Monster Box Fun

Here's a fun & easy craft to do with your children, for your classroom, to use with your students, or to hold the tissues in your bathroom:  MONSTER BOXES! 

First you will need an empty box -- a rectangular Kleenex box is what was used to make all of the Monster Boxes pictured above.   (The yellow and blue striped one is actually 2 rectangular Kleenex boxes.)   That said, any cardboard box will do - cereal box, snack box, cracker box, etc.

Once you have an empty box, then gather these other materials:

• roll of duct tape
• fun foam (for the eyes & teeth - I used white, but you can use any color)
• googly eyes
• hot glue gun
• Sharpie pen (any dark color)
• sharp scissors or box cutter

 
 Draw where you want the mouth to be.  Cut away that cardboard as well as the plastic area of the Kleenex box.  Cover the box with duct tape.  (Optional = cover the inside of the box also!  Use red so it looks like the inside of his mouth!)

Once you've covered the box with duct tape, randomly cut triangles out of the fun foam.   These will be the monster's teeth.  Using the hot glue gun, attach the "teeth" to the inside of the box so they stick out.   You can attach teeth along the bottom ridge of the mouth only or along the bottom and top.  Next, decide how many eyes your monster will have.  Remember, the more, the spookier!  Cut tombstone shaped pieces of fun foam for the eyes -- you will be gluing the googly eyes to the tombstone piece so the eyes will be able to stand up and watch your entire room.  Glue the googly eyes to the tombstone piece, then glue the tombstone piece to the Kleenex box on the back side so they stick up and peer over the mouth.  As an added reinforcement (and to make the eyes blend into the back of the monster's head), I put duct tape over the bottom portion of the eyes.

VOILA!  You are now the proud owner of a fun and silly monster box!

SAY WHAT?!?!  You don't know what to do with this cute guy?!?!  Here are some ideas:

• official tissue holder in any bedroom/bathroom/classroom/therapy room
• official study helper -- feed him your vocabulary/math flash cards -- but only the ones you get correct!  The ones you don't get correct, you need to study so they're tastier for the monster
• official speech therapy helper -- feed him articulation/vocabulary cards (or anything)!   He loves eating anything!
• official bingo chip holder
• official bouncy ball catcher -- set him on the table/floor, see who can bounce the most bouncy balls into his mouth
• print these tasty "Monster Box Treats" from my TPT store to feed him (if you download, please be a friendly monster and leave feedback!)

The starry monster box (in the above pictures) holds the baby wipes in my therapy room.  My students always complained when I handed them a baby wipe to clean their hands/face; but now they beg to use "monster spit wipes" to clean their hands/face.

Here are some other monster boxes to give you some ideas:

wacky shaped snack box

 

Cheerios box

give him antenna

one-eyed monster box with a full mouth of goodies

 
 
Please share a photo of your monster box creation below!  I'd love to see what monster boxes are living in your therapy room, classroom, or home.

Until next time,

 

RANDOM BLESSINGS

November.  It's the month of gratitude, the month where people stop and truly talk about the blessings in their lives.

The Frenzied SLPs are thankful for all of you who follow us.  This week, we are bringing you a scavenger hunt style "thankful and grateful blog hop".  Hop through all of our blog posts to find out what each of us is thankful for.  Gather the letter/character at the end of each blog post (in order so you know the secret message) and when you have the secret message enter into the Rafflecopter at the end of any blog post.  If you want an extra entry, visit The Frenzied SLPs Facebook page!  Three winners will be chosen after the Rafflecopter ends on 11/13/2015.  What are the prizes?  Each winner will win a $10 TPT gift card AND a $10 Starbucks gift card!  How awesome is that?!?

I am thankful for many things - my husband, my son, my family, my friends, the work that I do.   My list truly sounds like what most people have on their blessings list.   For that reason, I'm going to talk about random, little things that bring me joy and I consider to be blessings in my life.

1) My downstairs bathroom.  SAY WHAT?!?!  Yes.  You heard me.  My downstairs bathroom.  It's painted bubblegum pink.   Every time I walk into this room, it truly brings me joy.  I am thankful that my husband reminded me how much I loved the pink bathroom in our old house and suggested it would be a great color for our downstairs bathroom.  I am thankful for my ability to sew, so that I could find THE perfect fabric to make a shower curtain for the room.

2) The movie My Fair Lady.   No matter my mood, I can't help but smile and want to sing and dance around my house after watching that movie.  I am thankful that something so simple can alter my mood so positively.



 
3) My 14 year old son's refusal to smile for most photographs.  What?!?!?  How can this be a blessing and not a curse?   Because each photo truly shows my son's personality.  Goofy faced selfies remind me that hiding in this teenage body is still a silly kid.   Photos like the one below remind me that he has a wicked sense of humor.  And when I forget all of those reasons, my husband likes to remind me that all of these photos will be wonderful to show to whomever he dates/marries one day.

4) R.S.V.P. pens by Pentel.  Being left-handed, I have spent most of my life writing with pens that don't try quickly.  This results in ink staining my hand, actually the side of my pinky as I write.  Not with R.S.V.P. pens.  Nope.  Never.  And Pentel offers them in colors other than black and blue.  That's a joyful thing for a girl who prefers to write in purple and green.

Want to try these pens for FREE?  Office Depot has them FREE AFTER REBATE this week (November 8 - 14, 2015).  Pay $4.49 and get $4.49 back in the mail. (Honest!  The check will come!!) Perfect way to try an amazing pen.

Yes, all my blessings today are random, but truly being able to find joy and blessings in little things can brighten one's day.

I hope you've enjoyed reading a little bit about me.  Don't be a stranger -- stop by again and see what else is happening here on my blog.   Now onto the scavenger hunt.  The letter/character you need from me is

Write it down and continue on this path of blessings by visiting Doyle Speech Works.  Click on the turkey below to hop over there.  Remember, after you've discovered the complete phrase, enter the giveaway (which you can do at the bottom of any blog post in this scavenger hunt hop).

 

Need to find the beginning of this scavenger hunt?   Go visit my friend Jen at Speech Universe - click on the turkey below to find her.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Arg! Me Favorite Holiday!

Ahoy me mateys!  September 19th is around ye corner!  SAY WHAT?!?!  Ye not be knowin' t' importance of September 19th??   Why it be "International Talk Like A Pirate" day!  Honest or I be walkin' t' plank!

Me students don't know what to be makin' of me speech durin' this day.  I've been known to enter a classroom and announce, "Ahoy!! I be needin' some scallywags to walk t' plank to speech!  Where be me matey John, that lass Anne, and that landlubber Pete?"  Me students be amused but be also confused by me speech, not knowin' some of t' vocabulary.  

Are ye looking for fun, lively activities to do on this great, grand day?  Avast ye' searchin'!  I'va motherload of pirate booty for ye!  Some be costin' doubloons; some be not.

1) Find ye pirate name!  There be two places I recommend to find ye pirate name.  T' quick, fast Pirate Name Generator and t' long, Pirate Namin' Quiz.   No doubloons needed for ye landlubbers to find your salty sea dog name.  Here be me cheeky, swashbucklin' pirate name (from t' first link):

2) Free Krispy Kreme grub when ye dress like a scurvy pirate!  Need help with findin' pirate dress?  Go to Krispy Kreme's website for printables to help ye.  To quote ol' Krispy Kreme:  "To the landlubber who dares to wear full pirate attire goes a bounty of one FREE dozen Original Glazed doughnuts." No doubloons needed!  Don't want to dress like a scurvy pirate?  Ye can plunder one free donut if ye talk like a pirate to the lass or lad behind t' counter.

3) Learn how to talk like a pirate!  Go here or here to learn t' lingo.  No doubloons needed.

4) More free grub from that scurvy, swashbucklin' pirate Long John Silver.  To quote that scoundrel, "To celebrate the day and the “Pirate Spirit” in all of us – and reward our loyal ship mates – Long John Silver’s will offer a FREE piece of Fish or Chicken to anyone who “Talks Like a Pirate” when ordering. If you dress AND talk like a Pirate we will reward you with a FREE 2-Pc. Fish or Chicken Basket"  No doubloons needed! 

5) Need to entertain (and/or educate) small, scurvy pirate children? Shiver me timbers! Me TPT store has lively, swashbucklin' pirate booty to entertain and educate.  Perfect for parents, teachers, and pirates to celebrate.  Target vocabulary with Sailing the Vocabulary Seas (including a sheet of pirate terms to learn!) or listening & describing skills with Pirate Bingo.  Need more general, open-ended games?  That Pirate Game or Let's Be Pirates be what ye want.


6) Me mate Tracy at GoldCountrySLP be hosting a linky party where other scurvy SLPs and blimey bloggers have shared their pirate fun and booty.  Sail over thar by clicking on t' pirate picture at t' top of me page.









Me hopes ye found some amazing, grand pirate themed booty to entertain ye and yer lads and lass on September 19th.


Yo, ho, ho!