When I started teaching Kindergarten, I was given this book called Reading Magic by Mem Fox. I read it before stepping foot in my classroom, thought it was good, and went about teaching Kindergarten with those skills in my teacher’s toolbox. It wasn’t until many years later that I truly and completely saw the value in that…
Sight Word Games on the Pumpkin Patch
I have been wondering for a little while what to do with my older posts. Since I have been doing this for quite some time now, some of my old posts feel a bit awkward to me. I sort of feel like I was in that awkward teenage phase where I was trying to impress…
Playing with Volume in the Rice Table!
A photo on Friday, because sometimes all you need is the picture. Or a sneaky photo collage which could be classified as only one picture (it really could …trust me. I won the discussion with my husband – and yes, in our discussions you either win or lose — well, actually I either win or…
Super Sight Word Pencils!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No … it’s a super-sight-word-pencil-to-help-little-ones-gain-confidence-with-their-writing-um, thing! I just love these super pencils and all of the confidence they give little writers. If you have a little one who is beginning to read and write pop on over to Hands on as we Grow to read all about these great…
Learning about Tally Marks {A Photo on Friday}
A photo on Friday, because sometimes all you need is the picture. We began exploring the idea of tally marks this week and opted to use sticks. A super simple way to play with this concept and you quite likely have them available to you. I will share some games we played and ideas for…
Our Science and Math Shelf …
Do you know about the power of “loose parts” in play? It’s quite remarkable. Such a simple concept – one of those concepts that just make sense. In a nut shell, loose parts are exactly that. (You are most welcome for clearing that one up!) Loose parts can be anything at all – synthetic or…
A Simple Reading Trick {A photo on Friday}
A photo on Friday, because sometimes all you really need is the photo. But usually I can’t help but unnecessarily say a few things about that photo. This simple idea, turning the closed captioning on while kids watch television, is brilliant. This idea was suggested at a teaching conference I attended a long while back….
Silly Kids Songs – Why and What?
I have yet to meet a 3 year old who did not enjoy a good silly song. Silly kids songs may seem just that – silly. But in fact, they are actually a wonderful way for kids to learn. I know, it sounds ridiculous. How is an Old Lady who Swallows a Fly teaching my…
Sorting Math Games: Sort-a a Lot-a FUN
I have mentioned many times before that my Sammy is quite the collector. Whenever we go for a walk he always finds “treasures” that must be taken with us. I understand his Daddy was the same way as a wee one (and certainly does a lot of encouraging!) Benjamin seems to have also gotten the…
Learning to Print a Name in 5 Steps
Teaching a wee one to print can seem like a huge task. But reading and writing can be broken down into very simple pieces. As a Kindergarten Teacher, the very first “piece” we work on is learning about names.
