I can hardly walk through the seasonal section of any store lately without filling my cart with fun items to make games! My newest and greatest fun find are these cute little candy filled cupcakes I found at Walmart. They are really meant for filling Easter baskets, but will … [Read more...]
The Cookie Sheet Challenge!
It all started with a cookie sheet. I was observing a student in a kindergarten classroom during literacy center time and in one of the centers the teacher placed magnetic letters on a cookie sheet and the students made words with the letters. Clever-- I've seen cookie sheets … [Read more...]
Springtime Vowel Sorting Activity
I just can't wait til spring! I found these adorable springtime containers at our local Walmart. They are absolutely perfect for a seasonal sorting activity. I wanted to give you the heads up before they fly off the shelf. I made these vowel sorting discs just for these … [Read more...]
Response to Intervention: A Lesson From Our Orthodontist
My three children are now 18, 17 and 15. When Response to Intervention (RtI) was first introduced in our districts around 8 years ago, I was spending just about the same amount of time in the Orthodontist's office as I was on the soccer fields. As our family … [Read more...]
St. Patrick’s Day Sight Word Game Boards
Kyle (my awesome graphic artist) and I have been busy gearing up for St. Patrick's Day! Our Valentine's sight word game boards were so popular that we thought we'd put a St. Patty's Day spin on a favorite activity. There are seven separate game boards. Six game boards contain … [Read more...]
Add a Little St. Patty’s Day Spirit into Teaching Phoneme Segmenation
Home Depot, Michael's and the Dollar Tree are my three favorite stores when looking for ideas for creating teaching activities. During any holiday, Michael's Craft Store has oodles of fun items that can add a little holiday spirit into your small group activities. While … [Read more...]
Teaching Students to Space Between Words
One of the great benefits of my job is that I have the privilege of working with many skilled professionals from various disciplines. We have a dynamite staff of Occupational Therapists who are never short of ideas and suggestions. I recently had a discussion with one of our … [Read more...]
Teaching Short Vowel Sounds: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect!
Last summer I read Malcolm Gladwell's book The Outliers. I haven't read a good non-teaching type book in a long time. Although I call it a "non-teaching" type book, the ideas presented in the book shaped my thoughts of teaching and learning more than any other book I've read. … [Read more...]
Valentine Sight Word Game Boards
I love Valentine's Day and I love making activities. So I REALLY love making Valentine's Day activities. These holiday sight word games can be used either in literacy centers or for your small group intervention. Be sure to differentiate by using your mid-year sight word … [Read more...]