Hi everyone, Lots of you, on Facebook and Instagram, have asked me about my centers. Today, I'm here to show you my daily center routine. I should tell you

Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...

As someone who loves having a clean and organized home, I’ve come to realize the immense value of a well-designed mudroom. This often-overlooked space serves

40 neat ideas for Scotland souvenirs for your next trip! Let's see what to buy and where to buy your Scottish gifts, with pet gift ideas!

Looking for help on what to do about letter reversals with your students? Here is how one parent handled the issue in their homeschool.

Stepping into school with a fresh and trendy haircut is an instant boost of confidence for any young lad. This extensive collection of boys' haircuts is your

Don't toss that leftover juice pulp - here are 20 creative ways to use it.

Even though I teach a self-contained gifted class, I have a wide range of abilities in my room. I'm sure that most of you do as well. Beside...

Kids will have fun making a Sea Animal ocean craft using the FREE template and easy directions. Animals include a whale, dolphin, fish, and shark.

Here are some printable center signs for your Pre-K or Preschool classroom. I have a free set of signs available, but the set of center signs in my

I took part in the #LilaKAL that is going on at the moment. On My Making List 2015 was a warm sweater for me and I decided that this would be a quick way of getting it done. I held two yarns together - a strand of Pear Tree 8ply seconds and a strand of Isager Tvinni. It gave me a gauge of 16 sti

Noodles are a girls best friend and these easy garlic sesame noodles are without a doubt my favorite noodle recipe to date! They require just a few ingredients, are gluten free, ready in 15 minutes, and can be eaten hot or cold!

It's art, it's math and it's a fine motor work out but it's also SUPER COOL! Make your own name snowflakes is a great STEAM challenge for school age kids.

Imagine having a window onto spring all winter long: that’s the promise of a lean-to greenhouse, just four feet wide and sited alongside an exterior

When we want to make lovely side edges on a project, we should remember to work side stitches in a certain way that guarantees that the edges will be uniform and nice-looking. These important stitches even have a special name – selvedges. There are a number of ways to work selvedge stitches with each way […]

Flowers Teresa from Meadowbrook Farm knows her zinnias! Her favorite varieties are Magellan and State Fair. Another variety she like is Cactus. Click here to see her other must have annuals. photos from Meadowbrook Farm Year Round Lettuce and Spinach in Containers How to Grow Lettuce - Easy Methods For Success Indoor Vegetable Gardening - Virginia Cooperative Extension - scroll down for section about growing indoors A Winter Container Garden - great article from Mother Earth News I'm dreaming of: I'm dreaming of... defined, non-muddy, weed-free, spacious pathways like the ones shown here from My Everyday Graces. Her post tells how she got the mulch for free. I'm dreaming of... raised beds, arranged with a plan in mind, in an enclosed area to keep out deer - and it should be pretty. I can't remember my source for this picture, but I'll keep looking Here's another good wonderful example found on Home Design Decorating. ... and another found on Sunset. Also see Sunset's Perfect Raised Bed. I'm dreaming of... a garden the deer can't get to. Here's an interesting idea from The Tucson Gardener. I think a high fence would be more practical for us. Beekman 1802 has a ton of ideas about Raised Bed Covers. I am really enjoying browsing their site... lots of good ideas! Also from Beekman 1802 - a post on trellises I'm dreaming of... fun, interesting, pretty trellises. Here's a good one found on Garden in a Minute's Flickr page. Lots of people sink PVC pipe in 2 or 4 spots in their raised beds to use as trellis supports. I found this example from lantanascape on Garden Web. Her trellis is made from electrical conduit. I'm dreaming of... a neat and tidy composting system from Clifford Country B&B Gardens - their raised bed garden is pretty, too. I'm dreaming of... a welcoming entrance to the garden. This one is at the Ash Lawn home of our 5th president, James Monroe. We may need two entrances. Of course Martha Stewart has gardens suitable for anyone's dreams! Her fence would certainly deter the deer . Raised Bed / No Till Gardening: "Soil compaction can reduce crop yields up to 50 percent. Water, air and roots all have difficulty moving through soil compressed by tractors, tillers or human feet. Plows, tillers or spades are the usual answers to this problem. But gardeners can avoid the problem by creating beds narrow enough to work from the sides. Organic matter can be increased greatly without getting bogged down, because raised beds drain better." Planting a Garden the No Till Way - from Jami at An Oregon Cottage "...I have very few weeds the entire remainder of the season. Honest! I don't need to cultivate, I never have any problem finding the seedlings because of weeds, and I can leave for a week and not come back to chaos." Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Design and Planning - Vegetable Gardening Online No Till Gardening - Oregon State University "...the no-dig method... Not only does it use less water, she says, it discourages weeds, improves the soil, and reduces labor for tilling and weeding." Build Your Own Raised Bed Garden - from The Pioneer Woman "...I have raised vegetable beds around my house, and I love them so much I add a couple every year." A Simple Raised Garden Plan - from Raised Bed Gardeing Blog "...Raised beds produce a variety of benefits: they extend the planting season; they reduce the need to use poor native soil; and they can reduce weeds if designed properly. Since the gardener does not walk on the raised beds, the soil is not compacted and the roots have an easier time growing. The close plant spacing and the use of compost generally result in higher yields with raised beds in comparison to conventional row gardening." Block Style Layout in Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens - Colorado State University Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens - Squidoo "...it is relatively easy to attach a framework of flexible PVC tubing to a raised garden bed over which you can place either clear plastic to create a greenhouse effect to extend your growing season even more, or some netting to prevent pests from getting to your vegetables..." How to Build a Raised Bed - interesting plan from Erin Covert Planting Guides and Charts: Central Alabama Planting Guide - a great guide for zone 7b, which is the same as Atlanta. Southeast Planting Zones Crop Rotation Chart - The Yankee Gardener Crop Rotation - Garden Organic Crop Rotation - Your Organic Gardening Blog Typical Harvest Dates in Georgia - good chart How to Plant Just about Everything - from Kitchen Stewardship Seed Starter Containers: Make Seed Starter Pots From Newspapers, Method 1 - Slide Tutorial Make Seed Starter Pots From Newspapers, Method 2 - Get the newspaper moist, using two containers that are the same size, line one with the newspaper and press in with the other container. Remove the second container and let the newspaper dry. Use this to plant your seeds, and when your plants come up and are ready to plant in the garden, you can plant the newspaper pot and all. The newspaper will decompose over time. Save eggshell halves for starting seeds. Use a tack to poke a drainage hole in each half then place the eggshell halves into an egg carton. Fill each shell with potting soil then add seeds and water.When it is time to plant seedlings, squeeze the eggshells to crush them then put the whole thing into the ground. Cardboard or Styrofoam egg cartons can be used to start seeds. Fill each cup with soil then plant seeds. If you use a Styrofoam carton poke a hole in the bottom of each cup for drainage. Yogurt Containers Cardboard coffee takeout trays are perfect and work well as seed starter pots. Source 1 Reminders for Next Year: Hang the trellis fences higher so it will be easier to weed. Dad wants to try Romano beans. Try at least two no-till raised beds. Space the rows further apart!!! Space the plants further apart. Mulch when planting. Plant less. Do something about the deer. Garden Markers: Fun Idea from Scraps and Scribbles Worm Farms (Vermiculture) Vermiculture Blog - I found lots of info on this blog including many of the videos below Setting Up the Worm Factory - YouTube video Cheap and Easy Worm Farming Worm Bin Temperature - lots more info on this site Temperature Extremes Have Their Challenges - another good info site Wood Worm Farms - supposedly better for outside use... year round Setting Up a Simple Bed: Global WORMing - love this video Vermiculture - plywood bin at blog - Mesa Lane COW Unwrapped - picture set showing how to set up Can of Worms bin Composting With Worms, Earth 911 - Ordering Seeds: Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Virginia Johnny's Selected Seed - Maine Heirloom Seeds - Pennsylvania - They only sell open pollinated seeds - no hybrids! :-D -special page for Southern Favorites Seeds of Change - New Mexico Seed Savers Exchange - Iowa - non-profit, heirloom seeds Renee's Garden - California -some heirloom & open-pollinated Bountiful Gardens - California - heirloom, open-pollinated Amazon - a variety of vegetable seeds, some heirloom, different brands MISC: Thrifty and Money Saving Gardening Ideas and Tricks Cheap Tricks for Seed Starting Winter sowing - in plastic jugs and bottles - click here for explanation Edging and Compost Talk - from Donna at Funky Junk Interiors Fabulous Tomato Cages - also see recommendation on blog, Four Hills of Squash - here and here When to Pick and How to Ripen Pears to Perfection - great article!

Here are a bunch of fun fall door decorations for the classroom! You will find pumpkins, halloween, thanksgiving, apples, and more ideas!

There’s a big debate on whether or not paint chips are actually “free”, but regardless of which side of the fence you sit, these 32 pain chip projects are perfect for using up all…

Hey guys. So, some of you have asked how I hemmed my denim skirt by myself while keeping the factory-edge look. I've got bad news and good...

Not just lasagna.

Are you tired of the morning battle to tame your son's unruly hair before school? Say goodbye to the struggle and hello to effortless style with our guide to the "25 Best Boys Haircuts for

The 100 Hour Quiet Book: A detailed look at the quiet book I made my son for Christmas, complete with references of where to find each page's pattern!

Our first project this year has been a very progressive, multi step, multi media project that has really evolved as we created! Our first project when we got back from hurricane Harvery was to release some stress with scribbling to music.... Students spread out on the floor and scribbled to the sound of fast and slow music by “The Piano Guys” they love these songs because they recognize them from the radio but it’s all instrumental. The students were instructed to use large arm motions that cross over the body. Any motion that crosses from the right side of the body to the left or vise versa uses both hemispheres of the brain since each side controls one side of the body. It is very relaxing and the kids LOVED it!!!!!! The next class kids painted over thier scribbles with water colors, tempera paint, and India ink. They explored the way different paint resists or does not resist the crayon. You can follow me on instagram for more photos "Natty241" And my facebook page "Mrs. Waggenspack's Art Room" They were allowed to use their hands at the end. We try to use all 5 senses for a while brain experience. We talked about abstract art, Kinetic art, And the experience of art. It is a process and not just a product that we create in art. After each experience we gathered on the floor and talked about how they felt in one word. Students said, “Free, alive, happy, exhilarating, dancing, creative, like a real artist, quiet, excited, open,angry, peaceful,etc” When the paintings were finished the students tore them up into strips! They were so upset at first. When they saw the next step they were so excited. The students glued the strips on a late paper for the collage. This took three 50 minute classes. Then students traced the eyes and nose of the animal they wanted and outlines the eyes, nose, and beaks with India ink. ( pictures at the bottom of blog) this is the resin I use. I paint it on with a brush. This resin must be mixed one to one ratio and it is toxic so you must wear a mask. Do NOT let the children use it. You have to do it for them if you want the ultra shiney eyes effect! Wear a mask and use gloves! You can sprinkle glitter in it too for extra FUN!!! Then they glued the eyes and nose on the collage. The next step was to embellish the face and add details. We used India ink and fan brushes to make fur and feathers. When the entire face was finished I added resin to the eyes to make them shine These are how the eyes and noses look before they cut them out. We used the fan brush for making fur. These are the travers they could use for eyes, noses and beaks

Learn About the 7 Continents! Exploring the 7 Continents has never been more exciting! It’s a Small World Continent Study is filled with over 35 activities to help your students gain a greater understanding of the seven continents. This 130+ page unit is filled with great resources, posters, printables, activities, and projects that will open […]

Tons and tons of crafty fabric chicken project ideas that you won't want to miss! Quilts, embroidery, booties, tees, bean bags, and so much more!

Do you really need all that stuff? This advice from the Organizing Queen will help you decide what stays and what goes, fast.

Easy tuna cakes that takes 15 minutes and less than 10 ingredients to prepare and cook!

Want to learn the basics of hand embroidery with an easy online workshop - totally free? Sign up for Embroidery 101 here. You'll learn how to get started, the tools and supplies you'll need, the four most basic stitches, how to transfer your pattern and how to display your work. If you already know the

Resources for organization to keep your therapy items and materials neat, orderly, and accessible, as well as time management tools for prioritizing, scheduling, and completing tasks.

Looking to minimize your living room clutter? This DVD organizational hack can help get you there!

Step-by-step tutorial for beginner knitters about a simple way to make neat increases that do not form holes.

Silhouettes are classic and timeless; they can be used in all sorts of decoration effortlessly. Create a stellar backdrop for a dessert table by putting together a nice collection of artfully arranged framed silhouettes of the birthday boy or girl or add a silhouette to your little one’s room as the perfect finishing touch. I …

Supplies needed: Acrylic dabbers, photocopy of an image, water spritzer bottle, paintbrush, card stock, craft sheet and heat tool (optional) Take the lid off the dabbers and brush the paint onto the card stock, ensure you get a good coverage Take your photocopied image ( remember that you will get a reverse of the image, so don't use bold words), flip it over and place it in the acrylic. Lightly press it down making sure it's smooth and not wrinkled Leave to air dry for at least 15 minutes and then if you wish give it a blast with the heat tool Only move onto this step when you are sure your paint is completely dry Take your water filled spritzer bottle, spray the back of the paper no more than two squirts, you don't want it too wet Next start to rub the paper very gently with your finger Keep rubbing and extra spritzing if you need too Eventually you will get rid of all the paper, but it does take a bit of patience as you have to be careful not to wet it too much and rub the image away You can do exactly the same on a canvas Apparently the paint in the acrylic dabbers is slightly different to other acrylics as it is more chalky and that's why the transfers work best with these paints. But you can use other mediums. I tried it with Jo Sonia's background paints but didn't get such a good effect

I love using QR codes to make my task cards more exciting and interesting. They are so easy to make and even easier to use.