Any parent knows the sisyphian task of cleaning up after kids. It’s impossible, unless you have a stand-in date with a cleaning service. Which, I have fantasies about. Given economic times, most of us don’t have such luxuries. As Murphy’s Law goes, as soon as you wash your floors, someone dumps a container of guacamole […]
Books, Monsters and an App
I read to my three year old a lot. He really likes books about superheros, trains, dinosaurs, and monsters. Anything with those subjects I like to get my hands on. I was very excited to discover Julianne Moore’s book series Freckleface Strawberry. I have fair skin and FRECKLES myself, so I can totally relate to the […]
Ideas for Motivating Readers
Over the years I taught, I used a variety of ideas to motivate my students to become voracious readers. (I promise to share more of them in depth soon!) Like any goal, I believe it’s important to track progress-namely it’s incredibly important for students to see HOW much they’ve read and grown over the course […]
Printable Mustache Bunting for Classroom, Home, and Parties
The polka dot bunting that I made a few weeks back has been selling like hot cakes over at TpT. Thank you, dear customers for that. So, I decided that polka dot bunting needed a partner, in case people want to pattern their welcome back to school signs and perhaps, shock the staff at those […]
Bookworm Club: A System to Motivate Students to Read More
My first full-time teaching job was in a first grade at a private school here in Chicago over a decade ago. I had only 15 students, and at the prime age of 22, had more energy and passion for my job than any other time in my career. The Bookworm Club was a system I […]
Back to School Countdown Ideas
If your child can’t wait to go back to school, build drama by creating a back to school countdown! Or if your child has a little anxiety about starting school, create a back to school countdown that has an element of surprise. Everyday anticipation helps ease the anxiety they might have about starting school. Either […]
Superhero Crafts & Activities for Kids
If you have a son like mine, then you can dangle any sort of superhero craft, game, or activity in front of him and he will be engaged for the next hour! Thank you Superman, I don’t know what I would do without you. Favorite memory superhero comic strip activity from TCC Superhero monsters from […]
Polka Dot Printable Bunting
With July nearing its end, setting up our classrooms is just around the corner! Whether you love or loathe decorating bulletin boards, it’s a part of a teacher’s job description. We hope our polka dot bunting makes this a little easier on you. Simply print the letters you need, and hang! Unlike the boatloads of […]
Favorite Pins Friday
Given the nasty humidity here in Chicago, it feels like winter being stuck inside…if we are not at my mom’s pool. So, this past week, I’ve been back at the computer. A lot. You can’t be outside without being in water when it’s a 100 degrees with 90% soupy humidity. So, today we are linking […]
Ideas for Organizing and Managing Pencils in the Classroom
Every classroom teacher knows, the drama pencils can cause in the classroom. As a high school art teacher, Karen (my other half here at the classroom creative) can attest that the theatrics with pencils continues well into high school. Having taught both the primary grades and junior high, I had various systems that I will […]
