When I began the journey to find a nature based education curriculum to calm my classroom I stumbled upon magic- even if I didn’t know it at first! While searching I found a more inclusive classroom design, I came across many ideas that seemed more feasible for homeschools and small
When I began changing up my classroom environment to support literacy, I got pushback from colleagues. Instead of only pulling out our writing journals weekly, I designated the entire space (and most of the day) specifically for journal writing. I included writing implements; crayons, markers, golf pencils, and glitter gel
During the back to school season, one of the biggest concerns or questions I continue to see pop up in FB groups and across the internet is “I was moved to TK from (insert another grade level here) now what!!” And first I want to say, welcome to the world’s
In the beginning, I was all about the letter of the week! All of our songs, snacks, and activities revolved around a single letter. I made sure that the activities were engaging and focused on the sound the letter of the week made. Then I decided I was going to
Behavior management is the single most asked question on pretty much any teacher blog, website or forum. Behavior management for PreK, behavior management strategies for teachers, and behavior management systems and plans are terms teachers search, every day. Everyone wants to know the magic recipe for behavior management, keeping challenging
An outdoor classroom, mud kitchen, and creepy crawlies- yes, please! Creating an entirely outdoor learning space is as easy as gathering loose parts when you incorporate my top 3 elements. Designing an entirely outdoor learning space became a passion of mine, back in 2013. It became a reality 3 short
Earth Day is coming soon, and many students were wondering how we would celebrate with cool Earth Day Activities. I want to share how to celebrate Earth Day, get your students outside, and, learn about all of the mysteries our Earth provides. Earth Day Activities- Observation Walk As a Natural
School gardens come in many shapes and forms. They can be edible gardens, tabletop gardens, mini gardens, and outdoor classroom gardens. The school gardens can be where beneficial insects will flock for advanced learning concepts. They can also be volunteer gardens that sprout up with no rhyme or reason. We
Studying art in the early years’ classroom is a fun and enriching experience. Artist Investigations are so engaging with young children. My classroom has explored a multitude of artists over the years. A few of these art studies I would return to each year, and a few new ones that
Unpopular opinion coming at you right now, we need for teachers to stop doing these 3 things to encourage student success. And spoiler alert they probably aren’t what you think… Stop EDUCATING students! Wait, WHAT?!?! Stop educating students for the test, admin, and expectations and INSTEAD keep making connections, building
I help elementary educators create nature based, hands-on learning environments so that you can get a handle on classroom behaviors, exceed admin expectations and have a stress free environment.
Learn more about me and how I can help you here.
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