This fun xylophone craft works on colour and size matching. The following post contains affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you I can make a tiny bit of money to help support this blog. Thank you! To make this xylophone craft find the FREE printables in the Craftulate Shop. There are two pages - the worksheet and the cut outs. Print both out onto white card and then cut out the bars from the cut outs page. Note: I have also added an 'advanced' worksheet option, which just has black outlines for the bars. Children will have

This project is so much fun, and it's a great way to get in a little cutting practice, think about composition, and even throw in a bit of color theory. With very young children, and kids who are new to using scissors, it's a great introduction to cutting paper, because there really is no &

Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!

These coffee filter butterflies are such a classic craft! I love how easy they are to make and how the bright colours of the Mr. Sketch markers blend together to make gorgeous looking butterfly wings! (Don't worry, you can use regular washable markers too). Do you remember Mr. Sketch markers from when you were a kid? I was walking down the craft aisle at Walmart last year and saw them on display -- I was so excited to see that they still make them! I opened up the package, took the lid off of one of the markers and smelled

Students in third grade learned about the artist David Hockney . We focused especially on his California influenced pool paintings from the ...

Smooth out the resin learning curve with these TOP 10 RESIN TIPS. They cover everything that a resin beginner needs to know to get great results every time. Even the experts follow these resin tips to make sure that their resin projects work.

I'm linking up with Jivey for this week's Workshop Wednesday: Response to Literature! When I take reading groups, we spend a lot of time discussing the story (as much discussing a first grader can handle anyway!). I always remind them what good readers do and I model it for them. For example, I'll say a good reader thinks about what the author wanted us to learn by reading this story. Then I'll pick a story we've previously read and have say I think so and so wanted us to learn blah, blah. After, I ask the kids to think back and see what the story we're working on is about. I do this for setting, main idea, pretty much everything! I also have a little graphic organizer flip chart that I use in my groups. It's part of our Reading Street reading program and can be written on with Expo markers. It has a page for character, plot, beginning, middle and end of a story, and lots more. Many times, I will use these for the kids to show their understanding of the characters, setting, and the stories problem. They especially love the part where they have to answer how they would solve the problem in the story. :) My kids do a lot of written responses in their writing journals as well. Often times, I'll give them a sentence or question to get the started. For example, our first unit is about pets, so their journal prompts may be about how they would take care of a pet, their favorite type of pet, or if they could have any pet, what would it be....things that activate prior knowledge or make them think a little more about the topics we are reading about. :) How do your kids respond to literature? :) One more thing before I take a break for dinner!! Here's a little something special I made for my classroom this weekend! I found the idea on Pinterest (surprise, surprise!). I think it came out pretty good!! I brought it to school on Monday and my kids absolutely LOVED it!! Lately they've been feeling sad because I've been doing special "second grade" things with them and they don't want to leave first grade. I don't want them to go either! But I told them whenever they're feeling sad, they can look at this and remember what a super bunch of friends they have! :) Happy Wednesday!

I am so excited to launch my first "series" of blog posts! It's making me feel all grown-up and blogger-like :)My first series is going to be on increasing student engagement in the classroom. Over

Over the years I've created and shared more than 500 printables here on the blog. Keeping track of all of them and, more importantly, making them easy for you to find can be a bit

Sleeve designs can be a little bit intimidating. Drafting them is kind of a science on its own, and it’s hard to imagine what shape you need to start with if

Experimenting with a mini hardanger needlework kit I bought in Europe for the first time. It's a beautiful embroidery project featuring cutwork.

I sure love self-portrait projects! I've done lots at all different levels, and I usually tweak them a bit each time. For these ...

Brittany is one of the most beautiful places in France to visit. From quaint villages, and beautiful countryside to a stunning coastline; Brittany has it - 11 Very Best Things To Do In Brittany, France - Travel, Travel Inspiration - Brittany, Europe, France - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography

Little Chicken Amigurumi crochet pattern Crochet Pattern Amigurumi is a word of Japanese origin. “Ami” means crochet and needles, and “nuigurumi” means stuffed animal. These...

The work of Afroditi Psarra includes experimentation with embroidery, soft circuit and diy electronics. I got in touch with her after discovering she was holding a workshop in Barcelona around sound performances using Lilypad Arduino along with a really cool embroidered synthesizer (…and also submitting her project to Maker Faire Rome !). Even if her […]

Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!

When a student elopes, it’s one of those behaviors we generally cannot ignore. Here are 3 ways to support students when this happens.

Providing modeling is vital to kids working memory development. Discover why and download our free printable visual cue cards for autism.

Pixel Flame designed by Richard Chambers. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.

Oven Roasted Zucchini and Squash: a delicious and easy way to serve up some summer produce.  Sprinkled with a touch of seasoning on a bit of parmesan cheese these make a great summer side dish.

Dancing rice experiment for kids. Make rice dance like magic in this super simple kitchen science experiment from Green Kid Crafts...

Every Blogging Task You Need to Do (In Order!) to Build A Profitable BlogTired of spinning your wheels trying to figure out this whole blogging thing? Ready to create an actual money making blogging business? I'll show you how. Join my Bloggers Hotlist and receive the blueprint as a perk of becoming a subscriber! Send me the blueprint! […]

::::I like the bound seams at the back of the neck in a t-shirt. I think it's a nice finish that makes a t-shirt look proper - that is why I included the instructions on how to add one in my Basic Ins

I have been working and observing in Montessori classrooms for a good fifteen years now and I’ve seen dozens of different ways to keep track of the mountain of information generated on a daily basis. I’m also a bit of an information junkie and I collect ideas like they’re about to run out (have you seen my Pinterest boards?!) […]

Rabac and Labin, Croatia await you! Here is what to do in Rabac and Labin, which can be found on the eastern side of Istria.

“I know, I know… It’s because I’m a nurse.”

This week they are finally stripping and waxing the floors in my high school art room so I've spent a lot of time at home working on school stuff. I started making my to-do list for the room and the first thing I'm checking off my list has to do with critiques. A while back on Pinterest, I found this link for ping pong ball critiques and I LOVE the idea! My husband bought me a box of 36 ping pong balls and I spent the night writing critique prompts on each ball! Some of the questions came directly off of the free PDF download above, others came from my head and some came from other random pins. Here's what the balls have written on them: If I were the artist, I would have... Are there any symbols in this artwork? Give an example. What would you title this artwork? Why? Does this artwork make you think of something else? What? What style is this artwork completed in? What kind of composition does this artwork have? Would you hang/display this artwork in your home? What culture and/or country do you think this artwork comes from? Why? Can you trace movement with finger? Where? In my opinion... Do you see any repetition? Where? What art principles do you see? Where? What elements of art do you see? Where? Where did the artist use contrast? What art medium/media is this artwork created with? How do you know? Does this artwork have a color scheme? What is it? Do you think this artwork belongs in a museum or art gallery? Why or why not? Did the artist create space? How? Where is the emphasis/focal point? How is it created? Is this artwork realistic or abstract? Explain. What is the subject matter of this artwork? The weaknesses of this artwork are... The strengths of this artwork are... If I could ask the artist one question, I would ask... Is there rhythm in this artwork? Where? Are there patterns in this artwork? Where? Does this artwork have depth? Explain. What do you think the artist wants you to see. Do you think the artist was more concerned with emotion or realism? Why? Do you like this artwork? Why or why not? What creates unity in this artwork? Where do you see texture? Does this artwork tell a story? What is it? Is the balance symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial? Explain. What emotion or feeling did the artist create? How was line used in this artwork? I plan to use the ping pong ball critique during class for group critiques (of personal and famous artwork), as well as for an exit slip. I saw this pin on Pinterest and I decided to make a post-it note exit slip poster. I have made one for both Studios, both 7th grade art classes and electives, all of which will be laminated. There will be times I will give students a specific question for an exit slip and other times we may use the ping pong ball critique questions. Students will get a post-it note to write their answer on. They'll use the same post-it note until it's filled up and then they'll get a new one. Each student will be assigned a number for the year so they don't have to put names on their slips. This will help ensure that I am getting students to review content before leaving class (that was something my superintendent noted on my evaluation as something I needed to work on) as well as having a closure of some sort. Since I made a poster for each class, I won't have to look at their answers until after school during our 2:45-3:15 teacher time, thus making sure I have my 3 minutes in between classes to get between the classrooms. The ping pong ball critique questions will also be great to use as a bell ringer too. I think I want to plan on having students use their sketchbooks as a place to write bell ringers, notes, project sketches and homework sketches. I envision having a famous artwork on the board when students come in, ask them to grab a ball and answer the question in their sketchbook. As students get settled, I'll ask for some volunteers to share their responses. I feel this would be less of a waste of paper to have students do bell ringers in their sketchbooks instead of on copied slips of paper. Plus, it will ensure that sketchbooks are brought to class every day and not wasted. Since all of my SLO's will be coming from high school art classes this upcoming year, my gears are drastically switching. I am going to be more concerned with getting classroom management routines down in a way that works (such as the bell ringer and exit slip...something I haven't used before). I would eventually like to work a bell ringer/exit slip into the elementary art room, but I don't want to stretch my time too much now that I only get those kiddos once a cycle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On a side note, I just figured I'd share some artwork I did today...for the first time in forever! Very rarely do I sit down and do artwork for myself. Two years ago I did similar up-close flower paintings for Christmas gifts for my family (we were on a tight budget that year ;) ). I usually have to be in the right kind of mood to do any artwork, or even scrap booking for that matter. Any time I'm creating something, it's usually a project example for school or posters/displays for my classrooms. Acrylic on canvas...my preferred choice of painting medium! It's actually kind of ironic because in college, I did not take a painting class. I did sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, photography, digital design and the mandatory art design class. I was never able to fit the painting class in my schedule (and to be honest, I was not very fond of the professor who taught it), so I've never been trained in oil painting, or painting for that matter. Painting with acrylic was something I picked up and enjoyed in high school. In this instance, my husband has been given a promotion to which he now has his own office. He is a kitchen manager for Thatcher Kitchen at SUNY Potsdam. Now that he has moved into his office, he's been begging me to come decorate! I surprised him today with these paintings for his office. Tomorrow I'll go pick out paint for him to paint his office with and decide where he needs to hang his artwork!

It's crazy how little bits of effort can transform our lives. I mean, you really don't need to do too much because sometimes, it's the small, consistent actions that make the most significant impact. Something as small as a micro habit could make a big difference in your life. Are you ready to supercharge your life one tiny step at a time? #1 powerful micro habits In this blog post, we'll explore 25 micro habits that can change your life for the better. These habits are relatable, clear, and easy to fuse into your daily routine. What are micro habits?

Perched on the stunning coastline of Spain, Benidorm is a resort city in Spain that's got a little something for everyone. In fact, I'd go as far as - 11 Very Best Things To Do In Benidorm, Spain - Travel, Travel Advice - Benidorm, Europe, Spain - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography

If you want to practise your German a bit while being entertained, you're in luck. There are tons of German movies! Here are some of the best for learners.

One of my all time favorite flavors is teriyaki. It goes well with so many things - like chicken or pork, and even veggies. It's just a good thing to have on hand. Instead of running to the store all the time, I've started making this sauce at home. It's delicious & more importantly, I know what's in it! It's so easy to make, and very versatile too. It can be used as a marinade, dipping sauce, or basting glaze. I hope you'll give it a try, and let me know what you think. Printable Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup Soy Sauce 1/4 cup Pineapple Juice 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 1/4 cup Honey 1 Tbs freshly grated Ginger 1 Tbs Minced Garlic 2 Tbs crushed Pineapple 1 Tbs Corn Starch Method: Whisk together all ingredients. If you're marinading, that's it. No cooking required. Simply pour the desired amount of the mixture over your raw meat, and let the magic happen. For a dipping sauce or basting glaze, you'll need to cook it down a bit and get it to thicken. Pour mixture into a small pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it boils and thickens to your desired consistency. It can be used immediately, or refrigerated until ready to use. What I like to do is to mix up the ingredients & dip out some for the marinade. (Be careful to get a good mix & not steal all the tasty bits floating on top.) Then, I cook down the remaining sauce and pop it into the fridge until I am ready to prepare the meal. Store any leftover sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups. Enjoy!

This week I am taking a bit of a different spin on the usual monthly runfessions. Lets talk about some of the embarrassing things about being a runner!

Happy Thursday my Scrappy Friends! This week we are going to be looking at a simple couple of blocks that will pair nicely to make a beautiful scrappy project quilt that is easily expanded to be as large as you like. Once again, we'll be doing all simple piecing and all simple cutting. As you clean out a collection of scraps one of the best things you can do to be organized is go ahead and make simple pre-cuts. When going through my scrap drawers, I press my scraps and cut them into 2 1/2"

We've compiled our favorite trail running documentaries all in one place. They are all free and can be viewed right now via Youtube or Vimeo below. These are perfect for when you are sick or injured or just need a bit of extra motivation to keep up those miles week in and week out. No