Hilary Statum
Hi friends, Don’t you just love seeing other classrooms? Our principal really encourages us to throw out (or donate) things we don’t use anymore. Having a clutter free classroom is essential for student success and your sanity! A couple of years ago I got rid of SO MUCH stuff in my room that all of my coworkers felt sure I… Read More
Hi friends! Are you right in the middle of setting up your classroom? I really worked on a complete classroom makeover a couple of years ago. It has made my life so much easier! You can actually view a video about an easy way to organize your room by clicking the photo below. I was completely honored when TPT featured… Read More
Hi friends, Back again to share with you how the Mother’s Day Tea went. I am pretty sure that it was the most meaningful and touching thing I’ve EVER planned as a teacher. Let me start at the beginning. If you haven’t read my first post about planning this event, click below: Mother’s Day Tea – A Unique Way… Read More
Hi Sweet Friends! I am so excited to share a product with you that has literally changed my life. Hands up if you have assessments all over the place in your classroom! I tried to use data folders, BOY assessments, EOY assessments, report cards, progress reports, pretests, posttests… does it ever end??? The biggest problem for me is that I… Read More
Hi Sweet Friends! I never really think of February being a busy month in the classroom but it definitely is! Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, the Olympics this year, & President’s Day. Phew! We have had an absolute blast studying the Olympics this year! The Winter Games only come around once every 4 years so it is definitely worth following the… Read More
Hands up if you love studying Martin Luther King, Jr. with your students! I LOVE teaching my KINDERGARTENERS all about him. I’ve heard teachers say that 5 year olds aren’t old enough to understand the Civil Rights Movement but I strongly disagree. In fact, I KNOW for a fact that’s not true. I always start by gathering my students in… Read More
Painting with upside-down tables!!! An absolute MUST-DO with your students! (To see this clearer, head over to my Instagram IGTV. It was formatted for that and much better quality!)
Guess what friends??? Flipping our tables over and painting plastic wrap is one of the BEST things I’ve ever done with my students! 🎨Seriously, they went wild for this activity, but it was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop in our room! The kids didn’t even realize they were practicing letter and number formation. This was our first time but I’m already dreaming of future lessons where I call out a letter sound and they form that letter or there are so many ways to use this with math concepts. This whole thing was super easy to set up and clean up was a breeze. You have to try it. Make sure to watch my next post for the videos and the how-to! If you try this in your room, please tag me and let me know how it goes. (Sharing a few pictures of a couple cuties with parent permission.)
Do you do directed drawings with your students? I’m as far from an artist as you can get but my kids ❤️ when we get to draw together. It really helps build their listening skills and they learn to pay close attention to detail. We try to do one a day in my room and it usually only takes up about 5-10 minutes total. These are my very favorite step-by-step books that are perfect for prek-2nd graders. I highly recommend them! Update: Here’s a link where you can grab one! amzn.to/2NyJrfu
And some days you just have to get rid of all distractions, throw up a tent in the backyard, and soak up some super special moments with your kids! 🌲⛺️🌙