I am beyond excited to announce that the Astrobrights Papers' Colorize Your Classroom contest is back for another great year! The wonderful team at Astrobrights loves educators (almost as much as they love color!) and they want to encourage teachers to use color in their … [Read more...]
Video Tutorial: Decorative Vinyl Trees for the Classroom
It's mid-July and teachers are beginning to dream, shop and set up for their classroom setup. After reading about my kindergarten classroom, countless readers have requested more information on how I created the black trees that are displayed on my classroom walls. Today I am … [Read more...]
Perfectly Layered Bulletin Board Borders: A Tutorial
Do you love the look of layered borders on a classroom bulletin board but are stumped about how to get them just right? Did you try the "staple and tuck" method, only to end up with creases all over your beautiful borders? Today am thrilled to bring you a video AND photographic … [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 Kite Decorations Made from Tissue Paper
Spring has arrived and despite the abysmal weather (high temps for the week will only be in the mid-30s once again), I am determined to shake the winter blues from my classroom. I removed the oh-so-adorable stained glass mitten decorations that my students created in January and … [Read more...]
Ellison All-Star Cutter Review, Inspiration & GIVEAWAY!
Thank you to Ellison for partnering with me on today's blog post. I received an All-Star Cutter and a few dies in exchange for writing this review. All opinions are my own and I only support brands and products that I use and absolutely love. Every once in a while a company … [Read more...]
Photo Tutorial: DIY Cup Cases for Frosted Christmas Trees
After sharing my Frosted Christmas Trees blog post, I have received dozens of questions and comments about the plastic cups I use as carrying cases. People see the cups and ribbons, but want to know a few more details bout how I created the cups. I am happy to answer all of your … [Read more...]
Tissue Paper Christmas Tree Craft Window Decorations
The Christmas season is upon us and I am having such a BLAST getting into the holiday spirit! My students recently created the most adorable Christmas tree window decorations and they bring so much holiday cheer into my classroom. I just had to share a tutorial of my newest … [Read more...]
Halloween Monster Mania (Plus a FREEBIE!)
Whew! What a week. Halloween has left me completely exhausted, but boy did we have fun! Our Halloween festivities revolved around the theme of "Monster Mania". I am a little big obsessed with all things monster at the moment. There is something that is so perfectly kindergarten … [Read more...]
Keep Calm Painted Canvas “Chalkboard” Tutorial
I recently shared my latest DIY for the classroom project: a chalkboard inspired painted canvas sign that reads "Keep Calm and Let Them Play." When the Keep Calm craze swept across the internet last year, those two words became my mantra. Every time I felt overwhelmed or stressed … [Read more...]