✨ Put a Little Magic in the First Day of School (Right After Lunch!)

The first day of school can feel like a whirlwind. By the time lunch is over, everyone’s minds and bodies have been working hard. That’s why I love to build in a little magic moment after lunch to re-energize my students without overwhelming them.

Enter… Magic Play Clay or Play-Doh.  (Download for FREE!)

Make Your Own

How It Works

Before students return from lunch, place a small ball of white clay (can be store-bought but I make my own) on each desk. Tell them this is no ordinary clay. It’s magic clay that will change color when they make a First Grade Wish once they squish, roll, and stretch it.(In the baggie at first until mixed!)

As they begin working the clay in their baggie, the hidden color inside will start to appear. The transformation is quick, fun, and totally mesmerizing! (The secret: hide a little food coloring in the middle of each clay ball before class.)

Keep in baggie UNTIL all mixed well.  This way, won't stain anything. They must get my verbal OK before they can take out of bag.

Why It’s Perfect for After Lunch

• Calms the energy after recess and the bustle of the cafeteria.

• Gives students a shared, fun and giggly experience in the middle of a big day.

• Sparks conversation without the pressure of a formal activity.

Add a Creative Twist

Once the color has fully appeared, I let them take it our of the baggie and challenge students to shape their clay into something:

• Spell their name or initials with it

• An object that starts with the first letter of their name

• Make an animal out of it

• Free play! Let them do what they want with it

Let them share with a partner or small group. It’s a fun way to build community and get everyone talking again.

It’s simple. It’s magical. And it gives your first day the perfect dose of wonder… right when your students need it most.

Full directions, poems and a class book you can use as well linked above.  Enjoy! 

The Only Way to Learn Math? Do the Math!

There’s a quote I recently turned into a poster for our classroom:

“Math is not a spectator sport. The only way to learn math is to do math.”

And let me tell you, it’s so true in first grade.

You can have the cutest anchor charts, the brightest manipulatives, and the cleverest chants and songs...But until kids are actually solving problems by thinking, trying, struggling, doing, they're not really learning math.

Math is often messy! That's a good thing!

Click pic to download. 

🎯 What “Doing Math” Looks Like in First Grade

“Doing math” doesn’t mean sitting quietly and getting everything right. It looks like:

• Kids talking through a strategy with a partner

• Hands-on manipulatives: using counters, fingers, ten frames, etc., and then talking through strategies

• Getting an answer wrong, but being able to explain their thinking

• Drawing several different versions of the same story problem until it clicks

• Hearing “This is hard!” followed by “Ohhh wait, I got it!”

• Working with partners via "games" and learning how to be an ENGAGED partner

• reworking problems over and over again until success

• GRIT

These moments matter more than a perfect worksheet.

My Real-Life Math Moments

Highs:

• When a student who’s been unsure suddenly explains a strategy to a classmate and lights up like a firework

• When math journals are messy—but FULL of thinking

• When they make up their own word problems and giggle at their wild scenarios (I’ve had unicorns eating 7 cupcakes and flying away with 2...)

Lows (but still learning):

• When kids erase their work because it “looks wrong”

• When they give up too quickly and say “I don’t get it!” without even trying

• When a fast finisher calls out the answer and others stop thinking

That’s where I come back to:

“The only way to learn math is to do math.”

I remind my class: Mistakes are part of the process. We don’t watch math. We do math.

 Ideas to Get Kids Doing the Math

Here are some easy, go-to strategies I love:

• Math Journals with open-ended prompts: “Show me 3 ways to make 10.” I'm all about the open-ended questions!

• Partner problem-solving with mini-whiteboards

• Story-based word problems with drawings and labels

• Math talks where kids explain “how they know” even if their answer is wrong. 

• Hands-on games that require thinking, not just speed

• Infusing math into Morning Meeting (I use Which One Doesn't Belong as my activity once a week.)

• Providing kids with "Math Refresher Baggies" so they have other options besides "read a book" when they have a few extra minutes here and there.

None of these are fancy. But they work because kids are engaged.

🪄 Final Thoughts

First grade math shouldn’t feel like a race to get the “right” answer. It should feel like a puzzle to figure out.

If we want our students to truly understand numbers, patterns, and problem-solving… we have to let them wrestle with it, play with it, do it.

So here’s your reminder (and mine!):
Math is not a spectator sport. Let’s give them the time and space to get in the game.

Make Morning Meetings the Best Part of Your Day (And Save Tons of Time!)

LET'S BE REAL: There’s a lot on your plate at the start of a new school year. Between prepping supplies, organizing your classroom, and learning a whole new batch of personalities, it’s easy to let routines like Morning Meeting slide to the bottom of the to-do list. This is especially true if YOU need to come up with your own components. All. Year. Long.

But what if I told you that Morning Meeting could actually make your days smoother, your classroom community stronger, and your lesson planning easier?

Let me show you how easier your Back-to-School season can be! 

🌟 What is Morning Meeting and Why Does It Matter?

Morning Meeting is a simple but powerful daily routine that sets the tone for learning. It helps students feel seen, safe, and connected and when kids feel connected and part of a community, everything runs more smoothly.

Each Morning Meeting lasts around 15 minutes and includes:

• A Greeting to build connections

• A Share to build confidence and communication skills

• An Activity to promote teamwork and laughter

• A Message to set expectations and/or spark conversation

I’ve written in-depth posts on each of the four components, so if you're looking for ideas or inspiration, you can dive deeper here:

• All About Morning Meeting Greetings

• Meaningful Share Prompts for Morning Meeting

• Quick & Easy Morning Meeting Activities

• How to Write a Morning Message That Matters

⏱️ Save HOURS with These Ready-to-Use Slides

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every morning! 

My Monthly Morning Meeting resources give you 25 complete days of slides you can project or print. All are aligned with social-emotional learning and perfect for Kindergarten, First and Second Grade. (Each month is DIFFERENT with about 5 repeat activities/greetings that are favorites. When they pop up, the kids get very excited!)

So no more scrambling ten minutes before school starts each day. Just click and project.  Here is a closer look at some of my September Slides.

🗓️ Use It How YOU Want

Teachers have told me they use these slides:

• As part of a Responsive Classroom model (But if not RC, they still are perfect for MM!)

• During Afternoon Meeting/Closing Circle, Circle Time, or SEL blocks

• For sub plans (They’re that easy! I print out one of each and leave for Sub.)

• As a reference tool. Some display only the message but still use everything else in the meeting...just not projected.)

And because there are some slides that are editable, you can add a greeting, share or activity to fit your class needs.

💸 HUGE Back-to-School Discount Coming!

Next week during the sitewide sale, this BUNDLED resource will be an additional 25% off! The bundle is already discounted everyday from $60 to $48 and next week, the bundle will be on sale for $36.

The sale will start on Tuesday, August 5, at 12:01am ET and end on Wednesday, August 6. Use the promo code BTS25.

👉Still not convinced this can make your life easier?  Want to Try Before You Buy? Grab the Free Week of Morning Meetings to see how simple and powerful these can be! 

Whether you’re new to Morning Meeting or just want to start fresh this year, this is the best time to jump in.

✨ Final Thought

Morning Meeting doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, when it’s simple, consistent, and meaningful, it becomes one of the best parts of the day.

Let this be the year you jump in and take the plunge. Less planning. More connecting. That’s a win-win!

Happy teaching,

My New Favorite PD Hack: EdWeb

If you need PD hours and haven’t checked out EdWeb yet… do it! I just discovered it and I’m honestly impressed. It’s completely free, super easy to navigate, and packed with informative sessions on everything from classroom management to tech tips.

You can watch live or catch the replays, and it even tracks your certificates for you. No stress. Just solid professional learning from the comfort of your couch. 🙌

Here is a screenshot of just a few of the offerings so you get a sense of what they are all about.

I just finished the Webinar Top 3 Techniques for Engaging Math Lessons with High-Quality Instruction.

I did come away with some new ideas to implement and a different perspective on my how I implement my Math Warm-Up session. Nothing crazy earth-shattering but helpful. Reminders. I enjoyed it. Felt like I was listening in on my friends sharing some teaching ideas. Best of all? I felt relaxed. No stress whatsoever. My district requires a lot of PD and I am thrilled to have discovered these high quality Webinars. No more scouring for PD...problem solved!

Go peek at edweb.net if you need some hours (or just want fresh ideas). You're welcome! 😉

Why Poetry Belongs in Every Classroom

I got an email on Tuesday asking me why I'm so passionate about using poetry and songs in the classroom.  I pulled together my Top 10 reasons why I think using poetry binders in my First Grade classroom is beneficial:

1. Builds Early Literacy Skills

• Encourages fluency, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development.

• Provides repeated exposure to high-frequency words and patterns.

2. Promotes Reading Confidence

• Poems are often short and rhythmic, making them approachable for young readers.

• Repetition and predictable structures help build self-assurance.

3. Enhances Listening and Speaking Skills

• Reciting and performing poems improves oral language skills.

• Encourages expressive reading and articulation.

4. Supports Memory and Retention

• Rhyming and rhythm aid memorization.

• Helps students recall language patterns and content.

5. Encourages Creativity and Imagination

• Sparks interest in wordplay, imagery, and storytelling.

• Inspires students to create their own poems.

6. Creates a Personal Reading Resource

• Students can revisit poems independently, building a sense of ownership.

• Acts as a growing portfolio of literacy progress throughout the year.

7. Facilitates Cross-Curricular Connections

• Poems can align with science, social studies, or seasonal themes.

• Reinforces concepts through engaging language.

8. Strengthens Home-School Connection

• Students can take binders home to read with family.

• Encourages literacy outside the classroom.

9. Fosters Classroom Community

• Shared readings of poetry promote a sense of belonging and shared learning.

• Class favorites can become part of daily routines or transitions.

10. Supports Differentiated Instruction

• Binders can be customized with poems suited to individual reading levels or interests.

• Provides an accessible entry point for struggling or emerging readers.

There you have it!  Thinking of starting a poetry binder this year? Here are 20 FREE poems to get you started. Have fun with them  Enjoy!!!

FREEBIE! Meet Your New Best Friend in the Classroom—Making Words!

Hey there, teacher friend! Happy New Year! I love January with my First Graders...the growth really accelerates by leaps and bounds once January hits! It's exciting to see. I still have a few more days of vacation but wanted to share one of my favorite classroom activities with you: Making Words! 

I did speed it up so you I could show you my words. Can you guess my thought process?  I can hear my Firsties saying, "I just used the digraph -ck!"  Every time I made a plural word, I envisioned, "Yes! She added the s to make more than one!"  I love how this engaging hands-on activity is like their own second dose of Fundations for the day!

I’m excited to show you why (and how) I use this game-changing tool that will make your teaching life even more amazing—and I have 13 FREE January/February themed Making Words ready for you to print out today and share with your class.

Do you have lots of magnetic letters? If so, you can make this activity center below as a year-long area for your kids to get more practice making words. My kids are always there...even during their Free Choice time.  Kids like to go in groups of 2 or 3 and just write messages or play school and practice sight words.

Here's a picture of one student using the Making Words Center to leave me a message.

They often write their parents a message and send it home via Seesaw. One parent even replied using refrigerator magnets and sending a message back to her child. Fun!

So, what's all the buzz about? Well, let me tell you how this tool is going to take your classroom to the next level of engagement and learning. Promise! 

What is Making Words?

Making Words is a hands-on, interactive learning resource that allows students to practice spelling, phonics, and vocabulary through word-building activities. The best part? It's completely adaptable for your classroom's needs. The FREE January/February Making Word packet comes with 13 Make-a-Word worksheets. While I don't use all 13, I do use, at a minimum, eight.  One per week where kids work together and then 1 per week that we do together.  I use magnetic letter on the board that they come up and manipulate into words and write down on their worksheet. (Or use Doc camera if you don't have letters.)  NOTE: I do add others to Free Choice time and send home when kids request them...which is often. Families do together.  Fun!

Making words is like a word puzzle, Fundation lesson, and a learning adventure all rolled into one. What’s not to love? 

If you do this:

then there is a very high probability that you will LOVE making words with your class!

Why You’ll Love It

1. Endless Fun with Themes Galore!
   With 13 Making Words per monthly packet, there’s a fresh word-building challenge for every month—and let’s not forget the holiday themes! From Pumpkin Spice words to Winter Wonderland vocabulary, your students will be excited to create and learn with each new theme.

2. Simple Setup, Big Impact
   You don’t need a PhD in lesson planning to get started. Each packet is designed for quick, easy implementation, saving you valuable time. Just print. That's it! Plus, with the activities aligned with the K-3 curriculum, you can quickly integrate them into your existing lessons without skipping a beat.

3. Helps with Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary
   Making words isn’t just a fun activity—it’s a critical literacy tool! Your kiddos will master phonics skills, improve their spelling, and expand their vocabulary all while playing and collaborating with their classmates. 

4. Perfect for Small Groups & Independent Work
   Whether you're working with small groups or letting kids dive into independent learning, Making Words has you covered. It’s versatile enough to use in a variety of ways. And the best part? It’s not just something your students will do once. They can revisit it again and again—making it a year-long valuable resource.

5. Boosts Confidence and Builds Creativity
   When students start creating words from scratch, something magical happens—they feel empowered! It builds their confidence and fosters creativity. Seeing a student light up when they’ve created a new word or finally recognize and can spell that Trick Word in Fundations, is an unforgettable moment that shows how powerful this tool is.

6. Helps with Differentiation
   You’ve got a class full of diverse learners, and Making Words is designed with that in mind. Whether they’re beginners or more advanced, it meets every child’s needs. Plus, the variety of words offered means there's always something new for everyone to explore!  

Why It’s a Must-Have for Your Classroom

Alright, let’s get real. We know that as teachers, you’re constantly on the lookout for tools that save time, maximize engagement, and boost learning. Well, guess what? Making Words checks all of those boxes—and more.

It’s a one-stop resource that will provide hours of educational fun throughout the year. Imagine the smiles as kids dive into themed word-building challenges, the high fives when they spell a tricky word, and the excitement of learning through play. Can you say "classroom gold"?

But don’t just take my word for it—this tool has been crafted with teachers in mind, and I can’t wait for you to see the difference it makes in your classroom.

How I Use Making Words in My Classroom:

1. Pick out a Making Words Sheet and gather your kids on the carpet area.  You can either use Magnetic letters or cut our the letters.  Either way, I do prefer kids to actually move the letters around to make the words.  Ask kids, "Can anyone make a word out of these letters?"

2. Record words on board. 

3. I often guide students who lack confidence. "Dan made the word at.  Look at the word, Sarah. If I put a C in front of -at, what is my new word?"  

4. Repeat the above and if students don't mentions diraps, plurals etc, guide them. Help them make those connections.  Point to the Word Wall area and remind kids to make those words too.

5. Group Work: Once a week, while kids are eating snack at desks, I will whip out a Making Words.  They can eat and think at the same time! 

6. Independent Time! When kids are ready to work without me, I will let them work independently at times but OFTEN in a group.  They make/record words together.

7. Share Words: Halfway through, I get everyone's attention and ask if anyone wants to share a word.  This is the best part. The kids love to show what they know.  The student says the word as I write it on the board.  I tell the kids that they can add this word to their own paper if they want. Most do. 

My colleague uses these Making Words activities but does NOT have kids cut the letters out. Personal preference. Do what's best for your kids.  I do have kids store words in a snack baggie so they can work on their words throughout the week.

In the beginning, the words in First Grade start off as mostly 2-3 letter words but that really changes fast.

Side Note: A few years ago, our First Grade Team was concerned that so many of our kids struggled with RHYMING WORDS for the first time.  A downward trend that I feel was reversed by Making Words. 

Are you up for a new activity in 2025? Grab your Making Words set today!

Happy teaching!

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. 

1. 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. 

2. 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. 

3. 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.

4. 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.

   
   
   

5. 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. 

   
   
   

6. 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.  

   

7. 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!