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…
Tomorrow, November 9, is author Lois Ehlert’s birthday. Unfortunately, she passed away in May of this year, but her legacy will live on in her many fabulous picture books for children. She authored 38 books, 28 of which she also illustrated. Her books, Leaf Man; Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf; and Nuts to You! were fall…
Today is the day after Halloween. That means your students are either stuck to the ceiling on a sugar high or are slumped over in your circle time area after the inevitable crash. (Hey, at least this isn’t combined with the effects of a full moon.) You might be wishing you had a bottle of…
Do you have good memories of trick-or-treating? I loved swishing through the crunchy leaves in the dark with my skull flashlight and pumpkin pail full of candy. I feel like Halloween involved all of my senses: the sound of the crunchy leaves, the feel of my costume, the sight of flickering jack-o-lanterns, the taste of…
This Wednesday, October 20, is Love Your Body Day. That’s a tough order for a lot of us, because we’re used to focusing on our flaws. Even young students can find themselves unhappy with the way they look, particularly when they’re bombarded with photoshopped images in the media. That’s why it’s important to teach students…
I’m leaving this week for a vacation, and this trip is going to be different from others in one way: I’m going to drive a car in a foreign country. Picture a medium-size SUV and tiny, winding little roads with questionable smartphone service. (What blows my mind is that I think this was actually my…
We normally talk about seeds in the classroom during spring…unless we’re talking about pumpkin seeds! That is definitely a fall topic. And as luck would have it, Wednesday, October 6, is National Pumpkin Seed Day. I’ve never had the patience to remove the seeds from the pumpkin, clean them, and then roast them. Fortunately, this…
Fall is finally here and I’m excited! I don’t know about you, teacher friends, but I’m all about sweatshirt weather, fall leaves, and candy corn. If you need to get excited about this season, look no further than the October issues of The Mailbox® Magazine. I spent some time looking at all the grade levels…