Composing 2-D Shapes One of my favorite activities to do with my kinders is to have them explore with different materials and work on composing 2-D shapes. My students quickly became good at putting two squares together to make a rectangle and using two rectangles to...
Snow days are a lot of fun but they don’t mean the learning has to stop. Here are some ways to learn when you are stuck at home and out of school due to snow. Sight Words Have your child practice writing his/her sight words in the snow. They can use a stick they...
Flexible seating? Is it for me? How do teachers afford it? What if it doesn’t work? I am here to tell you some tips and tricks for getting your feet wet with flexible seating. There are ways to test it out without flipping your entire classroom and it will let...
Pattern writing is such an important concept in kindergarten. I had to learn to love pattern writing. I have always known that it has such great benefits for students, however, I always preferred narrative or informational writing because it allowed me to learn even...
Fall is the perfect season to go on a Five Senses Nature Walk. The air is crisp, the trees are changing, the animals are active, and it is the perfect temperature to be outside. I love finding opportunities where I can take our learning outside. Our Five Senses...
Establishing classroom routines at the beginning of the year is the key to a successful school year. Be sure to take the time to decide what you want things to look like in your classroom and take the time to model and practice these routines. What Will Routines Look...
Letters and Numbers Discrimination We spend a lot of time at the beginning of the school year talking about letters and numbers. Our ELA time is focused on letters – identifying letters, learning the sounds, writing the letters, etc. Our Math time is focused on...
Relationships are the most important thing in a classroom. I truly believe that we cannot do our job as a teacher if we don’t take the time to build relationships with our students first. This is something that I strive to do better each year. This past year, I...
Summer is just around the corner and I know that I am beyond excited to cross some items off of my summer bucket list! I try to relax as much as possible, have a ton of fun, and be somewhat productive during my two months away from school and kiddos. I think it is...
One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is add to my class memory tree. The end of the year is so bittersweet – saying good-bye to the students you’ve been with all year and getting ready for a new bunch of students to enter your classroom. I created a...
Friends of 5 is one of the first skills that we work on during our addition and subtraction unit. It is so important that students are exposed to decomposing numbers into pairs. It lays a great foundation for the next steps to come when adding and subtracting. What...
My kinders are learning all about CVC words right now. They spend the first parts of the school year learning letter names and sounds. We have now reached the point where we can take this skill to the next level and begin blending and segmenting words. What are CVC...
A 100th Day Fashion Show is the best way to celebrate reaching a new milestone with your students at school. Each year on the 100th day, we roll out the red "carpet" and deck ourselves out in our 100th day outfits for our big celebration! First I send home a letter...
Understanding syllables can be tricky for some kindergarten students. The best way to learn them is to practice, practice, practice! This free winter syllable sort will help you gain an understanding of where your students are with this phonological skill. Why are...
Winter is a time a time when we think about snow – sledding, snow angels, snowball fights! Unfortunately, (or fortunately!), not all of us live in a place that gets snow in the winter. Here is a way to bring a sight word snowball fight into your classroom...
DIY Snowman Bank I love finding ways to reuse containers and bottles. This DIY snowman bank is the perfect way to reuse those coffee creamer bottles! This craft is great for all ages and doesn’t require a lot of time or supplies! Our kindergarten students use these...
