It’s Spooky Week! 👻

Celebrating holidays at school is one of my most favorite things about teaching kindergarten!  We love dress up days and parties and all the other fun activities that come along with it!  Everyone (and by "everyone" I mean ALL kindergarteners😂) is always hyped up about the holidays, so we may as well ride out that excitement and make it fun!

Things will go a little different this year since all the kiddos are home and we are back to virtual learning.  So, I'm going to have to work a little harder to make things fun for them this week.  It's a little tougher to plan things and make sure they have materials they need, but I was able to come up with some fun activities on short notice--thank you TPT! LOL

I decided to choose five books that the kids typically love to read this time of year, and send home activities centered around them.  This will throw some festive fun into each day leading up to Halloween next Saturday!  In addition to these fun activities, I plan to demonstrate some fun science experiments for them to observe (normally we would get to do them together at school) and we are even having a Virtual Costume Party on Friday!

1. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bat

I really didn't have time to create something new, so I was so excited to find all kinds of super cute activities to go along with this book on TPT.  I decided to send the kids this adorable interactive sequencing activity they could do while I was reading the story, and they can use it to retell the story again and again at home!  Watch my Instagram for pictures of actual student work I'll post this week so you can see how they did!

2.The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

There was a whole set of fun activities to go along with this book, but I just chose one craftivity to send home to my students.  They will get to listen to the story, then put together the pieces to make their own scarecrow and then match the sounds to the object from the story.  Get the set of activities here and watch for me to post some students examples this week on my Instagram account!

3.Creepy Pair of Underwear

This book is always a favorite for the kids!  Anything with underwear and potty humor seems to hold their attention and keep them giggling.  Luckily, there are also lots of fun activities on TPT for me to choose from.  I purchased this set, but I am only going to send the bunny craftivity and writing as the assignment.  I can't wait to see how this turns out and post a sample on Instagram for you to see!

4.Room on the Broom

This is a very popular choice right now since there is an animated version on Netflix.  It's super cute and the kids are loving it any time of year!  I can't wait to share the book with my class and see how this cute witch craftivity turns out for them!  Be sure to keep an eye on my Instagram account this week and I'll show you how they turn out!

5.Crankenstein

The final cute story I will be reading during Halloween week is this one!  It's adorable and the kiddos always love it!  My students love doing directed drawings together, so that's exactly what I plan to do during one of our LIVE sessions this week.  There are all sorts of versions out there, but I really love Art Projects for Kids and can't wait to draw with my students!

What are some fun things you are doing in your classroom this week?

Math Toolkits

Distance learning.  Virtual learning.  Whatever you call it, I'm back to it after two and a half weeks with all my kiddos in the classroom. 😔  All of my students are logging on from home each day and I've been doing a live reading and math lesson daily to keep them on track and in routine.  In addition to the live sessions, I record videos as needed and they complete other activities during the day and submit on Google Classroom.

I will be the first to admit that this is hard.  Hard for me.  Hard for the students.  And soooo hard on the parents who are also working and hold down the fort at home!  There are so many things to think about and consider.  It took some time to see what would work for my students and their parents, but I feel like we are really in the groove of things!  As I plan my lessons each week, I have to think about what materials they will need and get it to them in advance.  Many things have already been sent home for them to use.  But, as we move along through our content, new things are needed.  One thing that I sent home for this round of Virtual Learning was a Math Toolkit.

We started the school year out virtually for the first three weeks.  Then we finally got to come to school in person for two and a half weeks before we had to switch back to virtual learning.  This time, I decided to send the students home with their math toolkits.  We had been using them in class, so I figured I may as well send them home so the students will have a set of manipulatives to use during math lessons.

The Math Toolkits have proven to be a super handy was to keep manipulatives at their finger tips, while also giving them individual materials that they won't be sharing with anyone else.  We started out with some basic things and can add whatever we need as we go along.  Right now, here is what the students have in their toolkits:

a ten frame
foam die
red and white counters
cubes
foam square tiles

The Math Toolkits have been a great addition to their supplies at home.  We are able to use them during live sessions and it also gives the students access to materials while they work independently.  We did have some serious talks about taking care of our materials.  Once we return to school face-to-face, the students understand that they will be bringing their toolkits back to school so we can use them there.

Have you made toolkits for your students?  What did you include?  Any tips or suggestions for things I could add in later?

Five Things I Have Learned During Virtual Learning

"Teachers Can Do Virtually Anything"

Virtual learning has been a real experience.  It has been very different than I ever expected, but I’ve already learned so much along the way.  I officially have one full week under my belt and feel like I’m finally starting to get in the groove of things.  I’ve spent some time reflecting this weekend, and here are five big things I have learned through this process.

 

1.    Virtual Learning is NOTHING like in-person learning.  I teach kindergarten, so this is my perspective.  I’m sure teachers from other grades might have different opinions than I do, but I think we can all agree that teaching and learning just isn’t the same online through a computer.  I am having to be concerned about the screen time of my students, conscious about the type of work I am assigning because they may not have help at home, and there’s just no way to fit a whole day of lessons we would typically do in the classroom, into a day of virtual teaching.  I am currently teaching live 1.5 hours per day (divided into 2 sessions) and trying to hit the big topics and slide other content in through various books during read alouds.  I would much rather have my kiddos all day at school so we could learn all the fun stuff, I could help them with their work and hands on activities, and we would have limited screen time because we were busy engaging in the real world with each other.

 

2.    The mute button is amazing. 😂  I never thought I’d see myself teaching the first days of school online.  It definitely wasn’t easy and it was so strange to teach the students how to mute and unmute….and then see their mouths move and them wiggling all over the screen but never hear a sound. Hahaha  I could literally just continue with the story and not have to stop and redirect anyone 100 times on the first day!  It was so strange to be teaching and reading in a completely silent room.  After I got through a couple more days, I really began to appreciate that mute button more and more.  I mean this in the nicest way possible because I'd love nothing more than to have them all in my classroom, gathered around a rug where we could truly dive into a good book and discuss the story as we read along together.

 

3.    There is some amazing technology out there.  We are required to go into work and teach from school.  I was so thrilled to do this after what we went through in the spring and trying to teach from home.  We got these awesome boards that have been amazing as we are trying to teach through this pandemic, but they will also be awesome when the students get back to school.  My Google Meets look huge on this screen, so I can really see my student’s faces.  I have a remote that will let me zoom in and out, as well as move the camera around.  So I can teach from anywhere in the room!

 

I love my new technology!  It is amazing!

4.    I miss real life interaction with my students.  I am thankful for our daily Google Meets.  I am thankful for their smiling faces and getting to see their eyes light up as they learn something new or realize they know the answer to a question.  I am thankful that I am able to hear their sweet voices and giggles.  But, nothing can replace actually being in the classroom with these amazing kiddos everyday.  I miss the hugs, the high fives, the dancing and singing together (it’s just not the same virtually), doing all our letter activities, and so much more!  A computer will never be able to replace the feel-good feelings you get from real human interaction—especially with my sweet kinderbabies! 💕

 

5.    Virtual teaching is waaaaaay more work than anyone realizes.  Several “outsiders” have commented that I must not be doing much work right or that my job must be really easy right now.  Those people are CRAZY!  There are so many rounds of trial and error to figure out what works for the students in my class.  The prep work is killer and everything we plan to do for each week has to be meticulously planned ahead of time.  We are doing weekly material pickups, so if we don’t have everything planned exactly right, then it will completely throw off my lesson plans for the week!  Last week felt like running a marathon to prep for the upcoming week.  If we end up doing this long term, I hope things get a little easier as we go along.  But, last week just about took me out!

 

So how is Virtual Learning going for you?  Any tips, tricks, or successes you’d like to share?  Feedback from my parents has been very positive and that is truly keeping me going until I can get my kinderbabies back in person.  I am so thankful for this three-day weekend to rest and recover, but I’m ready to dive right back in on Tuesday and see what kind of progress I can make with my class!

Gearing Up For Virtual Learning and a FREEBIE!

This is the week!  It’s getting real!  I have spent the last few weeks prepping my students, their parents, and myself and now it’s time to actually do this virtual learning stuff!  Tomorrow is the first official day of school, but it feels so different than it ever has.  My school is actually doing a Drive Thru event for the first day, so I’m excited that I’ll get to see the kiddos on their first day and we can put off this virtual learning a little longer!

           

We are using Google Classroom for virtual learning and most of my families were not familiar with it at all.  So, I did a Parent Orientation Meeting via Google Meet so they could try logging into their child’s account and joining a meeting.  It was great for a technology trial run to see what kind of issues there might be.  My parents were all rock stars and didn’t seem to have any technology issues!  I was the one that had trouble, so it delayed the start of the meeting by a few minutes.  But, I was glad it happened so that I could fix the issue and it shouldn’t happen anymore!

That face you make when your technology finally cooperates, you catch your breath, and can conduct your meeting! 😂 Also, don't mind my messy background--I didn't plan to host my meeting here, but I had to switch to my laptop at the last minute so that Google Meet would work.

During the meeting, one of the most common concerns I got was from parents asking what they can do to help their child be successful during virtual learning.  I made a list of some things that we discussed during the parent meeting and decided to make a printable that I was able to put in their folders that I will send home with them tomorrow.  You can download a copy of the freebie from my TPT store by clicking here.

            

This school year will definitely be one that goes down in history.  There will be lots of hiccups along the way I’m sure, but I am anxious to get back to doing what I love the most—teaching!  I pray that this all passes and we are back into the classroom soon!  Good luck to everyone else having their first day this week and I'll be back to update you soon on my first few days!

Back to School Postcards

When August rolls around, I instantly go into back to school mode!  As a child, sending and receiving mail fascinated me and I had pen pals all over the world.  Nothing was more exciting to me than taking a trip to the post office and finding a postcard or letter for me in our mailbox!  So, one of my most favorite things I like to do before school starts is send my students a postcard.

I usually mix it up and do a different postcard each school year.  I have a feeling that this year is going to be unlike any other we have experienced before, so I wanted to do something extra special to get my students excited about kindergarten.  I found this super cute postcard template on TPT for FREE and the students get to scratch off a section to reveal who their teacher is!  It’s so fun and I couldn’t pass up this postcard by Teaching the Tinies.  I got the scratch off sticker from Amazon to place over my face!

Of course handwritten notes are super special, but I decided to type a note for my students and include something a little extra.  We won’t be getting to have KinderCamp or Open House this year, so I’m brainstorming to find new ways to connect with my students.  This year, I decided to make a video of me reading them a story from the classroom.  I’m not a video professional by any means and I hate watching and hearing myself, but the kids don’t care about all that stuff! Lol  I wanted a way to introduce myself to them, let them see their classroom, and start this year out in a positive manner!

I recorded a video of me reading “The Pigeon Has to Go to School” by Mo Willems. This is a super cute story with just enough silliness to help relieve some of the anxieties the kids might have about coming to kindergarten.  After I made the video of me reading the story, I uploaded it and created a QR code that I put on the postcard.  So now, when they get it in the mail, they can scan the QR code and go straight to watch the video! 

Their postcards should start delivering today, so I’m excited to hear if they enjoyed getting some mail.  Our first day of school is scheduled for August 26^th, so I’m going to keep working in my classroom and getting things ready until then.  I love having a new, fresh start each year and plan to remain positive no matter if we really get to go back to school in person, or end up going all virtual like many school districts across Kentucky are starting to do.  I’m sending prayers  to all the teachers across our nation and I hope you have an amazing school year as well!

Virtual Graduation & Other Ideas

"Peace Out Kindergarten."  Here's a throwback to the last day of school in 2019 when we were packing up our classrooms for summer cleaning.

We are all entering some unknown territory as our school year comes to an end and we won’t get the chance to go back and close out the year with our kinderbabies (or whatever grade you teach).  I have been working hard to pull together some end of the year gifts and come up with some ideas to celebrate our year.  To see some of the gift ideas I am currently working on for my students, go back to Monday’s post.

Each year, we always have a kindergarten graduation ceremony complete with caps and gowns.  I already know that we won’t be able to make this happen this year, so I have been working on something I can do online with my students and their families!  I have created a Power Point Presentation, which I plan to present to my families via Zoom. 

You can purchase this completely editable file from my TPT store if you are interested in doing this with your class.  There is a beginning slide with sound effects (which you can edit).  Next, there is a slide for each student in which you can list their accomplishments for the year, add a picture of them, list a class award, and tell something you will miss about them!  All of that is also completely editable and can be changed, reworded, or taken off.  At the end of the presentation, I created a slide to conclude the virtual graduation.  This is a great place to include a class picture or a Word Art image like I used—more about this in a moment. 

This virtual graduation is different than anything I’ve ever done.  I know it will be different for students and parents to be sitting at home watching on their computer screen, but I wanted something that would keep them engaged.  I didn’t want it to take too long to watch as I present it live to the families, yet something that will give the students a special moment of recognition they deserve.  And, of course, I still have plenty of time to tweak it and make changes before I schedule a date to present this to them.

At the end of the Power Point, you will see the Word Art I created to use in my classroom’s Virtual Graduation.  I created this at www.wordart.com completely free (although there is an option to purchase a higher quality image) by entering Kindergarten on the first line, then each student’s name on the following lines.  You can choose the image shape (there are other options besides a graduation cap) and personalize it with any colors you want, including the classic black and white.  This is a really neat website and can be another great graduation gift (or Mother’s/Father’s Day) for your students!  It’s literally FREE and you can use their name and some words to describe them, purchase a frame from the Dollar Tree for $1, and have a nice framed gift for each of your students!  You can’t beat that price for such a beautiful keepsake gift!

I hope this has been helpful and given you more some ideas on how to conclude your year with your students.  I’d love to hear all the other things that you are doing with your class, so feel free to comment below or on our Facebook page!

Free For All Friday

It’s Fri-Yay people!  These days, saying that doesn’t feel as exciting as it used to, but we are still going to get pumped—even if we are working from home and miss our school babies like crazy! I’ve officially survived my first week as a blogger and feel like I’ve gotten to know some of you a little better!  It has been a great launch and I hope you have learned a little about me and I’ve shared some ideas that you will be able to use in your own classroom (and distance learning classrooms!).  It’s amazing to connect with other teachers and educators from all over and I’m excited about some collaboration projects I have in mind for the future!

But anyway, we all love a good deal and we definitely love a good FREEBIE!  So, today I am sharing some of my most favorite TPT freebies with you.  These are files that I have downloaded and continue to use from year to year.  Sometimes I add my own twist or change things up, but these all have some awesome content that I love using in my classroom! 

1)   Six Weeks Kindergarten Send Home Plans by The Kinder Life totally saved me on Distance Learning plans.  I was able to slap on some standards, add my own vocabulary words and numbers, and send it as work for them to do at home.  The kids have LOVED it!  Fun, engaging, and minimal work for me.

2)   2019-2021 Editable Calendar by Sarah Kirby—I use this calendar every year as she often updates it.  You can edit right in the document to do a snack calendar, events, monthly programs, or whatever your need may be.  The calendars are colorful and cutesy!  So easy to use!

3)   Name Activity Editable by Khrys Greco—This is great, especially for the beginning of the year.  It’s totally free and you just have to type in the student’s name.  It's an awesome resource!

4)   Free Editable Homework Folder Covers by Kinder Inspiration—I LOVE these and use them every year.  You can totally personalize this file, so I often change my fonts and wording.  I slide it in a plastic sheet protector and it is the first thing that goes on the prongs of their homework/reading folder that goes home daily.  It lasts all year, and if the folder gets lost, it makes it easy to be returned to my classroom.

5)   Crayon Hat by Crayola Queen—During the first few weeks of school, we do one color each week.  On Friday, we celebrate that color by wearing that color clothing and hat!  So, I use this printable and copy it onto the coordinating color cardstock I need for that week!  It makes an awesome hat and is also great to use with a costume, which I have done as well!

I hope these freebies are of some use to you in your classroom—whether it is now while we are all doing distance learning, or when we get back in the fall.  I did try to select freebies that weren’t holiday themed that you might want to download and start using right away.  If you think a download is awesome, please leave them a review!  I have just started loading some of my own things to TPT and it means more than you will ever know to get a positive review and some excellent feedback!

Teacher Talk Tuesday

UPDATED ON APRIL 30, 2020 WITH NEW MURAL COLLAGE ART PICTURE.

There are so many things swirling through my mind that I could post about today.  But I think the biggest one at the forefront of our minds is this Pandemic and how it has affected not only us, but our students (aka “our kids”) as well.

Our official school closing began March 16^th.  It seemed sudden and nobody really had any idea what was coming.  We hugged the kids as they left school Friday, March 13^th.  Told them we loved them.  We will see you in a few weeks.  They got on the bus, we waved goodbye, and the halls felt so empty!  It was surreal.  Everything felt out of place.  It was empty like they left for the summer, but we knew it wasn’t time.  So many things were left undone.  So many projects left behind (my classroom is still full of leprechaun traps we didn’t get to “set” the following Monday).  School supplies in their desk.  It’s sooooo sad. 😢

We started Non-Traditional Instruction Days (NTI Days) on the following Monday, March 16^th.  We had no idea what was coming in the days and weeks ahead.  I felt so lost and confused that first week.  My NTI Days were already planned and scheduled to post on Google Classroom daily, so what was I to do with all that time?!  Mostly I wandered around my house lost and confused and unsure of what to do with my extra time.  I felt empty.  Of course, I had to answer the occasional parent question about logging in and such, but for the most part, they knew what to do.  I was so unsettled that I couldn’t even sit down and enjoy a good Netflix binge session! 😂

Luckily, I made it through that first week and got myself in gear.  I made some personal goals for myself and that helped get me motivated.  Then, I started thinking…..what else can I do for my class?  If I’m feeling this way, I’m sure all the kids are feeling this way.  How can I make this better for them?  And teacher mode kicked in.  I ordered a ring light from Amazon and started recording daily stories for them.  Although I was staying in contact with the parents through phone and messaging, I wanted to actually reach out to my students.  So, I started sending snail mail (such a lost art that they have thoroughly enjoyed these last few weeks!), video chats, Show and Tell on Zoom and Google Meet….anything to interact with them!  My school staff even pulled together and made an awesome YouTube video for our students, which you can watch here if you are ready for some TikTok entertainment!

I do not have all the best answers during this trying time.  Kentucky schools (that's where I am) are still "in session" and we are participating in Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) Days, which is basically Distance Learning, until May 14^th (for my school district).  I have seen you guys doing so many amazing things out there and I commend you for that!  Those of you who are still being required to teaching actual lessons to kindergarteners (and all other grades) on Zoom and being observed and try to do virtual assemblies—you are truly amazing and I’m thankful I’m not in your shoes!  This hasn’t been easy on any of us.

On a positive note, I would like to share some of things that I have been doing that may help you out and give you some ideas to continue your student's learning.

1)   The Kinder Life on TPT has saved me!  I felt like the NTI (Non-Traditional Instruction) work I was assigning my students was becoming monotonous.  I knew they had to be getting bored and restless of the same things everyday!  I discovered this amazing FREEBIE from The Kinder Life-Amy McDonald on TPT and it changed everything.  My students were actually doing work!  It gave them some variety and fun activities to do with their families.  They were staying engaged.  I added a sheet of my own to give them some direction in the activities and some goals to work toward that would get them ready for 1^st grade, but overall it made the NTI work a little more exciting and fun for them so they didn’t feel like they were being tortured at home.  Here is a link to that FREEBIE so you can check it out and see how you can use it for your own class.  I will also include an image of what I sent home with my students so you can see the work they actually did each day.

2)   Everyone loves receiving mail, so I started coming up with some fun projects to include in SNAIL MAIL!  I found some amazing mural art projects on Art Projects for Kids that could be divided into several pieces (like a puzzle) and printed them.  I mailed one piece to each student, they colored it and mailed it back to me, and then I could piece together our masterpiece!  I finally got the pieces back to update the picture, so here is what ours looks like!  So far, I've gotten all positive feedback and it has been so much fun!  Getting fun projects like this has my students so excited about getting mail that they are now writing letters and drawing pictures to each other!  So, it's a bonus to have them work on those writing skills!  Here is a link to the collage pictures so you can check them out.  There are some FREEBIES on this site as well.

3)   My most favorite project that I have sent home during this trying time is the Flat Teacher Project!  I’m sure most of you have read “Flat Stanley” and maybe even participated in your own project with Flat Stanley.  Well, I put a little spin on it and made a Flat Teacher that looks just like me! My students LOVED receiving it in the mail and doing activities at home “with me,” then sharing them on social media for the world to see!  I created a FREEBIE on TPT if you’d like to try this super fun project with your class!

It's so exciting to see all the adventures that my students and their siblings took Flat Mrs. Cassady on! 

I know today’s post was a long one and I have so much more I could say, but I'll save that for another day.  If you want to share some of your ideas that you have been doing with your class during the Coronavirus Pandemic, please go check out my Facebook page and comment in the thread.  It’s a great way for us to work together and share ideas!  Stay in and stay healthy!  We don’t want to spread the 'rona!