Hilary Statum
I know some people may think we were a little crazy to take 2 children to Disney World before either turned 3, but we had an awesome time and I wanted to share our experience and some things we learned along the way for any parents considering the same. 🙂 The main reason we decided to go at this time… Read More
One of my very favorite things we did during our recent trip to Disney World was get Baby Heidi’s first haircut. (If you are wondering why I often refer to her as “Baby Heidi”, its because we named her after my sister and it helps us avoid the confusion:)) I had called a couple days prior to try to get… Read More
We just returned from a 5 day/night trip to Disney World. 🙂 We essentially were able to cut our vacation costs in half and I wanted to share some of my favorite tips and tricks for saving $ with you! ***************************************************************** My number 1 tip is simple- go during the off season! Not only can you avoid super long lines,… Read More
Aniston is obsessed with Play-Doh at the moment. We’ve had plenty of fun with a few of the kits you can buy, but I’m not a fan of the way it smells and the residue it leaves on your fingers. Plus Aniston LOVES to get up on the counter and cook with me. I found a Homemade Gingerbread Play Dough… Read More
I love planning hands-on activities for my toddler. Several months ago I had seen various pins about making Moon Dough AKA Moon Sand or Cloud Dough. I was intrigued. I looked through some recipes and changed it just a bit. Moon Dough 8 c. flour (I used self-rising since my husband picked it up on accident.) 1 1/4 c. baby oil… Read More
A favorite end of the year tradition! (We use the big @melissaanddougtoys paper that has a blank head with many skin tones.) The kids choose one adult in the building to write a thank you note to and draw a picture of his or her face using this special paper.
I let them “visit” the person first so my little artists get a good look of how their hair is fixed, jewelry, etc.
We hang them in the hall for a couple of weeks and as you can imagine they attract a lot of attention as everyone gets a kick out of how the little ones see them.
Later the kids hand deliver them with a hug and tell that person thank you for all they’ve done. I’ve been doing this for years and lots of adults save them. Our librarian has them all laminated and hanging like a border in her office. I always get asked if we are still doing them as everyone anticipates seeing them. Such an easy fun way for the kids to practice writing and learn about being grateful!
The most adorable door you’ve ever seen!
I’ve been saving each of the letters my daughter brings home from preschool to surprise her by posting them all at once on a door in my classroom. Her extremely creative teacher helped her remake the ones I misplaced and now the alphabet is complete.
Aniston and I are beside ourselves with joy that she will be in my kindergarten classroom next year. This is a dream we have both had for many years. I think it will be so much fun for her to see this door when she is sitting in my classroom as a kindergartener and it will bring back all kinds of sweet preschool memories!❤️
Fact - any craft with construction paper hairstyles is a million times cuter and more engaging for students!
This craftivity is perfect for end of the year. It’s really adorable in the hallway. There are lots of writing templates to choose from included like “My Future is so Bright I Need Shades” or “Sunshine and Summertime”. The kids draw summer plans or what they want to be on the sunglass lens. A bonus is that you can use them during BTS time to reflect on their summer breaks.
My kids love writing about their future plans and I’m telling you that they really love creating hairstyles! Follow link in profile to grab it.
OPEN 📚 OPEN MINDS!
I just LOVED this banner I found at a little boutique on a recent girls weekend getaway but you should have seen me trying to decide between all of the sayings!🤷🏽♀️
The letters are made from recycled book pages and I think it’s a genius idea!
What saying would you come up with? I think this would be fairly easy to replicate for your classroom and it’s super adorable! 👩🏽🏫
How do you handle listening to your kids read? We LOVE this routine.
1 student is a "teacher" and 3 others place chairs in a straight line facing towards the teacher. If the child reads the book perfectly the "teacher" puts a sticker on the book and sends them to me for a double check.☺️
If they aren't ready yet my little teachers tell them they need more practice. That student heads to the back and each student scoots up a chair until it is their turn.
Every student practices reading the whole time they are sitting. I usually have 3 lines going at once and it works seamlessly! We switch out my little teachers daily. They love both roles and ask me if they can do that "teacher reading thing" all the time!
The best part is I have a couple of students in a line waiting to read to me instead of 20! #classroommanagement #reading #ela