Move it or lose it? Yes! In other words, if you don't just let them 'move it,' you are going to 'lose it,' as in lose control of your students and your classroom. It is an absolutely natural need for your little friends to move. God didn't build kinders to sit at a desk all … [Read more...]
10 Engaging Thanksgiving Classroom Activities
Despite the 70 degree weather on November 4th in Northern Michigan, I couldn't help but share with you a few of my classroom favorite Thanksgiving activities. These are the activities that keep them coming back for more. They engage and delight while challenging them and … [Read more...]
No Sew Table Skirt Tutorial
THE PROBLEM So, I had to take matters into my own hands. I couldn't take it anymore. My poor school is an old one and, as such, it has old furniture. I've replaced quite a bit of it little by little, but I these old tables are still around and a definite eye-sore. The … [Read more...]
Bountiful blessings of beans and more!
My sensory table friends are always asking how I secure all the great ‘fillers’ for my table and bins, and I just knew I had to share with you’re my latest ‘bountiful blessing of beans.’ Not that beans are a big ticket item or anything, but let’s face it, when … [Read more...]
A Peek At November Math Stations
My husband often asks me why am I constantly making new things for my classroom. Can't I just use the same plans I used last year and the same materials? You know, just change the dates! Well . . . yes . . . but . . . NO! My kids aren't the same as the ones I had last … [Read more...]
Trick and Treat Freebielicious Blog Hop – Come Fill Your Bags
Fall is upon is and that means it's time for some Teaching Trick & Treating! That's right - I have teamed up with my Freebielicious friends again to share some teaching tricks and special free treats for you! For my trick, I've had ton's of people write … [Read more...]
Engaging and Extending Skills With Familiar Differentiated Stations
I love it when stations start humming along on their own engines with very little need for intervention or instruction from me. I changed over new stations for math this week and Daily 5 in order to accommodate some October/Autumn/Halloween-ish themes and was delighted to see … [Read more...]
Differentiated October Sensory Fun in Kindergarten
What do you get when you mix the most beautiful time of the year with a kindergarten classroom? Sensory table fun! I know many of you have told me that you are no longer allowed to have sensory tables in your classroom because they have been deemed . . . 'unacademic.' … [Read more...]
First Day Labor Pains and Giving Birth To A New Year
The first day of school has come and gone, and I’m still here to tell about it. Whew! If you are a kindergarten teacher, I know you know what I mean by "whew!" Each year it’s the same thing, we anxiously and nervously anticipate the arrival of a new set of kindergarteners who … [Read more...]
Sensory Tables: One of the Best Tools For Differentiating Your Instruction. I Promise.
Before I get started, I'm going to warn you, this is gonna be a big post. I have a ton of stuff to show you, I have questions that I want to answer, and I want to give all the information I can. So grab yourself a beverage, make yourself comfortable and get ready.I recently … [Read more...]
A Differentiated Kindergarten’s Daily Schedule
By far one the most common requests I get on my kindergarten blog is for my daily schedule. This has always been a bit of a strange request for me, because no two of my days of the week are exactly the same so I can’t really imagine how it could help someone else to see it. But … [Read more...]
Gobbling Up Some Differentiated Math Stations!
I'm thankful for differentiated math stations this weeks. I LOVE math, and I love that my kinder friends love it too. My plans for this month's stations are set (It's a short month with all the holidays and such), and I thought I'd give a little glimpse at the … [Read more...]
