Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Fire Safety Week Activities for Kids

Fire safety and prevention are always on our teacher to-do lists for the fall. With October right around the corner, we're busy pulling together all our resources. Though, I have to say, being married to a firefighter, the term "fire hazard" seems to be part of our daily conversations. You'd be surprised to know how many there are, lol. A while back, it dawned on me that we spend a lot of time … [Read more...]

Magnets – Science Activities for First Grade

Children are fascinated with magnets. When my own kids were little, they loved playing with magnetic toys. I even like magnets and I'm old. (Their words, not mine.) There's a set on my desk that I fiddle with when I need a little brain break. Which, for old people like me, occurs more and more frequently. A little while back, we needed some fresh ideas to supplement this science unit. The … [Read more...]

Core Values in the Classroom

The kids are back in school! (Lots of feelings, I know.) It's an exciting time, but we also know it'll be a long year if we don't establish our core values right off the bat. I personally don't enjoy chaos, so addressing these topics as soon as we return is important to me. In fact, it's at the top of my teaching to-do list. And, if you've ever had recess duty for even five minutes, you already … [Read more...]

Apple Day Activities for Kids

Fall is right around the corner which means Apple Day isn't far behind! It's the perfect time to make applesauce from scratch, learn who Johnny Appleseed was, and explore all the parts of an apple. If you're ready, let's get these Apple Day activities prepped! Remember to save time for the library, too. Our media center is packed with books about apples, both fiction and nonfiction. The hard … [Read more...]

Character Education – Developing Positive Traits at School

Character education is always high on our back-to-school to-do list. I mean, who doesn't want to be surrounded by people who are friendly, fair, and patient? Especially if you're spending most of your waking hours with them. Establishing classroom management systems is important at the beginning of the year, and a big part of each system working well is having a community that acts with … [Read more...]

Hand Signals in the Primary Classroom

When I think of all the things I did (and didn't do) as a new teacher, yikes. It's a memory lane I sometimes detour around. But as you go, you grow, right? One of the changes I'm glad I made was introducing hand signals into my systems for classroom management. They're so simple. And even though we're obviously going to talk a lot in our classroom, these signals cut down on the need to chat about … [Read more...]