Make your library the center of your school
Fire Prevention Week is the first full week of October. It’s a great time to review fire safety education concepts with our young children and to help them learn about firefighters. I’ve been collecting the following books to read with my Kindergarten, first, and second grade classes. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through one of them and make a purchase I may
This year is the 10 year anniversary of International Dot Day and the 15th anniversary of the publication of The Dot. People all around the world celebrate creative expression, inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ picture book, The Dot. Every year, Dot Day falls on or near September 15. I’d like to share how I helped my K-2 students explore their own creativity this year for
Green Screen technology (or Chroma Key as it is known in more “techy” circles), used to be so complicated! I first tried the available technology with my fourth grade students about 20+ years ago. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I remember setting up green bulletin board
I don’t read picture books to my upper elementary students very often, but I’ve found a pair of books that hold their attention and teach some valuable lessons about friendship and the role of technology in our lives and friendships. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I
Earth Day is a day to take action. Children in schools across the country will be setting up recycling stations and picking up garbage. They’ll be making posters and remembering to turn off the lights when they leave a room. Earth Day is a great time for a fun school wide event, special library storytime, or some engaging lessons. Here are seven books to motivate
Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series for early readers is popular with young children for a reason. They are fun, exciting, surprising, and full of genuine emotions! Although the final book in the series was just published in 2016, these engaging stories have already become a classic staple in elementary school libraries and kindergarten and first grade classrooms across the country! At my school, older
We loved celebrating Screen Free Week—formerly known as “TV Turnoff Week”—at my school and it was a great event for family engagement! Our screen free week activities challenge students to avoid using screens for entertainment and explore other ways to spend their time. Students who participate complete a contract and tracking sheet, get it signed by an adult, and earn ten raffle tickets for fun
Wonder is still a wildly popular book at my school! The themes of friendship, respect, and kindness are timeless. The following project is a great way to reinforce some technology skills with your students while spreading kindness and inspiration throughout your school community! If you give it a try, be sure to comment and let us know! A friend shared a great idea with me
Have you bought or created a set of posters for a bulletin board or a display in your library or classroom? Here’s a time saving tip for getting more use out of the same resource: print the posters at a reduced size and make sets for each group of students. You can easily plan an active learning lesson to reinforce the concepts in the posters.
I started a Keyboarding Club for 4th and 5th grade students in my library because keyboarding wasn’t being taught at my school in those grades and I wanted to give students the option of sharpening their skills on the keys before they began the Smarter Balanced Tests in the Spring. I used free websites, and didn’t have my students create the free accounts offered,
