Editable Back to School Mailbag Labels

I cannot believe that it is already time to prep for the new year again! It's to set up our classrooms and get everything ready for the new students and parents who are new to the school routine and how we each organize our own classroom. Let's be real. Communication with parents needs to happen ALL THE TIME in Kindergarten and primary grades! As a result, one of the very first things I ... View Post

Why It’s Not Okay to Let Kids Say “It’s Okay!”

Teachers of young children often spend a lot of time in September teaching simple social skills so that a classroom can run smoothly throughout the rest of the school year. Social skills are the hardest skills of all for this age group as they are so egocentric. It is the basis for friendship, the ability to play with others and the ability to be able to control and express feelings and ... View Post

Beginner Writing Continuum

Communicating with three or four educators in the classroom can be tricky. This past year, I used picture images to group my guided reading groups. I've decided to implement learning goals and success criteria for writing in the exact same way. Students will print their own names on sticky notes and we will get them to identify where they are on the continuum after we have collected ... View Post

Our “Debug” Tool to Support Self-Regulation

Young children need easy ways to remember how to solve social problems. We often make a fun reference to this and describe it to children that others may be "bugging" them and this helps them regulate their emotions when they are upset with their peers. When we do this, we can discuss bugs and our feelings around them. They may bother us, but in reality, we live with them and to a certain ... View Post

Walking Wednesday: Whole School Activity

Kids need exercise and walking is a great way to get it. Families who walk to school help build relationships within their community as families get to know each other. Exploring the outdoors, being in and around nature, helps ground kids and them supports their appreciation for the world around them. A few years ago our staff put out a challenge to our community to make it a goal to walk ... View Post

Patterning Videos on YouTube

Learning how to pattern at a young age is surprisingly easy for many children. I often use patterning songs as attention grabbers for whole group learning. Sometimes it is good to throw in a fun video for fun. Here are a few that I've found useful in the past! I hope you find these useful for supporting your students learning! ... View Post