Butterfly gardens, hummingbird plants, and saving the honey bees- OH MY! When I embarked on my outdoor classroom journey I knew I wanted to incorporate some sort of a butterfly garden in the space. What I never imagined was all of the other cool creatures we would see. Butterfly Gardens
In order to promote college readiness in our country’s youngest learners, teachers must begin to recognize that young children are ready to explore college-level concepts. Creating cohesive, educational curriculum plans that cover a variety of higher-level topics and concepts. Concepts such as math, science, literacy, culturally diverse ideas, and exploring
Play-based learning should be a child’s work; where toys and manipulatives are utilized as tools. Inquiry should be celebrated to gain higher-order thinking skills. Classrooms should support and celebrate the uniqueness of every child. Unfortunately, we have lost the ability to include a play-based learning philosophy, to a more structured
Looking for some Valentine’s Day classroom activities? I have a few ideas for you for this upcoming classroom holiday. I always feel like this one sneaks up on me! Between Groundhogs day, Presidents’ week, Catholic Schools’ Week, the 100th day of school, and Winter Sports Spirit Week, I never feel
Science lessons for PreK tend to be more about discovery and investigation than the outcome. Our entire day is actually made up of short investigations. Some of the questions we ask ourselves and then experiment with the outcome are: These are just a few of the scientific questions we have
How do I encourage classroom prayer and a deeper faith in the classroom setting? By modeling it of course, and giving the children something to pray about each day. My students start the year as 4-year-olds and many will not turn 5 until the Spring before Kinder. However, they are
When planning learning provocations it is best to follow the interests of the students. If you find that your students are interested in dinosaurs, trains, meteorology, fish, lizards, etc. then you will need to follow their lead. As an educator, I know it can be difficult to be spontaneous when
What are STEM activities for early learners? STEM activities, specifically characterized by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, are not new to classrooms. Teachers have been applying STEM projects to the play-based curriculum for years. However, it wasn’t until recently, when the acronym STEM became a catchphrase, that teachers began to
PreK math activities or provocations are one of the easiest to set up and literally take no additional manipulatives than what is already in your classroom. With young children, any item becomes a counting object and can be used with 10 frames as addition and subtraction items. TK students need
How can teachers create a feeling of Hygge in classroom design? Create a calm and inviting classroom environment. One that promotes a neutral pallet and simple clean lines. Create learning spaces that are child-centered. Bring in items that support the community. Both the family communities in the classroom and the
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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