Back when my neighbor called me a worthless teenager that played my music too loud. When it comes to teacher appreciation, I think about all of the teachers I had in my own life. A handful of teachers quickly comes to mind. They were the ones who helped shape my path. But if I am only able to choose one, I think I must choose a teacher that set me straight my sophomore year: Mr. Buttars. He believed in me, and made me feel special, smart, and important. He let me know that I could overcome, move-on, and be whatever I wanted to be. He helped me realize that it was important to be the best ver ..read more

The end of the school year is like being on a roller coaster of emotions, never-ending tasks, and the struggle to do more! Intermixed with all of that, are the assessments we must do to measure the growth of our students; those assessments that allow us to reflect upon growth of student learning and offer a prescription for independent student learning. For that they are invaluable! But did you know that student assessments are also for you, the teacher? Those assessment help you find patterns of learning, and within those patterns are found patterns of teaching! After you have thoroughly use ..read more

Plants are organisms that impact our everyday lives! In fact, we can thank plants for our food, clean water, energy, the very air we breath and more! Plants have so much to offer to us as humans, they offer keys to everyday problems, and perhaps our future! Because plants are such an essential member of our planet earth, young children need to learn about their needs and how to care for them. Plants are living things, and because they are alive, they have basic needs to allow for growth and survival. What are those essentials required for plant life? Water, air, sunlight, nutrients, space, an ..read more

Hooray for Spring! If you are like me you are itching for that beautiful Springtime weather! I have been excited to get a jump-start in my yard, pull out that light jacket and take a spring bike ride. Speaking of Spring, it is a great time to bring some “Spring-Themed” activities into your classroom and take advantage of your student’s enthusiasm for the warmer weather! To make your lesson planning a breeze we have some Spring-Themed early learning activities ready to go! We have our scripted lessons aligned to Core Standards and based on Reading, Math, and Science best practices and curre ..read more

March is a perfect month to talk about weather because of its unpredictability. One day can be warm and summer-like, and the next cold and blustery! That is probably why the time-honored “In like a lion, and out like a lamb,” is so popular — because it is true! Read more about Lambs and Lions here. We have a fun Lion and Lamb packet stuffed with weather-related cross-curricular learning. It has music, math, language arts, writing, art and more. You can check out a preview here. Lion and Lamb Thematic Unit $6.00 To hit even more standards across your teaching curriculum, check out our complet ..read more

Take your students or homeschool children on a trip around the world! Visit Germany, Australia, Russia, Denmark, Spain, England, France, Africa, Canada, Greece, India, Sweden, United States of America, Bahamas, Peru, Israel, Mexico, China, Italy, and Scotland. Learn about Non-Christian holidays of Eid, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Diwali. Create a scrapbook to preserve the memories! During the winter season, I love to teach my students about the various cultures, beliefs, and celebrations that make up this wonderful world. I have found that for me, December is a great month for such exploration. Ce ..read more

Kids love to draw and paint, but, as they get older, they tend to trade these creative endeavors in for video games and skateboards. But there are many benefits to helping your children stay interested in the arts. Today, the Kindergarten Kiosk blog offers information on how to help your little one find big excitement in creativity beyond coloring books and watercolors. Save their artwork. One of the most important things we can do as parents is to show our children that we are truly emotionally invested in their creativity. You can do this by saving their artwork. Although you can’t neces ..read more

Making meaningful connections is an essential part of the human experience. It is also one of the best ways to increase family involvement in your classroom. Getting families engaged with their child’s learning environment has tons of benefits, including better scores, healthier communities, and a culture centered on student success. "Successful family engagement begins by focusing on families and their needs, just like teachers focus on students in their classrooms” Connecting the Home and School Works Teachers who prioritize parent engagement often notice the following student effects ..read more

Teaching Children to Read! Systematic and Explicit Instruction in Reading the Short Vowel Sounds in CVC Words One of my favorite parts of teaching is when I’ve been working with a small group of students, trying to help them get to the next stage of their academic development, and after days, or weeks, or months of lessons, suddenly, it all comes together! You see them make the connections, and, finally, they are there! I have seen this happen again and again in all levels of reading difficulties! I especially enjoy that lightbulb moment with my students who are having difficulty understanding ..read more

How to encourage creativity in kids, and drawing tips for kids to help them get inspired this summer all from professional artists across the country. Summertime is almost here, parents, summer school teachers, and camp directors across the country are looking for ways to keep kids entertained and help continue to encourage learning and creativity. Here are some tips from artists across the country that can help adults encourage creativity in kids, and give kids the confidence booster they need to level up their artistic skills: Tips for Parents Ara Kermanikian 1.     Tur ..read more