Veterans are the Heart of America

Does your school do anything special to celebrate Veterans Day? Annually, my school has held an incredible Veterans Day assembly. Students and Staff invite any veterans that are in their family to be honored. It is so humbling to hear the stories of our veterans. My own dad is a Navy veteran (though he doesn't like to be recognized for it, no matter how much I try!)

Part of the assembly responsibilities is decor by students. Admittedly, one year, I forgot to have my class make something and we needed a craft- STAT. Thus came, this now staple of my Veterans Day lessons!

The beauty of this is it's no prep! All you need is to print the sheet and offer some green, brown, and black construction paper!

I've also seen these done with red, white and blue construction paper for a more American flag look!

Students gain huge fine motor skills by building hand strength through ripping and tearing. I love crafts that have the same directions but can look their own unique way. We always discuss ripping Goldilocks sized pieces- not too big, not too small, but just right!

 Snag your copy here to get a simple,  NO PREP Veterans Day craft!

Keep your head in the clouds!

Pumpkin Investigation!

The baby's asleep! I was able to get in the shower AND eat lunch AND have time to spare to blog? Today is a good day! (Now if I can keep the dog from escaping the backyard, it'll upgrade to great- but that's a story for another day!)

One of the reasons I love doing apples in September is because it leads so well into pumpkins! The background knowledge on apples really helps kids expand their learning by applying it to pumpkins. They have similar life cycles, similar parts, and they both make for some excellent fall themed cooking in the classroom! YUM!

The first part of my pumpkin products that I've added was the Pumpkin Investigation!

Does it look just like the apple investigation? YES! Was that on purpose? OF COURSE! When it comes to little ones, familiarity, routine, and repetition are key! With similar visuals and understanding what they did last time, students will have greater independence in this activity. Plus, the familiarity helps them build deeper connections and understandings of the topic at hand. Many teachers feel the key to engagement is *new* and *different*, but what I've found is familiarity with a slight tweak has shown the greatest engagement and independence in my little learners.

Take a closer peek below!

Interested? The best part is it's a DOLLAR DEAL! Yes! ONE dollar! Find it here!

Be on the lookout! The mini book version of the investigation is coming in my pumpkin pack shortly!

Keep your head in the clouds!

An Apple a Day

There's something about September in Kindergarten that screams TEACH ABOUT APPLES! I don't know if it's the connection to Fall and the seasons, if it's merely a tangible topic that most kids have some background knowledge on, or if it's just teachers are born with an inclination toward their career's symbolic fruit, but Apples are my favorite way to kick off Science in Kindergarten!

Our first unit in Science is mainly to teach students how to be scientists through observation. This is why I like to kick start my Apple Unit with a hands on Apple Investigation.

It's part of my Dollar Deal on Apples! You can download it as a single sheet here.

If you're using the same apple for the entire investigation, it's best to do the color, stem, leaf, and measurements first. Next, I move on to sinking or floating, and finally I end with cutting and investigating the seeds before, our fan favorite in K, the taste test!

This year, in an effort to simplify the investigation for my little ones, I decided to split my investigation into a mini book! Each piece of the investigation got it's own page. (Here's a sampling below)

I made each page a center. Students rotated through, completing and collecting pages as we went along. They LOVED building the book as we went and I saw a big difference in their concentration per each investigation. This mini book can be found in my Johnny Appleseed product here! I can't wait to showcase you even more from that later this week.

Download the single sheet Apple Investigation in my TPT store here.

If you want to explore the Mini Book, check out my Johnny Appleseed bundle in my TPT store here! (The single sheet investigation is also included in this product!)

For even more apple fun, download my All About Apples Bundle!

I Scream for Hopes and Dreams

It's Labor Day, which is usually the telltale sign that Summer Break is officially over here in Jersey. This year is different for me. For the first time in roughly 27 years, I am not heading into a classroom as a student or a teacher (some years, I was both!). I'm on Maternity Leave to start this year! Could you blame me for wanting to stay home with this guy?

Photo Credit: Janet Lanza Photography

However, once a teacher, always a teacher! I cannot help but reflect on Back to School seasons of years past. My school is rooted in the ideals of Responsive Classroom and in nearly every classroom, you can find Hopes and Dreams for the students, teachers, and sometimes even parents posted year round as goals for students to develop and work on all year.

As many of my lessons as a Kindergarten teacher begin, I love kicking off Hopes and Dreams with a book. My kiddos LOVE Leo the Lightning Bug!

Have you read this one before? It's the darling story of Leo the Lightning Bug and his challenges and struggles to make his own bright light like the other lightning bugs. I have found it to be a great tangible connection for students to create their own hopes and dreams for the year. It doesn't have to be the same as their friends and it could even be something their friends are able to do well that they aren't able to.. YET! It's a story about resilience and never giving up. It's a great way to begin the thought process on what their own personal hopes and dreams would be for the school year.

Hopes and Dreams in my room are shared and posted ALL. YEAR. LONG. On days when we need a mood lift or a reminder of why we are in school and what we are working for all year, we refer back to our Hopes and Dreams. For something to be posted for the entirety of the year, I needed something I was willing to see all year. And so came, I Scream for Hopes and Dreams!

This adorable craftivity can be found in my TPT store here!

Best Part? It's a dollar deal!

That's right, ONE dollar for a meaningful and estetically pleasing lesson. Because who needs any more stress during Back to School season?

Enjoy this deal or pin it to save for next year!

Keep your head in the clouds!