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A back to school tip
I’ve put together a little back to school treat – a tip for helping children get excited about learning letters and starting to read, along with a great freebie. Please check out my freebie and feel free to share my tips! To download this document with clickable links please click here!
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Must haves for the preschool classroom
I’ve taught toddlers and preschoolers for 6 years, at three different schools, in 4 different classrooms. Through each of these moves I’ve come up with a list of items that are must haves for the classroom. Whether you teach preschool, elementary school, or even home school, the vast majority of items on this list will be helpful for your classroom. Some of the items on my list may be things that you use every day, but I’m sure that there are a few items that will surprise you, or make you think. If you know a teacher, any of these items are always appreciated, send some in with your child…
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A Back to School Book
I know, I know, shame on me for gearing up for back to school already. In my defense I do have an excuse, I will be MIA for the next two weeks, so I want to make sure I get the good posts out before it’s too late! Plus, if I prep for back to school now, I might still be able to steal a week in August for fun summer stuff. The book that I want to share with you today is my absolute favorite back to school book ever. Yes, ever. Llama Llama Misses Mama is about Llama’s first day at school, and all of the feelings that…
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Teaching Gadgets
There are a few tools that I have collected over the years that have made my job a million times easier. Now is the perfect time to share my list of awesome tools because you still have time to splurge on a couple of these before school starts. Some might be fairly obvious, but if I use it every day, then it warrants a spot on the list. There is a pretty large range of prices as well, so even if you don’t have room in your budget for a new color laser printer (my summer splurge!) you should still be able to find something on this list that you…
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Freebie Friday
Ugh. I know its only the middle of July, but I am feeling the summer slipping away – maybe it’s worse this week because it was so chilly, I wore a sweatshirt on Tuesday! That must be what’s got me thinking about school. Today’s freebie is a cute idea for back to school, this template is from Amber Polk, and it is designed so that you can add your contact information and print as a business card or magnet to hand out to parents. This would be a cute, easy way to make sure that parents are able to get a hold of you, and express that you want to…
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Motivating Young Readers
My students are participating in the summer reading program at our local library and they absolutely love tracking the number of books that they’ve read. They are constantly asking to read books (I know, awesome!) and I am happy to oblige. I know that this is something I want to continue throughout the school year. For the library’s program my kiddos have to write down the title of each book that they read – which really means I have to write down the title of each book that they read. This doesn’t sound so bad, until I think about the fact that my 12 students are each reading at least…
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It’s time for a new planner!
One of my favorite things about July (besides my birthday, and the Fourth, and the gorgeous summer weather) has always been picking out a new planner. Yep, I’m a nerd – and proud of it! In Jr. High and High School I would get my school-issued planner and immediately start filling in important dates and color-coding pages. In college, I started creating my own planners to make sure that the pages were set up how I wanted them and to make sure that I would have enough room to write down everything that I needed to do. Over the last couple of years I’ve gone through planners like water because…
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Organization on the go!
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A Children’s Book for a Bridal Shower
My sister is getting married in November, so at the moment I am knee-deep in bridal shower projects that I want to finish before summer is over. She’s a Kindergarten teacher, so for her shower I wanted to find a children’s book that all of the guests could sign as a keepsake for the bride. That was easier said than done. There aren’t a ton of great children’s books about weddings. I do love Lily’s Big Day – it’s a very cute book, but the story isn’t quite what I was looking for. There are plenty of children’s books about love, but the vast majority are explicitly about the love between…
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Creating an Aesthetically Organized Classroom
I’m a neat freak. When I interviewed for my first teaching position I distinctly remember telling the interview committee that being organized was my greatest strength. I wasn’t exaggerating. Not only does every item in my classroom have it’s own designated space, but I also have a checklist for every possible situation. This is one reason that the Reggio Emilia Philosophy resonates with me. This way of teaching encourages an aesthetically pleasing classroom environment, which helps me manage the chaos that preschool materials can create. Here are some of my all-time favorite storage solutions for the classroom. Each one of these items helps to keep my classroom organized, but they…
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Friday Freebie!
Happy Friday! I’m going to enjoy my Friday because my weekend is jam-packed. It just may be the least relaxing weekend ever, but at least it’s the weekend right?! Our open house at school is next week, so I’m trying to get prepared. I found this cute idea and knew I had to share – it’s from Courtney Howard. She puts up this cute sign and surrounds it with die-cut hands that all have classroom supplies written on them. Parents can choose a hand and donate those items to the classroom. I think it’s a great way to ask, and to send them home with a reminder (the paper hand)…
