a dash of creativity, a pinch of fun, and a whole lot of learning!
Distance learning, remote learning, and virtual teaching. These phrases, which were once rarely used, are now part our everyday vocabulary. When I was thrown into distance learning last spring, I had no idea what I was doing. (Fortunately, the vast majority of us didn’t either!) I was scrambling to figure out what I needed and what I could use to…
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In this blog post, I’m sharing details of the Pajama Party Story Sessions that I started with my first grade classroom several weeks ago. This weekly event has been a memorable and FUN literacy experience for my students and their families during this time of stress and uncertainty. So what IS a Pajama Party Story Session? One evening a week,…
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Hosting a Book Bakery in our classroom was the perfect way to introduce my students to reading genres! In first grade, each student is still discovering what their reading identity is. Some students are well on their way to understanding who they are as readers. However, at this age, most students are still learning what they like and don’t like…
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During the holiday season I tend to get a steady stream of direct messages on Instagram asking for gift ideas for toddlers. Often the question is something similar to, “What is Sawyer getting for Christmas? I have no idea what to get my toddler!” Sawyer is currently three and a half, so I put together a short list of some…
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I grew up playing in castles, sailing in boats, swimming under the ocean, and setting up tea parties in the middle of magical forests. The act of pretending and using my imagination was second nature to me. My mom instilled the magic of pretend play from as early as I can remember. She fostered it in simple ways like saving…
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My first graders LOVE Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson books! Today I’m sharing the fictitious birthday celebration that we had in my classroom after finishing Kate’s series, along with her prequel book, A Piglet Named Mercy. Below, you’ll find ideas and information on how and why I read the series aloud and the simple and engaging culminating celebration we had. If…
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Teaching students how to compare and contrast isn’t just “one more skill” to add your lesson plans. It’s an essential skill your students will use throughout their everyday lives. It will be used well beyond your classroom walls. Examples include everything from comparing prices at the grocery store to deciphering the differences between two computer models. Your students may even…
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