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Summer with a First Grader
Yesterday I shared how I planned for our summer learning last year. Go check out that post! Last summer my girl had just finished kindergarten and my goal was to make sure that she didn’t lose any of the skills that she had learned during her first year of school. This year my goals are a little different. I want to really dig into the things that she finds fascinating and show her that she can take on her own learning. I also want to build a true love of reading for both fun and out of curiosity. Last year we kept one theme for a whole month, but this…
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Planning for Summer with Elementary School Kids
I’ve been hard at work at planning for our summer fun (and learning), but before I share what this year’s plans look like, I wanted to share how I put everything together last year. Here’s the post on how I organized all of it! If someone asked me to choose ONE word to describe myself it would definitely be the word “planner.” I truly love to organize my thoughts, lay them out on paper and fill in any missing pieces. It helps me feel in control and gives me the structure that I need. When it came to figuring out what our summer will look like, I started with daily…
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Casual Easter Fashion and Accessories
Easter is early this year, so it’s already time to start gathering all things pastel! These are the items that’ll help me ring in spring for sure. All are affiliate links, and items that I personally own or have used. Bunny T-shirt – This tee is understated and celebrates the more secular aspects of the holiday, making it perfect for the classroom. It comes in 3 different colors, so if pink isn’t your jam you can pick blue or purple. Bunny gift boxes – Seriously, how cute are these? What an easy way to share treats that still feels super festive. They come in a set of 12, and they…
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Teacher Style for St. Patrick’s Day
These are my favorite posts – I LOVE curating these lists of everything that I love for celebrating holidays in the classroom and sharing them with you. St. Patrick’s Day has a special place in my heart because I do have some Irish roots. Here are my picks for the perfect holiday teacher fashion! (All are affiliate links). Green oversize cardigan – I will never have enough cardigans. This one is oversized and full of character, it’s also just the right color that it can easily be worn any day of the year without screaming “I bought this for St. .Patrick’s Day.” Wooden rainbow earrings – These are so chic,…
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Valentine’s Day Must Haves!
My love for holidays runs DEEP and when it comes to Valentine’s Day I have no problem talking myself into cute “must haves” because hearts work all year round! These are the things that I’ve been drooling over lately – just in case you need a little inspiration (all are affiliate links). Heart Zip Pouch – I never have enough little pouches, I swear they just disappear. This one is absolutely adorable, and would be perfect for tossing in the little heart caddy that’s coming up lower on the list. I also love that this is waterproof and wipe-able! Heart Pendant Necklace – This is exactly the kind of necklace…
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Bring on Fall!
I don’t know what it was about this weekend, but now that it’s over I’m fully ready for fall. This happens every year, but this year I’m really longing for cozy days and crisp fall air. We won’t get there too soon – it’s supposed to be in the mid-90’s this week – but I can definitely daydream! When I think about the perfect fall days, this image is what it looks like. Here are all of the links to these excellent pieces so that you can create your own fall perfection (these are all affiliate links). Chunky Color Block Cardigan – I can’t do life without cardigans, and fall…
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Expectations for the first week of school
TPT shared this image on their instagram this week and it really stuck with me – probably because it’s exactly the kind of reminder that I always need during the first week. There’s so much pressure to jump back into a full-on routine and do all the things, but that’s not healthy for us as adults, and it can create a lot of stress for our students. Setting realistic expectations for the first week of school makes such a difference! I’m a planner, you know that, so for me this looks like getting out my calendar and really assessing what each day will look like and what I can actually…
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How I prepare for back to school
The majority of my time in the classroom has been with year-round programs, so back to school season has always been more of a mindset than an actual period of time. In my experience, shifting from summer to “back to school” involves a lot of emphasis on routines (see Monday’s post!), classroom environment, and welcoming new families. Here are some of the things that I do to transition my mindset and refocus for the school year: What helps you get in the back to school mindset?
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Celebrating my own creativity
I’ve always considered myself to be a creative person, it’s something that I recognized at a very early age. As an adult, I spend the vast majority of my time creating things for other people – which I truly love to do. But I’ve realized that I don’t do a lot of creating just to enjoy the artistic process. I’m about to change that! I gathered some tools that I enjoy using, and bought a new sketch book (there’s just something about all of those blank pages)/ Now I’m giving myself permission to take time losing myself in the creative process. I can’t wait to share what I come up…
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Dealing with Hard Days in the Classroom
We all have tough days in the classroom – but what about when those hard days start happening regularly, or even every day? How can you turn things around and get more of the days that you really enjoy? Let’s talk about this, what can help when you’re dealing with never-ending classroom challenges? I’m big on reflection, taking time to dig deep and think through what’s really behind what’s happening in the classroom. This can be hard when you’re right in the middle of it. If you’re in a place where it feels like nothing is going right and there’s nothing you can do about it, then we need to…
