• Classroom Holiday Decor

    Thoughts on Decorating the Classroom for the Holidays

    You know that I’m big on celebrating holidays – personally, and in the classroom – so it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of decorating the classroom to support this. At the same time, I know this can be a little tricky. We want to acknowledge the things that are happening in children’s lives, while also being culturally appropriate and making sure to respect all families’ traditions. I’ll be the first to say that I’m not an expert in this area, but I definitely try to do my best! Children are coming into contact with holiday decor and displays in the real world, so it’s important to…

  • Cute Clipart

    Clip Art Collections

    I’ve shared that all 12 months of my preschool plans are now available (check those out here) – but I haven’t taken time to highlight all of my clipart sets! I’ve truly loved creating these and it’s so fun to look back at each set and notice all of the great seasonal details included. Here are all of the clipart sets that I have in both my TPT and Etsy shops. In pulling together all of these images I realized that I haven’t showed you my latest set – this is the Peppermint Wonderland bundle! I love the classic red and green for Christmas, but red and pink is definitely…

  • Preschool Thankssgiving

    Thanksgiving Pie Experiment

    I know that there are very strong opinions about using food for preschool activities, and I understand both sides of the argument.  Personally, I believe that food is something that brings us together.  It is a powerful way to open children’s minds to new experiences, and to introduce them to cultural experiences.  I am especially partial to taste-tests as science and social studies activities because it gives me the opportunity to expose children to something that they may not ever encounter at home. I’ve been known to taste test fruits and vegetables, in order to introduce new foods and encourage children to be open to trying new things.  This particular…

  • halloween clipart

    Halloween Clipart

    Creating this clipart set really helped get me in the Halloween mood! The colors and images are exactly what’s in my brain when I think Halloween. Being able to represent that in a visual way is super exciting for me. I can’t get over the cauldrons, and I’m obsessed with the little apothecary jars. I can’t wait to see what you all create with these. You can find them in my TPT and Etsy shops. Here’s what is included in the bundle:

  • Teacher halloween

    Halloween must-haves for teachers

    My love of all holidays is no secret – truly one of my favorite things about teaching is the excuse to go all in when it comes to celebrations. Halloween is no exception! From my wardrobe to classroom supplies, I’ve been scoping out all of the Halloween fun. Here’s what is currently on my Amazon wish list (all links are affiliates). Ghost earrings – How cute are these?! I love that they dangle a little, but won’t be too heavy to wear all day. They’re pretty small, so they also won’t be too easy for little hands to grab. Polka Dot Tote – When it comes to celebrations at school…

  • 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…

  • Preschool holiday celebrations

    Processing a holiday before moving on to the next one

    The month of February might have the fewest days, but it packs in all of the holidays – Groundhog day, Valentine’s day, President’s day, and Mardi Gras. If you look at March and April you’re often adding St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Earth day too. It’s a lot to explore over a fairly short amount of time. We usually think of the time between Halloween and Christmas as the “holiday season,” but October, November, and December don’t have nearly as many holidays squeezed into them as the spring months do! This can make late winter and early spring pass pretty quickly, but it can also be really overwhelming, especially for…

  • Valentine provocation

    Loose Parts for Valentine’s Day

    There’s something about tiny little pieces of pretty much anything that little ones just can’t resist – and I’m here for it because it keeps their attention forever! When it comes to Valentine’s day, I dive all the way into the red, pink, and glittery. Here are some of the loose parts that I love for a Valentine provocation: I put them all on a heart tray, and that helped make them even more enticing – don’t you want to play with all of this?! Here are some of the beautiful images that we created with these pieces – After I made a heart with a necklace that became the…

  • Valentine's Day crafting

    Valentine Crafting for Kids

    We had a snow day this week! As a teacher, that’s always welcome – as a parent it’s a bit of a scramble to find things to keep my girl busy all day. I had a good feeling that this particular snow day was coming, so I tried to plan ahead. Art projects are always a good option! After working on some of my own projects on Tuesday, I put my leftover supplies (along with some others from our craft stash) together so that they’d be all ready for some Valentine’s Day crafting. I started with this tray. It’s been one of my all-time-favorite purchases – it’s a heavy melamine,…