I had to run to the drugstore last night for a few things and, unsurprisingly, the Valentine’s Day candy is on display. What did surprise me is that there’s also a selection of Easter candy available. Our world is kind of crazy right now. The cat food shelves are depleted because of supply chain issues,…
I work from home and my office is upstairs. This means that my office is in a location that is generally warmer than the rest of the house. It’s nice…except on those days when I’m all over the place: upstairs, downstairs, and out running to the office. It’s bizarrely cold today in North Carolina and…
I used to make New Year’s resolutions each year. I loved the idea of starting over with a new year and improving myself in some way. Sometimes I would succeed with them and at other times I would fail. After a while, my failures caused the same resolutions to show up year after year. And…
December 27 is a random “holiday”—Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day! It seems like a good idea to me, particularly if you’re on winter break and have kids at home who need an activity. To give your snowflake crafts extra pizzazz, try this idea that uses coffee filters and water-soluble markers! Help a child fold a…
I recently ran across a sweet meme that lists all the wonderful gifts the meme sender wants to give people for the holidays, most of which are delightful but impossible to give as gifts. It made me think about all the things I would like to give teachers, since you are deserving of so much…
I may be late to the party, but I didn’t realize that hot chocolate and hot cocoa were different things. I just assumed we had two different names for the same tasty, toasty beverage. Apparently hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, is sweeter, and has a thinner consistency. Hot chocolate is actual chocolate melted…
Wreaths have been symbols of eternity, unity, victory, and mourning throughout the ages, but today we most commonly associate wreaths with the joy of the holiday season. Here’s a craftivity that will bring joy to your classroom and give students practice with basic facts. After students have finished the projects, display them in your…
I have a friend who jumped right into Christmas decorating on November 1. Now granted, she goes all out and currently has three Christmas trees inside and three more on her front porch. When you go all out, it makes sense to begin early. But I think the most common tradition is to begin decorating…
It’s time to tackle a controversial topic for a lot of people: Does your Thanksgiving dinner involve cranberry sauce from the can or a homemade version—or do you ignore cranberries altogether? Personally, I’ve always made my mother’s recipe, and it’s more of a cranberry relish that involves ground cranberries, orange peel, and sugar. That canned…
When I was growing up, my family had definite holiday traditions. I appreciated them when I was younger and even more now that I’m older. Family traditions give children a sense of consistency and community. For Thanksgiving, my extended family on my mother’s side would gather for the holiday meal. (My cousin would always bring…