The winer of the comic contest is 6 year old Hafsa!! Check out her wonderful comic below: Comic by the amazing Yes, I’m Hot in ThisWe’ve partnered with the amazing comic author behind Yes, I’m Hot in This to give your students or children a chance at a fun opportunity. Here are all the details (please read carefully): Check out my post about Comic Writing for Kids Download our Comic Strip Writing Package (at the bottom of this page). Have your kids/students complete the package and submit (only) their completed comic strip to [email protected] Our two teams will choose one lucky winner who will receive a free copy of Nightly News with Safa AND willContinue reading
Comic Writing For Kids
Comics. How can something that looks like such a simple literary genre, carry so much weight? Comics hold the heavy task of pointing at many social, personal, national and political problems. But…. they can come in such a cute package! Getting students familiar with this genre can be a very fun task, and one that we should all undertake at some point. It’s an art to be able to talk about a legitimate issue, with an air of satire or comedy. Let’s show our kids that they can effect and create change in their world, through literature. If you want to teach your students comic strip writing, follow these simple steps below: Comic Writing –Continue reading
The Best Cyber Monday Learning Toy Deals on Amazon – 2017
This post contains affiliate links. It was hard to tear myself away from some of the great apparel deals, but I knew that cyber Monday would offer some amazing deals for kids’ resources. So here it is, my list of the best Amazon (US & Canada) cyber Monday toy deals! Art Supplies Building Books S.T.E.M Happy Shopping!
Extension Activities for The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot is a modern day tale of a robot that becomes stranded in the wild after an accident. This story is making it’s way across classrooms and into children’s lives, and with good reason. It’s a captivating comparison of technology and the natural world. As with all reading materials, they begin to take on more meaning when kids are able to apply what they’ve read in their lives and lessons. That’s why I’ve created this cross curricular extension activity package. It combines geometry and paragraph writing. Keep reading to get a peak into how you can use extension activities for The Wild Robot. 2D Shapes The first part of this package asks kidsContinue reading
Narrative Writing Plan For Kids
I recently gave a talk about creative narrative writing for 7-9 year olds after a book reading. Below are my talking points, which you can use in your class or homeschool. The kids responded really well to the plan and were able to reiterate the story writing process. They were able to relate to the concepts, so overall it was a great success! Read on to see the plan and you can find my narrative writing plan on TPT, it comes with and awesome poster set to display on walls. Part 1: Problem/Solution This is the most basic principle of story writing. The kids really seem to relate if you compare stories to a sandwich. Continue reading
6 Perfect Picture Books For Struggling Readers
For kids out there who struggle with reading, the thought of picking up a book can be daunting. Reading a book, whether independently or in a group setting, can either: a) cause a great deal of anxiety or, b) cause students to “check out”, leaving them to miss key details for comprehension. Whether students are struggling to read the words, or struggling to understand them, I’ve got a list of the 6 perfect picture books for struggling readers. 1. Press Here – By: Herve Tullet Press Here is a fun and interactive book that does not follow a traditional narrative format. Instead it presents readers with a series of instructions, for which the book garners apparentContinue reading
5 Fun Pumpkin Lessons For Kids
Pumpkins are arguably the most iconic symbol of the Fall season. Even better, pumpkins are widely available in stores and homes. They are awesome when used in decor, recipes and halloween carving fun. This makes them a perfect object to incorporate into our lessons. Continue reading below for 5 fun pumpkin lessons for kids! 1. Scientific Procedure First things first, if you have an untouched pumpkin, then you have the perfect object for a scientific investigation. Students can be introduced to the idea of a hypothesis in which they can take guesses as to what is inside the pumpkin. For example: “I think the pumpkin will have seeds inside of it, because most things that grow fromContinue reading
Back to School Survival List for Parents
When my daughter was starting JK I was on the hunt for all of the best tools and resources I should have on hand. I knew what it was to be a teacher, and I knew what I wanted kids to come to school with. But, as a parent, this was a whole new world. After some thought and research, I collected what I now call my school survival list for parents. Waterproof Labels I’m smitten over my recent waterproof labels find! If you have elementary-aged children and want to label their water bottles or containers you need these labels. I personally used the Emily Press Labels, which are super easy to apply and actually lookContinue reading
Free Book Study – Zaid and the Gigantic Cloud
When kids love a story (especially one with a moral, diverse characters and plenty of great language) I like to make it a focus of study. In that spirit, I created a free book study resource of Zaid and the Gigantic Cloud. The book study is meant to reinforce effective reading strategies such as: – Predictions – Mental Images – Inference – Making Connections – Summarizing – Identifying Story Elements The package includes 8 worksheets, with each one reinforcing a different reading strategy. This is a perfect way to get kids to make more meaning out of their texts and engage with stories. Give it a try and leave a comment telling me what youContinue reading
How To Get The Best Star Themed Classroom
A star themed classroom is probably one of the most common themes out there. For me though, that doesn’t make it less special. I get it: stars are empowering, grand and inspirational. It’s a wonderful analogy to give to our students and can be used in lots of creative ways. Check out my ways to get the best star themed classroom. Work It Into Your Classroom Management Stars are a super easy theme to work into your classroom management methods. They are a great way to track progress, and reward students for their effort. It naturally provides such a warm tone to any classroom management strategies as it leans easily towards positive reinforcement.Continue reading