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Fighting burnout
Ugh. We all feel it, it’s spring, it’s been a LONG winter, and now that it’s finally nice outside we don’t have time to enjoy it. We’re too busy completing end of the year assessments, cleaning up classroom, and getting ready for end of the year celebrations. Whether you teach year-round, like me, or get the summer off, its still hard to fight the tell-tale signs of teacher burnout. I’ve been collecting tips to keep me motivated and inspired, and I knew that if I needed them, others probably did too, so here are some great sites to check out if you’re feeling it too. Tips for avoiding teacher burnout…
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Creative story helpers
I am so excited about a project that I just finished, I had to share it with you right away! I got the idea for these story starters on Pinterest (where else?). I have a really hard time getting my students to come up with creative stories when I want them too, on random days they are full of them (like my kiddo who SWORE that he was going to Disney World for Mother’s day – that definitely didn’t happen). I think that there are just too many options, it gets a little overwhelming for them. I wanted to help them narrow down all of the crazy possibilities in their heads…
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Teacher Appreciation Gift Tags
Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a great Teacher Appreciation week! I know that teachers don’t always get the recognition they deserve, so sometimes we have to take care of each other. Here is a great gift tag freebie that you can use to recognize some of your favorite teachers. This gift tag is from the Army Wife Teacher, and nail polish is a cheap little treat that screams “Pamper me!” Pick up a couple of bottles in fun summer colors and attach these cute tags for a easy little gift that will put a smile on any teacher’s face.
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Nature Art
I use natural materials in my classroom all the time – right now I have nature sorting in my math center, flower seeds and magnifying glasses in my science center, and twigs and tree circles in my block area. My students help me collect these materials, sometimes we go on walks around the neighborhood and fill up a bag, and sometimes they bring fun stuff from their yards. One of my favorite activities to do with wonderful bits of nature is to create a glue-free collage. This project is so simple, but encourages so many different responses from the children. The children are presented with the available materials and asked…
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May Currently!
Yay! I finally made time to jump on the Currently Trend! It couldn’t be better time, I love love love this month’s theme, how festive are these flowers?! And now I’m done with the exclamation points, promise. I’m linking up with Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade (She’s the creative genius behind currently and all of the great monthly artwork). Listening: I have really gotten into Dancing with the Stars this season, which is a little weird because I can’t honestly tell you the last season that I watched. Maybe its because I really love Meryl and Candace (she will always be like my big sister), and maybe its…
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Teacher Appreciation Sale!
In case you missed yesterday’s awesome blog hop, it’s Teacher Appreciation week! I’m celebrating by putting my store on sale (along with the vast majority of other TPT sellers) May 6th and 7th so that my favorite teachers can score some awesome deals! I’ll definitely be shopping during the sale, because I’m a teacher too, and we all love discounts! Here are are some of the awesome items that I can’t wait to put in my shopping cart: Plan and Go Teacher Lesson Planner in Heart of Gold. This AMAZING planner is by A Modern Teacher. I used her Happy Day Planner this year and I am absolutely in love…
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The Best for the Best!
I am so excited to be participating in my first ever blog hop, and I have to say a huge thank you to Amy over at Teaching in Blue Jeans for organizing it! This blog hop is all about celebrating teachers, and I could not think of a more deserving group, let’s face it, we all know that teachers work long, hard hours and don’t get the recognition that they deserve. I’m happy to help change that! Today I want to share one of my favorite products with you. This particular product shows just how far I’ve come in the last couple of years, and it shows the incredible difference…
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Friday Freebie
I am super excited about today’s Friday Freebie because it is my first ever blog exclusive. This freebie is only available right here! Download the Color Word Coloring Sheets! I am always looking for ways to get my students to read, especially to read and recognize words that I KNOW they know. Color words are a great example of these words. Even though my students are young, color words are basically environmental print, they have been surrounded by these words for as long as they have been interested in books (what toddler or preschooler doesn’t own a board book about colors?). My students often see these words and tell me…
