Crock-pot Steak Fajita – Melt-in-your-mouth delicious! This Crockpot steak fajita is perfect to come home to a warm meal after a day at work. Beef, bell peppers, tomato, onion, and fajita spi…

This game is meant for both kids and adults, parents, art teachers, artists of all kinds, tired people after a long day at work who want to relax, and everyone who wants to have fun and loves drawing and painting. I would love to see your results:-) Your task is to make a picture using […]

Do you work 3 12 hour shifts in a row? Survive a busy 12 hour shift job with this detailed, helpful guide full of tips for working a hectic 12 hour schedule

If you feel to busy to work out (I can relate) these will make it a little easier to find time to squeeze it in! There are many other ways you can incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Doing a couple of simple exercises while sitting down in the office each day can, when done regularly, help to improve your flexibility, muscle tone and strength.

I could never say enough positive things about using a work box system in the classroom-- for any child. I've used them with typically developing peers in the classroom as well and it's an amazing way to in-bed practice and skill maintenance, all while working on attending to a task as well. Over the summer I did a whole post on how I structure this system in my classroom. You can check it out {here}. But one thing I've never done is actually post photos of the activities I have in my boxes. My boxes have grown since I last posted a photo this summer. I have 83 work boxes available in my classroom at all times. I know that sounds like the only thing that make up the shelves in my classroom are work boxes, but I promise it's not. It might be close, but it's not! I don't have a lot of remaining storage in my classroom. So to constantly be changing out activities and finding a storage system for previous activities is a little challenging for me. So I prefer to just have a lot of boxes available. We also need a high number of boxes to complete each day. Let's break it down. I have 10 students total, 8 of whom complete work boxes at some point doing the day. Children complete anywhere between 1-10 boxes a day. Right now, as a class, we are completing 28 boxes a day. We come to school 4 days a week, so that's completing 112 boxes a week. And planning so strategically that a child doesn't repeat a box during the week. It's a huge planning challenge. And my paras are awesome at catching my goofs! I'm hoping to come across some appropriate shelving between now and the end of the year to expand our boxes even more. Sounds crazy I know, but it will make the planning challenge so much easier when there is a larger amount to pick from. So the whole point of this post-- what's in the boxes?! I use a combination of handmade activities, printable activities, and existing manipulatives from my classroom to make up my boxes. Our lowest tasks are simple "put-in" activities and our higher tasks include activities like capital and lowercase matching using clothespins and sight word matching mats. I've been trying to come up with more and more put-in activities so that's what I'm going to share with you today. In another post I'll share another category. For this activity I saved a small peanut can from the grocery store. (Yes I washed it out) I simply cut slits in the lid--these lids are super easy to cut into which is nice. It's the perfect height for dropping these mini popsicle sticks into. This activity is another saved container- an almond one. I have saved a ton of these! They are a great size and again, the lids are easy to cut into. This one has a circle in the middle of the lid and heart erasers to put into the container. This activity I found on pinterest. I simply saved a Parmesan cheese shaker, washed it out and added q-tips. When students open the box the cheese shaker is already open. (It would be too challenging for my little guys to get open independently- it's tough!) This task I clearly didn't make. It is courtesy of Lakeshore Learning. Students simply place the buttons in. This jar is one of three included in the pack and can be purchased by clicking {here}. If you wanted to make a more challenging task for a student you could place two jars into one task box so the student has to sort as well. This is the second jar included in the Lakeshore pack. I used another almond container for the activity. And obviously a hole punch to put the holes in the lid. Students have to put the beads into the container through the holes. I saw someone else blog about these small paint containers they found at the Dollar Store. They really are great! I bought four of them and used one for this work box. Students simply push the pom-poms into the container. This activity is similar to the Lakeshore bucket with buttons. I found the small yellow containers at the Dollar Tree in the baby section. They come in a multi-pack which is nice, BUT, they are a pain to cut holes in the top. It's a much harder plastic than I thought, and it cracked in the corners. If I hadn't gone through so much trouble to cut the slot in, I probably would have used another almond container. This was one of the first work box activities I made. I recycled a cookie dough container and cut holes in the lid. Then students just have to put pom-poms into the holes. I'd like to re-do this container at some point because most students catch on that the middle hole is big enough to just drop the pom-pom in versus pushing it through the hole. I don't know if you would call this a "put in" task, but I do. They're putting pegs in a peg board! I can also guarantee you that this peg board is older than I am. For this activity students push down the lever on the gumball machine to get a stone out, then they have to place the stone in the container. I liked the idea of students using their index finger to get the lever done-- additional fine motor practice. Sometimes more than one stone may come out, but that's okay. So there you have it. Those are our current "put in" activities. I hope you get some new ideas for your own work boxes from these. Next I'll share our sorting activities.

Why is being organized important at work? How to stay organized at work? In this post, learn the power of being organized, the benefits of being organized, tips for staying organized, organizational habits, and more!

April 16, 2012 This session I will be teaching my fifth grade class. Unfortunately my sixth graders left and will be moving onto the middl...

Scoliosis is characterized by an S- or C-shaped curve in the spine. In this article, we suggest a few exercises for people with scoliosis, as well as stretches that may help improve flexibility.

That left me with some newfound time and attention that I didn’t want to squander. So I pulled the book Deep Work by Cal Newport, which I’d read years earlier, off the shelf. I have no doubt that my…

Exercises for diastasis recti help you strengthen your core, prevent injuries, and reduce pain. Here are 10 such exercises that you can practice, to begin with.

What do you do as soon as you get to the office? Professional women talk about their different morning office routines for productivity and calm.

We all know that the recommended activity level is 10,000 steps a day. This means walking at least 5 miles every single day, which sounds a bit intimidating. Here are 9 clever ways to get 10,000 steps per day without adding an extra workout.

If you spend most of your day sitting at a computer, you might have tight back & neck issues. Here are 5 daily stretches for a desk job that really work!

This one pan Chicken Alfredo is simply amazing and yet so easy to make for a week night dinner. I love how fast and easy it can come together after a busy day at work. I usually make this with a sa…

Ready to work your entire body? This FREE 21 Day At Home Bootcamp Workout Plan will burn serious calories in no time at all! You can do this with or without equipment, either way is an incredibly effective workout that will help you lose weight fast.

School has officially started for us! We are several days into the school year and I am loving my new class! It's a big group but they are...

Kids will love how simple and easy it is to make pipe cleaner flowers for a fun spring craft or handmade gift for Mother’s Day.

Do you reinvent the wheel every single week when it comes to centers, word work, stations.....whatever you happen to call them? Yeah, me too! I know better, I swear I do but it just never fails. I am here today to tell you that there IS A BETTER WAY! Let me begin by saying I am a big fan of Daily 5. I run my room about as closely to the Daily 5 model as possible but this is one area I just never could give in on. The sisters suggest having out materials for students to build words, write words, and work with words during this choice. It is that simple. It is called word work after all right? I have always felt the need for my work work choices to be very specific so that students could be working on what I wanted them to be working on. Wait a minute.....that's the opposite of Daily 5 philosophy. It's all about CHOICE and becoming a BETTER READER so why am I making all of the choices? So here is what I did. I put as many random materials as I could find in my classroom and made them available to students. THAT'S IT! Along with a sight word list to use as a reference and one fun morning of showing them what it was all about and I haven't looked back since. They are working SO HARD during our word work time because they are truly using materials they love and making good choices to become better readers and writers. It has been amazing! Here are a few simple, simple examples. Again...simple! I did not go out of my way for any of these! #1 Magnets I have a couple of really organized sets of magnets and then these just thrown in a clear shoe box. Guess which one gets picked the most? You guessed it! Maybe it's the bright colors or maybe kids are just drawn to chaos. Either way it's a win! #2 Wiki Sticks I lied. I did go out of my way for this one just because I've always wanted to use them. My students think they are really fun! One of my kiddos who struggles the most during word work time (and refuses to use a sight word list) spelled out "tatr tot" last week using these. He was pretty impressed with himself and I was too! I got these from Amazon. You can see them through my affiliate link HERE. #3 Pom poms I've used these for fine motor before but I've never just included them in word work. They get picked every round! I didn't originally tell them to use a cookie sheet to build on but I like how it keeps everything in one space. They came up with that idea. #4 Beads I had these from the Dollar Tree for my fine motor bins too so I just included them in word work for now. They are REALLY interesting to build with because you have to pick up each bead and set it on its side so it won't roll away. The cookie sheet came in really handy for this one. #5 Plain OLD white boards I have really old yucky white boards. Guess what? They don't care! I set them all on the shelf and they pick one, a marker, and a sock (they are baby socks) and write their sight words. Marker dry? DON'T COME GET ME! Just throw it out and get a new one! I put an old assortment of markers in here so we could weed out the bad ones. TIP! Put your sight word list in a sheet protector and students can cross off words as they write them. My students figured out that organization tip too. I love when they help me figure things out! #6 Letter Tiles These came with our Reading Street materials and they are really fun for building CVC words because there are so many vowels included. I encouraged them to work on sight words but I noticed one student building CVC words, blending them together, and then sorting them into real words and make believe words.You better believe I had him share out at the end of word work to show his classmates and now everyone is doing it too. Instant center.....no prep! #7 Scrabble Tiles Seriously though. I have been collecting these forever and I NEVER use them because well.....honestly I didn't know what to do with them. It bothered me a little that they were all capitals but guess what? My kids don't care! They love using the little stand to build words with and it does not matter one little bit that they are all capitals. #8 Letter Stamps I had these already and they are always a part of our word work so this was a station that just stayed the same. I do like that they have to focus on our new words of the week for this one. I have to be in a (little) bit of control sometimes! But my 2nd grade colleague just has blank paper at this station and they stamp any word they want. I'm sure my kiddos would love that too! I might switch it out and have them do that next week. You can get the STAMPS HERE and the STAMP PAD HERE. These are affiliate links which means I get a small amount if purchase through the link at no additional cost to you. Seriously love these though and they have lasted a long time! #9 Paper Centers Yes....I still need a little bit of control and my theory is that some kids will totally love using all of the hands on stuff but some kids still want to complete a paper like a cut and glue, word search, or write the room. I didn't do away with all centers, I just added all of the fun word work centers into what we already had going. BUT! This has already saved me a ton of time in the planning department. I put out 4 papers for the week and that's it. All my centers are planned for! You can see the centers I have available that are aligned with Reading Street stories HERE. This week our story is The Little Engine That Could. You can see the four paper choices on top and then all of the materials stored below. I love these containers from Walmart because the handles on the sides lock the lids down tight and keep beads, wiki sticks, tiles, and pom poms from flying everywhere. I have reflected a little bit on whether these were just working so well because my students are UBER independent right now or because this is just a great fit. I mean really, they are almost 1st graders after all! But I think that these would have worked great at the beginning of the year with some alphabet options just as nicely as they are working now. I put out similar items at the beginning of the year anyway, this would just be some added options. Would I overwhelm my students with all of this in one day. NO WAY! My students have been exposed to all of these items in one way or another (through fine motor stations, word work, or in small group with me) except for the wiki sticks. Those were brand new. I waited a couple of days to add those in to make a BIG deal about them. If this was the beginning of the year I would put out 2 choices until we were really solid with those choices and then add more in. Get the sight word list shown in the pictures that aligns with Reading Street Kindergarten words HERE. These types of centers work great with these Rainbow Word Sight Word lists too! Want to save this post for later? Pin it here! P.S. Get a FREE ALPHABET ACTIVITY when you sign up for my newsletter HERE!

How to create an end-of-day routine that leaves your room spotless, every time!

This is a digital file. You will NOT receive anything by mail. Make the sweetest flowers ever with your little ones handprints (or footprints) for Grandparents Day! This is a digital download in 8.5x11. Handprints are not in downloaded file. This Grandparents Day printable is a project that allows kids to add their own handprints and/or footprints to the page. Makes a great keepsake for grandparents. Great for use at home or in a classroom! *I am a former childcare teacher turned stay at home mom of a toddler. I have 14 years of experience in writing lesson plans and planning activities for the toddler age range. These are the same activities I do at home with my daughter! Follow us on Instagram for tutorials and more toddler ideas! Search growing_upwith_grace. *This printable is for private use only either at home or in a classroom. NOT TO BE RESOLD.

Learn two exercises for your neck at your desk! These exercises are simple yet effective and easy to add into your workday.

My little ones love playing with playdough, and we love to make it ourselves with our favorite recipe! This playdough is soft and simple to make!

We all know that the recommended activity level is 10,000 steps a day. This means walking at least 5 miles every single day, which sounds a bit intimidating. Here are 9 clever ways to get 10,000 steps per day without adding an extra workout.

Make these cute Japanese fans with your kids in honor of Girls' Day. I've included a free printable guide to make this an easy craft!

Inside: Browse, print, and use this comprehensive list of IEP Accommodation and 504 Accommodations. Includes a PDF.

Do you hate the stress thats building up in your current career? Check this guide detailing the best low stress work from home jobs hiring.

Visual schedules are a great way to help students manage their school day and see what is coming next. Free flip schedule template only at Mrs. D's Corner.

Try these 10 stretches to loosen up all your tight and sore muscles and feel as good as if you’d had an actual massage. (OK, almost as good.)

Join this special community helpers circle time for a full week of free virtual preschool. We will learn about firefighters, doctors, teachers, and more!

Build a strong, defined back with this home workout: the 8 BEST back exercises for women! Grab a set of dumbbells and start sculpting.