The season of Advent is probably my favorite time of year in the classroom. I love slowing down with my students to talk about the birth of Jesus Christ and share the true meaning of Christmas. In my kindergarten classroom, we talk about Baby Jesus so much more than we share … [Read more...]
Easy Lantern Craft for Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is coming and I have the perfect, simple craft for your students to make in the classroom in celebration of this annual event: paper lanterns! When I taught first grade, we celebrated Chinese New Year in the classroom and this was one of my favorite crafts to … [Read more...]
Catching Snowflakes on your Tongue Winter Craft
My school has Open House on Sunday and I needed a seasonal project for my students that required minimal prep, yet would look fabulous on the walls outside my classroom. Since we've finally been getting a little snow in Michigan, my students created these adorable catching … [Read more...]
Christmas Parent Gift Idea for Kindergarten
For the past several years, I have done a directed drawing lesson with my students as their parent Christmas gifts. The children paint their drawings with watercolors and I frame the completed art projects in inexpensive frames from the dollar store before wrapping them up and … [Read more...]
Waste Free Lunches in Celebration of America Recycles Day
America Recycles day is November 15. In the spirit of "going green" my students created some posters to hang around the school promoting our lunch program's "Waste Free Wednesday" campaign. The idea behind Waste Free Wednesday is simple: students that pack a lunch from home are … [Read more...]
Big Green Monster Kindergarten Watercolor Paintings
My students had a BLAST in our kindergarten classroom for Halloween last week, yet they were amazingly well behaved. We didn't have a week full of candy and silliness. We had fun, but it was more academic in nature and it really helped my students to remain in control of their … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Window Decorations Tutorial
Halloween is almost here and I have a super-simple craft you can create inside the classroom or at home with your little ones! The best part is that pumpkins are in-season all through the fall so this cute window decoration can stay up right through Thanksgiving. This post … [Read more...]
Apple Stained Glass Window Decorations + Free Template
During our apple study, my kindergarten students made the cutest apple window decorations with clear contact paper, tissue paper squares and a little construction paper. I make many of these "stained glass" decorations throughout the year and I love how festive they make my … [Read more...]
Earth Day Student Watercolor Painting Tutorial
Integrate a little fine art into your Earth Day lesson plans with a simple (and sweet) watercolor painting. I completed this activity with my own kindergarten students last week and it was a huge hit. This blog post breaks the entire process down into small, easy steps that will … [Read more...]
Stained Glass Mitten Window Decor Tutorial
With the cold, blustery weather in full-force this winter, I decided to bring some seasonal coziness into my classroom decor. Last week we made stained glass mittens to adorn the windows of my kindergarten classroom. By now you probably know of my great love affair with stained … [Read more...]
