Search Results for: BACK TO SCHOOL

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...]

Happy New Year – Fun Activities for Kids

Happy new year! Ok, yes, it's only December and I haven't even finished my Christmas shopping yet. But I'm already thinking about ringing in the new year with my students. In between all of my shopping and thinking-about-shopping, I finished putting together a set of my favorite classroom activities for celebrating the new year with the children. It's a collection of ideas we do on the first … [Read more...]

The Great Fuzz Frenzy

The Great Fuzz Frenzy is one my favorite picture books, especially for the first week back to school. A friend introduced the book to me years ago. She taught 3rd grade and I taught 1st, but all the children loved it, regardless of their age. It's a lively read-aloud and a great conversation starter for topics like: selfishness teamwork and forgiveness ...just to name a few. I think … [Read more...]

Activities for Wemberly Worried

We love these fun activities for Wemberly Worried. Actually, we just straight-up love Kevin Henkes and all his relatable characters... Lilly, Owen, Julius, Chrysanthemum, Sheila Rae, Chester, and, of course, Wemberly. Most kids can find themselves in at least one of his stories, if not more. This is one of those books teachers typically reach for at the beginning of the year. However, the … [Read more...]

Summer Pen Pals for Kids

Let's bring back summer pen pals! Remember Tom Hanks' and Meg Ryan's romantic comedy You've Got Mail? Long before that movie, seven-year-old me would get excited every time my mom come back from the mailbox waving an envelope saying those same words to me. "Andrea... you've got mail!" Yes, I'm old enough to remember snail mail. And I loved getting it. Now that summer break is here, we often … [Read more...]