When I think of the world that we live in and how many colors are all around, I am truly amazed. Rainbows, fish, butterflies, flowers...there are many colorful things in our world. So, when it comes to teaching colors to my little learners, what better way than to let them know that these colorful things come from God.

This is a great craft to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year! There are four options for the middle section of the crayon craft and two for the middle section of the pencil craft. Some are easier to fill out, others are just a different design. Directions: •Make copies of the craft you would like your students to do. (I make copies of both and let my students pick which craft they like.) •Fill out the information and color all of the sections •Cut out all pieces (Tips, Middle and Bottoms) •Glue middle piece on top of the tip and bottom pieces •Display them in your classroom

Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.

This page will help you discover strategies for paras and push-in teachers to work effectively with general education teachers. You’ll find tips for both classroom teachers and paras. Setting Up Space for Paraeducators When I was a general education teacher, there were several years when I had either a one-on-one student aide (for very high … Continued

This was a very FUN project that i did for a friend's school. They auctioned these off for their school fundraising event. I photographed each child in the 3 kindergarten classes and then asked them what they wanted to be...

This is a great activity for students to write about what they aspire to be when they grow up. It is a simple fill in the blank page with some fun facts about the occupation the child chooses and a writing page if you would like them to expand their writing. I have included two versions of the wri...

I See Ocean Animals Interactive Reader is a great tool to help improve reading skills and increase vocabulary.

Today I'll be sharing why I think substitute binders are so important and what information you should include in your "sub tub."

A collection of math and literacy FREEBIES for pre-k through first grade! Books, games, centers, activities and more! FREEBIES!

Creating Career Hat Portfolio Pages

When I observe teachers, I see this problem more than anything else. If they fixed it, they would notice an instant difference in how well their classes go.

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I created this PDF worksheet to help students to think creatively, elaborate, and tell a story. I've used this when I taught in elementary (as young as kindergarten) and used it also in high school. There is no right or wrong answer and it is fun to see all the creative solutions that students come up with. My high school students taking the animation pathway especially liked this worksheet. We always share the results in class to see all the different solutions. I've included a blank sheet that you can have students create their own sheet and then switch with a partner and create a drawing from it. This adds a sense of challenge and game element to it. Further information: • Resources are ready to print and go Connect with me @ Messy Art Teacher Messy Art Teacher Blog Facebook Instagram Pinterest You can follow me by clicking at top of my store page if you would like to receive updates on new art resources and details of my forthcoming sales. Don’t forget to leave feedback on resources - you will earn points towards your next TPT purchases :-) Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this resource. Thanks! Nancy Miller - Messy Art Teacher

Have you ever had one of those parenting moments where you realize you thought you had taught your kids something, but realized you actually never had? I realized recently that my daughter doesn't know what being flexible means. I say it to her all the time and I always thought she understood w

Prompting kids to dream about what they want to be when they grow up will help them to think about more than just the present and is...

How do you deal with tattling? In this post, I outline steps I take to help students understand when to get help and when to keep it to themselves.

Here are some fun resources I found for teaching Tall Tales:Tall Tales Notebooking Pages from The Notebooking Nook - make your very own Tall Tales Notebook!

Prompting kids to dream about what they want to be when they grow up will help them to think about more than just the present and is...

I've been wanting to write a "helpful" Kindergarten post for quite a while now but just haven't gotten around to it. Shocking, I know. ;) ...

Click here for plants activities, plant life cycle, parts of a plant, and plants needs for kindergarten, first grade 1st grade, and second grade 2nd grade!

This is a product I made for my first grade class while we were learning shapes! I was looking for something similar but couldn't find one so I thought, when in doubt, make it yourself! I hope you enjoy this I Spy with Shapes!

Check out my top 5 Welcome Songs for your Pre-k through 2nd grade classrooms!

Download a Preschool Science and Nature printable packet and enjoy the outdoors with your little one!

This social story is great for teaching conversational turn-taking. It's short, engaging, and colorful. While reading the story, you can discuss the pictures and ask your students questions about it, such as, "Should you talk when someone else is talking?" and "If nobody else is talking, can you tak...

Hey bloggers! Don't miss out on the Teacher Appreciation Giveaway from Educents! Winnings could include: -Kindle Fire -Amazon Gift Card -Educents Gift Card -Phonemic Awareness Package & more! {Click here to enter} We had our spring open house this week! Here are some pictures from the evening... This was the welcome into the first grade classrooms :) The flower glyph directions can be downloaded {here}. Then the kids had a scavenger hunt in the room & school of things to show their parents. We spent two weeks learning about the weather during each of the seasons and how to stay safe during certain kids of weather...we're currently experiencing a flood here in Illinois! Part of the town that I teach in was evacuated because of it. Here are the posters that they created for the season they were assigned to report on. Then they showed their parents their writing for what they want to be when they grow up! You can find these adorable Career Freebies {here} from Tara West (Little Minds at Work). And of course...there's always that one... And this next picture is a cute display from one of the second grade teachers at my school! Too cute :) I finally broke down the other day and counted how many days of school are left...I made it pretty far, right?? Well, we're down to 23 days! I cannot believe how fast the days are passing. Have a great rest of your week :)

"Do you think you can fit through this index card?" My daughter looked at me like I was crazy as I asked her this question and held up a 3x5 index card. She emphatically answered

Here is what’s going to be ✅IN & ❌OUT of my classroom next schoil year. Please note that: This is what is and what isn’t working for my classroom specifically and every teacher should always use and...

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR NAME It is so exciting when children become curious about how to write their name. I believe teaching them to write their name should be the first word they learn how to spell . It is personal, concrete and helps them realize that putting letters together in writing has me