TpT Cyber Sale on November 26th and 27th!

Happy TpT Cyber Sale Greetings! 

Many of my products are on sale on Monday, November 26th and Tuesday, November 27th! I have  new toddler and preschool-themed winter packs that will engage and entice the youngest of learners to investigate Elves, Snowmen, Santa's North Pole, Winter Fun Activities and more!

I am offering 83 of my products at 20% off! Remember to stop on by my store for lots of great deals next week! 

Here's a sneak preview of some of my newest packs below! Click on the link below each cover to view! 

Elf Unit 

Holiday Toddler Pack 

Santa's North Pole Pack 

Winter Fun Pack 

Happy Holidays! 

Jennifer 

A Salute to Our Armed Forces: Ways to Celebrate Veterans the Whole Year Through

Veterans' Day is an important holiday that celebrates the bravery, respect and sacrifice our veterans have shared with our country. They selflessly gave their time and energy to keep America strong and protect what our country stands for.

Each November 11th, we make sure to take time to remember our servicemen and women through events such as those at Arlington National Cemetery. The president places a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, the prophetic and beautiful Taps is played, and the traditional Color Guard of the four branches of the military proudly stand tall.

As a way to salute these individuals, we can easily show our respect by letting our students and ourselves show how thankful we are for their efforts through the years. See the ways we can support the troops below.


Write thank you letters to a local VA hospital to cheer up those who are in the care of the doctors and nurses.

Donate items or host a collection drive for care packages to Operation Gratitude for soldiers who desperately need these items.

Say thank you to those in uniform whenever and wherever you see them.

See if you can send a "thank you" book created by your students to a local VFW Hall.

Why not buy or use a Veteran-owned business for your next project? Check out Buy Veteran for listings of veteran-owned businesses in your area.


On a final note, make sure that you practice these tips each and every day of the year for those in uniform, not just on  "national holidays". These brave men and women need our support all year long. 

Happy Veterans' Day! 

Getting Spooky With It: Halloween Crafts and Lesson Plans for Your Little Pumpkins!

Halloween is just around the corner. There is a chill in the air and the thoughts of Halloween candy make grown adults giddy with happiness. How can you not love a good Snickers Bar or Kit Kat? But enough about delicious, high-calorie, amazing sweets. Do you have your Halloween lesson plans complete?

If not, here are some craft ideas of things you can do with your students from around the web! They are spook-tacular, fun, and slightly batty too! These crafts are easy enough for toddlers to try too.

They improve eye-hand coordination, dexterity/fine motor skills, and enhance creativity. Another plus, they feature process art techniques.

Make a Spider Handprint Craft! from Happyhooligans.ca.

Paper Plate Frankensteins will add monstrous appeal to your classroom from Parents Magazine! 

Candy Corn Craft Using Pom Poms To Paint from Crafty Morning are super sweet! 

Now that we have our crafts cover, do you have any new and exciting ideas for Halloween centers, printable, and homework? 

Why not check out the following items I have made recently that will add a touch of cutesy creepiness to your lessons? 

Click on links below units to view.

Bat Color Match! This is perfect for math centers and features colorful bats and moons. A math mat allows students to place the bats and moons on the math mat to create a  silly and spooky scene. 

Bat Color Match 

The Halloween Toddler Pack is just right for the littlest pumpkins in the patch! This pack includes a Skull Color Match, counting the ghosts in the haunted house ghosts and math mat, big and small frog/lily pad sort, Jack O' Lantern Emotions, and more! This will surely amp up the just right spooky factor.

Halloween Toddler Pack

Here's a boo-tiful idea! Have some very friendly ghosts visit your classroom with my Halloween Ghost Activities! pack, children will match ABC ghosts to their matching haunted house, write the numbers on a ghost counting sheet, and draw a ghost and answer simple questions pertaining to their drawing.

Halloween Ghost Activities

Add a creepy crawly vibe with a Halloween Spiders Pack that invites students to sort spiders by size, match opposites using Spiderweb Opposites Cards, build spider words, and complete a Spider Facts Answer Graphic Organizer and more. 

Halloween Spiders Unit

Are you ready to get a little spooky with it now. Best wishes to Happy Halloween teaching! 

Toddling Around: Teaching Toddlers, Creating Infant and Toddler Circle times, and Toddler Learning Packs

During my years as an early childhood educator, I have taught kindergartners to infants. While all of these age groups differ greatly, one fact remains the same: they all have an insatiable appetite to learn!

Learning and growing is pivotal for even the youngest of children. They are learning how to engage with other children, demonstrating basic self-reliance (picking up toys, throwing out a paper cup with help), increasing their fine motor skills such as holding a crayon or turning the pages of a book, improving gross motor skills such as jumping or hopping and so much more!

For this reason, I have created several toddler packs that help develop children's natural wonder and burgeoning abilities. Just because one is little, they can do quite a lot! Most of the packs relate to basic skills around a theme such as Fall or Thanksgiving.

I feel that themes work best for all children. They are a way that the youngest children process and organize, straightforward, and methodical information. Most educators feel that any topic at any time of the year is perfectly fine, but themes are just my personal preference, and are definitely not a requirement.

I would often do a simple circle with the toddlers, as well as drum roll please, infants. Yes, I said infants. They were some of the most amazing and engaged children I have ever worked with. I know what you're thing, but they're not mobile and really don't have an attention span. Why are you even doing a circle time with infants? It's developmentally-inappropriate, right? It depends. If you keep it short, colorful, and fun, no way. Long, dragged out, and boring, you will have lost them before you even started.

Here is my version of a typical Infant/Toddler Circle time (Performed Daily) 

• Opening Song: "Hi, Hello, and How Are You?" with a rattle to mimic the song's beat. 
• Attendance Song: "Who Is Here Today?" with a scarf. Gently tickle each child's head with the scarf as you say their name. This promotes name recognition. 
• Weather Song: Since my room had windows, I would point out the window as I sang a song called "What Is the Weather Like Today?" with a weather puppet created from paper cutouts and glued to a Popsicle stick. 
• Color of the Month Basket: I would sing a color song and then show children a new item of that color each day of the week . All the items were placed in a small basket. We would wear the color during the month too. 
• Animal of the Month: I would find a song about the Animal of the Month and as I sang the song, would hold up a stuffed animal or puppet of the animal. 
• Read a short story based on the weekly theme or do a thematic activity matching game, flannel board etc. 
• Tell children about art projects and anything happening that day. 
• Do art projects or Free Play 

It's your turn, do you do an infant/toddler circle time? If so, please add your comments below!

As I stated previously in this post, I have begun creating toddler packs because of a wonderful suggestion from one of my former toddler teacher parents, who was interested in learning packs for her child. This is where the story began and I have created several packs since. Some of the themes include cats, dogs, fall and Thanksgiving.

Please click on the following links below the covers to see these packs. Each pack provides simple matching games, color identification and recognition activities, sometimes crafts, patterning and other activities to build on toddlers' skills.

Thanksgiving Toddler Pack

Halloween Toddler Pack 

Toddler Fall Unit

In closing, remember that infants and toddlers are just small people with big imaginations, lots of personality, and a never-ending supply of untapped knowledge!

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