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
All set up and ready to go... Ugly Christmas sweater and all!🎄 Florida teachers - you were amazing at the #sde4educators Kindergarten conference today! Classroom Makeovers, Reading Revival, STEM, & Gameschooling... we talked about it all. I was so impressed with how quickly you came up with your 🎅🏽 clothesline in the STEM session and how determined you were at our Pancake Pileup relay game & the other games donated by #educationalinsights for our giveaway! It is always so refreshing to spend time soaking in some ideas & time with colleagues perfecting what you already rock at. Not to mention... can you beat
Dr. Jean kicking off the day??? I know you enjoyed the other sessions too that I only wish I could have attended simultaneously! The biggest problem with this conference? Having to pick your session when there are so many exciting ones! I hope you return to the classroom with all kinds of goodies and ideas you can implement this week. Now, rest up and get ready for day 2!
Hey teacher friends- This snowman template is a FREEBIE in my TPT store & it makes the perfect gift for each of your students! Wrap a chocolate bar with it and add a pair of gloves on top. I found these gloves in a 3-pack for $1.47 at Walmart. My kids were thrilled to see these little guys under our tree last year. Hope this helps you mark one more thing off of your mile-long to do list!
Do you make salt dough ornaments with your kids? We make these every year. I love that they are super simple to make with 2 things I always have on hand and parents love the keepsake. These fingerprint trees and glittery handprints are my favorite. I love this recipe: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, & 1 cup water. Knead if together, roll it out like cookie dough, let your kids press the cookie cutter in and then the shape of their hands or press their little finger into the trees. Lay on parchment paper on a cookie sheet to dry several days or bake at 150 degrees for a couple of hours. A couple tips I’ve learned- make sure to use a straw to poke a hole in the top for the string before they dry and write names on the parchment paper as you spread them out. If you search Christmas in the Classroom and Pencils to Pigtails you will find a post entitled 10 Ways we are celebrating Christmas in the Classroom. Have you made these with your kids or do you have any genius ornament ideas for kindergarteners? Let me know in the comments!
Here’s a #teacherhack I love that was recently shared with me from another K teacher in my building. Place a sticker on the side of the mouse the child should press on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to unsuccessfully teach this to my students. Most kids come to kindergarten with experience working touch-screens but working a mouse is a foreign concept. I’ll be sharing this and other ah-ha’s next Monday during my Classroom Makeover session in Orlando at SDE’s Florida Kindergarten conference. Do you have any teacher hacks to share with me that I can add to the presentation???
Years ago I had my mom paint this beautiful tree for our school’s art auction. I had a precious and completely capable student teacher at the time so I was able to make my rounds and get EVERY single student’s fingerprint and signature (all 534!!!). I think this raised quite a bit of money and I just love the way it turned out! I have one in my classroom now so I can create my own keepsake with each student’s fingerprint.❤️