FREE Craftivity! This is a simple cut-and-paste collage style compass rose craft. It helps kids understand how a compass rose works and learn the order of the cardinal directions (plus it looks great hung up in the hall!) You can pick up the template for free HERE. Here’s how it’s done: You will need…
I’m excited to be linking up with 4th Grade Frolics today for the September edition of Monday Made It! I’m not sure I inherited the enthusiasm for holidays that most teachers have, so I’m really working on it this year. Just today I finished this fun Halloween-themed color by code activity, and I’m offering it…
Hopefully the honeymoon period isn’t over yet with your new students, but in case you need a dose of teacher humor, here it is : )
Have you been noticing colorful spools of tape on the end caps at your craft store? And the name on it…Washi tape? What in the world?!? I like to think of Washi tape as the more refined version of colorful/patterned duct tape. I decided to “Washify” a set of plain glass canisters. These canisters would…
Today I’m linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It! I’m always on the look out for kids’ art projects that actually look artsy and interesting (you know, more than just crayon or marker on paper). I found some great inspiration from Kimberly at The Learning Tree and tried a print making technique. You…
Decorating your classroom isn’t one of your most critical duties as a teacher but if I’m going to spend 40-60 hours a week in my classroom, I want it to be a colorful, attractive environment! Here is what I’ve done with my classroom: I feel very lucky to have windows! I know not everybody does.…
Sometimes the best way to survive the challenges of teaching is to laugh! I hope you have a full-time janitor at your school but I once worked at a school where the janitor left at 2:00 pm every day…and that is the inspiration for this meme: If you’re a brand new teacher, you probably don’t…
When I teach measurement I always wonder how kids make it so dang difficult! “Mrs. Braun, I measured my desk and it’s 2 inches long!” …..wait, WHAT!?! Every year I have taught, I encounter a kid who finds a different way to measure incorrectly. After a while it starts to get humorous! I’ve found that…
Between trying to put supplies away and answering about a million questions, it’s really helpful to have something kids can do independently and quietly for a few minutes during your first few days back to school. Your kids will love solving the doubles facts (within 10) and coloring the picture based on the answer they…
There are lots of things you won’t learn about teaching during your time in college. How to start up your literacy block at the beginning of the year and what you should be teaching in phonics are on the list. Making attractive bulletin boards is another one of these topics. Back-to-School bulletin boards welcome your…