October 8 is International Observe the Moon Night. Take a few moments to gaze at our lovely moon, and encourage your students to do the same. Consider a few of these awesome lunar activities that also support writing and math skills as well as science. (I know it can be tough to get science…
This book says Halloween to me. I can’t even look at either cover version without getting a bit nostalgic. There are three reasons for this: I LOVE Halloween. It reminds me of crunching through the fall leaves in the dark in my hometown of Midland, Michigan. I remember my teachers and my mom reading these…
The people: My best friend, Jules, and me The plan: We will travel overseas for Thanksgiving The problems: Planning with a three hour time difference (she’s in California, and I’m in North Carolina), flight hassles, lodging issues, inability to speak French So that pretty much sums it up. I love to travel—and I really love…
Look around your classroom. I bet there is at least one apple-themed tchotchki sitting somewhere. If not, maybe you have an apple-themed poster on the wall or…wait, are you wearing an apple appliqueé on your shirt? You see, I know you. I, too, have numerous apple paperweights and necklaces and sweaters. An apple is a…
When I plan the features for The Mailbox® magazine Preschool edition, I always struggle over what to put in the “Welcome to School” unit in the August/September issue. It’s such an odd time of the year because you’re working on classroom routines and rules, plus you’re getting acquainted with your little ones. Yet I know…
A coeditor, who shall remain nameless, sent me this meme the other day. She said that she wasn’t insinuating that I was clumsy, but no doubt, she’s seen me trip over my own feet as I walk to the copy room. Why are people always watching when that happens? I try to transform it into…
Chances are, if you had a picnic or a cookout for this past holiday weekend, you ended up experiencing some ants or other buggy guests. (They all seem to gang up on me whenever I’m outside. Bugs think I’m delicious.) To commemorate our uninvited picnic pests, I’ve made this sassy ant headband! I keep picturing…
I’m working on my green thumb. I recently planted tomato, basil, and jalapeno pepper plants in a huge pot on my back deck. Plus I’m putting a flower garden in the middle of my front yard! I have no idea what I’m doing. Truly. It’s all trial and error. Every day before I leave for…
A couple of years ago, I bought a tiny old house out in the country. One of the things I love about living there is the amount of critters I experience. I regularly see snakes, opossums, deer, lizards, owls, and hawks. But I would have to say the most prolific critters around my home are…
I’ve been having problems with insomnia lately. I have no problem getting to sleep, but then I wake up at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and lie awake until the alarm goes off. Even though I can’t sleep at 3:00 in the morning, I can certainly nod off at 3:00 in the afternoon. This…