Learning to read is such a fun and special time: it's a valuable skill, and sparking an early love of reading can make it become a lifelong passion. In order
If you want to teach your little ones about the concept of opposites you will want to check out these fun opposites worksheets and activities.
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
Schedule your learning activites through our worksheet templates. Available for you to print for free. View here >
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
Science can be loads of fun. From creating contraptions and models to learning about the inner-workings of life...science experiments meant for older kids.
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
I've made digraph word wheels for ch-, th-, sh-, and wh- words and decided I may as well keep going and do less common ones as well! So today I'm bringing you Qu- words! Qu- Digraph: What you need Download the Qu- Digraph Word Wheel here. Scissors A paper fastener or brad to attach the
Parts of Speech Exercises: All the words in the English language, written, spoken or listened by us in daily life, are parts of speech. These are categorized according to the syntactic function. Th…
Homeschooling with a baby or toddler at home? Here are tips to help you make it work with activity ideas to keep toddlers occupied!
I’m SO excited about this Phonemic Awareness Intervention Pack! I’ve been working on it slowly. Last week I posted some ideas for teaching phonemic awareness and a little intervention kit. This is part 2 of the intervention kit. This is the BIG one! I took all the phonemic awareness skills that you would need to teach ... Read More about Phonemic Awareness Intervention Pack: Part 2
By contributing writer Colleen Are you studying the human body with your kids this year? Kids of all ages can benefit from learning about their body systems, how they work, and how to keep themselves healthy. Since little ones often have ear infections, the ear and its canals is a great place to start. Even the […]
Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!
Why Teach Computer Coding? There is no way of denying it, we live in a digital world. Computers, smartphones, and tablets are everywhere and practically everything we do requires some sort of programming. Since it is our job as educators to prepare students for the future, it is important to introduce and teach computer programming […]
Some kids can find nose-blowing difficult. How can you help your little one master the skill?
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Websites To Visit Just For The Little Ones!
As a teacher, one of the things I get asked the MOST about is teaching kids to read. For some children, it comes so quickly and naturally. And for others... it doesn't. So this post is for the mama of one of those "others" (and I say that in a kidding and kind way, of
Introducing our free Bible lesson for kids: "The Widow's Offering" based on Mark 12:42-44 & Luke 21:1-4. Teach your little ones about the importance of giving with this engaging and meaningful lesson. Our lesson guide includes worksheets, coloring pages, crafts, and more. Perfect for home or church! Download now from Trueway Kids.
There are so many phonics rules! It’s really amazing that most of our little ones are able to break the code and become fluent readers. After students learn the letters and sounds of the alphabet, we kind of rock their world a bit by teaching them that certain letters can have different sounds depending on […]
Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!
Learning lowercase letters can be really confusing for many children, especially the letters b, d, p, and g . When you think about it, it...
Mental Checklist for the Preschool Homeschool – Motor Skills As a teacher, objective based education was the norm. Each lesson was planned via a ‘backward mapping’ process in which what the students were expected to be able to do by the end of the lesson was the primary focus. The objectives. I grew to hate the acronym ‘TSWBAT…’ It took me some time to figure out that it stood for, ‘The Students Will Be Able To:’ I hated, loathed, and despised posting objectives on my board every day. Mine was always a somewhat unconventional classroom in that the narrative of the lesson was the most important thing, and if the story took an unexpected turn that day… oh well… let’s learn something else instead. For English, as well as for Biology. No question was too hard for the class to find an answer to. Lesson plans always seemed more of a ‘suggested guide’ and rather than have a daily plan, I would prefer a weekly or monthly plan, leaving room for ‘exploration’. Don’t get me wrong… I see real value in objectives. I think it is very important to have some form of ‘road map’ or the curriculum gets bogged down and goes nowhere. You have to begin with the end in mind. My classroom application, however well it worked well in high school in Australia, was not so much of a fit in middle school in the US. I received low marks in several reviews because I did not have a lesson plan to show my supervisor at the end of a ‘surprise observation’. Never you mind that all the other categories were checked off as ‘excellent’. So I have come to the conclusion that, as good as I was as a classroom teacher, (and I WAS good… VERY good...) I don’t actually fit well in the current factory model of schooling, and might, in fact, do much better as a homeschooler in this day and age. And I will still have objectives – but not so much as a list of items to be tested; more as a mental checklist for me to make sure that I do have an ‘end’ in mind for each unit of work. Preschool is a little different in that there is no list of dates, facts and figures to be learned. Instead there is a series of skills and concepts that must be mastered if later learning is to be successful. And yes, later learning is not simply a list of dates, facts and figures….the learning of skills and concepts continues into adulthood. It’s just that there are more dates and facts and figures to learn later ;) Over the next few weeks, I plan to outline my Preschool Homeschool Mental Checklists for Mum for a range of Objective Groups. This week is Motor Skills. Rather than try to plan lessons around each item (as one would for school objectives, sadly) this is more of a list to glance at occasionally and select a few items to focus on over the course of a week or so. Better yet, pick an activity that your child loves, go through the list to see what skills it hits, and then select a couple of extra skills you can extend the activity with. Be creative! download link below Suggested Age Range – 2-3 (My 2 year old can do a lot of these. My 3 (nearly 4) year old can do all of them.) Gross Motor Locomotor Skills Hops Runs/Changes DirectionSkips Marches Walks backwards at least 5 ft Walks tiptoe for short distance Follows a designated path Crawls through a tunnel Gross Motor Balance and Rotation Jumps at least 6 inches both in the air and in distance. Alternates Feet Down Stairs Walks a straight line/balance beam Stand on one foot for 5-10secs Climbing (e.g. a slide) Pedals a tricycle Gross Motor Manipulative Skills Kicks a ball forward Throws a ball overhead Throws underarm Attempts to catch a large ball Aims at a target Fine Motor Skills Clasps hands Touches pointer fingers Controls fingers individually Demonstrates pincer control (picking up small objects) Self Help Skills Able to button a garment Able to zip a zipper Puts on own shoes (no laces) Can feed self with spoon and fork Can wash hands Can get a drink Uses toilet semi-independently Scissor Skills Handles scissors well Cuts simple shapes Writing/Drawing skills Correct pencil grasp Draws/writes with increasing control Able to copy simple shapes Draws and colours beyond a simple scribble Other Stacks 7 or more blocks Pastes objects Completes simple puzzles Can pour from one container into another You can download a pdf copy of this checklist here. You might also be interested in: Featured at: Linking up with:
Hi friends! I'd love to show you my favorite digraphs activities for first grade and kindergarten that you can use to teach those tricky dig...
17 Y.O. practically raises his younger brothers, gets scolded by mom that the youngest went to sleep too early.
Five Little Ducks is a popular kids counting song with a catchy tune, perfect to practice numbers and counting down from 5-0.
It's a rainy evening and the 1st graders in your children's choir are extra wiggly. You need a quick change-of-pace to keep their attention and get through rehearsal. Been there? I think we all have. There are lots of games you could play, but I like choosing games and activi
Bernoulli’s principle for kids: let’s try to explain this fascinating fluid dynamics effect (often used to explain lift, the force that allows airplanes to fly) in a simple way and with a few fun…
I did my first escape room this year with my family and had such a fun time that I immediately knew I had to do one in the classroom! It was so engaging (couldn’t believe an hour had gone by!), showcased each of our unique skills (we all contributed), and got us working together as […]
Learn how to teach your students tone and mood in writing, and get access to exercises to help them practice – read on to find out more!)
Download our classroom icebreakers printable and "go fishing" with your students as they ask and answer questions of one another.
Learn how to manage one of the biggest challenges of teaching: Six disrespectful students in the same class. Yikes!
This blog post was so popular that I turned it into a book: 102 Little Drawings That Will Help You Remember English Rules FOREVER (Probably). It's available as an eBook and paperback. Click here to
My Mouth is a Volcano is one my favorite books to read at the beginning of the year to help curb the interrupting and blurting out! This year I made a cute little craftivity to extend our learning after this read-aloud. We always talk about why it is important not to interrupt others and […]
In this 3rd grade math worksheet, your child will practice geometry and addition as they calculate the perimeter of each house to find the largest one.
