This year I was able to team up with Oriental Trading Company to spread some holiday cheer in my community. We were able to surprise the children at a local Boys & Girls Club and give each child their very own holiday slime! The Boys & Girls Club is an organization that I was lucky enough to work for while I was going to college to get my degree in Early Childhood Education. I loved working with the wonderful children and families in the after-school and summer programs! These holiday light bulb slimes make super simple gifts ... read more
Safety in the Early Childhood Classroom
I think it is important for all educators to remember that every single child in their classroom is someone's whole world! It is not only our responsibility to teach each of them, but to provide them with an environment that is safe. By following proper health and safety guidelines, we can do our best to ensure the health and safety of the sweet children in our care. ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), the industry leader for online professional development, offers 55+ safety courses for ECE teachers. These courses provide ... read more
Free CVC Word Board Game
CVC words are great for beginning readers. These simple, one-syllable words allow children to decode and blend successfully. They are a stepping stone to reading larger and more complex words. I am excited to share a low-prep CVC board game that you can play with your beginning readers. Making reading fun is such an important part of learning to read. We want children to love reading! Low Prep Being a teacher or parent is busy! So spending hours prepping activities isn't really ideal. Lucky for you, this activity is truly ... read more
Tips from Top Childcare Experts on How to Teach Children Empathy and Compassion
There are many important things that we work hard to teach children. We spend time researching the most effective ways to teach them how to read, write, add, subtract, and so much more to help them learn and grow academically. While I feel that these are all very important, there is something that I feel is even more important for children to learn. Kindness. Teaching children to have empathy and compassion for others will not only help build your current classroom community, but will be an important skill to help them throughout their ... read more
Free Halloween Math for Kids
I love adding in fun and festive activities for each season. Halloween is so fun for little ones and I cant wait to share this fun math freebie with you! It is super low-prep and has easy instructions for a simple way to add in extra addition practice. Getting Started Teachers are busy. That is why I am so excited that the prep time on this activity is short and sweet. Simply print enough recording pages for your students and then print enough witch spinner pages for them to use. If you are using this as a center and only 6 ... read more
Online Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education over 9 years ago. Since graduating, I have learned so much from real-life teaching experience, teaching conferences, and online courses. I think it is so important for educators to stay up-to-date with current best practices. Recently, I found a new way to continue learning and growing as an educator and I am super excited to share it with you!. Have you heard of ChildCare Education Institute? CCEI is the industry leader for online professional development. They have ... read more
Online Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators
As an Early Childhood Educator and mother of three little ones, I am always eager to learn more ways to help teach young children. But finding the extra time to go to conferences isn't always easy. Let's be honest... mom life is busy! Now that it’s summer time, it gives me the perfect time to advance my professional development. I found out about an online option that was so easy to use and fits perfectly into my busy summer schedule. Have you heard of ChildCare Education Institute? CCEI is the industry leader for online ... read more
Free Camping Alphabet Posters
Are you planning a camping theme for your classroom? These free alphabet posters are a great way to add to your decor. Not planning a camping theme? I have a few other fun ways that you can also use this cute freebie that I am excited to share with you. Room Decor & More If you are planning on adding these as a part of your classroom decor, here are a few ideas. You can use them as a way to display the alphabet and proper ways to form the letters. They can also be used as the headers on your word wall. If you aren't ... read more
Peep Painting
Are you looking for a super simple, yet super fun activity for spring? This can be used as a center for a class party or at home with your own little ones. I created this to use during my little one's Kindergarten class party. But before the party I tested it with my toddler twins and 6 year old and they all loved it! Since it was such a hit, I wanted to share it with all of you as a FREEBIE! What You'll Need You only need a few supplies for this activity. paint cotton ballsclothespins Then simply print your free download, and ... read more
Real and Nonsense Word Sort
Time to pull out your giant bag of plastic Easter eggs and turn them into an engaging and hands-on activity for your beginning readers. This activity can be easily differentiated to work on basic CVC words with beginning readers to blends or long vowels for first or second graders. This Funny Bunny activity comes with a free recording sheet and is such an engaging way to practice important reading skills. Getting Ready To prep this activity get a permanent marker and some plastic eggs. Write the onset on the smaller side of the egg ... read more
