We turned the plain white front porch pillars on our house into cedar pillars, and we couldn't be happier with the results!

There are so many of the best things to do in Iceland during your trip. I mean, it's a country that's so gorgeous and so incredibly beautiful that you're - 22 Very Best Things To Do In Iceland - Travel, Travel Advice - Europe, Iceland - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography

Learn how to use Rust-Oleum Home floor coating to paint tile floor. I've shared how I easily transformed our tile floor.

Night Sky Accent Wall, Starry Sky Accent Wall, Constellation Painted Wall, Dark Blue Starry Sky Wall, Shared Boys Bedroom, Boys Bedroom, Kids Bedroom

This FREE parallel lines cut by a transversal coloring activity doubles as a colorful reference poster or student notebook reference. Now includes a link to an interactive GOOGLE Slides version for online learning and teaching.

Let me show you how to update your old turned newel posts to look like box newels without removing a thing! That’s right. We updated our own newel posts without…

Update your home's exterior by wrapping front porch columns with wood. Here's step by step how to wrap front porch posts to enhance your home's curb appeal.

The pencils are sharpened, your classroom is clean and the bell rings…gulp…here they come! My feelings on the first week of school are conflicted. On one hand, it’s one of the most important weeks. Explaining and practicing the class procedures and expectations sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Success is vital. On the other hand, I’m so excited to start teaching my historical content that waiting until all the expectations are explained requires a lot of patience! Every teacher has their own plan of action for that pivotal time. Here are 5 things I can’t live without during the first week of school: One: An Icebreaker. I aim to try and make kids feel comfortable in my classroom on day one. One of my favorite little activities is Fact or Fiction. Each student receives a small slip of paper and they’re instructed to write one fact and two fictions. Then each person (including myself!) introduces themselves and we all try to guess which statement is the fact! It’s a great way to quickly learn about each other. Two: Classroom Information and Expectations. This is every teacher’s staple, I know, but it had to go on the list because it’s a must-have! When you’re making your own, spell everything out – from the obvious grading procedures and late work policy to how to pass back papers and when to sharpen pencils and go to the bathroom. Trust me, leave no stone unturned. Your classroom will function much better if you set the tone from day one. (Oh, and don’t forget a seating chart!) Three: Fun and Games. On the second day of school, I love to start class with a little game. It’s a great way for the kids to start practicing our classroom procedures and expectations while getting familiar with their teacher and classmates. Here are some of my favorite games that I use during the first week of school: (P.S. Some of these activities can be found in my Back to School Activities resources! Click the grade level you’re teaching to check them out: Sixth, Seventh, Eighth) InstaFriend: This activity gets students moving around the room and interviewing fellow classmates! Their InstaFriend paper has a series of descriptions and characteristics. When they find a student who matches the description, they write their name in the box. Each name can only be used once! Right or Wrong: I love skits. LOVE THEM. I like to introduce students to the idea of skits during the first week by allowing them to create their own based on our class expectations. I first divide students into small groups of 2-3. Each group then randomly receives one of our class procedures or expectations. As a group, they have to work together to create two mini skits – one showing the RIGHT way to follow the expectation, the other showing the WRONG way. They get to be silly and I get to reinforce my class expectations. After each skit I happily point out all the positive behaviors as well as each time a class policy was violated. It’s a light-hearted way to grab their attention and create a positive atmosphere all while practicing the laws of the land. Classmate Bingo: I love to play this game at the end of the first week. I give each student a blank bingo board with a large selection of personal characteristics, hobbies, etc. at the bottom. The students choose 16 off the list and create their customized board. Then, I randomly select characteristics from the list. If a student has that characteristic on their board, they have to write down a student’s name that matches the characteristic – but no cheating! They have to use what they’ve learned about others during their first week of school to try and win the game. Four: A Pre Test. After a few days of class information and fun, it’s time to start getting down to business. Each year, I make a short pre-test on the information they’ll learn about that year. It gives me a chance to see what the kids already know and gives them a feel for what subject matter they’ll be learning about in the coming weeks. FYI: Your pre-test probably won’t take the whole class period. Make sure to have plans for other activities, too, on the day you give your pre-test! Five: A Writing Activity. True fact: when I tell kids they’re going to do a writing activity, they groan every time. It’s a signal that the “real work” is about to begin. Luckily, they’re always relieved when I assure them that this activity will require very little research because it’s about a subject they’re experts in – themselves! I have a few different activities to choose from each year. Here are some suggestions: Student Survey: What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you hope to learn in this class? These are just some of the questions I ask students in the survey. The more I know about my students, the better I can help them achieve success in my class. Write Away: A staple of many: write a letter to a future you! I ask students to write goals for the year, dreams they wish to see realized, and questions they want to ask their “End of the Year” self. I tuck these letters away and revisit them during the last week of school. I’m Ready: Like every middle school history class, we do a lot of writing and students always have to back up their reasons, statements, etc. with evidence to support their claim. In this writing activity, students have to identify which class rule or expectation they believe is most important and provide evidence to support their claim. This activity both reinforces my classroom policies and secretly gives me a preview of their writing proficiency. Have I left anything out? If you have any fun plans for the first week of school, share them in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas for my classroom!

I talk quite a bit about classroom management on my blog. I have to be honest here. I have tried so many different things. I have tried the clip chart, I have tried check marks, I have tried the “flip the card”. NONE of them work for me. The book Dream Class really changed my thoughts on...

This guide to 4 days in Edinburgh has a great Edinburgh itinerary for 4 days in Scotland. There's a lot to do and see in and around the city.

Looking for Classroom Management Ideas that work? Try using art expression as a strategy that works in elementary classrooms and...

Say goodbye to ugly oak banisters! Find out how we completely transformed our stairway with this inexpensive DIY tutorial.

Learn about the most common shed foundation types. We compare 11 different foundations and explain the advantages and drawbacks of each.

This is the third year that my students have completed my Transformation Summative Assessment Project. See my previous posts Here, yea...

This product includes decor for an Environmental Science classroom. A fake Instagram account was created called "Mother.Nature" and various posts both helpful and harmful to the environment were created. This product includes 32 "Instagram posts" and then the title "What If Earth Had Instagram" that can printed and cut out to decorate your classroom. ***PDF Not editable Digital File ONLY -- Best if printed in color :)

Many years ago, I created a post where I took the carpet off my stairs and updated them with Retro treads or stair caps. This has been my most popular post to d…

Favignana, Sicily offers up what we all dream of from a Mediterranean summer. Easily accessible by ferry from Trapani, our guide will show you how to have the perfect day trip - and offer some tips for those that want to stay longer.

Long, narrow hallways can seem just about impossible to decorate. But, with a little creativity and these hallway decorating ideas, you can add a little decor to your narrow hallway to make it beautiful!

This post gives basic tips to lighting your kitchen correctly. Offering up good examples of the wrong way and the right way to achieving correct lighting.

Make your entryway clutter-free and welcoming with this easy inspirational DIY entryway bench reveal – complete with shoe storage!

Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That's why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work