So Thanksgiving is now nipping at the heels of Black Friday for the title of Biggest Shopping Day of the Year. What a shame. Many stores were playing holiday music to lull shoppers into a gift-buying mood when they were shopping for back-to-school, which itself now seems to begin sometime in late April. And I…
Holiday and Seasonal
Merry “Thanksgiving-mas”!
During my morning commute, I flip between two different radio stations—back and forth and back and forth—looking for appealing music. About two weeks ago, one of “my stations” went to all Christmas music. I did a lot of grumbling and ranting and muttering about how we have to jump into every holiday way too early….
Gobbler Surprise
This grinning gobbler can hold a dinner napkin or student writing—a list of thankful thoughts, a story of thankfulness, or a Thanksgiving Day poem—to be shared at mealtime. In either case, the tiny turkey makes a supercute and thoughtful addition to a Thanksgiving Day table! Have older students measure and cut the needed paper strips…
What Does the Fox Say?
So I tend to get songs stuck in my head, and once there, they cycle around and around until I want to scream. Lately, the song featured in my head is “What Does the Fox Say?” by Ylvis. I like the song, but it’s ridiculously catchy. A friend of mine forced it out of my…
Who Is Betty Botter?
Betty Botter bought some butter that was too bitter for her batter. So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter, better than the bitter butter, and put it in her bitter batter to make her bitter batter better. That’s who Betty Botter is! By the way, how’s your tongue doing? Feeling a little twisted?…
Favorite Classroom Themes
Favorite Classroom Themes This morning, I had my first cup of hot chocolate of the season. It’s finally gotten chilly enough here in North Carolina for a hot beverage in the morning to taste pretty soothing. (Being a Michigan native, I’m all about cold weather—bring on the sweaters and scarves!) “Hot Chocolate” is actually one…
Halloween Evolves: 1973–2013
In the time of wide lapels, enormous cars, and disco music that we fondly call the 1970s, going to school on Halloween without wearing your costume was about the biggest faux pas a kid could commit. And the only night more exciting than Halloween was the night before Halloween, which we called Mischief Night—an evening…
Going Batty!
Last week, I wore my shirt inside out for half a day. Embarrassing! The week before, I came to work minus my make up—I noticed at about 11:30 when I visited the restroom. Frightening! Last night, I innocently went to care for a kitty whose dad was supposed to be out of town, except the…
Fall Leaf Activities!
What can you do with fall leaves (besides walk through them and listen to that fabulous crunch, crunch, crunch!)? If the October/November edition of The Mailbox Preschool magazine is any indication, the answer is a lot! Here are some of the things we did with fall leaves—and you can easily implement them in your early…
I Flunked!
I’m not a gal who spends hours stirring pots atop the stove. I’m much more adept at tapping the touch screen on my microwave. Nonetheless, I thought I was fairly safety savvy in the kitchen. Not so much. My score on the 2013 Fire Prevention Week Quiz was a shocker. It was less than 50…