Holidays
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Halloween Movement Ideas
It’s that time of year – Halloween classroom party time! I always loved these days, but I fully understand why some teachers don’t. The kids are already amped up, and then we give them sugar and take away the routine, what are we thinking?! Movement activities can be lifesavers for all of that pent up energy, so I thought I’d gather some excellent ones in one spot to save you a little sanity. Here are some options that’ll fit your party theme and get those wiggles out! Danny Go is always my daughter’s first pick, this is just one of his Halloween offerings: You can’t go wrong with GoNoodle, and…
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Favorite Easter Traditions
I can’t let Easter sneak by without sharing my favorite Easter traditions! Check out these posts for some super fun ideas for your upcoming celebration: Egg Decorating Without the Mess My Favorite Easter Books Easter Bunny Trail Mix Easter Traditions for Preschool Easter Writing Centers Easter Math Activities Last Minute Easter Basket Ideas Easter Printables for Preschool Maybe you’ll find your new favorite Easter tradition in this collection of fun activities!
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Friday Freebie – Valentine Family Activity
Happy Friday! It was a long week – holiday weeks always feel long. Today’s freebie is one that you can stick away for next Valentine’s Day. This Valentine’s Day Family Project is from Teacher’s Breathing Space. I love the concept – send home a heart that the entire family can work together to decorate, and then display everyone’s project in the classroom. What a wonderful family engagement activity! Go download yours and have an amazing weekend!
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Love Tree
There are a ton of ways that you could create a love tree. The basic idea is to take some kind of tree branch – or you could even decorate a small Christmas tree – and hang paper hearts from the branches, similar to a thankful tree that you might do for Thanksgiving, but in this case ask parents, family members and your students to write down the things or people that they love. It’s an easy enough way to create a visual of all the things and people that are important to us. I’ve got a little twist for you. Instead of just writing down the names of things…
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Family Valentine Station
Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday for celebrating families because it is all about love. Focusing on the love between family members is also a great way to make Valentine’s Day relevant for our youngest learners. I always spent a lot of time helping my students understand that Valentine’s Day is a special day where we get to make sure the people that we love know how much we love them. We would make valentine’s for our family members, friends, and the special people in our lives. I recently thought of a way to extend this that I wish I would have done when I was in the classroom –…
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I can’t start a new year without setting some good intentions for the upcoming year. The past few years I have chosen one word to give direction to my goals for the year. In 2015 my word was celebrate, in 2016 it was care, and last year it was prepare. This year, the word that has been in the forefront of my mind is joy. I’m a planner – I live for planning the next big event, whether it’s a trip, a party, or a holiday. This holiday season I’ve been desperately trying to enjoy the moment instead of immediately beginning to plan for the next one. …
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Merry Christmas!
I hope that your day is full of joy and happiness! My posts will be a little light this week, but I’ll be back with the new year and a ton of new ideas to share! Have a wonderful holiday!
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DIY Christmas Cookie Plates
I always strive to create gifts for parents that are going to be both meaningful and useful. One of my all-time favorites was the year that my students made plates for their cookies for Santa. I found 65 cent plates at our local glass factory outlet and we decorated them with special ceramic paints. Here are some ideas for your own Christmas Cookie plates: Sharpie Cookie Plates Handprint Cookie Plates Snowman Plates Dear Santa Plate How many cookie plates for Santa does one family need, because I’m feeling crafty!
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Family Engagement – Cookie Night
It’s not the holiday season without cookies – no matter which winter holiday your family celebrates, there is likely a traditional favorite cookie (or sweet pastry) for it. A great way to explore cultures and family traditions is to invite all of your families for a cookie night. Ask each family to bring a tray of cookies to share with everyone, along with a card describing why these are a family favorite. Gather copies of some of the following books that parents can read to their children as they enjoy sweet treats (links are affiliates): Christmas Cookies Gingerbread Baby A Cookie for Santa For more great ideas for cookie night,…
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Holiday Thank You Notes Made Easy
This time of year is a little chaotic. There are holiday events for school, on top of personal holiday parties and celebrations. There are lists upon lists of things to bake, people to shop for, and traditions to remember. It can be difficult to remember and manage all of this, adding one more thing to your to-do list can make your head spin. For me, one of the hardest things to manage at the holidays is finding time to write thank you cards for the gifts that I receive from students and colleagues. These are so important, but so easy to forget because there are just so many other tasks…
