Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Letting Off a Little Self Esteem: 3 Questions for Kids

I'm going old school with this book, but self esteem never really gets old and we can't afford to let kids go through life not knowing how truly wonderful they are. I think I bought this book about three schools ago, but the message in it rings true as much now as it did back then. As we're planning lessons to help children develop a growth mindset, embrace their unique gifts, and protect their … [Read more...]

Teaching Point of View to Build Strong Communities

Teaching point of view to children is not only a standard, but a really important life skill. This is one of my favorite picture books for introducing the concept, but gracious ... right now it sort of reminds me of my news feed: "Duck!" "Rabbit!" "No, it's a duck!" "No! It's a rabbit!" 🦆! 🐇! 🦆! 🐇! 🦆! 🐇! Insert different words and it sounds like a political conversation. But … [Read more...]

Calming Strategies for Kids

CALMING STRATEGIES FOR KIDS School counselors are amazing. When deciding what to be in life, these are the sweet people who thought, "I want to work with kids. I want to be a person they can talk to when the world feels upside down. I want them to know there is someone who will listen and help them feel safe." And when a school counselor gets to counsel, it's a beautiful thing. But if your school … [Read more...]

Big Ideas from The Other Side

I read The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson at the start of each school year. It's perfect for introducing sophisticated topics to young children, such as exclusion and racial tension. The story deals with big ideas in kid-friendly ways, helping us have conversations about kindness in an effort to build healthy relationships and communities. The author explains how she hopes the story of Clover … [Read more...]

Make Your Own Breakout Games

When the pandemic forced us all inside last year, my family became a little bored. Suddenly, my own kids were back home from college and after about three weeks of Netflix, they were wondering "Ok. What's next?" Being a teacher's kid is always a risk You'd think they'd know by now not to ever admit to feeling bored. And yet, they fall for it every time. So I put everyone to work. A lot of it was … [Read more...]

Back to School Breakout Game

Back to School Breakout Game Have you ever gone to an Escape Room or Breakout with your friends? It's a lot of intensity packed into what feels like the fastest 60 minutes ever, but if you happen to beat the clock, you're the smartest people on the planet ... or at least that's what you tell yourselves in the car ride later, right? Don't lie. 😂 None of the Escape Rooms I've paid … [Read more...]