Here is a great way to do the weekend chat that involves kinesthetic, personal, comprehensible, and compelling input. I posted a long time ago about the Weekend Chat. Every Monday, we take time to…

Are you looking for examples of "I do, we do, you do"? This blog post provides examples of it in action in the classroom and in lesson plans.

New to kombucha? This post explains the health benefits, how to make kombucha, and includes our favorite komcuha recipes of all time!

5 easy to implement solutions to help your sweet, but slow finishers, get their work done! The reasons behind not finishing are many : some kids are still weak in the skills that they need in order to finish, some kids don’t care about finishing, some kids don’t want to do the next task so the dawdle , some enjoy the constant pushing and encouragement to finish. #1 Let’s start with those who lack in skills needed. Offer to help on 1 problem and let them know that you want to hear them think through the next problem. (This gives some accountability for them to listen to you while you are helping.) When it is their turn to do a problem out loud ( the think through it) don’t jump in and offer assistance too fast. Praise their thinking and willingness to work hard. Fill in gaps in the understanding This is great modeling for the potential peer tutors who are seated near you and are probably listening in. These steps show the other children at the table how to help this struggler should the struggle continue. #2 Buddy Helpers and the GREEN Pen of Greatness Give those fast finishers something meaningful to do. Allow them to assist a friend using the 4 steps above and this poster below. If you give your peer tutors a green pen you can watch this “helping bug” spread like the flu… just kidding spread like wildfire. Maybe your slower finishers just need to motivation to get done so they can get their hands on a green pen! Green Pen The idea for the green pen comes from Amy Green. Brilliant idea! Teacher roams around with some green pens. Completed work gets a green star. In my class we do hearts. Author of completed and accurate work can go on to other things of interest or take another green pen and go help/ look over the work of other friends in class!!! (((purchase a box of green pens from Office Max {here})))) #3 Helping Reluctant Finishers Get it Done: Using Motivational 1/4 sheet and Visual Timers Now what do you do with a child that just does not want to finish? They have the skills, but finishing is not something that they care about. Or they don’t want to do the next assignment, so they are making a “meal” of this one! If this is habitual, call home. It can be a quick call just letting mom, dad, auntie, or other family member know that it’s becoming a habit for the child to not finish even though s/he has the skills to do so. Offer the child a little help. Mention that you have noticed they are not getting their work done. This just isn’t how we do things. Remind them they can ALWAYS ask for help, but you have noticed they KNOW how, but just are moving slower than they should. Give them a 1/4 sheet of paper to help them keep track of finishing on time. Most kids love having the teacher “notice” this change of effort. You can place a sticker over each child. Kids love the dot marker. For some reason that perfectly shaped blob makes everyone happy. Or just make it simple and put a heart over every finished assignment. Utilize a visual timer so they can tell if they are running out of time. I love the classroom timers site!!! Your students will be able to pace themselves better as they watch the fuse burn. The fireworks show is awesome at the end. Have something they miss out on if not done. I will say I have kept a child in for 5 minutes of recess occasionally. Don’t throw things at me. Listen, I think the “don’t take their recess away” movement is right! Seriously don’t throw things at me. But missing 5 minutes of recess really sends a message too. Staying in for 5 minutes in the course of an entire school year can yield a harder worker! #4 Decide if not finishing is OK: Modified Work Some of the kiddos in my room are struggling on every little thing all the time. This is because their age is not matching their academic age. For example, I have a 1st grade 6 year old who is precious, but is at a mid kinder level. Isn’t it OK for him to finish half of the work and tap out? This is modifying. Seriously, if he can do 4 problems (even with help) wouldn’t that indicate that he could eventually finish them all? But the eventual part is the struggle. We don’t have “eventually” in the school day. A phone call home or parent meeting should happen first before work modification begins. All parties need to agree on this. Once you all agree, have the child complete a given amount and then store the unfinished work. #5 Have a Spot to Store Unfinished work: I store mine in this Pacon paper sorter! In December I went back to work after the break and brought in the Pacon Paper sorter. I called it the work in progress condo. I can keep projects we are in the middle of in there and my students can keep their own work in progress there too! I adore Pacon as a company and this paper sorter is the best. Let me tell you why. It was inexpensive. It was so easy to put together, and I am ALL thumbs. It can be painted or covered in contact paper to customize. It easily stores the unfinished work of my slower finishers and the “in progress” work from my week-long intervention groups!!! This product is sturdy and isn’t too big! It fits perfectly under an easel or stands up tall along a bookshelf. It also sits beautifully on a counter top. You can also set it on it’s back to be accessed from the top. LOVE THIS PRODUCT. You must order one NOW. OK but get this… my class is a little “willful” this year. Out of 30 kids I have 14 only children and 1st born kids who “just” got their 1st sibling. This year has been a struggle to keep them engaged in work vs. pretending school is one big playdate. So, look at the brilliant idea I came up with to keep the talking down a bit!!! Lord have mercy, just that little bit of space between desk groups has really cut down on the talking and has improved work completion too!!! Can I get an Amen? I am giving myself a high five right now!!!! You can also stand the sorter up on it’s end. I am going to buy another one and put it in my guided reading area to hold the awesome materials I keep on hand there. Unfinished work and Parent Communication: What do I do with this unfinished work? I send it home on Friday. I attach a note that says something like this: “This is work that your child was not able to finish in class. We discussed work modification, but I wanted you to have this at home in case you can have an older brother or sister or tutor help your child continue to practice the skills we are doing in class.” Grab this parent letter and other freebies below. Remember: high expectations- I expect you to do what I ask and try hard (even if that means doing 1/2 page I asked of you) meaningful relationships - The green pen and helpers Kelley Dolling of the Teacher Idea Factory says you have to “sell the sizzle” in order to get things done. I hope the sizzle of the green pen and the posters and freebies motivate your little stars to rock this out. Download all the freebies from my store on Teacher’s Pay Teachers by clicking the button below: Make a teacher friend’s day! Share this post with them. Pass on great info and freebies so we can all help our slow finishers.

Now, we have discussed behavior charts… do you use them in your classroom? Like I mentioned before, I am a bit impartial to them. I don’t think you HAVE to have them, nor do I think you HAVE to take them down. I think you need to do what is best for your students. For the […]

Have some fun with your kids this Australia Day with our FREE printables. Teach them all about what makes our country so diverse and beautiful. Tag us in your pictures (@castle_and_kite) so we can see your kids enjoying our Australia Day craft.

Easily customize based on what you have in your closet! I like to use this recipe as a blueprint and use whatever we have in the fridge or pantry. Do you have

Let me plan your 2 week Europe Itinerary, featuring multiple routes of hidden gems, fairytale cities & incredible landscapes!

Today we're talking about what it means to actually process your emotions -- and how to do it. If we don't take time for this, our unprocessed feelings can build up and create not just emotional consequences but physical consequences too. Click through to learn the 3 easy steps to process any feelin

Crochet a stunning flower granny square with our easy daisy tutorial. Follow along with step-by-step photos and video for beginners.

Fairy tales are old stories told and retold again, but do they deserve a place in a modern language arts curriculum? Besides the fact that the Common Core standards require exposure to fairy tales, there

How to make the best cilantro lime rice that tastes even better than your favorite restaurants! Substituting stock or broth for the water adds additional flavor. We love using chicken or vegetable broth. If you use stock, add salt to taste since the stock may already have some salt added.

Take the mystery out of Brioche knitting with our step-by-step tutorial. We give you pics of each thing for you to do, and we give tips to make it easier.

A new book charts the gorgeous evolution of maps.

I couldn’t resist not doing my previous lesson “Taking Lines for a Walk’ with my eager Kinder kids. We talked about lines and we looked for them in the classroom. We drew imaginar…

Hand-Eye Coordination board game with SHAPES- Brain Teasers & Fingers Gym - Black & White Hand-eye coordination is an important skill to have as it helps us to complete many everyday activities including picking things up, writing and driving. Hand-eye coordination involves our eyes taking in visual information, and the brain responding by sending signals to the arms and hands to react, according to Harvard Health. We can improve this skill by doing different types of exercises like this one. Includes: 1 Board and 8 pages with exercises for Right and Left Hand for Beginners 1 Board and 8 pages with exercises for Right and Left Hand for Advanced Instructions: With the index finger of the left hand, the child should follow each shape on the board and perform the corresponding exercise with the right hand. After completing the exercises, switch hands. !!! It is recommended to perform the exercise for short periods of time (3-5 minutes), daily. Alternate with other exercises for best results. !!! Other Activities: Brain Teasers and Hand Eye Coordination Activities Corner: Classroom Decor Hand-Eye Coordination Activity: Brain Training and Finger Muscle Development Shapes - Forefinger Gym - Bilateral Brain Development Activity- Transition Games

Don't forget to take these beautiful wedding photos! We have pre-wedding photos that you'll love to add to your wedding photo album.

I have a new page on FB that I'm updating often my newest art :-) www.facebook.com/pages/Ingrid-Padilla-Art/123663771017989

Who doesn't know and love "Frere Jacques"? This is a folk song that most of your kids even know, but there is so much you can do with it. This is a great song to present half note, fa, low sol, part-singing, and so much more! I'm using it this year to present half note to my 2nd graders. We prepped and prepped half note at the end of last year, and have been reviewing it for this year. I'm just about ready to present it (my 2nd graders this year are just amazing - this is slightly earlier than I've done it with 2nd grade in the past). Anyway, we've been singing this song in class and doing different activities with it. I had them do this little game/dance that I sort of made up: Standing in a double circle in pairs, each circle walks to their right for 8 beats, then back for 8 beats to face their partner (1st 8 beats is "Frere Jacques," 2nd is "Dormez vous?") Play patty-cake on next 8 beats (Sonnez les matines) clap-right-clap-left, clap-right-clap-left On last 8 beats, wave good-bye and take one step to the right (opposite directions for circles) and face a new partner. Repeat. If you do this enough times, the kids should be standing in front of their original partners after a few turns. My kids loved this! I also loved that by counting the beats, they were internalizing that they took two steps on "vous" - a great prep for half note. Another activity they really enjoyed is identifying the long notes. We haven't labeled them yet, but they know where they are. I had some students come up and play a few instruments that make "bell" sounds - finger cymbals, triangles, etc on the long notes. Then, a student suggested that instead of singing, the instruments play the "din dan don" part on their own. So great! So, that inspired me to write a simple little Orff arrangement. Feel free to adapt it to your instruments, change parts up, etc. I've included a simple recorder part if you'd like to use it with recorders. I created a file for Teachers Pay Teachers that can help when you present the half note, fa, or low sol, as this song is great for all of them! It has a lot included, like iconic rhythmic notation: Iconic melodic notation: Actual rhythmic notation: Song lyrics in English and French, and more. You can find it here for $1.50 if you want to help contribute to my adoption fund :) Frere Jacques Since my focus this year is on music around the world, I'm choosing to teach this song in French. I was looking around the internet the other day, and found this great website that has video clips of kids from different European countries singing this song in their own language: Frere Jacques around the world. So cute! The kids get a kick out of this familiar song in so many languages!

Wainscoting Paneling Kit -Easy-to-Install- 3 Upper Rectangles and 3 Bottom Frames in our Pre-Cut, Factory-Primed Wall Molding Package we still haven't made our best designs. Because for this I need your inspirations and ideas. You dream it, I'll design it. What you need to do is very simple, just a few steps. 1) Take a picture of the area you will apply from the opposite side. 2) Report the width and height information. 3) Send your special requests and we will send our work, if you like it, create an order. I'm sure you will like it :) Wall lath packages are ready to install and very easy to apply. Mounting the wall laths to the wall is not a difficult task at all, you will follow the assembly instructions in the package. We post the assembly instruction to help you understand how to follow the steps to get the final look. How to attach the wall lath to the wall, 1- Arrange the pieces on the floor and create the shape on the worksheet. 2- Mark the wall where the laths will be attached according to the plan showing the layout. 3- Proceed by gluing the parts one by one. 4- Attach the slats to the wall and use a spirit level or square to align the slats. 5 - You can use nails or glue to stick it on the wall. Contact for more information.

Hey, all! I hope you’re doing well! Summer has officially started in the Petty family, and we’re well, basically not doing anything differently than we were during self-isolation. If we’re able to safely have in-person classes this fall (fingers crossed!) I’ll need to retrain my teacher bladder and grow accustomed to NOT taking an afternoon ... Read More about MUST-HAVE Chrome Extension

We have had a lot of fun doing our Stone Soup Unit with our first (of what I hope to be many) lap book! Mr. T has learned all sorts of new things! We made St(...)

A new version (1.3) of the excellent Grid Calculator has been released for the Mac. The main feature of this upgrade is the ability to calculate grids for web design. It’s the only stand-alon…

20 Instagram spots in Porto (with all the locations on the map!) I've lost count of how many times you've asked me about my pictures from Porto. It's one of the most instagrammable cities in

This is the print version of this image. You can find the canvas and framed canvas version of this image by going to the Canvas section of our website. This print comes in matte finish, with sizes ranging from 5x7 - 40x60 (all sizes in inches). This does not include a frame. All orders take 2-5 business days to print and 3-5 business days to ship. If the product comes damaged, reach out to us on our Instagram or via email and we will send you a new one free of charge.  We want this picture of Christ to increase the love, joy, and happiness found in your home. If for whatever reason it doesn't, please reach out to us and we will do what we can to make it right! P.S. We love to see how you style your art in your home. Tag us on Instagram with #lightyourhome!

Thanks to the pandemic, we keep postponing our trip back to Japan for 2 years now. I have a nephew and a niece that I have never met and I am really dying to see my family. I also want to stuff myself with my mum's cooking, go shopping with my sister, visit the countryside for onsen (hot spring) and take my daughter and husband to all the cool places in Tokyo. But I know that there are others in the same situation and that these restrictions will not last forever (I hope!). Because spending the

Do your students have to create timelines to meet academic standards? I'm sharing 10 engaging types of timelines that make this activity FUN for students!

I’m saying goodbye to the skyline Hello to the sweet pines Gonna see you later street lights I’m headed back to tree lines To free time and starry nights To bonfires and fire flies Pack your bags it’s time to go Cause we got brighter lights back home -“Back Home” by Owl City “Back Home”...

Learn American Sign Language words and alphabet with these free printable ASL Flash Cards! Simply print pdf file and go!

Job Finder App designed by Patryk Polak for INVO. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.

Red Heart 1.8" x 2.1" Iron Patch. All patches are placed around the front racket or paddle area of your choice.  Choose your patch location and we will do it for you. Process can take 2-5 days. Make sure to provide your contact information for custom orders. WARNING: Do not try to iron patch on your own. Risk of bag damage is high if it isn't done by a professional. The iron cannot touch the PU leather material of the bag or it will be damaged. If you want to purchase patches separately you may do so but we recommend you to glue the patches instead for safety. No returns on custom orders.