Winter math activities (Ok, let's be honest, any math stations really . . . )are my favorite, because it just feels so much like game play to me and to my students. I know that many of you worry about accountability with math stations in your classrooms, but I really … [Read more...]
And then there was that one day when Frosty came to school . . .
What do you remember about your early childhood school years? I mean, really? What are the memories from Kindergarten and 1stgrade that really stick with you? Perhaps for some of you it isn’t as far off as it is for me, but the things I remember aren’t the worksheets and the … [Read more...]
Love letters and a discount! Feeling the love!
Somewhere in the depths of every teachers' closet, attic or basement storage unit lies a box very much like this one. This, my friends, is my very own 'gratitude box.' It's that box you have that is crammed full of sniggles of paper, crayon portraits, … [Read more...]
Differentiated Kindergarten’s St. Patrick’s Day Survived!
It’s one of my most favorite times of the year, but it's also so darn exhausting. Seriously, being a trickily leprechaun is no easy task. And keeping the magic of the season alive for little ones, while so incredibly fun, can poop a poor kindergarten teacher-mom right out. But … [Read more...]
Differentiated Kindergarten’s Leprechaun Shenanigans Begin
Let the Shenanigans begin!!!! I can’t help myself. I just had to get my St. Patrick’s Day fun started early. And so this week, Seamus made his first appearance. Yes! I have my very own leprechaun. He’s been visiting my class for years now and with a name like McGuire, … [Read more...]
Differentiated Kindergarten’s 100 Days Smarter and It’s Time to Start Thinking Green!
There are days when I thought we weren’t going to make it, but we finally did! We are now a 100 Days Smarter for the 2013-2014 school year. Despite many snow days which delayed it from happening (only 8 for my district so far), 100s Day has come and gone. As I like to tell my … [Read more...]
Deal Me In . . .
I decided a long time ago that you’re either born with the card-playing gene or you are not. While my family played boardgames, we weren't much on playing with a deck of cards. So when I married into my husband's card-playing family, I quickly was schooled in the finer … [Read more...]
Top Bananas- Letter Fluency Success The Fun Way and a Party
It’s time for a party. I celebrate successes of all kinds, and, hopefully, today is the first of many this year. Today was a Top Banana celebration made for the best letter fluency masters I know. That’s right! Every single little monkey in my class has mastered their … [Read more...]
Do You Have Stamina? We Do!
It's never an easy feat when starting out Daily 5 training in a kindergarten classroom. This year we were able to accomplish 15 minutes of 'read to self' and it only took us until the 5th week of school to get it done. Whew! If you're a Daily 5-er, you know that once you … [Read more...]
Start your engines for differentiated instruction and some new freebies.
I've been spending entirely way too much time with my little boys these last couple of weeks which is both a blessing and a curse. I love summers when we have picnics in our playset, beach days, marble races and muffin tin meals, because I have so much more time than when I'm … [Read more...]
