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
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