Teaching place value to kids in math class can be fun – if you have some hands-on learning activities and visuals, like charts. You can utilize game boards or worksheets. The key really is for students to understand the core of what place value is, which is abstract and much harder to get across when […]
Pumpkin Sorting Activity
I was feeling pretty inspired today and decided to whip up a fun sorting activity freebie hopefully some of you can use in your classrooms to celebrate the season! I love pumpkins all fall long! They are a good symbol of the season that I don’t have to change in a month’s time. I usually […]
WHOOOOO Loves November?
I adore November! There is so much excitement in the air between Veteran’s Day, the election, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course, the kickoff to the Christmas season! I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year is flying past like a jumbo jet! November can be insane and the pressure […]
Word Walls to the Rescue
Looking for some new word wall ideas? Word walls don’t have to be a standard wall full of sight words that remain static all school year long. You can create interactive word walls, word walls for character traits, or even a portable word wall that you only pull out when needed! There are so many […]
Falling Into Classroom Management
I know you have probably seen those “you’ve been booed” signs around in different neighborhoods around town. They are fun and definitely festive! I actually don’t live in a neighborhood, but rather set way far back off a busy road. We have neighbors, but not really close by. And their kids are all grown […]
5 Days to Parent Involvement!
Oh yeah! I know a lot of you LOVE my PD in your PJs Workshops and I have a NEW one for you that is sent purely all email and not a video training! This one is called 5 Days to Parent Involvement and it is presented a little differently than some of […]
Spooktacular Jokes for Kids!
I know a principal once who would tell jokes for kids every morning on the announcements. It was a great way to start the day, even though we would hear groans from the students and staff from the corny riddles he shared. Students would then start to bring in their own funny jokes for kids […]
Pumpkin Puzzle Game
Hey teaching friends! Who else loves fall? I adore the cooler weather, leaves falling, heading to see th Friday Night lights at our local high school football game, hayrides, cornmazes… And don’t even get me started on the food! Cinnamon donuts, apple cider, pumpkin chocolate chip drop cookies, pumpkin rolls, hot chocolate, apple fritters, peanut […]
Telling Time Rollers!
Do you ever use dice as a math learning tool? How do you do it without dice flying all over the room and splitting your ear drums? One quick tip I learned from a fabulous math coach was always to give students 60 seconds with the manipulative you would be working with just to “play.” […]
Cubby Clips!
Do you use sticker labels every year to label your student cubby mailboxes? Don’t you hate when they either leave residue on your materials, or don’t come off all the way? I have found sometimes it is just easier to lay another label over the top so it looks clean, but then after a few […]
Get Rid of Your Desk!
I know some are looking at the computer like it has alien doodads coming out of the top of it, but think about how much space a teacher desk takes up, and how often you use it. Of course, in some schools, the furniture is pre-placed and not allowed to be moved. In others, there […]
5 Work/Life Balance Tools
Do you have work and life balance? Do you know what the secret to it is? I don’t know all the answers, but I can tell you that everyone struggles with this and perhaps there really isn’t such a thing as work/life balance anyway. Furthermore – maybe we should stop striving for something that actually […]
Chalkboard Comprehension Centers
Need a fun and easy comprehension center your students will love to complete? Whether you have these cute mini wood chalkboard laptops, or even instead use vinyl chalkboard or a basic set of chalkboard signs, the idea is the same. Some weeks coming up with new and novel classroom learning centers is extra hard. […]
Tattle Ender Idea
Does the sound of tattling drive you up the wall? Are you constantly interrupted by such outbursts while you are trying to teach or get something done in small groups? Do you cringe when you then start to hear other students call one another tattle tales, which then continues the tattling cycle all over again? […]
Camping + Learning = Summer Fun!
Since when can’t learning and camping go hand-in-hand? I thought it would be a blast to list several ideas for keeping kids physically AND mentally engaged this summer! What child doesn’t love going on a camping adventure with his or her family? Let’s get the learning started! As a child, I loved camping, tent and […]