The holidays are an amazing time of year, but it's also a stressful time! Teachers have the tricky job of keeping their students focused and learning, while there are added distractions and extra activities this time of year. Students may feel more anxious during this time of year, so having calm down toys available is so important! The Best Calm Down Toys Sensory Tubes These are great for a mess-free sensory experience. It's mesmorizing watching the sensory tubes! They are great for … [Read more...]
3 Ideas for Classroom Management
Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore Learning and am compensated for my work. I received the product free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. Teaching is hard work! When you don’t have your classroom under control, your day can derail quickly and it can leave you feeling frustrated. If you're looking for some fresh ideas for managing your classroom, check out these 3 ideas! Classroom Management Signs These Classroom Management Signs are great visual … [Read more...]
15 Ways to Use an Echo Dot in the Classroom
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. See my disclosure for more details. Do you have an Alexa or Echo Dot at home or in the classroom? They are useful tools that can do so much! I'm excited to share 15 ways to use an Echo Dot in your classroom or for learning at home! First of all, if you aren't sure what an Echo Dot is, let me explain what it is. It's a smart speaker that uses Alexa to do different tasks. It's like Siri on your phone. You can say "Alexa, play … [Read more...]
Centers Expectations Booklet
Do you enjoy center time? Some teachers love it, and some do not. Whether you love it or not, one thing we can agree on is that setting up clear expectations for center time is so important. Just like setting up rules and expectations for the classroom and playground, defining how this time should go in the classroom is essential. Today I have a centers expectations printable booklet to share with you. This is a simple booklet to read with students to start the dialogue of what the … [Read more...]
Playground Expectations Printable Booklet
If you asked my kids what their favorite part of the school day was, they would say recess! The playground at school can be so much fun. As all teachers and associates know, teaching expectations and playground rules early on is so important! Today I have a playground expectations printable booklet to share with you. This is a simple book to read with students to start the dialogue of what the playground rules and expectations are. The booklets are 8 pages long and they come in color … [Read more...]
Classroom Expectations Printable Booklet
School is about to start where we live, and all teachers know that the beginning of the school year is all about teaching routines and expectations. Doing a good job with this, in the beginning, will help set up your classroom for success. When I first started teaching, I remember another teacher telling me she doesn't smile or laugh/joke around with the kids until around Thanksgiving. (Keep in mind this was 4th grade.) I never was able to do that, but I tried to be firm and set the … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Use a Timer for Classroom Management
Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore Learning and am compensated for my work. I received the product free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. It's not a secret that teaching is hard work. One of the most challenging components of teaching is classroom management...especially for new teachers! Teaching kids to read and write is the fun part, but when you don't have classroom management under control, your day can derail quickly. Do you know what my favorite … [Read more...]
How to Remove Permanent Marker in the Classroom
One of the tricks I learned as a teacher is how to remove permanent marker in the classroom. It's so easy and it will help you reuse so many items. Now this trick only works on smooth, plastic surfaces. But don't worry, I'll also share tips for getting that stubborn marker off of other things, too! First up, the trick you need to know ASAP! It's only 2 steps, too! Steps to Removing Permanent Marker Scribble over the markings with a dry erase marker. Wipe away with a cloth or … [Read more...]
Why is Phonological Awareness so Important?
In the last few years, it’s become really clear that phonological awareness skills are important for reading success. But if you’re anything like me, you didn’t learn about it in your teacher preparation classes. The importance of phonological awareness really hit home for me in the fall when my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. She could read okay, but she could not spell simple words like “fix” as a 2nd grader. When the neuropsychologist presented the results, we found my … [Read more...]
How to Set up Slime Stations
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Last week, I had the opportunity to help hundreds of kids make slime! It was awesome and I loved teaching them the simple steps to make slime. Making slime with a lot of children is not always easy, so today I want to share my tips and tricks for doing this with a large group and using slime stations to minimize the chaos. Our school plans a STEAM night every year. We invite numerous clubs and organizations that are related to … [Read more...]
