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Strategies for balancing work and personal life
I just typed that title and started laughing – who am I to write about balancing my work and personal life?! I definitely don’t have it all figured out. I spend more nights typing this little blog than I care to admit – and that’s on top of working a full time job, so I feel you! Honestly, I think we’re all just doing the best that we can. I know that might not sound helpful if you’re really looking for some strategies, but my mantra over the last six months has been “Give yourself some credit.” Seriously, I bet there are a ton of things that you’re doing really…
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Friday Freebie – Lesson Planning
Happy Friday! We’ve officially made it through the first week of 2018, maybe by the end of next week I’ll remember to write 2018 instead of 2017. Today’s freebie is a set of lesson plan formats for the preschool classroom. I am a huge advocate for making your lesson plan work for you, and I think that you should set in up in a way that is actually helpful, or else you’ll find yourself doing extra work. This set has a variety of templates so that you can select the one that fits your class structure the best. For more on using these different templates be sure to check out…
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Lesson Planning Supplies
Raise your hand if your new years resolution had something to do with making sure your lesson plans get done sooner – this was always me. I felt like I knew what I wanted to do the upcoming week, but actually sitting down and planning it all out was the one task that got pushed off all week. Then, when I did get time to put my lesson plans together I would find that I really didn’t have enough ideas, or all of my ideas needed a ton of prep work – prep work that I didn’t have time for. I’m here to give you a couple of suggestions so…
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All of My Calendars
I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I’m a planner – this might be a bit of an understatement. I’m very type A – I enjoy planning and I am meticulous about recording my plans. This means that I spend a lot of time on my calendars, yes calendars plural. I thought I would share my systems with you just in case any of you were striving to be more organized in the new year. I completely understand that my way is not going to work for everyone, but if something sounds helpful feel free to use it as inspiration! Unfortunately I can’t give close up photos of my calendars because…
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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…
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Friday Freebie – Christmas notes
Happy Friday! We’re almost there! Whether you get time off for the holidays or not, it’s still the home stretch for 2017. Today’s freebie is a template for a sweet little note you can write to each of your students before the holiday. They will so appreciate that you are thinking of each of them during this crazy time of the year! Download yours from Simply Kinder and have a wonderful weekend!
