A little crafty project to share on a Sunday afternoon. Crafts make me happy! I made an ABC Sorting Box from materials I got at Hobby Lobby. I'm going to have the kids sort different pictures and small objects by their beginning sounds. Here's how I did it: I found these cardboard Advent calendars in the Christmas Craft aisle at Hobby Lobby. They are $12.99--but 40% off. Never pay full price for anything at Hobby Lobby! It will go on sale eventually.I also used some cheapie craft paint and paper scraps. First I painted the box. I did not paint the insides. I quickly painted along the edges. I did not worry too much about being perfect. I wanted it to have a time-worn look like kids have been playing with it for years--so the more messed up, the better! I covered my drawers with scrapbook paper, but you could just as easily paint them. I cut my paper into 2 X 2.5" pieces (the drawers are roughly 2x2", so that gave me a little to wrap around the sides.) I used a 1" hole punch to punch out the little notch. If you don't have one, you could use...
Preschool Painting on Foil
Anyone else singing the song when they read that title? Ok, good! :) The other day at Staple's I found this play money and coins in their dollar section. Add to that I was using the "everything in this bag is 15% off" deal and I was super excited! I bought a few packs of each. Today I felt inspired to create some money themed games for my kiddos. I don't currently have any money games out in my math games except for a set of flashcards. I decided to use one set of the coins to make a kaboom game. All I did was hot glue some coins to popsicle sticks. I also wrote "Kaboom" on about 5 sticks. Then all of the sticks went face down into a pringles can that i cut down to size. The game is super easy to play. (There are lots of Kaboom games out there in bloggy land.) Kids play in groups of 2-4. When it's your turn you pull out a stick. You add the coin values and tell the amount. If your partner or group members agree with you, you get to keep the stick. If you pull a Kaboom stick you have to put all of your sticks back in the cup. :( I added some scrapbook paper and a fancy little label and voila, math game success! I also made my very first, I made it math game!!! Yay me! It's called Show Me the Money and involves the kids using plastic coins to show how they would "buy" items. I got the idea from the Debbie Diller Math book. I just wanted a prettier recording sheet than the one in her book :) To download the show me the money recording sheet, click HERE. To download the show me the money directions, click HERE. I'm happy to share these as a freebie with everyone but I do love comments and followers. :) Enjoy!
My Book Bag contains these books (right now): If I could somehow take my entire library with me, I would. I have three floor to ceiling bookcases that are completely full and overflow shelves as we…
How to start kindergarten on the right foot with 12 tips to start a successful kindergarten year. These tips to start kindergarten successfully will cover setting procedures, using the alphabet and names in addition to connecting with parents. Starting kindergarten successfully is a planned event and these 12 tips can be applied whether you are a new teacher or have been teaching for years.
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The first day of Kindergarten is a super exciting day but all of the planning and preparation can cause a lot of stress. We've got you covered with our list of teacher tips to help you successfully launch of the new school year!
Figuring out how to progress monitor and teach virtually is a tough task! Here are some ideas and approaches to help get you started!
I love doing project based learning with my third graders. I usually have to wait until about halfway through the year before doing "real PBL" because before then they aren't mature enough to work in groups effectively without needing constant intervention. From day 1 I begin teaching them how to work together and how to research. I usually begin with simple projects at the beginning of the year where each student is assigned a certain piece and then when they come all together to make one big project. ANYWAYS- this project I did was closer to the end of this pass year and the kids LOVED IT!! I thought it up after I did a unit on the rain forests and saw just how badly they needed a crash course on the continents! So after some initial lessons about continents, countries, states, regions... ect. I put my kids in 6 groups of 3-4 and gave them a blank piece of white poster board that only have the outline of their continent. I did Antarctica as an example with the kids first so they had a gist of how to do the project. I did not want to assign Antarctica to a group because it doesn't have all the things they needed to research. After I gave each group their white poster I wrote down the items they had to RESEARCH and HAVE on their continents. Items needed on their continent: 1. The name of their continent somewhere BIG. 2. The oceans labeled around their continent 3. The largest country on their continent (they could label them all) 4. Languages spoken in their continent 5. Food grown there 6. Animals and plants found there 7. Major Rivers or Lakes 8. Famous landmarks or people found there 9. Weather/climate found there 10. Anything else they found interesting from their research. The result was mind blowing! My kids seriously did fantastic. All I did was pull library books on their continents and a few of their countries and pulled up Google on 4 of my computers and Google translate on 2 others. The details they poured into their continents was more than I could ever have hoped for. Everyone was blown away at all the little details and facts. Here is a glimpse at some of them! We did a giant Titanic unit before this one and here the kids (North America group) drew out the sinking Titanic and the Carpathia coming to save it. They drew it right were it was suppose to be! Awesome!! The Africa group did a fantastic job drawing all the countries free handed! (Remember, all I gave them was the white poster board with just the continent outlined!) They also drew where the desert was in yellow. Here you can see where the kids had translated "Hello" in the languages their continent spoke. Here is a look at South America and their landmark. Amazing!! I was pleasantly surprised on how well they worked together. They automatically assigned themselves jobs as the researchers and drawers (with NO help from me) and got busy!! The only time we had an issue was when it came to coloring- when all the research was done and all was drawn out they then needed me to put out small arguments because "so and so wasn't coloring in the same direction or in the right color". I took that as them being fiercely proud of their work and just wanting it to be perfect. Happy Teaching Friends!!!
Happy Mother’s Day Celebrate your students’ mothers with this pack of activities and crafts. One of my favorite activities is the Mother’s Day Cookbook. Your students will write about their favorite recipe that their mother makes and then all of the recipes are compiled into a cookbook. All of the mothers in the class will receive a cookbook with all of the recipes. Here are more pictures of some of the activities in the pack. Click here to check it out!
I post these signs on my board with the weekly/daily objectives! Please leave feedback :)
SCIENCE DIGITAL BASICS | Functional, differentiated, and now PAPERLESS skill work that is the perfect addition to your Science Block and science rotations and centers. This digital basics set of science workpages will help your students practice basics science skills, and once mastered, can be a set of skills they complete successfully and independently. What is included? • 16 (sixteen) digital workpages (please read list below to see skills practiced) • instructions for opening and editing the document (*must have access to Google Slides™) • direct link to copy and save the file to your Google Drive™ What skills are practiced? Weather Seasons Body Parts and Organs 5 Senses Goods and Services Light and Sound Living and Nonliving Magnets Solar System and Planets Animal Habitats FOR MORE DIGITAL MATH SKILLS: For more digital body parts workpages, go here. For digital emotion practice, go here. For digital community helpers, go here. Nervous or a little curious about going digital in a special needs classroom? READ THIS BLOG POST TO LEARN MORE You can find other digital resources >> HERE. << Connect with me: • Newsletter • Blog • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Don't forget about the green ★ to follow my store to get notifications of new resources and freebies! Thanks for Looking and Happy Teaching!
Get the car seat that’s built to grow! From your first ride together coming home from the hospital to soccer day carpools, the Safety 1st Grow and Go™ All-in-One Convertible Car Seat will give your child a safe and comfortable ride.Built to Grow Through Three Stages The Grow and Go™ All-in-One Convertible Car Seat is designed to last through all your firsts with your child, from 5 to 100 lbs and can be used in rear-facing, forward-facing, and belt-positioning booster mode. As your little one grows, you can easily adjust the headrest and harness in one quick motion, without re-threading the harness or re-installing the car seat. The crotch strap and harness have multiple adjustment options to fit growing kids. When your child is ready to use the vehicle seat belts, buckling is made easy with the visible belt path guiding the way.Parent Friendly Design As your tiny baby grows into a big kid, messes are bound to happen, but we’ve made cleaning easy. The seat pad snaps off easily without removing the harness and is machine washable and dryer safe. Dual cup holders transport favorite drinks and snacks and are easily removable and dishwasher safe. Getting kids in and out of the car is made easier with harness holders that keep harness straps out of the way. Comfort in Every RideBuilt for child comfort, the Grow and Go™ Convertible Car Seat includes two removable grow-with-baby pillows to give your new travel companion a snug fit. Recline angle indicators on the seat lets you find a safe angle position for rear-facing mode and multiple recline options means kids are comfortable for any ride, even in forward facing mode. The Grow and Go™ Convertible Car Seat provides more comfort for parents too, taking up less space when placed rear-facing, giving up to 7 inches more legroom for parents in the front seat.
Here is our "Top 5 List!" Are ya ready? We will be working our way backwards to the number one way to be that "favorite teacher."
😊This post is also featured on the TpT blog!😊 Are you a new teacher or a veteran teacher who is changing grades? I see you! I've been you! In my 15+ years of teaching, I've taught 7 grades! Teachers are not always given the luxury of time to plan for changes, either. Quite often, you catch word that you are being moved in August, then you are so worried about setting up your classroom that you can't even begin to think about curriculum! Been there, done that! Now I'm here to help! I've pulled together some of the things that I wish I had access to right away at the beginning of a new year in a new grade, and I'm laying it all out for you! I hope you can find some calm in the storm knowing that someone has walked a mile in your shoes, survived, and is willing to pass on tips to make your transition easier... Tip #1 Make Learning Fun for Them, and Easy for You! When I first moved up to middle school, I had to remember a lot of grammar rules, terms, and tricks that I had stored in the far reaches of my memory bank! Since I know teachers get bumped from grade to grade, I decided to make some products that would make teaching grammar skills easy for veteran teachers and new teachers alike! The students will like these activities, too, because they aren't boring fill-in-the-blank worksheets or diagramming sentences! Tip #2 Don't Reinvent the Wheel! Something else I would have loved to have as a new-to-grade teacher is pre-made, ready to go lesson presentations and activities to start my year off right and RIGHT AWAY! There is no reason you need to customize every single lesson. Until you are comfortable with your new curriculum, use lessons that have worked successfully in other classrooms. Borrowing lessons from veteran teachers is a great way to ease into new or unfamiliar curriculum. Tip #3 Read, Read, Read! I think that most English or Elementary teachers have a secret crush on books. I freely admit that I am a book addict! I love books of all kinds, board books on up to novels! My primary goal as an ELA teacher is to get kids to LOVE reading. I love reading aloud to kids, even middle schoolers. I love recommending books, I love doing novel studies, I love discussing what students are reading in their free time. Still, as teachers, we do have to teach reading comprehension strategies and other vocabulary and writing skills. I've created some novel study guides that offer more than just your basic comprehension questions and get students deeply involved in the story - not just lists of vocabulary words and comprehension questions! These novel study guides won't take the joy out of reading by burying students in busy work. Tip #4 Teach with Music! Students often have difficulty understanding theme and mood in literature, but they totally get T.V. shows and popular music! I've created these two products to help! Each activity starts with an exploration of popular theme songs, either from T.V. shows or movies. Kids often learn better through music, so these activities spark interest and grow dendrites :) I love to use these activities at the beginning of the year because students LOVE them and I love learning more about my kids! Tip #5 Use Interactive Notebooks! I'm a BIG FAN of Interactive Student Notebooks, too! I like to think that after my students leave my class and head to high school, they will have an ELA Reference "Bible" to take along with them! These notebooks are essentially a collection of skills learned throughout the year. My students find themselves referring back to notes in their ISNs at different times of the year to refresh their memories or to review for tests. Here are a few of my favorite ISN templates and activities: I hope that some of these suggestions will help you in your quest to make this your best year yet! Take a deep breath, believe in yourself, and let those who have walked before you help you get started on your new path! Click on the pictures above to find out more about my best-selling products in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. To get you started, you can click on the two pictures below to download some ready-to-use TODAY freebies! Find more great activities and resources from Tween Spirit on Teachers Pay Teachers!
I thought I would share what goes inside my sub bag. I'm sure I will add more or take away some as time goes on but, here's what I'm starting with. I looked at a few other sub bloggers to see what they have and went from there based on my experience and needs. Bag from Thrity One Gifts - Foldable File Folder - To keep all my printables in for emergency plans. I have it organized based on grade level. I also keep copies of my sub report in here. - Treasure Supplies & Behavior Management - I have two bags full of goodies (pencils, erasers, stretchy bracelets, bookmarks, bubbles, etc) I give out tickets throughout the day, the kids write their name on the back and put the ticket in my flower box. At the end of the day I pull three names and they get to pick from the bags. - Stickers - - Avery Return Address Labels - For name tags :) They are WAYYYY cheaper than actual name tags. - Fun Books - I try to choose books that I already know some activities for just in case. - Whistle - For those days you may have recess duty. - USB Flash Drive - For all my emergency sub plans. - Education Magazines - To read during my lunch break. - LOTS of pens and pencils. & Chapstick, of course! -
Cultivate lifelong reading skills.
What wild times we are in, huh? Distance learning is upon many of us…and it looks different everywhere. Different platforms, different expectations, different technological access of your students. It’s a challenge for all of us, and it’s been difficult to help each other when each person is proces
Why losing my Interactive Whiteboard made me rethink my teaching! I was so dependent on it me what was next that I lost sight of how it all went together!
Looking to land your first teaching job? Discover how you can stand out above the rest and get your dream job.
For years we have celebrated the 100th day of school. However, one of our first grade standards is to count to 120. So why not celebrate the 120th day of school? Just finished a pack of 120 day activities. It will be on sale until February 19th. Leave a comment and let me know if your class celebrates the 120th day of school. Click here to pick up your copy. You can pick up your copy here!
Hey hey, teacher friend!! Oh MY, congratulations on landing a teaching job! I’m so INCREDIBLY stoked for you. I remember that feeling and it’s so SO good. Whether it’s your first classroom or maybe you’re going back after being away for a bit, either way that’s super exciting and I know you’re goi
A calm down corner will transform your classroom! Learn why and check out these 7 tips for setting up your self-regulation space!
With the new standards many are moving from100 Day Celebration to 120 Day Celebrations and some may be doing both. Given a suggestion from...
The 100th Day of School is HERE and I have some AMAZING FREEBIES for YOU! Check out my hundredth day of school FREEBIE!!!
Do you know how to engage your students during guided reading instruction? Learn about 3 resources to add to your guided reading table to teach decoding strategies, reading comprehension and phonemic awareness all while keeping your students engaged during your guided reading instruction.
By Ann Kozma Teachers often ask me, “What’s the difference between Pic Collage...
Save 89% on the Printable and Sublimation-Friendly Bundle! Pssst! A little birdie told us that sublimation's been growing more & more in popularity, and that's probably due to the ah-may-zing results you get with it. So whether you've jumped on the bandwagon, are thinkin' about it, or just enjoy all things printable, you're going to NEED the Printable and Sublimation-Friendly Bundle's 234 design elements, featuring 4 fonts including monogram, dingbat and brush stroke styles! And you're going to LOVE the $126 in savings! Of course all designs and fonts included in this bundle come with our Standard Commercial Use License. Purchase includes: 230 Total Printable & Sublimation-Friendly Designs 4 Fonts Printable PDF preview log of all products in bundle for easy reference So Fontsy Standard Commercial Use License Most design and font elements can be used with Silhouette Studio, Cricut Design Space, Scan N Cut, Adobe Illustrator and other cutting and design programs. To check on a specific product's compatibility, please check that product's description for more details
Today, we’re sharing our Elementary Spelling Folder! This one was designed with 3rd through 5th graders in mind, but it could help 2nd graders or struggling middle school learners as well! If you don’t see what you’re looking for in this particular folder, check out our Kindergarten Spelling Folder and our Spelling Folder for 1st ... Read More about Elementary Spelling Folder
