Happy New Year! I had a great break and I hope you did, too! Or, maybe, you’re still enjoying one more weekend of relaxation. Lucky you! As we get back into the groove with our students, this is an opportune time to introduce a class pet! And as the title of this post says, not the real kind. I feel […]
Class Pets Made Easy! (Not the Real Kind)
You Do You During This Winter Break
Winter Break started for me on Monday and, hopefully, if yours hasn’t started you’re hanging in there until it does! When I got to thinking about what to write this week, I wanted to focus on reducing stress over the holidays to really get a much-deserved break. And a good way to do that is with a You Do You […]
10 Secret Santa Gifts $5 or Less
It’s that time of year! Time for the Sunshine Committee to spread some cheer by involving staff in Secret Santa! I actually really enjoy Secret Santa. It’s a fun way to connect with a co-worker and bring some extra joy to the work day. However, if you’re like me, it may be difficult to decide what to get the person […]
10 Super-Easy Teacher Lunch Ideas
Our lunch period goes by in a flash, but it is important to eat and take a short break during that time (even, it’s only a few deep breaths). I know many of you have to eat your lunch with students, but, thankfully, that is changing in most places! Every teacher deserves some uninterrupted time to eat their lunch. Now, […]
Top Ten Turkey Day Freebies
I can’t believe November starts in just a few days! And after that it’s only three more weeks until Thanksgiving break! We’re almost there folks. To help you hang on until we get there, I’ve compiled a list of my top ten turkey day freebies from around the web that are easy to prep, keep students engaged, and still present […]
Reading Intervention: A Day in the Life
I just started my second year as a reading interventionist and am loving it! I hope I will get to continue in this position for years to come, but time will tell. Anyway, when people ask what my job is and I say reading interventionist, most people ask, “What is that? What do you do?” Usually, I’ll say, “I teach […]
7 Materials to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills
Recently, I wrote a post about the decline of the quality of handwriting in students today. You can read that one here. In it, I mention that students need strong fine motor skills to be able to hold and write with a pencil correctly. I want to elaborate on that today. Children start developing fine motor skills from a very […]
A Round-Up of FREE Fall-Themed Activities
Last week I shared a list of notable nonfiction books for the fall season. With that in mind, I’d like to share a round-up of free fall-themed activities that could be used with those books. It’s always nice to have ideas saved in the same place. And even better when they’re free! Apples 1. Apple Investigation Worksheet from Preschool Play […]
10 Notable Nonfiction Books to Share With Students This Fall
I can’t believe it is September already! Fall is almost upon us. Usually this is the time of year when apples, pumpkins, and fall become themes in the classroom. You might do apple taste testing to see which color apple is preferred. You might do a pumpkin investigation where students record their observations. Or you may do activities with fall […]
10 Must-Have Student Supplies
Last week I wrote about must-have teacher supplies, so this week I feel the need to write about must-have student supplies. Students at my school come back this week! In only a few short days students will, again, be walking down the halls, chattering in the cafeteria, and back in our classrooms. As much as I wish we were supplied […]