What’s the one activity that always brings a smile…….Play doh! Who doesn’t love play dough? I’ve never been able to resist grabbing some and giving it a squish. Kids are no different. They just love play doh and who could blame them? Play dough is my “go to” activity the
Have you heard about Boom Learning? It. Is. So. Cool. No more printing, cutting, or laminating. I love bright and shiny new laminated centers just as much as the next guy, but let���s face it, it can be a lot of work. Boom Learning is awesome. You can use it
Let’s talk about Google Classroom. Going digital in kindergarten and first grade can be a powerful tool for differentiatng your kid’s learning. Big myth buster- you don’t need to be a 1:1 school to do it. Most teachers in the upper grades have been using Google classroom for ages, but
Glue sticks. Those 2 simple words bring me both joy and aggravation. I have a love hate relationship with glue sticks. On the one hand I love the ease of glue stick, no more puddles of glue, no clogged tops. It seemed like the perfect answer. But they let me
Using Flipped Lessons in Kindergarten Have you heard about flipped lessons? I’ve been reading about flipping your classroom for a while, but I just didn’t see how it could work in kindergarten. It seemed to be an upper-grade level tool. In case you’re new to the party, flipped lessons are
Well winter is in full swing and my kids are starting to get ready for Valentine’s Day. Do you need a few extra worksheets to help keep your kids engaged while you have reading groups? I love using these for morning work, homework, and I always throw a few in
Let’s Celebrate 100 Days!! It’s that time of year when schools are starting to celebrate 100 days. My kids get really excited as we get closer to the big day. We’ve been counting the days since we started and by the time we get to about 92 days, they are
Teaching kids to read is the core of any kindergarten curriculum. It’s a privilege to have a front row seat to the wonder of going from not knowing any letters in September to actually reading in June. It’s one of the things I love most about kindergarten. Watching kids learn
Gingerbread is a perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. We take a break from the regular curriculum and have a little fun. My kindergarten kiddos love having centers everyday. It’s during our Gingerbread unit that I begin our first S.T.E.M. center. I offer 3 different challenges after reading the classic The Gingerbread Man.
I know, I know, everyone LOVES Halloween. But here is my deepest, darkest, secret-I don’t. It wasn’t always this way, I mean I love candy, I love hanging out with friends and Halloween is basically kid nirvana. But I am a kindergarten teacher, and if you teach in an elementary
I love robots! I love robots, I mean I REALLY love robots. I love what it does for kids. How it amazes them, how it empowers them, how it reaches them like nothing else. I don’t consider myself “techie” ( my own kids will agree), but somehow this “no tech”
Kindergarten reading groups often don’t involve any “reading” in the way that parents typically think. Your students may not be able to “read” I see the fat cat until the spring. But don’t be fooled, the ground work that is laid in the first half of kindergarten is crucial to
Knowing your students’ level of phonemic awareness helps you to easily determine the next step in learning to read.
