Trending Post: Simple and Engaging Leprechaun Traps in the Classroom
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (illustrated by Patrick Benson) is an adorable read-aloud that fits perfectly into an owl theme! This book also works well for an animal mothers and babies unit or if you are dealing with separation anxiety in your classroom. Here in this post (which contains a few Amazon affiliate links), I’ve…
A spider unit in a kindergarten or first-grade classroom is always a hit! It’s a great theme for October because it has lots of educational value, but also fits in nicely with Halloween. In this post, I’ve compiled eight of my favorite spider-related activities to help you blend science and fun with literacy and math!…
Need an easy (and free!) idea for a bulletin board craft for open house? The beginning of the year in kindergarten can be exhausting and chaotic which sometimes means that parent night (or open house or curriculum night) can sneak up on you! This free printable template goes along with one of my favorite back-to-school…
If you’ve been hanging onto big books, chart poems, and old anchor charts, but aren’t quite sure how to use them with your students, this simple idea is just for you! When you’re out shopping for school supplies, grab some plastic page dividers (I used these, but rather than ordering online, look for deals in…
If you teach math in small groups, you know how imperative it is to be organized and prepared. With the rest of your students working independently at math centers, time is of the essence and you don’t want to spend it counting out manipulatives or distributing materials. These do-it-yourself toolkits are perfect for keeping your…
Ah, summer break! Time to relax and soak up the sun and–if you’re so inclined–do a little prep for back-to-school time. I recently collected a bunch of picture books that work well as beginning-of-the-year read-alouds in kindergarten and first grade and I’d like to share them with you. If you’re looking for some fresh books…
Game spinners can be used in so many ways in a primary classroom. They are a great alternative to dice when you want to focus on specific numbers and concepts and they add fun and fine motor practice to simple practice activities! While I have often used the paperclip and pencil spinner method, which is…
We all know that reading aloud is important. It helps children build language and vocabulary, encourages positive feelings about books and reading, and helps young students develop print and word concepts. [Read some research on these benefits here.] Quality read-alouds also make it so easy to integrate science and social studies into literacy in the…