• 4th of july preschool

    All Things 4th of July!

    The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays, which is likely because of how close it is to my birthday. I love to go all in when it comes to red white and blue – and this includes in the classroom. I can’t believe that we’ve already made it to this point of the summer! Last week I shared a ton of patriotic resources, but If you’re planning for this week and next week here are ALL of the 4th of July posts that I’ve every written (you know, for inspiration): Children’s Books for the 4th of July 4th of July Bingo 4th of July Fruit…

  • Bicycle Parade Clipart

    I finally got this posted! I am so in love with this pretty patriotic set. I started making these 1 year ago and it has been the best to see how much they’ve improved each month – making these is truly my favorite part of my job. Take a look at all of the great sets (they can also be purchased as a bundle)!

  • permission to take the break

    It’s always ok to take care of ourselves

    I’m putting this message out there today because I need to hear it – which probably means that some of you need to hear it too (it’s always better when we feel like we’re not alone). There’s so much pressure to keep working, move forward, and improve ALL THE TIME. We’re not built for that – no one can be “on” all of the time, and working (whatever your work may be) 24/7 isn’t healthy. It’s always ok to take a break, and one thing we can all do better is to give ourselves permission to take the break – without feeling guilty or lazy! I know that I’m the…

  • planning a summer week

    Plan with me!

    I usually like to sit down on Friday afternoon or sometime on Sunday and look over my calendar for the upcoming week – this week it didn’t happen until Monday morning, but it’s summer right?! Summer weeks look a lot different in my planner than a typical week during the school year. There are a lot more moving pieces and ever-changing plans in the summer, so having it all written down is so important. Take a look at what goes into planning a summer week: Some of these plans were put in my calendar before my girl broke her arm, so we’ve had to do a bit of shuffling in…

  • picnic food for kids

    Easy Picnic Meals

    One of my goals for this summer is to find new lunches that my picky eater will be happy about – we’re making small, slow gains. One of the ways that I’m doing this is with weekly picnic lunches. Packing meals and heading to a park gives us something to look forward to and a way for me to squeeze in new foods where there isn’t another option, so she has to at least try it. I’ve got a list going of meals that we’re testing, so I thought I’d share – these are specific to my own child’s preferences, but they might give you some ideas to start with!…

  • summer plans

    Summer Update!

    We’ve officially been following my summer plans for a month (you can read more about those here), so it felt like time for an update. This is the first summer that I’m home with my daughter everyday, and having structure and materials in place was really important to me. So far it’s been super helpful! We keep things really flexible, and won’t always get to everything on our list – but I think that’s the difference between summer and the school year. There has been one major snag, my girl broke her arm last week, so we’ve been modifying a lot. Of course it’s her right arm, so we’re currently…

  • 4th of July lesson plans

    Patriotic Resource Round Up

    Summer might’ve just started, but I’m thinking 4th of July lesson plans already! I’ve added a ton of patriotic materials to my TPT store over the last couple of weeks so it felt like a good time to share all of these so that you can start planning for the holiday. Patriotic 4th of July Alphabet Book for Preschool and Kindergarten – This book is a great way to celebrate the 4th of July while encouraging literacy. Each letter corresponds with an American themed vocabulary word which will help children practice letter sounds. Print one for each child, or a few for a center. You could also have children create…

  • Gabby's Dollhouse Birthday Party

    Easy DIY Birthday Party

    We celebrated my girl’s birthday while camping last weekend and it was low-key, while still being everything she wanted! Kid’s birthday parties can get expensive really fast – especially if your child requests a character theme – but they absolutely don’t HAVE to be expensive. I was able to give her a Gabby’s Dollhouse Birthday Party using supplies from the Dollar Tree and craft stores, without breaking the bank. All of the decorations were DIY – banners that I designed, printed, and cut, and lots of yarn tassels and balloons. We did paper products in the color scheme, but not printed with any characters, which also saved a lot of…

  • summer field trips

    Summer Field Trip Ideas

    I love to GO – just about anywhere. Staying in the same environment for too long makes me a little stir crazy, and I can often see that in little ones too. During the summer, I especially make it a point to enjoy all of the wonderful opportunities to explore our community, and also to go a little further away than we might during the school year. It helps me to have a master list of all of the places that we love to visit so that I can mix up the indoor and outdoor experiences, and also find little trips that fit our budget best. Here’s what that list…