Elves and the Shoemaker

Elves and the Shoemaker

This is one of my favorite Holiday stories.  It highlights the gift of giving without expecting a return for your generosity. Here are some key hands-on links to tie into your learning stations. (Click on green links for instructions).  These are very engaging...
2 Easy Tree Habitats – Part 3

2 Easy Tree Habitats – Part 3

Ohh, these are so fun!  Here are my tree habitats with nests. Here's how to make a simple nest: Wrap a piece of brown tissue paper around your thumb. Glue with a glue stick.  Presto! A Nest! Owl Habitat Owls can live in tree trunks and tree holes.  They will make a...
The Plate Stories (It’s Math!)

The Plate Stories (It’s Math!)

My best ideas come in the face of disengaged children.  That happened a few weeks ago.  The children were restless and I knew that my math lesson was a real yawner.   On a whim, I told the children to pull out their white boards and dry erase markers. I demonstrated...
Fly Guy Math

Fly Guy Math

This is a fun activity for math.  First, I taught the children how to draw Fly Guy.  He is a very simple figure to draw.  Next, I had the children draw bugs with Fly Guy.  They had to write a math sentence to go with their drawing.  The room was a peaceful quiet as...
Drawing + Word Work

Drawing + Word Work

I think it was five or six years ago that I went out to San Francisco to visit my BFF Mimi. Her daughter, Fifi, attended an arts based charter school and her kindergarten teacher welcomed me into his classroom for the day. As the children arrived, they would draw the...