One of my biggest struggles as a teacher is finding ways to keep other students engaged and learning while I am working with small groups. My young students are not always able to work independently without direct instruction or feedback from me, but I have to do small groups/centers in order to give all of […]
A fun and easy science experiment for teaching students the difference between a solid, liquid, and gas! This engaging activity uses a plastic water bottle, water, a balloon, and Alka-Seltzer tablets to demonstrate the states of matter in an exciting way. Watch as the reaction inflates the balloon and download a free printable page to enhance the learning experience. Plus, explore an additional Alka-Seltzer Snow Experiment and find more science and STEM ideas for the entire school year.
Find three simple water cycle experiments and a fun water cycle wheel craftivity! These activities use common household items and help students visually understand evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Learn how to make a water cycle wheel and engage students in hands-on science.
I love teaching young students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream of peace and equality. We start by reading a simple book that explains Dr. King and his dreams in a way that my young students can understand. It is entitled, My First Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. We Have a Dream […]
Keeping young students’ attention the weeks/days preceding Christmas can be a challenge which is why I like to incorporate engaging, hands-on science activities that grab students’ interest and keep them focused on learning. In this post I am sharing my favorite Christmas science experiments and activities. They are easy to set up and require simple […]
We have all had to abruptly change our teaching styles to distance learning with little or no notice. It has been very challenging! If you have PDF files/resources that you usually copy at school and use in the classroom, you may still be able to use them in your distance learning with a little modification. […]
Discover effective strategies for using a sound wall in your classroom! This blog post offers practical tips for introducing and utilizing sound walls to help students connect speech to print and improve phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Learn how to make daily lessons engaging, use mirrors for articulation awareness, and incorporate interactive activities. Find helpful resources and professional development recommendations to enhance your teaching practice.
The end of the school year is such an exciting time for both students and teachers. Everyone is anxious for the beginning of summer vacation and perhaps big last day of school celebrations. It can be quite challenging to keep students’ focused. In this post I’m sharing some favorite end of the year activities that […]
One of my favorite parts of the school day is reading aloud to my students. It allows me to share my LOVE of reading and instill a love of books in my students. It is a time where we can connect, share experiences, and build a classroom community. I pause often throughout the reading to ask […]
Did you know that you can choose exactly which Boom Cards students can see in their decks or control the numbers of cards they play? This can be a game-changer if you only want to assign certain letters, numbers, sight words, etc. from a Boom Card deck as you are teaching them or only wish […]
Identifying rhyming words is an important component of phonological awareness. It helps young children hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in words. Developing a student’s phonological awareness is important to developing a good reader. A simple way to explain rhyming words to students is they are words that have the same sound at the end. Young […]
Plastic Easter eggs can be used to make a variety of festive learning centers for young students. In this post I’m sharing some of my favorites as well as some free printables. Math & Literacy Learning Ideas Using Plastic Easter Eggs For each center idea I place the plastic eggs in Easter grass in our […]
Discover over 25 creative back-to-school, open house, and meet-the-teacher gifts for students that ease jitters, spark excitement, and make them feel welcome. Perfect for ensuring a smooth start to the school year, this blog post provides gift ideas that will last for years, making the hectic back-to-school season stress-free for teachers.
Engaging apple-themed science experiments, STEM challenges, and crafts perfect for fall! This blog post features hands-on activities like building apple towers, designing apple boats, and exploring the parts of an apple through creative crafts. Students will love investigating why apples float, what keeps them from browning, and even making apple volcanoes. With both print and digital recording options, these activities are perfect for integrating technology into your fall curriculum.
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Help your students brush up on oral hygiene with these art projects and lessons. Explain to students that they have 20 teeth called primary teeth or baby teeth. At age 6, these teeth will begin to fall out one by one. They fall out because the secondary teeth […]
Recently I was asked for end of the year student gift ideas. I went back through my files and found the templates for the student gifts / end of the year celebration favors that I have given out over the years. I decided to put them all in one blog post to share with you and […]
Discover over 25 creative back-to-school, open house, and meet-the-teacher gifts for students that ease jitters, spark excitement, and make them feel welcome. Perfect for ensuring a smooth start to the school year, this blog post provides gift ideas that will last for years, making the hectic back-to-school season stress-free for teachers.
Recently I was asked for end of the year student gift ideas. I went back through my files and found the templates for the student gifts / end of the year celebration favors that I have given out over the years. I decided to put them all in one blog post to share with you and […]
Since I received such positive feedback on my Mother’s Day cards, I created some for dads as well (couldn’t let them feel left out!). Students love adding their own creative touches to the cards and their pictures on the cards add even more of a personal touch (especially if the students take and send their […]
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite books! It is so motivational and inspiring and talks about the ups and downs of life. This is a favorite writing craftivity that I like to do with students after reading and discussing the book. Materials Needed: paper plates tissue paper cut […]
One of my favorite parts of the school day is reading aloud to my students. It allows me to share my LOVE of reading and instill a love of books in my students. It is a time where we can connect, share experiences, and build a classroom community. I pause often throughout the reading to ask […]
This post offers practical tips and resources for setting up and using a sound wall effectively in your kindergarten or early elementary classroom. Learn how sound walls support phoneme-grapheme correspondence, enhance reading and spelling skills, and organize sounds by articulation. Discover space-saving options, lesson ideas, and the importance of professional development to maximize your sound wall's impact.
Engaging apple-themed science experiments, STEM challenges, and crafts perfect for fall! This blog post features hands-on activities like building apple towers, designing apple boats, and exploring the parts of an apple through creative crafts. Students will love investigating why apples float, what keeps them from browning, and even making apple volcanoes. With both print and digital recording options, these activities are perfect for integrating technology into your fall curriculum.
Resurrection Eggs Christian Easter Activities I love using Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story. They keep students engaged and interested. I created a few activities that reinforce and review the Easter story as told with Resurrection Eggs since students like them so much. Activities include an around the room Resurrection Egg hunt, a printable student-made […]
Most young children can not sit still for long periods of time and quite frankly neither can I. Our brains are incredible organs, but they are limited in how much they can stay focused and motivated. We need movement to create more oxygen and blood flow to the brain for it to function optimally. Studies […]
Young students love using candy corn to practice skills! Not only is it fun for them, but they enjoy getting to eat it as a reward (and I must admit, I love eating it too lol). Here are some fun ideas for using candy corn to practice math and literacy skills. They are perfect for […]
Student-Made Gifts for Your Donuts with Dad Celebration or Father’s Day Donuts for Dads is a celebration that my students always anticipate. It is a special morning that includes a visit from their dad, uncle, grandpa, brother, guardian, etc. and the students get to have a special treat of doughnuts with them in the cafeteria and […]
Since I received such positive feedback on my Mother’s Day cards, I created some for dads as well (couldn’t let them feel left out!). Students love adding their own creative touches to the cards and their pictures on the cards add even more of a personal touch (especially if the students take and send their […]
Over 100 easy, fun, and hands-on science experiments and STEM activities tailored for preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade teachers. These seasonal and themed ideas use common household items, making them simple to set up and perfect for keeping students engaged. Say goodbye to the stress of planning and seamlessly integrate exciting science lessons into your curriculum. Explore now and make science simple for your young learners!
Over 100 easy, fun, and hands-on science experiments and STEM activities tailored for preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade teachers. These seasonal and themed ideas use common household items, making them simple to set up and perfect for keeping students engaged. Say goodbye to the stress of planning and seamlessly integrate exciting science lessons into your curriculum. Explore now and make science simple for your young learners!
Every Thanksgiving I like to share the legend of the five kernels of corn with my students. If you are not familiar with this story, a quick Google search can fill you in with the details. The short version is that during the harsh winter of 1621 the Pilgrims suffered many hardships. When their food […]
Discover effective strategies for using a sound wall in your classroom! This blog post offers practical tips for introducing and utilizing sound walls to help students connect speech to print and improve phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Learn how to make daily lessons engaging, use mirrors for articulation awareness, and incorporate interactive activities. Find helpful resources and professional development recommendations to enhance your teaching practice.
I wanted to share with you today some favorite and fun ideas for teaching the letters of the alphabet and handwriting. Over the years teaching the alphabet has changed quite a lot due to the increase in standards. However, the fact that young children can get overwhelmed with learning both the uppercase and lowercase version […]
Most young children can not sit still for long periods of time and quite frankly neither can I. Our brains are incredible organs, but they are limited in how much they can stay focused and motivated. We need movement to create more oxygen and blood flow to the brain for it to function optimally. Studies […]
This post offers practical tips and resources for setting up and using a sound wall effectively in your kindergarten or early elementary classroom. Learn how sound walls support phoneme-grapheme correspondence, enhance reading and spelling skills, and organize sounds by articulation. Discover space-saving options, lesson ideas, and the importance of professional development to maximize your sound wall's impact.
Fun Summer / Warm Weather Activity – Squirt Gun Learning Games & Races Our students LOVE the squirt gun race at our end of the school year carnival, so we decided to make it a fun learning activity and let them “take aim” at letters, numbers, shapes, and sight words. Squirting Stacks of Cups For […]
Discover effective strategies for using a sound wall in your classroom! This blog post offers practical tips for introducing and utilizing sound walls to help students connect speech to print and improve phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Learn how to make daily lessons engaging, use mirrors for articulation awareness, and incorporate interactive activities. Find helpful resources and professional development recommendations to enhance your teaching practice.
Young students have a natural desire to create order and make sense of the world around them. They naturally notice similarities and differences. For example, if you get a new haircut or make a change to the arrangement in the classroom they will notice! They have a need to bring some sense of organization to […]
Coding has quickly become a favorite of myself and young students. Even NAEYC has realized its importance – “Early coding, or precoding, offers children experiences that integrate communication, thinking, and problem solving. These are 21st century skills that are valuable for children’s future success in our digital world.” Since coding activities are so engaging for […]
Engaging apple-themed science experiments, STEM challenges, and crafts perfect for fall! This blog post features hands-on activities like building apple towers, designing apple boats, and exploring the parts of an apple through creative crafts. Students will love investigating why apples float, what keeps them from browning, and even making apple volcanoes. With both print and digital recording options, these activities are perfect for integrating technology into your fall curriculum.
It is snowing & cold here today which is making us want to stay in and hibernate so I thought I would post some favorite hibernation classroom activities, games, books, songs, and crafts. Pajama Day A great way to culminate your unit on hibernation is to have a Pajama Day! Children (and teachers) wear their […]
