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homeschooling schedule during coronavirus school closings
Here is our official homeschooling schedule during the current Coronavirus school closings. School at home. Here we go! Since we are in an official state of emergency now, in order to contain and control the spread of CoVid-19, we have to keep our kids at home. That means that a whole lot of children in the US will need to be "homeschooled" for a while. And though it may be super difficult for many families, the most important thing is that we keep our kids on a schedule so that we all … Read More...
free hand washing posters: coronavirus 2020
We may have three 'big kids' in our house, but we all still need reminders to wash our hands, especially during the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak. So I scoured the internet, found a ton of free posters, and printed some out for our family. Here's the skinny. . . Free Hand Washing Posters -- Coronavirus 2020 It's a basic thing, I know--but many times, especially when we're running late (which our family usually is!), sometimes hand washing is forgotten. Or maybe it's not … Read More...
building relationships with students and colleagues: 6 secrets to success
I'm thrilled to be partnering with Advancement Courses, a leader in K-12 professional development with over 240 online courses in 20 different subject areas. Relationship-building in schools may be the most important thing that teachers do. If teachers aren’t connecting with students and colleagues on a personal level, how do we do our best work? After years in the classroom, and many, many conversations with fellow educators, here's what I found to be true. . . … Read More...
lent for christian families: pray, fast, serve cards
I've wanted to create these Lent Cards for Thoughtful Christian Families for a while now. SO here they are! I'm thrilled--and so are many of my Christian friends! Finally, I've modified our Lent Cards for Modern Catholic Families, and I've made them more Bible-based. Still keeping with the idea of Pray, Fast, and Serve, which are important tenants of Lent, these Lent for Christian Families Cards are exactly what my family needs. Here's the skinny. . . Lent for Christian … Read More...
Building Relationships: Advancement Courses teACh Team 2020
I'm thrilled to be partnering with Advancement Courses, a leader in K-12 professional development with over 240 online courses in 20 different subject areas. Many of you know that for the last few years, I have been working closely with Advancement Courses and some of the country's most influential educators to share topics that matter most to teachers. We're excited to announce that the partnership is continuing and is growing stronger than ever! The teACh Team consists of three … Read More...
Online PD for teachers: Advancement Courses
This year, I'm thrilled to be partnering with Advancement Courses, courses designed to be more engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable-- with real feedback and application in today's K-12 classroom. Continuing education can be one of the biggest challenges for us as teachers today. I feel like I'm always asking: Where are all the relevant, meaningful courses? Where are all the courses approved by my school and the state? Where is the professional development that fits my schedule? Where is … Read More...
valentine’s day class party: 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes
Here are 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes at the end of the Valentine's Day class party. Keep these in your back pocket, and the party will be a breeze! Who even KNEW how hard running class parties could be? I wish that there was a guide somewhere--some easy-to-follow guide that gave you every kid-approved craft, game, activity, or snack that room parents and teachers needed to get through the chaos of class parties. If you want the whole Valentine Class party, you can … Read More...
scratch off ticket valentines: candy-free and totally fun
Every year the kids and I have a really fun time searching for cool Valentines to make for their class party Valentine exchange. We don't go super-crazy. We just do something a little special that will hopefully make their friends and teachers smile. It's a yearly tradition--the search, the planning, the mess, the crafting, and the delivering. It's a lot of fun, and honestly, I could weep thinking that this yera will be Maddy's last year for a Valentine's Day class party. Next year, as a … Read More...
fun dip valentines
Judge me if you will, but I have finally given in to the pressure of Owen and Cora. I've held up for quite a while, though, and for that I'm proud. Every, single year when I bragged about creating fun, super-cool candy-free Valentines for the kids to make for their classmates, they sighed. Puh-leaaaase, Mom. We just want to give our friends candy Valentines. That's all kids want. Can we just get the Valentines from the store that everyone loves? The ones that have a lollipop or Nerds in … Read More...
new year’s eve bingo bonanza
Every New Year’s Eve that we join forces with a few other families, we make Bingo our go-to game for the kids. And the kids—and parents--love it. But it’s not just any Bingo game. We’re not just busting out the ole Bingo roller and Bingo cards and calling it a day. Noooooo way. It’s a Bingo Bonanza—marathon Bingo played! And the kids not only have no idea about how much the game helps them to recognize and name numbers and letters (hey, even B-I-N-G-O counts in my book!), but they’re … Read More...
