Find fun lessons and ideas to captivate & motivate your young learners!
Find fun lessons and ideas to captivate & motivate your young learners!
Find fun lessons and ideas to captivate & motivate your young learners!
Are you feeling the push-pull of knowing you should start preparing for back to school but still wanting to enjoy the relaxation of summer? IIn this blog post I’m sharing a few easy, no-pressure ways to recharge and feel a little more prepared for back-to-school—without giving up your summer peace and quiet.
A small, thoughtful gift can go a long way in easing first-day jitters and making students feel welcome! In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite back-to-school student gift ideas—perfect for Open House, Meet the Teacher Night, or the first day of school. These simple treats paired with printable gift tags help create a warm classroom environment right from the start.
A list of favorite back to school read alouds for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade! Sharing books is one of my favorite ways to ease back-to-school nerves and build classroom community. These tried-and-true read alouds are perfect for the first few weeks of school—and they help spark a love of reading from day one!
Creating a kind, connected classroom starts with helping students understand how their actions affect others—and the bucket filler strategy is one of my favorite ways to do just that! In this post, I’m sharing my favorite bucket filler books, anchor charts, bulletin board ideas, classroom management tips, and reward ideas to build a positive classroom community where students feel valued, encouraged, and excited to lift each other up.
Make student birthdays in your classroom unforgettable with these creative celebration ideas! Learn how to personalize certificates, sing birthday songs, create compliment collages, and more. Discover thoughtful student gifts, special privileges, birthday crowns, and even bulletin boards to make each student feel extra special on their big day. Explore fun, easy-to-implement ideas for celebrating student birthdays and creating lasting memories.
A classroom hydration station is a simple way to help students stay hydrated, focused, and independent throughout the school day. In this post, you’ll find practical tips for setting up a water bottle station area, labeling bottles, teaching expectations, using visual supports, and making hydration part of your daily classroom routine.
Young learners need to move—but that doesn’t mean losing instructional time! In this post, I’m sharing how I combine brain breaks with purposeful, standards-based learning activities to build focus, boost retention, and make lessons more fun.
This post offers practical tips and resources for setting up and using a sound wall effectively in your kindergarten or early elementary classroom. Learn how sound walls support phoneme-grapheme correspondence, enhance reading and spelling skills, and organize sounds by articulation. Discover space-saving options, lesson ideas, and the importance of professional development to maximize your sound wall’s impact.
Starting a new school year can feel exciting—and a little overwhelming—for both students and teachers. In this post, I’m sharing my favorite back-to-school ideas to help you welcome students with confidence, ease first-day jitters, and build meaningful classroom connections from day one. You’ll find time-saving tips, calm-down strategies, and simple ways to prepare families with Meet the Teacher letters and more.
From solar ovens and sun prints to shadow tracing and sunscreen tests, these hands-on science experiments help young learners explore how the sun affects our world. Perfect for outdoor learning at the end of the school year, during summer break, or in summer camp settings.
As the new school year approaches, it’s time to think about creating a welcoming and engaging environment for your students. One way to do this is by incorporating fun and meaningful activities that capture their interest right from the start. This “The Crayons Go Back to School” bulletin board display is the perfect solution for a vibrant, student-centered classroom display that will not only brighten your space but also build connections and encourage creativity.
Find three simple water cycle experiments and a fun water cycle wheel craftivity! These activities use common household items and help students visually understand evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Learn how to make a water cycle wheel and engage students in hands-on science.