I was just thinking I never actually posted pictures of my finished classroom stage!  I fell in love with a picture on Pinterest of a classroom stage, and begged Christopher to make me one like it.  He did it even better...because the tall side pieces are storage.  Anyone that knows me knows how much I need more storage in my classroom!  I'll start the year with a place to shove all the school supplies, kleenexes and Clorox wipes parents bring in on Meet the Teacher Night! This is what I saw on pinterest:    And this is what Chris made! The kids can reach th ..read more

I love the start of school.  It is my absolute favorite time of the year!  With the craziness of the past few years, it has been especially fun getting my classroom together for a year that feels a lot more "normal".  We have our tables back,  I'm starting to understand Illustrative Math a little better, and I'm learning new things with Science or Reading that are blowing me away!  All of that is making me really excited about the year! Here are a few of my favorite spaces in my classroom this year: My Focus Wall I've done this so many ways, but I wanted my new sou ..read more

I've spent this week with an online class with Kristin Doyle of Chalk & Apples learning how to "freshen up" my TPT page and my blog.  I've learned SO much.  Kristin is who designed my blog graphics, and I would highly recommend her to ANYONE who is blogging or TPTing.  She's amazing. I've learned a lot about the app SnapSeed which is amazing for editing photos, and even more about Canva for creating all kinds of things, including my TPT thumbnail photos.   I use SwiftPublisher to create most of my materials for my classroom, and LOVE it...but Canva puts things at ..read more

It's been a long week (and it is only Wednesday).   On Monday I attended and presented at the ICTM Math Conference.  The sessions I attended were full of great information, and I learned a lot.  Everywhere I turned, REALLY smart people were discussing REALLY deep topics.  In one session I was asked to read an educational article and  discuss my ideas with the people seated around me at every star the presenters  had strategically placed  throughout the reading.  In another session, I was asked to act out leading a Number Talk (with people I didn't  know!) while writing what I heard the ..read more

I read the parenting book Love and Logic a million years ago when I was a young parent, and loved the whole "natural consequences" approach. When I started teaching, I read the Love and Logic teaching book, and LOVED it.  I knew that I didn't like using rewards and punishment, that I didn't like the feel of my classroom when everyone was concerned about if they were going to get a sticker or a point...or lose one.  I always believed that building relationships with kids is the key to good behavior. A couple of summers ago, a few teachers from my school and I took a class about it.  It was g ..read more

Pig Math FreebieWe're in the middle of our alphabet countdown to the last day of kindergarten.  Today was P is for Pig Day.  I have a munchkin that is obsessed with pigs this year. We pulled out a class favorite today, a math game we play with "pig dice".  We've played a simple one all year (it's a great fill in "the thing I had planned won't work" activity).   You roll the pigs just like dice, and add up your points based on how they land.  Getting a "snout" is FIVE points, and doesn't happen very often.   Today we played this one with some added addition.  They had a blast! Here's a link t ..read more

If you've ever been to one of my SDE sessions, you know how much I love finding ways to play in the classroom and Kindergarten Play Centers, and one of my favorite centers is my Fine Motor Center.  They are a big part of my morning routine.  I've had SO many questions recently about what materials I use, plus I just had a bit of a shopping frenzy, so I thought i would update! Fine Motor CenterFine Motor Bins:  When When my kindergartners arrive in the morning, the first thing they do is put their coats (and snow pants, mittens, boots...) and backpacks away.  They bring me their Tiger Notebook ..read more