The holidays are just around the corner! I wanted to share my list of gifts that are perfect for your little one. My daughter will be 18 months in December, and I kept that in mind when curating this list. I hope you enjoy! I love neutral colors and this cleaning set for toddlers is a great option. | $47 Our daughter loves her Yoto Player. It also serves as a night light.| $109 Is this play tent whimsical? Is it boho? I don't know, but our toddler loves it! | $80 Are you're like me and have always wanted to own a Vespa? Now you ... Read More
Indigenous Books for Native American Heritage Month
Did you know? November is Native American Heritage Month. I'm sharing my list of books that I use to celebrate Native American, or Indigenous, heritage. What is culture without food? I love Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard because it reminds us that food is everything. It's also a great book to teach similes. Flat like a pancake, Round like a ball. We are Grateful by Traci Sorell is a wonderful text about gratitude and Cherokee history. Be prepared to learn new words. It's also the winner of numerous awards. A must read! Bowwow ... Read More
Interactive Notebooks in the Classroom
What's your opinion on interactive notebooks or journals? Personally, I love using them with my upper grades students. They're a great way to teach a skill by encouraging students to come up with their own examples. Plus, students love cutting and gluing. I guide my students during the setup of their own notebooks by showing them mine first. Visuals are a great way to offer additional support, especially if you work with emergent bilinguals. I find that using the projector and Smartboard to show my students where to cut and glue is the most ... Read More
Small Groups by Genre
How do you teach your students to become proactive readers? A few years ago I started focusing on teaching my students how to read a text based on its genre, and it has made such a difference! Wait. By genre? What does this mean? It means my students know exactly what elements (things) to look for when they pick up a text and identify its genre. Let me give you an example. Here's an anchor chart that displays the important elements of fiction. Those elements are: characters, setting, problem, solution, theme, and summary. Typically ... Read More
One Year Old Toddler Gift Guide
Hello and welcome back! I know it's been a while since I last posted. I'm so excited to share my gift guide to help you shop for the little one in your life! These are all gifts I have requested, have used or are currently using with my one-year old daughter. Don't worry! I made sure to include gifts that can be enjoyed by both, girls AND boys. I also included a variety of gifts that are budget-friendly. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that my husband loves to play the ukulele. He's also really good at playing the drums. It's safe to ... Read More