These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.

Theories are nice to read about, but we all need to have real-life examples of just how things work, don't we? (I know I sure do!) So, how 'bout hearing how we've done things at our house? Here is an example of a relaxed homeschool schedule (although I prefer the word "routine").

How to Read a Knitting Chart for Absolute Beginners with Video Tutorial by Studio Knit

I have finally figured out how to get rid of eczema! Although there is no cure, these 5 steps will help you to get clear skin!

We share our 2 weeks in France Itinerary. A road trip to see all the best of France. Key destinations include Paris, Colmar, Nice & more

Teaching children how to play nicely with others is a common social skill that needs to be frequently addressed. As educators we will say things like, “be kind” or “treat others the way you want to be treated”, however we need to explicitly teach these skills. We cannot expect for children to know these social ... Read More about Social Story: Playing Nicely

I have always been intrigued by the art of Sashiko, but I have never had a chance to learn more about it. This article from Koekoek was just what I was looking for. It is a nice introduction to th…

Hi everyone! This is Shelley Gray from Teaching in the Early Years and I am thrilled to be a new author on Blog Hoppin'. I am so inspired by many of the fantastic bloggers here and I can't wait to get started! So, on that note, I would love to tell you about quadramas! Quadramas are a fantastic classroom project, and if provided with appropriate scaffolding, young students are quite capable of creating them. I have personally used quadramas for many different subject areas, but they work particularly well as a reading response activity. Below is an example of what a quadrama looks like. It is made up of four quadrants, each one summarizing a specific aspect of the topic. What makes quadramas really exciting for students is that they can become three-dimensional by adding pop-ups or other objects. The picture below shows what a quadrama looks like from the top. Notice the four distinct quadrants. To make quadramas with your students, simply follow the directions below. Begin with four pieces of paper. Heavy paper such as manila tag is best, as it will stand better when finished. However, if you don't have heavy paper available to you, regular white copy paper will work. Next, the paper needs to be cut into squares. To make a square out of a rectangular piece of paper, the easiest way is to fold it over like this: and then cut off the excess like this: Then, when the paper is unfolded, you will have a square piece with one diagonal crease: Next, you will fold the paper the other way to create a second diagonal crease in the paper: The next step is to make a cut on one of the creases. Note that the cut is only made from one corner of the paper to the center. Next, put glue on the "triangle" that is to the left of the cut. and fold the paper like this: Once you press down the paper so that it sticks to the glue, you will have finished creating one of the quadrants of your quadrama! Now, do the same thing to the other three pieces of paper so that you end up with four identical quadrants. The quadrants can then be glued together to form the quadrama! Then, students can decorate the quadrants based on your goals for the project. ***TIP*** Decorating and coloring the quadrants is easier to do before the quadrama is assembled. If you decide to have students decorate before assembly, get them to do it before the gluing stage. Pop-ups and three-dimensional objects can be added after assembly. As a response to literature, you may have the students base one quadrant on characters, one on setting, one on plot, and one on climax. Alternatively, you could ask students to choose their four favorite parts of the story and represent them using pictures and words in each quadrant. Encourage students to use real materials, such as cardboard, sticks or clay to create a three-dimensional feel. The quadramas below were done as a culminating project for Social Studies, but you can see how each student used unique techniques to make the projects "their own." As I mentioned earlier, scaffolding may be required depending on the grade that you teach. I have done quadramas with grades three and four students, and most were able to complete the steps alone. However, a volunteer can come in handy for the paper-folding steps. For lower grades, you may want to consider having several helpers on hand, or complete some steps before beginning. All in all, this is a fun, engaging project, whether used as a response to reading activity, or as something totally different!

Use this list of free resources to use as social emotional learning activities to help you work with kids and young adults. As a special educator for 10 years, I can say without a doubt that we need more social emotional learning supports for kids and young adults. Some of my best days in the classr

Hi Friends…. The past two weeks we have been working on Prefixes and Suffixes in our second-grade classroom! My kiddos were having such a good time brainstorming words with prefixes and then figuring out the meaning. They really had a strong grasp of the concept… I was pretty impressed. After our whole … Prefixes, Suffixes and a FREEBIE Just for YOU! Read More »

This simple Zucchini Frittata recipe makes a nice dinner. Leftovers are good the next day too!

These Children's Play X-Rays are perfect for kids interested in skeletons! Includes 9 play x-rays that can be printed on vellum and enjoyed!

Phoenix Area Family Photography

After all the abuse, wouldn't it be nice to get the narcissist back, just a little bit? Use this ultimate insult to a narcissist, defeat them, and go free.

Youre guide to having the perfect Nice to Monaco day trip! From the best things to do in Monaco, to how to get there and insider tips!

Who doesn’t love anything fried? I know I do, and one of my favorite fried foods is fried eggplant. On this dreary, rainy day I decided to take the afternoon and fry up some fresh eggplant. I…

A free Easy Reading Pillow sewing pattern. The original reading pillow pattern! Learn how to make a simple reading pillow a great sewing project for kids or beginners.

What’s on your mind? Is a terrific way to get to know your students + these make an easy and awesome bulletin board too! Great activity for the first week of school and a nice ice breaker for students to get to know their new classmates. What’s On Your Mind Activity From: TeachWithMe.com Would you ... Read More about What’s On Your Mind?

Lovely Macrame Heart Keychain Free Tutorial Ideas – Macrame is a craft that has been around for centuries, and it is still popular today. The only thing you need to ... Read more

Simply writing a bunch of words and phrases Shakespeare invented (admittedly in a somewhat unique font!) in her Moleskine notebook at 3am, taking a photo of

Combine math practice with science class in Kindergarten while measuring animal tracks and then searching for animal tracks outside.

This variety gives a twisted effect. The closer the foundation of running stitch is done, the more enhanced would be the twisted effect. Fig 1: Lay the foundation by doing a running stitch. Bring out through near the first stitch. Now, pass the...

Use these free Writing Folders and freebies to give your writers support during their independent writing time. Find all our FREE Writing Printables HERE. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you can download all the printables that go with it for FREE! Not a subscriber? Simply subscribe HERE! NOTE: If you are already a ... Read More about Writing Folders – for K-5 Learners

This is a really easy way to learn about making paper with kids. And we made our paper glittery, too! First: Get Your Supplies! Next: Get to Work! 'Mommy, how do you make paper?' My five year old asked me this question a few weeks ago. I tried explaining it to him, and he wasn't convinced. I showed him a video of how you can make it at home using a mesh screen and paper pulp, and he was obsessed! I wondered about making a screen so that we could try this at home, but then I noticed a Paper

Writing is one of my favorite times during the day! In these first few weeks of school, my students have blown me away with their creativity in their writing. It excites me for what is to come this year! The best thing about being part of the College of Education was you got to pretend you were a kid again. We participated in several lessons that were applicable to our classrooms. In a writing course, my junior year, my professor led us on a Writing Marathon. Our mission was to roam campus for an hour and find different locations to write. He sent us on our way and told us to return in 60 minutes! In my Writer's Notebook, I wrote down my sights around Brady Commons, the Columns, and the steps of the College of Ed. Thinking back on that day, I remember having a great time with friends and writing ..writing... and more writing. I decided to test this strategy out with my kiddos this year. My school utilizies the 6+1 Writing Traits program and our first trait is "Ideas". We have been working on gathering ideas and zooooooooming in on one idea. After specials, I told my kids to grab their Writer's Notebooks because we were taking a little marathon. Their goal: use their 5 senses and observe the area they are in. Minimum of 4 sentences per location! We hit up the following spots in school: Classroom Front lawn Cafeteria Library Playground I had the best time reading through their entries. Several cracked jokes and expressed hunger throughout the process! Besides getting to move around the school, my students practiced generating ideas and focusing in on one idea at a time. I don't know about you but I love anchor charts. It's a great time for the class to get together and collaborate ideas. I believe that charts created together are more powerful than pre-made ones. Yes, I have store bought posters on my wall... but I also have ones we made. It's a nice mixture! You can take the girl out of second grade... but you can't take the anchor chart out of the girl! That's the saying, right? Anywho, here are a few fun anchor charts from around the web. Click the captain for the source! The First Grade Parade First Grade Parade Mrs. Williams Kinders I need to stop this late night blogging. What has gotten into me!? It's bedtime. But first, I'm obsessed with this performance from the VMA's. Enjoy! 2011 VMA - Music - Beyoncé

A fun book report project that requires only household items!

A new approach for smoothing rough walls that's easy to master

Being assertive means being direct about what you need and want. Read our article to learn how to become more assertive without being rude.

serve your spouse, dang it! .

You've got to get the binding on your quilt nice and straight to get the perfect look. Read this quilting tutorial to get perfectly straight corners on quilt binding.

Ms. Limo: Here is my new nappy quilt! ***** Click "Read more" option ***** "Country Charm" @"Country Inn" by BBD Fabrics: "Rural Jardin" line by FG Block size: 6" finish Quilt Size: 42" x 54" The pictures don't look the best, as it's a super cloudy day today. But I'll share my excitement with you anyway!! Ms. Limo: I really like it a lot :))) You won't know how happy I am finishing this summer quilt as making the raffle and putting it to the quilt weren't as easy as I expected :O It's a happy nappy time now!! ZzZzZzzzzzzzzzzzz -- Posted from my iPhone

What's up with "toning?" To me, toning means simply getting lean enough that the underlying muscle is visible; in effect building lean muscle while burning fat. A muscle is toned by nature, however the amount of fat on top varies, as does the amount of subcutaneous water being retained, hence the puffy and/or "bulky" look. What we really want is visible muscle definition with little fat, resulting in smaller overall arms, legs and torso. Maximizing and preserving valuable muscle is key since the amount of lean muscle a woman holds is the #1 most important predictor of resting metabolic rate.

Inside you'll find Easy Artist Trading Cards Ideas for Kids. Stop by and download lots of fun templates for free.

Coming off of their autumn-y landscapes dotted with Aspen trees , fifth graders have moved on to seascapes. I've done seascapes for a few ye...

Learn how to use interfacing to tame stretchy t shirts and make them play nicely for quilting. Tutorial from NewQuilters.com #tshirt quilts #tshirt quilting DIY