Check out this easy to use printable for Mother's Day, Grandparents' Day, and Birthdays! How to Use: Simply use ink pads or paint to add a handprint right in the middle, between the two letter Ms. You'll have the easiest Mother's Day craft! (Handprints can be done in the color of your child's choice. The "You are my sunshine" quote would be really special with a yellow handprint to look like a sun, though!) *I did this with my 1-year old and my 4-year old. THAT's how easy it is! Definitely most appropriate for Preschool/UPK through 2nd, but it can work for any age group! What's Included? Ther ..read more

What was on today's agenda? Building a garden out of magnetic tiles. Yep. Well, actually, it started as a dance floor. Then, it became a garden.  I use magnetic tiles at home with my kiddos because they are open-ended, foster outside the box thinking, and I am always pleasantly surprised by the creativity my kids exhibit when using them! At school, we use magnetic tiles in a few different ways. One way is for our STEAM program. Many teachers use them for morning work bins each day. Additionally, our after school program sets them out as one of their stations. And, of course, they are ..read more

Okay, so you don't need to buy discount books in bulk...but I always wind up filling my cart to the brim and then having about 3 giant boxes of books arrive at my front door. I can't help it! Confession: I have boxes of books in the basement, ready to go for every upcoming holiday and birthday and just-because gift. I just love books! My favorite discount shops are: https://bookoutlet.com/ Anyone can buy from here. Great deals. Literally, thousands of steep discounts! https://www.fbmarketplace.org/ You need to register. This site is for teachers in Title 1 districts.  Both of these we ..read more

Starting a new Christmas tradition? Don't forget about this gem I shared last Christmas! We flipped our Christmas tree skirt over and started annual handprints! We date the handprints and label with the first initial of the name. Over the years, we will make our way around the reverse side of the tree skirt and have a really special keepsake. In the classroom, you can do something similar! Not with a tree skirt, of course. (If you do celebrate holidays in your classroom, you COULD use a tree skirt and do thumbprints to save space, maybe!) A teacher I used to work with actually had kids put ..read more

Can we talk about Christmas traditions that work in the classroom and at home? The 12 Days of Christmas! Which is what we call it in our house. At school, it might be the 12 Days of Winter Break! Either way, as soon as we hit that 12 day count down, 12 wrapped gifts appear with the numbers 1-12 on them. We open them in reverse order, counting down to Christmas or winter break. And each gift is a special book to add to our collection. It's time to get kids EXCITED about books! Reading IS fun! If you prioritize it, and make it magical, they will buy in! My daughter is me. She is a rea ..read more

We have an Elf on the Shelf in our house. He is Mr. Elf. He comes after Thanksgiving to visit until Christmas Eve. When he arrives, he has some kind of family gift, like matching pajamas that we can all wear for a holiday photo op. (Yes, the kids are more likely to wear the matching jammies if they come from Mr. Elf, not Mommy.) On December 12, Mr. Elf also delivers the twelve days of Christmas gifts. 12 presents under the tree. (Spoiler alert: they are all books. Always. Every year.) The 12 days of Christmas serve a few purposes. We get new books! We get excited about these new books and ..read more

Happy Halloween with a throw back to Lucy and our pumpkins! Now that I have two toddlers, carving pumpkins doesn't look the same. We do stickers. We do markers. We do not do knives. :) Oh, and Halloween on a Monday? Bring me back to a weekend Halloween, please! Let's survive this week where kids and families will decide that a plastic baggie full of left over Halloween candy is a totally appropriate snack. Or breakfast. Or lunch ..read more

Challenge: Build the tallest structure! Challenge: Build a structure you can go inside! Challenge: Build an igloo! Challenge: Build a fort for yourself! But, actually, I did not give my kiddos any challenge at all! That's the beauty of toys that foster creativity and use of your imagination. Sometimes there isn't a challenge. Sometimes you dump some toys, items, crafty supplies, etc. out on the floor and see where it takes them ..read more

This was my classroom door a few years back.  I love the message it sends my students. We're here for THEM. That means that they are important. It also means that we are all in this together - a student's job is to learn and a teacher's job is to provide opportunities for learning. We're really just guides to support students in discovering who they are meant to be. One thing I struggled with early on is eliminating "guys" from my teaching vocabulary. I loves that I could use this door as my guide. I called the kids scientists during science. Readers during a read aloud. It makes se ..read more

Once upon a time, this was my classroom: Do you see those low white seats? They are the popular IKEA bookcases, turned on their sides. Very sturdy! They lasted for 10+ years! I made those cushions. Horrible. Did not last 10+ years. They are simply foam covered with fabric. They slid all over and kids pulled at the fabric, which I hot glued together. It did not work. Fast forward...well, 10 years! These are the same bookshelves. The EXACT same bookshelves. You can see there is wear at the bottom, where kid feet rested, but overall, still in amazing shape! Sturdy and functional and cute ..read more