June Favorites 2017

Every month I like to take some time to reflect on some of the highlights from the past month. June has been pretty fabulous- we finished the school year strong, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the first few weeks of summer vacation. The weather has been pretty great too! Here are some of my favorites from this past month. I'm taking these photos...

Read more "June Favorites 2017"

Functional Decorating for Teacher Planners

Planner decorating for teacher planners can seem like a frivolous concept, but when it's done right, it can not only make lesson planning more fun and colorful, but also more effective. And it doesn't have to be time-consuming or expensive, either. I'm totally in love with paper planning, and I love using my teacher planner as a creative outlet....

Read more "Functional Decorating for Teacher Planners"

Pre-Packed Bags for Family Outings

Taking kids out of the house is a lot like planning a military operation. You have to make sure you have all the right gear, you have to think ahead and plan for all eventualities, and figure out the most efficient way to manage any movement. And inevitably, in the madness of trying to get everyone out the door without screaming, you leave something...

Read more "Pre-Packed Bags for Family Outings"

Planner Tour: flip-through and setup

Time for a little more planner action! ;) I finally got a chance to take out my old pages from the 2016-2017 school year and put in the fresh, new pages for the 2017-2018 school year and I'm so excited! I decided to film the process this year, so if you're interested in seeing: 1) what my planner looks like after it's been used for a full year...

Read more "Planner Tour: flip-through and setup"

DIY Visual Calendar for Kindergartners

Summer is the time for home projects! I've been itching to update my daughters' visual calendar now that they've graduated preschool and are headed to kindergarten in the fall. If you have any children who thrive on predictability and routine like mine, this project is really quite simple and has been a really helpful tool for several years now in...

Read more "DIY Visual Calendar for Kindergartners "

Fostering Relationships with Students as a Specialist Teacher

I'm pretty sure most of us got into teaching because we love and care about kids. But when we teach hundreds (or even thousands) of students and you only see each one for 30 minutes every week (or two weeks.... or three....), it can be pretty hard to foster real relationships with our students! And let's not even get started on the fact that for those...

Read more "Fostering Relationships with Students as a Specialist Teacher"

Travel Tips with Kids: DIY Sticker Activity Sheets

I'm back with another tip for traveling with kids, and today is all about providing some easy, cheap, and engaging entertainment (that doesn't involve a screen)! We all know stickers are pure magic, but I wanted something a little more exciting than just stickers on plain paper, and I honestly haven't been that happy with the "sticker activity books"...

Read more "Travel Tips with Kids: DIY Sticker Activity Sheets"

General Music Lesson Planning: the tiered approach

I have been waiting a long time to write this post. I've been super excited about the changes I made to my lesson planning strategy this school year, but I wanted to try it for an entire school year before I shouted it from the rooftops: I have found the missing piece to my lesson planning system. No more reinventing the wheel, no more looking through...

Read more "General Music Lesson Planning: the tiered approach"

Travel Tips with Kids: Rainbow Snacks!

As we gear up for summer travel, I wanted to share a fun tip to help pass the time on long trips with kids (whether you're on the road or in the air). It helped make my road trip with two 4-year-olds much more enjoyable last year and I plan to use it again when we fly across the country in a few weeks! *this post contains affiliate links* I came...

Read more "Travel Tips with Kids: Rainbow Snacks!"