Living Room Decor Ideas!

My family and I just moved, we left our family and friends to start medical school and have an adventure in the mid-west! ; )  We have been in our new apartment for about a month.  Now that I am unpacked and settled I'm feeling ready to DECORATE (and blog again...thanks Heather for picking up my slack)!!!  So just in case any of you are wanting to decorate or redecorate i'll share what I have found!

To start off....yesterday I took out the garbage and found an old window sitting next to the trash bin! I was so excited and wondered who was getting rid of such a treasure, needless to say I snatched it up.  That's what started the whole DECORATING excitement.  Here is a picture I found online of what I plan to do with it....when I finish it, i'll post it as well.

Ann Beck Photography shares different ways to organize a photo gallery.  This will be helpful to prevent excess nail holes in our walls. ; )

This idea is so cleaver...I would love to dress the  clipboards up with scrapbook paper and ribbon!  Switching out the pictures would be a cinch.  Image from Ashley Ann Photography.

Better Homes shares this project, It's just fabric stapled unto different sized canvas.  It would be so easy to switch the fabric for different seasons and very affordable.

The Creative Crate has some really awesome ideas for decorating, These are 2 of my favorites that I may use in my living room.

I LOVE the idea of hanging photos from a curtain rod.  My neighbor before we moved is the one who gave me the idea.  I don't have any pictures of her cute living room, but I found two similar ideas.  One is from Country Girl Home and another from JZ .  

I love the idea of Bright colors on the wall like this from Small Chic Home.

Oh where should I start with CANVAS.... I'm pretty sure I could do an entire separate post on canvas!  So much FUN!

Treasury of memories shares how to make this:

Adam Hommerding Photography has samples of two layouts I REALLY like, for hanging canvas.

Thanks to Pinterest....here are a few other ideas for hanging canvas! ; )  The possibilities are endless!

Time to get started, lets go make this house a home! ; )

Coin Counting Machine

Did you know that most banks now have a coin counting machine? I had no idea and thought I needed to roll all of our change before taking it in.  Most banks don't charge to use the machine and it is a fun activity for the kids. 

We took a canning jar full of change to our bank, poured it into this cool looking machine and left with $59.56 in cash. 

This was a great opportunity to talk with my little boy about money and he loved helping...he thought this machine was magic:)

Letter A (Alligator)

Books

Zack's Alligator by Shirley Mozelle

There's an Alligator Under my Bed by Mercer Mayer

Alligator Baby by Michael Martchenko

Craft/Art

Clothespin Alligators 

You can spray paint a clothespin or if you are like me just color it with a marker then glue eyes and paper spikes on the back.

Totally Tots shared this cute craft idea too.

Fun Facts

Alligators are cold blooded animals which means their bodies stay about the same temperature as the air or water around them. They like to lay in swaps to stay cool or sit in the sun to warm up.

Alligators eat anything they can catch in the water, mostly turtles and fish.

Alligators have a U shaped snout, Crocodiles have a V shaped snout.

You can't see an alligators teeth from the side but you can see a Crocodiles.

Read more about the difference between the two here.

Game/Activity

Make a Swamp

We filled a Tupperware up with equal amounts of dirt and water and talked about where alligators live...in swaps.  This was a super easy activity and the kids loved getting dirty. I let them find some rocks and grass and add it to the swamp too.

Printables

Letter A Coloring page (8x10)

 Letter A Flash Card (4x6)

 Letter A Tracing Page (8x10)

Snacks

Animal Crackers

Aquarium (blue jello with fish) 

Pickle Alligator

Ants on a log (Celery with cheese or peanut butter topped with raisins)

Apples with caramel dip

Songs

Download 2 pages of alligator songs here.

Tips to Teaching Letter A

Big A=a mountain with a line

Little a=a circle with a tail

Sing the song...(to the tune Farmer and the Dell)

the A says ah

the A says ah

ah ah ah ah ah ah

the A says ah

Our kids LOVE the letter wall. At the beginning of each week we hang the animal with it's letter on this wall, throughout the week we review the letter and the sound it makes. 

Puppet Fun with "A" Alligator 

We got all of the materials below from our local library.  I realize that each library is different in what they carry, but check it out...you might be surprised.  To switch things up a little bit my son would "review" what he had learned with his friend the alligator puppet. ; )

Teaching ABC's Idea for the Week

My little boy LOVED this little game.  Throughout the week I would place the letter "A" fridge magnet throughout the house.  (Front door, Dish washer, Magnet Board, Fridge, Fan, etc.)  He loved finding it, and each time it was found it gave me the opportunity to review the letter and sound with him.

Theme of the Week

We focus a lot on the letter of the week and the animal that goes with it but we like to throw in a side theme too to help teach something extra to prepare our kiddos for kindergarten. This week the theme was: "What is school?"  This was our first week of preschool and so we talked about our plan of teaching preschool from home and how in a couple years they will go to Kindergarten.  

Place Magnetic Letter Around House

Leave a magnetic letter in different places around your house. Kids will love finding the letter and it will give you an opportunity to review the letter and the sound with them.

Places to leave magnetic letter/letters:
Front door
Dish washer
Magnet board
Fridge
Fan
Washing machine or dryer