reading
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Valentine’s Language Center
Valentine’s Day has a special place in my heart (see what I did there). January can be a long, dreary month and having something fun to look forward to can really change the mood. If you’re like me – looking forward to a holiday that’s all about warmth and love – and you’re planning what this will look like in your classroom, then I have some materials that might be just what you need! Here’s my Valentine writing center: I want children to get excited about using these materials, and I do that by making them inviting – adding decorations, related textiles, and touches that create a homey and comforting…
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Books for Thanksgiving
I am one of those people who refuses to put up Christmas decorations or listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving is over, so this week I want to share some last minute Thanksgiving ideas – Starting next we’ll dive into the winter holidays, I promise! Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving books – all links are affiliates – happy reading! Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks Turkey Trouble Thankful Thanksgiving Rules The Thankful Book I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie
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Reading Slumber Party
The day after a holiday can be ROUGH – when that particular holiday involves a ton of sugar and falls in the middle of the week, it’s brutal. Sometimes these are the days when you just have to throw the lesson plan out the window. One of my favorite activities for these kinds of days is a reading slumber party. This is not meant to be a planned activity, it is a special excuse to take it easy and snuggle for the afternoon. I’ve always done reading slumber parties after nap time – but you can surprise your students any time of the day. I love to pretend that the…
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Books about monsters
Monsters are an interesting subject to explore with preschoolers because the children are fascinated by them, and they have so many different thoughts and opinions about the subject. They may be aware that monsters are not real, yet they are still terrified of them. Some children may enjoy being scared, while others would rather not even think about it. Monsters belong to the realm of make believe that preschoolers are still attempting to understand. Here are some of my favorite monster books for the classroom – these can be fun for the Halloween season as an alternative to ghosts and vampires. All links are affiliates. Go Away, Big Green Monster!…
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Books about the Beach
I feel like summer themed books don’t always get the attention that they deserve because there are so many things to do in the summer besides read. There are a ton of beach books that will add new elements to your discussions about the beach. Here are a few of my favorites (all links are Amazon affiliates): At the Beach Good Night Beach Beach House A Day at the Beach Check these out and be sure to take some time examining the pictures, which might help you add to your list of dramatic play props to add to your own beach play!
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Children’s Books for the 4th of July
I think that 4th of July books often get overlooked because it isn’t a holiday that takes place during the traditional school year. This is unfortunate because there are some real gems out there. When it comes to celebrating Independence Day, here are my favorite books to share with young children (all links are affiliates): The Night Before the Fourth of July The Story of America’s Birthday F is for Flag Independence Day Do you have any favorite patriotic books? Feel free to share them in the comments!
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Children’s Books for Memorial Day
Memorial Day is one of those holidays that can be really difficult to explain to young children. We all look forward to the unofficial start of summer, but we also want to recognize the true intent of the day, which is to honor our servicemen and women who have made sacrifices for our freedom. Books are my favorite way to introduce this particular day, here are a few that I have used: (all links are affiliates) Memorial Day (Let’s Celebrate) by Clara Cella Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Martin Golding F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and Barbara Duke Rolling Thunder by Kate Messner Do you have a…
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My Favorite Easter Books
It’s been a while since I’ve done a book round up, so I wanted to share some of my favorites for Easter. The best thing about these books is that they make great classroom read-alouds and they’re perfect for adding to Easter baskets. All links are affiliates. There’s no shortage of Easter books out there, but I tend to lean towards the classics, such as: The Easter Egg by Jan Brett Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells Easter by Gail Gibbons The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter There Was an Old Lady Who…
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Books About Valentine’s Day
It’s been a couple of weeks since I shared some of my favorite books, and Valentine’s day seemed liek the perfect opportunity. There are so many Valentine’s Day books out there, it can be overwhelming to find the real gems (and trust me, there are plenty that are not gems). Here are some of my favorites (these are all Amazon affiliates, so you still have time to order them before the big day! You can’t go wrong with Little Critter! – Happy Valentine’s Day Little Critter by Mercer Mayer This was always my students’ most requested! – Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane De Groat If you…
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Books for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of those holidays that I always plan to introduce to my students, and then the closer the day get the more I struggle to find the right way to discuss it. In some ways, they understand, and in other ways, it is way over their heads. In my experience preschoolers have a hard time comprehending why people would be treated differently because of the way they look – which is one thing that I love about them. So, I’ve rounded up some books that have been really helpful for me, here are my favorites (all links are Amazon affiliates): My First Biography: Martin…
