What a Hoot!: Owl Unit for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergartners! Plus Some Owl Facts Too!

Do you give a hoot about owls? I certainly do! Owls are amazing birds whose nocturnal nature has intrigued people since the beginning of time. From their large, luminous eyes to their sharp, curved beaks, their aura of mystery and beauty have made them a whimsical and special creature to many. 

I myself have a Pinterest board dedicated to owls and collect anything owl related. From stuffed animals to an owl purse (I have it). One of my favorite items is this Lucite, owl pen holder that I keep on my computer desk. Isn't he adorable? 

 Here's a look at my Absolutely Owl-Mazing Pinterest Board

That's enough about my owl obsession, let's get to some fun fact about these fantastic flyers. 😀

• Owls eyes cannot move. They have binocular-like vision. 
• An owl's ears are unevenly placed on both sides of their heads. This allows them to hear sounds from many directions. 
• Some owls dine on other owls (such as the Great Horned Owl). 
• A parliament is what you call a bunch of owls. 
• An owl can turn it's head 270 degrees. 

Source: 11 Fun Facts About Owls (Audubon)

If you would like your little ones to learn more about owls, why not take a look at my owl unit for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners?

The Owl Unit for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergartners includes cute and simple learning activities that can be performed by these ages.

Included in this unit: 

This unit includes:

8 Rhyming Owl Pairs Cards

Owl Symmetry Puzzles

Part of an Owl

How Many Owls Are There? Counting Worksheet

Is It a Sentence? Worksheet

Owl Word Search

Small, Medium and Large Owls Sorting Owls

Tree Owls Sizing Sorting Mats

All Answer Keys Included!

Click on the link below the cover to view the unit! 

Owls Unit

I promise your students and children will have a hoot! 

How One Educator Helped Her School Through TpT for Schools!

TpT for schools offers a limitless number of educational resources. It brings quality teaching materials to educators, administrators, and students alike.

Just see how the following educator gave the gift the learning to her school through TpT for Schools!

It all starts with a conversation! Third grade teacher Michelle Burrus helped her administrator see how TpT for Schools offered a real solution to their school’s challenges. Read her whole story and learn more here about how to start the conversation with your own administrator: bit.ly/tpt-for-schools

Apple Picking, Crafts, and a Preschool Apple Unit! Oh My!

It's apple picking time! Fields upon fields of apple trees are beckoning you to pick these delicious, red, green, and yellow beauties from their branches. If you have a farm nearby, it's definitely your perfect chance to taste fall's natural treasures!

Thankfully, I live fairly close to a beautiful farm in Sturtevant, Wisconsin called Apple Holler. It has a great restaurant with traditional American food such as burgers, ribs, and fried chicken. Oh my God, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The food is absolutely delicious. I have never picked apples or pumpkins at this farm, but they have been named one of the "10 Best Orchards" by USA today in 2015, so they must be excellent.

I have to say the setting is gorgeous. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. The land is untouched and fabulously rural. It reminds me of a Thomas Kincade painting of true Americana. A time when life was harder, but simpler at the same time.

They offer hayrides for families and have an adorable country store! If you're ever in the Wisconin area you should definitely stop by! You will not be disappointed.

If you can't travel to your local orchard, you can get in the "apple picking spirit" by creating a few of these adorable apple crafts I found!

Creating crafts with students is a wonderful way to spark creativity, encourage critical thinking and  fine motor skills, and improve color identification and recognition.

Take a look at the crafts below to start creating! Click on links below each picture for directions.

Easy Apple Craft  (Paging Supermom) 

                                         Apple Coffee Filter Art (Mom to 2 Posh Lil' Divas)

                                               Bubble Wrap Painted Apples  (Somewhat Simple)

Aren't these crafts so cute. I've done somewhat similar crafts to these with my preschoolers too! It's amazing how few craft supplies are truly needed for these projects. They are really simple and easy to make with just a little preparation and time. 

Okay, I hope you enjoyed the crafts I found, but what about other possible activities that the children can explore in the classroom? Don't worry, I got you covered with the following ideas and my newest Preschool Apple Pack I'm selling on my TpT store! 

Science Center and Science Activities

Cut an apple open and let the children observe the inside of the apple. Place lemon water on the flesh so that the apple doesn't brown as quickly. Provide plastic spoons so the children can scoop out the seeds, too. 

Find  and make a simple applesauce recipe. 

Compare two types of apples and record there differences using a graph or better yet, a venn diagram. 

Taste test different types of apples. (Check for allergies first) 

Math Center 

Count apple seeds. Cut  out a red apple from red construction paper and  apple seeds from brown construction paper. Laminate all of the pieces and cut them out of  the lamination. Have students count seeds using number cards that can be created using index cards at the math center. 

Apple patterning

Cut several apples from scrapbook paper and have students create AB, ABBA, and ABC patterns. 

Dramatic Play Center 

Apple Picking 

Provide plastic bushel baskets, fake apples, paper bags for apple picking and buying apples, a cash register, and play money. 

Bakery 

Writing Center

Apple words 

Create a list of apple-themed words that your children can trace. Words such as bushel, tree, cider, pick, etc. 

Tracing apple trees

Create several apple tree shapes that your children can decorate and trace. 

Art Center

Apple prints

Cut apples in half and let your children dip  them into yellow, green and yellow paint. They then press the apples onto easel paper. 

Apple rubbings

Cut apple shapes from cardboard and have children place a piece of paper on top of the shape. Tell the children to rub a crayon over the cardboard apple shape to make a rubbing. 

Apple hats

Make a headband out  of long construction paper. Have children cut out apple shapes and glue to the headband. Staple the headband around the child's head with a stapler. 

Books

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall 

Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington 

Ten Apples on Top by Dr. Seuss 

  Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray 

You can also purchase my Preschool Apple Unit at TpT for more fun, easy-to-prepare apple centers and activities. Students can sort apples by size, play a color match file folder game, investigate non-standard forms of measurement by measuring foods made from apples using apples and much more! 

 This unit includes:

Things That Start with “A” Tree Mat

Things That Start with “A” Apple Cards

Apple Sizing

Measuring With Apples

Apple Objects to Measure such as an Apple Juice Box

How Many Apples are in the Basket? Math Mat

Math Mat Numbers with +, -, and = Signs

Apple Pieces to Count, Add, or Subtract

Apple Color Matching

How to Make an Apple Pie Sequencing Activity

Preschool Apple Unit

You'll be the "apple of your students' eyes" with these fun and educational activities! 

Making a Little Dough!: Why Is Play Dough a Great Early Childhood Teaching Tool

Let's face it, who doesn't love playing with fun, squishy, pliable play dough? It just makes you happy and brings you back to the days when the most important task of the day was sitting in front of the t.v. watching your favorite cartoons. But, guess what? There is more depth to this doughy solid. It is in fact, a perfect teaching tool for those in ECE.

See the list below of the many ways that play dough can be used to liven up your lessons!

1. Play dough increases eye-hand coordination, fine motor, and critical thinking skills. It is also a great sensory exploration tool. 
2. Teach shapes with play dough by using cookie cutters. 
3. "Write" letters by laminating large, letter tracing sheets. Have your child roll play dough snakes to create the letters. 
4. Let your inner creative genius out! Add buttons, beads and glitter to play dough and design away. Adult supervision should be used with younger children who still like to explore their world by placing items in their mouths at all times. 
5. Buy mini-plastic flower pots and place play dough inside them. Insert dollar store, plastic flowers inside to create a magical flower garden that you don't need a green thumb for! (Science Concepts) 
6. Laminate ten frames and teach children how to count using play dough rolled into balls. 
7. Help children learn about animal tracks by "walking" plastic farm, forest or any other animals through rolled out play dough. 
8. Be a forensic scientist! Have children investigate their fingerprints using play dough! This is a fantastic science center activity! Leave pictures of common fingerprint patterns and magnifying glasses in the area so children can see the many types of fingerprint patterns there are. 
9. Add  child-friendly, play dough tools such as small rolling pins, plastic play dough cutters, cups, and cookie cutters to your child's play dough toys. These tools help children learn about spatial concepts, cause and effect, and physical properties associated with play dough. 
10. Investigate color mixing with play dough! Find a non-cook play dough recipe that can easily be made by you and your students. Separate the play dough into several medium or smaller-sized pieces. Add food coloring to each piece to create primary, secondary, and tertiary colors! 
11. Play dough works well for dramatic play too! Have children decorate play dough cookies and cupcakes! Provide beads and buttons (as previously stated in post), plastic cupcake liners, and cookie sheets so that the students can make their very own "pastries" in their preschool bakery. 

I  have tried many, many, did I say many?, play dough recipes during my teaching. This recipe is by far the best. I even used it when I worked as a youth services assistant at a local library.

Cooked Play Dough

Warning- Please keep little ones away from the stove and if you allow them to knead the dough afterwards make sure it is cool enough not to burn their hands.

Mix together in an aluminum core pot:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

2 cups water

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Food coloring (Add to dough after cooking)

Cook these ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they thicken. You will know it's ready to take off the stove when the play dough pulls away from the sides of the pan (it is similar to the consistency of cream puff dough). Place on a plate to cool enough to handle comfortably. Knead, and then store mixture in an airtight container.

Helpful tip: Place an old acrylic cutting board on the table. (I altered this from parchment paper. It is easier to use and less likely to tear.) When the dough is cool, use food coloring to dye the play dough. Cut the play dough mixture into several large pieces. Place a few drops of different colors of food coloring on each piece of the dough. Knead the food coloring into the dough. Wear gloves when kneading food coloring into play dough to prevent staining your hands. Enjoy your rainbow-colored play dough!

(Source: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Sixth Edition pg. 270 by Eva L. Essa)

Try this recipe. You will absolutely love it! It keeps extremely well when stored in airtight, plastic bags too! 

You can even try out your new play dough on some fun Fall Play Dough Mats that I just created. The play dough mats come in 8 fall designs. 

Designs Included: 

• Owl

•Candy Apple

•Pumpkin

•Squirrel

•Black Cat

•Witch

•Turkey 

•Pilgrim’s Hat

Please click on the link below the cover to view the Fall Play Dough Mats on my TpT store!

Fall Play Dough Mats

It's Tree-Mendous!: Learning About Leaves and Trees

From Maples to Oaks, trees make up a large portion of the plantings of our towns and cities. They are beautiful, ethereal, and majestic. They are truly living history. Can you imagine that some of the trees we see today may have been around when Gold Fever struck America or the Gold Rush occurred? That's pretty amazing, right?

Just check out a couple of these tree facts:

Trees are give us oxygen!
Trees keep us cool by creating shady places to rest!
Trees are used for water purification purposes!

Check out more tree-mendous facts gathered from Arborday.org Tree Facts

Talking about trees, have you ever been to an arboretum? (AKA a tree museum) If one is close to you you should definitely check one out. I am lucky enough to live fairly close to the famous Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Joy Morton of Morton Salt fame created the arboretum in 1922. It contains 1,700 acres of beautiful trees and plants.

They have art exhibits during the year, festivals such as an upcoming Cider and Ale Fest, a horticultural library, an adorable and magical  children's garden and provide tram rides on the Acorn Express. It is also a great venue for weddings, social, and business events.

I have visited the arboretum several times.I would like to show you my favorite photo from a Lego Block art exhibit they held in 2015. I couldn't believe how detailed each sculpture was! I wish I was that talented! This gorgeous Monarch butterfly looks so real.

The art exhibit they are currently holding at the arboretum is Troll Hunt by Thomas Dambo.

Learn more about the Morton Arboretum here: The Morton Arboretum


If you and your children/students can not travel to learn more about trees at this incredible "tree museum", why not take a look at my Trees and Leaves Unit?

This unit is especially for students in pre-k, kindergarten, and homeschool. I have included many developmentally-appropriate activities that will enliven this fascinating unit.

This unit includes:

How Many Leaves Should I Place on the Tree? Counting Mat

Counting Leaves and Number Cards

Leaf Sorting Mat (Heart-shaped Leaves and Lobed Leaves)

Leaves to Sort

Leaf Acrostic Poem

Leaf Shadow Matching

Leaf Rubbing Decorative Frame Art Project

What Lives In a Tree? (Animal Habitat) Worksheet 

Click on the link below the Leaves and Trees Unit  cover to view on my TpT store!

Leaves and Tree Unit

Lastly, remember to hug a tree today!

Getting Squirrely!: Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Other Rodents Unit for Pre-K, Kindergarten and Homeschool!

Squirrels the quintessential harbinger of fall (and all year for that matter) Do you love seeing  these funny, furry, lush-tailed cutie pies in your backyard? I certainly do! When I was creating the unit, Squirrels, Chipmunks and Other Rodents, I learned that their is more than meets the eye to these adorable, curious little hams.

Squirrel Facts 

Squirrel's  teeth never stop growing?

Squirrels can be found around the world,except for Australia 

The African Pygmy Squirrel is the smallest squirrel in the world. The Indian Giant Squirrel is the biggest. The African Pygmy Squirrel is five inches long and the Indian Giant Squirrel is a whopper at 3 feet in length! Talk about the long and the short of it. 

Chipmunks are ground squirrels. 

Flying squirrels glide, but do not fly. 

Squirrels hoard away food, but often don't find all of it. 

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/squirrels/

Since we're talking about squirrels I need to tell you about my mother (AKA The Squirrel Whisperer). She has been known to gently console the most frightened baby squirrel from the fence for a nut reward.

 She can often be found surrounded by a scurry of both squirrels and chipmunks during all times of the day. They show off their cuteness by standing on their hind legs, hopping, plopping down on hot days on their stomachs in the shade, and placing their paws on their chest in a classic "Who me?" pose. It is truly a sight to behold. 

If you too like me, love squirrels and would like your students to learn more about them and their cousins: rats, chipmunks, and beavers, the Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Other Rodents Pack is for you! 

I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of the cutie pies in my backyard. I recently created flashcards featuring backyard animals. The pack is called It's a Wildlife: Animal Photographic Flashcards. 

Here are a few of the pictures featured in the flashcard pack. 

Fox Squirrel 

Eastern Chipmunk 

Eastern Gray Squirrel 

Click on the link below the picture to see a full preview the Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Other Rodents unit! 

Squirrels, Chipmunks and Other Rodents Unit

Teachers Pay Teachers For Schools Makes a Teacher's Life So Easy!

Have you ever truly wanted a great lesson plan that was created by a teacher in the field that truly understood the needs of  their and (your) students? Then check out TpT For Schools. Make sure your administrators know about this amazing way that they can provide their teaches with high-quality products.

Check out the info below the image to learn more about this fantastic way to bring TpT to your school!

Teachers, I want to make sure you know about TpT for Schools! Educators like you already turn to TpT to get resources to meet the needs of all types of learners — and now your school can support you in purchasing these resources! TpT for Schools is an easy, centralized way for your administrator to use school funds to buy the resources you need from TpT. Learn more here about how your administrator can sign up: bit.ly/tpt4schools

It's a Learning Curve: What I've Learned About Teachers Pay Teachers As a Newbie

I have learned a lot on Teachers Pay Teachers in the last four months. It's quite the learning curve for sure. Before Teachers Pay Teachers, I had only created teaching materials for myself and rarely thought about designing them for other teachers, but it was one of the best things I've ever done.

By creating resources, I have learned more about educational resources that teachers from toddlers to early elementary enjoy, began to understand popular learning keywords and trends, and received much advice from those in the TpT's forums.

Below, I wanted to help other newbies learn how to better succeed on TPT  by providing some quick and easy tips that I have learned from the forums, bloggers and YouTube videos.

1. Always create your files in Powerpoint. When I first started, I was was addicted to Microsoft Word. It was easy and simple to use, but trying to format my work was a nightmare. If the pictures or font moved to the next page one more time, I thought I was going to scream! After learning how to use Powerpoint, I learned that you can easily change slide positions, duplicate slides, and create jpegs for product covers in a snap. 
2. Make Square Covers in Powerpoint. 8 by 8 square covers give potential buyers a clearer and better look at the products you are trying to sell. I found out that it is very easy to do too. Just click on the design tab and change the page dimensions 8 inches high to 8 inches wide and make sure that you maximize your page size for the most usable page space. Make sure to add pictures of your product to your cover so that buyers can get visuals of your fantastic resource. 
3. Use the TpT forums for suggestions, ideas and tips. I was totally confused about flattening and securing my work and Adobe Acrobat Pro did not load properly onto my computer. Recently, a  TpT teacher-author was nice enough to help me figure out a way to flatten and secure my work without installing this very expensive pdf program. There is even a section on the TPT forums,  that allows you to ask other teachers to review your work to see how it appears to potential buyers. 
4. Set a Specific Time to Work on Your Products and Store. Otherwise, you will find yourself working 18 hours a day.:) Take time to rest and recharge, just remember that you need to make awesome and educational products for teachers, not churn out lots of low-quality, less than stellar work. Quality over quantity is always the answer. 
5. Use Teacher-Created Clip art. TpT offers a lot of teacher created clip art for free from teacher-authors. As long as you follow their terms of use and make sure that the product can be used commercially, you are good to go. Another great site for free clip art is Openclipart. 
6. Take Advantage of Social Media. Set up a Pinterest account or a blog to increase traffic. Traffic does not always mean sales, but sales are more likely to happen  if you pin or post a product frequently to these sites. Pin and blog as often as possible. The more people who see your brand the better your sales will be. 
7. Use Keywords to Your Advantage in Blogs. Search engines will be more likely to find you if you use high frequency search terms for your products. An example if some is looking for  Preschool Animal Flashcards. Search terms could be "Animals" "Flashcards for preschoolers", "Early Childhood Education Flashcards" "Picture Flashcards" etc. 
8. Most Importantly, Make Sure That You Have Researched Your Product to Make Sure That It is Developmentally-Appropriate for the Age Group You Are Designing It For. If you are unsure how to create a math worksheet for 3rd graders, perform a  search on 3rd grade math worksheets or go to the library and look at your school district's textbooks for 3rd grade to find out about appropriate difficulty levels for this age group. I generally stick more to preschool to extremely early elementary because this is where I feel most confident. I believe in the old adage "do what you know". 

It's your turn, do you have any tips and tricks for newbies to Teachers Pay Teachers? Please share your comments below to help us (newbies) learn more and improve our skills on this amazing teaching resource marketplace.

On Your Mark, Get Ready, Set, Learn! 

Get a Job!: The Importance of Classroom Jobs and Chores at School or Home

A young child eagerly waters the plants or sets the table at lunch. So what? Why would this be important, they're just helping out right. In a way yes, and in one way no. They are indeed helping out, but they are learning so much more. We, as adults, should take a page out of their book. They are so patient, willing, and truly want to have a special job of their own.

This is why so many early childhood educators use Classroom Job Charts. Classroom job charts encourage children to become part of a greater community then themselves. They are helping their friends, learning new skills, and challenging themselves as they gain life skills.

Classroom Jobs/Home Chores teach children...

• Respect. Each child needs to work together to get things done. Even though a job may be done individually, it still encompasses the running of the class as a whole.
• Teamwork. When children work as a team they are building their burgeoning, social skills and beginning to understand the feelings of others as they work as one. 
• Responsibility. Whether a child is three or thirteen, they need to learn to be responsible. A task for a three-year-old may be holding the flag during circle or helping pick up their toys after center-time and for a thirteen-year-old , it may be mowing the lawn or washing the dishes. While these may seem like trivial or mundane tasks, they are far-reaching and serve children well.  They begin to learn time management skills, learn that their actions will benefit the class or family as a whole, and give the children a self-esteem boost. Their self-esteem is bolstered because they now know that they are capable and able to perform these tasks on their own with little or no adult support. 
• Job preparation skills. Yes, you heard me right job preparation skills. They begin to learn that being  a leader and performing jobs on their own is a major life skill, but that they need to work as a team in a classroom and future work environment. The little boy, who choose to be a teacher helper may eventually become a teacher himself due to the enjoyment of helping his teacher "teach" and "prepare" for lessons or the little girl who loved to water and take care of the plants grew up to become a landscape architect or florist. Jobs allow children to grow and express their likes, dislikes, and independence by performing simple, yet skill-building tasks. 

Below you will find a link to a classroom job chart I designed for students. It is located under the Classroom Jobs Chart Cover. I created a bright, bold job chart with 17 simple classroom jobs that can be used for children from pre-k  - 2nd grade. It features a header and heart-shaped job cards that can be laminated and used over and over again.

Some of the jobs included in the job chart include: 

Weather Wizard (weather)

Lunch Helper

Librarian (picking up books and keeping the library tidy)

Clean Up Crew (children who help pick up after play time) 

Paper Passer

Supply Guard (checking for classroom supplies) 

Flag Holder 

Calendar Helper

Classroom Jobs Chart

Now it's your turn! Do you use a Classroom Job Chart in your classroom? If so, please post below the reasons why you feel classroom jobs are so important to your students? 

Listening Ears Are On!: Storytimes for Preschoolers!

Turn on your listening ears friends, it's time for story time! Story time is not only a wonderful way to interest young children in reading, but provides social and group interaction with teachers, parents, their students and children!

Check out the benefits of story time below! 

• Greater attention spans. Story times help children gain a better attention span and focus due to having to listen intently on the stories and activities 
• Interaction with children of similar ages or adult role models. This in turn increases, a child's self esteem and social skills. 
• Desire to read to gain more information about the world around them. 
• Recognition of print awareness. In other words, print has meaning. One way you can show this during a story time is by pointing to each word as your read the story. 
• Reading bolsters creativity. You never know, a story time participant may become interested in illustration, writing, or even engineering just by reading a book that sparked the learning bug along with a touch of wonder! 
• And much more! 

So aren't you ready to put together your very own story time! It doesn't have to be a long or drawn out process or even take place at one time. Reading is a joy that can be done at any time of the day! Whether it be at nap time when your child is snuggling down for a good night's rest or a busy afternoon where your preschool students are ready for a boisterous and fun time! 

Be sure to remember to alter you story times based on the time of day when you create your story times. Classic bedtime songs such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the absence of action rhymes would be appropriate for nap time story times, and lots of action would be perfect for a rainy afternoon when you can not take your children/students outside to play. 

Story time How-To 

1. Choose books that contain stories that interest your age group, not just you. There have been many times that I have been jazzed to read a book that I thought would be a crowd-pleaser that turned out to be a ho-hum, unlikable read. Young children love bright, colorful illustrations, silly premises and simple, straight-forward text. Make sure that the stories do not include many adult-oriented puns that children may not understand or small indistinct pictures. 
2. Choose a topic. While story times do not need to be topical, I find that these story times, tend to flow more easily. When you select a topic such as dinosaurs, you can easily locate songs, dances, and flannel boards by easily performing a web search. Story time Favorite Topics include dogs, dinosaurs, food, and seasonal  favorites such as Halloween (pumpkins, costumes, candy) Christmas (Santa, reindeer). 
3. Try to choose several songs, dances, flannel boards, action rhymes, or fingerplays. Some wonderful sites to find these include: Preschool Education, Childcare Lounge (Click on a theme) and Everything Preschool
4. Remember, to add movement to your story times. Scarf dancing to music and movement activities such as"If You're Happy and You Know It" are a great way to add physical activity to a child's daily schedule. 
5. Base your story time length on your children's attention spans. A half-hour story time may be appropriate for preschoolers, while a 10-15 minute story time may be appropriate for toddlers. When you start to see your audience become antsy, it is time to stop and move on to another activity. 
6. Enjoy yourself! Remember, the children are not judging you if you sing off-key or stumble over a few words. They just enjoy spending time with you, listening to a story and most of all having fun! 
7. Provide a simple craft for your students or children. From coloring a picture to a simple pasting craft children can learn a plethora of skills including eye-hand coordination, proper crayon grip, how to use a glue stick and more. 

So grab and book, sit down with your child/students and read!