will need a bowl (they make fancy microwave bowls for this purpose, but it isn't necessary).
Canola Oil Spray (or any spray on oil).
Eggs, Milk, Butter, Salt, and Pepper.
We've tried lots of bowls. Any ceramic bowl will do. Spray the entire inside of the bowl.
Crack your egg directly into the bowl, scramble with a fork, add a splash of milk, and stir to mix.
Use one egg per bowl. When you try to scramble more than one egg at a time, it doesn't work as well and takes more time.
Place the bowl in the microwave on a paper towel.
Microwave for about 40 seconds on high.
Remove from microwave, flip or stir egg and then microwave for additional 15-20 seconds.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and butter to taste.
To get in and out quickly, we always use the self-checkout at Walmart.
Is handwriting a thing of the past? Handwriting has become a controversial issue. Should children learn cursive? Why is handwriting important at all? My kids cry when I ask them to write a draft for a research paper. Cry! Their Language Arts skills are fantastic when they use Google Docs, but ask them to write on paper and everything goes south! So, we're sharing Handwriting Practice Tips, handwriting ideas, and ways to get your children to practice writing without the fuss. Enjoy!
Handwriting Ideas: Ways to get your Children to Practice Writing.
BIC is on a mission to save handwriting! Kids can enjoy handwriting practice. Before they know it, they'll have improved handwriting skills. We took the fight for your write pledge, and you can too! Pledge to save handwriting, and enter for a chance to win BIC prize pack worth $1200! Just visit www.BICFightForYourWrite.com.
Ideas to Get Children to Practice Handwriting
Shopping Lists
Be sneaky! Sneak in handwriting. Every time you head to the store, have your child help you with the shopping list. You dictate, they write.
Mayhem, loves to write shopping lists! She always adds little extras she hopes to get or puts something preposterous on the list! If you follow the blog, you may remember that she has Dyslexia. Her handwriting skills are not to par, but that doesn't keep her from writing. She hopes to be a novelist when she gets older.
Cool Bic Pens
Jake despises any form of drawing or writing. For Jake to write with a pen, it requires lots of incentives (okay, bribes). The cooler the writing utensil, the better. This is where our Bic Pens come into play. I remember writing paper notes and making every word a different color with this cool Bic Pen. Awesome. Jake thinks it is pretty cool too.
Word Games
Another way to sneak in some writing practice is to play word games. We especially like those fill in the blank stories- just add a noun, adjective, or verb.
Letters to Grandparents
Though the kids love to write email, penning letters to Grandma and Grandpa is fun too! Encourage handwritten letters by taking a trip to the post office to let your kids pick out their favorite stamps. This also encourages Grandma and Grandpa to write back. Everyone loves getting mail!
Goals and Wish Lists
Any time is a good time to make a wish! It doesn't have to be a birthday or Christmas want list. Sneak in some practice handwriting time, by asking your child to pen a wish list or a list of things they hope to achieve in the near future.
#BICFightForYourWrite
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bic. The opinions and text are all mine. Recommended: Practice Handwriting by Writing Poetry
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Want to know the easy way on how to make pudding pops at home? These homemade pudding pops are so easy, you won't believe you never thought to make them. No pudding pop recipe required! Enjoy!
Homemade Pudding Pops Recipe.
Want to make Jell-O Pudding Pops? Most boxes have the recipe, but if you can't find one, click this link: How to Make Jell-O Pudding Pops at home. I was going to share one of the cute commercials from the 80's, but when I went to share one... Ouch! All of the controversy... no thanks.
Super Easy Way to Make Homemade Pudding Pops.
To Make Homemade Pudding Pops, follow these easy steps:
1. Buy some snack pudding: Generic, Swiss Miss, Jell-O.
2. Buy some craft popsicle sticks.
3. Pop your stick into the middle of one of the pudding cups.
4. Freeze for at least an hour.
5. Enjoy!
Tip: You'll want to warm the cup up with your hands so the pudding will easily slide out. Yes, it really is that easy. It makes a refreshing snack on a hot, summer day. Yum!
Patriotic Summer Dessert: Things to do with Yogurt
Looking for a refreshing summer dessert for the Fourth of July? When brainstorming for this post, we found lots of things to do with yogurt and yogurt cups. Scroll down to see our favorites! To add to the mix, we created a patriotic trifle with yogurt, frozen fruit juices, and fruit. This is patriotic slushie with fruit and yogurt is a delicious recipe! Especially, with the new flavors of Yoplait® Yogurt.
For this yogurt slushie dessert recipe, we used the Limited edition Yoplait® Rainbow Sherbet Yogurt that we found at Walmart. It makes the perfect seasonal treat for summer snacking and Fourth of July get-togethers. Enjoy!
Refreshing Summer Snack with Yogurt.
Freeze your juice in a shallow baking dish.
Scoop into clear, glass cup.
Layer with berries and Yoplait® Rainbow Sherbet Yogurt.
How to Make a Frozen Yogurt Trifle Dessert Recipe. Freeze for about an hour.
Things to do with Yogurt: Trifle Popsicle Dessert.
Things to do with Yogurt
Things to do with Yogurt Containers.
Visit Color My Bliss Blog for details on this bracelet.
Cardboard Toilet Tubes turned Holiday Hats How many rolls of toilet paper do you go though each month? We've got to recycle that ca...
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