Sunday, October 6, 2024
Knuffle Bunny Directed Drawing Activities
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Why Goodnight School Is the Perfect Back-to-School Read
My Quick Initial Thoughts On First Read
๐Reminded me of Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
๐While a sweet, rhyming story, the illustrations make this a must-share book.
๐ Every student is going to beg to cozy up to the book to get a closer look at all those “faces” during Stamina and free reading times.
๐ Will be fun to have kids make their own classroom faces to share.

Thursday, August 15, 2024
Draw Your Way to Success: 10 Benefits of Directed Drawings
Hello, fabulous educators! I'm still home on summer break but time is ticking away...hoping you are still soaking in the sun and fun! I'm using some of my summer to make some activities for my classroom and I'm beyond excited to be adding this new product line to my store: DIRECTED DRAWINGS!
I LOVE Directed Drawings and wanted to pair them up with a book that gets nonstop giggles for my little ones: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems.
My sister turned me on to Directed Drawings about 20 years ago. She shared a Dr. Seuss one with me that I did with the whole class. The kids would listen carefully to my directions and we'd draw the Cat in the Hat together. This one is from about 10 years ago and is still a staple in my classroom each year.
One of the best things about Directed Drawings is their flexibility. You can tailor them to fit any theme or subject matter. Whether it’s a drawing of a space alien for a science unit or a festive pumpkin for Halloween, you can easily support your curriculum.
I like sharing a lot of Mo's books in September so I thought I'd focus on the Pigeon for the first one.
I don't view Directed Drawings as just a fun activity. Nope! They offer several benefits making them a valuable activity for all types of learners. Here are some key advantages:
Enhances Fine Motor Skills: As children follow step-by-step instructions to create their drawings, they practice and improve their fine motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination and control over pencil movements.
Boosts Listening and Following Directions: Directed drawings require children to listen carefully if doing as a whole class and follow sequential steps. This helps them develop their ability to follow verbal instructions and improves their listening skills.
Fosters Creativity and Imagination: While directed drawings provide a structured framework, they also allow for personal creativity. Children can add their own touches, colors, and details, which encourages imaginative thinking and self-expression. Can you guess which book will inspire my next Directed Drawing book? A favorite in my class. If we make Jasper, certainly we can learn to draw him!
Supports Visual and Spatial Awareness: By drawing and manipulating specific shapes, children improve their understanding of spatial relationships and visual organization.
Encourages Patience and Focus: Completing a directed drawing requires attention to detail and patience, helping children practice perseverance and concentration. This is so hard for some of the kiddos!
Provides a Sense of Accomplishment: Successfully following the steps to create a drawing gives children a tangible sense of achievement and boosts their confidence. And that confidence soars when they remember how to draw a particular picture and add it to their writing workshop illustrations when appropriate.
Strengthens Understanding of Sequential Thinking: Directed drawings help children grasp the concept of sequence and order, which is an important cognitive skill for problem-solving and logical thinking.
Promotes Language Development: As children describe their drawings or the steps they took, they practice using descriptive language and expand their vocabulary.
Cross-Disciplinary Learning: "Art Smart" approaches often encourage students to make connections between art and other subjects. For example, creating a project related to a historical event or illustrating a story can deepen understanding and retention. By including 6 drawings, my students can retell the story by drawing and then using the pics to prompt/support their retellings.
So, there you have it—Directed Drawings can be your new best friend in the classroom. They’re fun, educational, and a surefire way to bring out the artist in every student. Grab your markers, gather your paper, and get ready to watch your classroom transform into a gallery of giggles.
Happy Drawing!

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Little Voters in Training: Exciting 2024 Election Printables for Kids!

Sunday, August 4, 2024
Rhyme Time: Engaging Young Minds with Poetry in the Classroom
I love using poetry in the classroom. In my First Grade world, poetry is 95% rhyming. When I put the poetry slides up on the board, I'm always met with cheers. The kids LOVE our poems! We have a poetry binder that helps keep our poems organized. We use our binders for Buddy Reading as well as for independent reading time. But when I see kids grab their binders and pair up during their free choice time, I know I have a true winner! All poems featured below are FREE! Click to grab.
If you aren't yet using poetry in your primary classroom but are thinking about it, read about the some of the benefits.
Language Development: Poetry often uses rich and descriptive language that can enhance vocabulary and language skills. For young children, this exposure helps them grasp new words and understand their meanings in context. They are perfect for reinforcing sight words, too. I introduce new poems after our Fundations lessons and the kids love seeing the letter/sound combinations they've learned through Fundations and can now apply independently.
Creativity and Imagination: Poetry encourages creativity and imagination. Poems often have playful rhythms and vivid imagery, which can spark a child's imagination and inspire them to think creatively about language and storytelling.
Emotional Expression: Poetry allows children to express their emotions in a safe and structured way. They can explore feelings like joy, sadness, excitement, and curiosity through poems, which helps them develop emotional intelligence.
Rhythm and Phonological Awareness: The rhythmic patterns in poetry help children develop phonological awareness—the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words. This is crucial for early literacy development.
Memorization and Recitation: Learning poems by heart and reciting them can improve memory skills and boost confidence in public speaking. It also fosters a sense of accomplishment when children can recite a poem independently. Note: While I NEVER make kids memorize any poem, it often happens due to repeated rereadings and boosts the confidence of my struggling readers.
Cultural and Historical Understanding: Many poems are steeped in culture and history. Introducing children to different types of poems from various cultures expands their worldview and fosters appreciation for diversity.
Fun and Enjoyment: Most importantly, poetry can be fun! Whether it's silly rhymes, adventurous tales, or heartwarming verses, exposing first graders to poetry can instill a lifelong love for reading and writing.
All of the above are free! Be sure to grab them. My monthly packets like the first four slides above come in PDF and Google Slides so you can project on board. If a student wants to read one of the poems or if my class is doing an awesome, expressive choral reading, I'll often record it and send it to parents via Seesaw. Fun!
Take a sneak peek at my October poems!
