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Personalized Back to School Gift for Teachers
I’m so happy with how this year’s teacher gifts turned out – and so glad that I’ve got them done a little early (one less thing to worry about)! My daughter’s school is opening a brand new building this year, so a key ring felt like a fitting gift to start the year with. These would be perfect for your child’s teachers or your own co-workers if you’re a teacher too. Here are the items that I used to put these together (all links are affiliates). I went with these black beaded tassel keychains, but I also love this silicone option (I have one of these for my own keys).…
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Favorite Teacher Supplies
Since we’re talking supplies already I wanted to share this post from last year – these are all still my favorite items as a teacher! ver the years I’ve narrowed down my absolute favorite products that I, as the teacher, NEED to have. Here’s my list: (all links are affiliates, your support is TRULY appreciated!) I use these zip pouches for literally everything. They are one of my all-time-favorite Amazon purchases. This size can fit a whole notebook or legal pad, so I can easily keep all of my notes, projects, and copies organized. I’m obsessed with my Bogg Bag and this leopard print one is definitely on my wishlist. I love…
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Back to School Wish List
I know, I know, we’ve hit that point in the summer where we’re closer to the start of school than we are to the end of the school year… I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’ve already bought my daughter’s school supplies, she doesn’t start until September but if I wait until then to look for school supplies, all I’ll find is Christmas decorations. One thing that I love to do is buy a few extra items to throw in for her classroom. At this point in the year things are so much cheaper, so an extra box of crayons or tissues doesn’t add to much to my…
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Bird Activities for Preschool
Studying birds is always a hit with preschoolers – these are animals that can FLY, who wouldn’t want to know more?! Birds are animals that children may not interact with directly, but they still play a role in their daily lives, no matter where your students live. This makes them perfect for exploration AND you can easily personalize the learning by choosing birds that are native to your area. Here are some of the preschool bird activities that I love to do in (or outside) the classroom. Bird watching is a must! Make some binoculars out of cardboard tubes and head outside. You can identify common birds, count the numbers…
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Bird Books for Preschool
There are so many books available about birds. This is definitely one of those topics where it can be hard to narrow down the most helpful and relevant titles. Some of the non-fiction books that are supposed to be for children can also be really difficult and dry. So how do you know which ones are worth reading? I’m happy to share the ones that we’ve loved! All links are affiliates. National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America, Second Edition – Jonathan Alderfer Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find? – Storey Publishing Feathers for Lunch – Lois Ehlert Bird Builds a Nest: A First Science Storybook –…
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4th of July Printables for Preschool
The 4th of July is one of those holidays that has a way of sneaking up – summer just flies by so fast! Quick activities that you can print and use immediately are a lifesaver. Here are all of the patriotic activities available in my TPT store to make the holiday a little easier.
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Preschool 4th of July Activities
The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday – it’s that mix of sweet summer, patriotism, long days, and knowing that my birthday is right around the corner! Even when I’ve had to work the week of the holiday I’ve made sure to live it up in the classroom, determined to make sure that my students enjoy this day as much as I do. Here are all of the posts that I’ve shared over the years with 4th of July activities for some inspiration for your own celebrations. All Things 4th of July Children’s Books for the 4th of July 4th of July Bingo 4th of July Fruit…
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Volcano Books for the Classroom
On Wednesday I shared some activities to use when exploring volcanos – and how to decide if this is a relevant topic for your class. Today it’s all about the volcano books that will support this exploration. There are so many volcano books for children that are truly not written at a level young children can understand. The vocabulary, depth, and assumed prior knowledge is too much, especially for preschoolers. I was able to find some winners though! Here are the books that I recommend (all are affiliate links):
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Preschool Volcano Theme
I’m a huge proponent of exploring themes that are relevant to the children you teach, but I also strongly believe that doesn’t always mean that they HAVE to be themes that children interact with in their everyday life in order to be relevant. If children are especially fascinated with a topic, to the point that it has become a regular topic of conversation in their classroom, then it is relevant in my eyes. This is where topics like dinosaurs, space, make-believe, wild animals, far away landscapes, etc. begin to become appropriate classroom themes. This week we’re tackling one of those topics; volcanos! There are so many ways to explore volcanos…
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Beach Vacation Must-Haves
Whew! Have you ever felt like you needed to recover from your vacation?! We took a beach trip a couple of weeks ago and getting back to “normal” after coming home has been ROUGH. I don’t know if it was all the sun, being off of our daily schedule, or overstimulation, but we weren’t good for much of anything last week. It also gave me a little time to reflect, and I always appreciate time to consider what I’d do the same and different on another similar trip. I packed a lot of the same things that we took for our cruise, and I’ve learned that being on a cruise…
