By Rachel Lynette
How to add the Magic of the Holidays with Five Merry Read Alouds It’s the most magical time of the year! You want to get into the holiday spirit with your students but don’t want to lose weeks of instruction. As an upper elementary ELA teacher, I would see the arts, crafts, and activities that kindergarteners and first graders were working on down the hall
Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Your Elementary Students Tired of the same old “trace your hand” Thanksgiving Activities? This post has lots of ideas to spice up the holiday season. (Did the word spice make you want a latte like it did me?) Check out the freebies we’ve included, and grab as many as you’ll use. Critical Thinking Thanksgiving Activities Thanksgiving Analogies Analogies are fun little
There’s a story and a ton of memories behind one of my all-time best-selling resources! Here’s what inspired it! https://minds-in-bloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/turkey-commercial.mp4#t=5 Murder Mystery Parties & Other Fun Stuff A couple years ago, I hosted a murder mystery party for my daughter’s 16th birthday. She is a theater kid, as are her friends, so it seemed like the perfect party! AND IT WAS! The only problem was
You (and your students) can make a Kahoot in no time flat! If you haven’t yet played Kahoot with your students, it’s about time! Kahoot is a gamified way of practicing just about any skill with your students. It’s fast-paced, super engaging, and will leave kids begging to practice their skills again. Kahoot’s quiz format encourages students to answer questions carefully in order climb the
**UPDATE 10-28-20 This celebration was fun, but all good things must come to an end! We’re looking forward to the next one! Days Hours Minutes Seconds MINDS IN BLOOM HAS 100,000 REASONS TO CELEBRATE! For the last 14 years, Minds in Bloom has existed to help teachers be the best educators they can be. We’re pleased to announce that we have just surpassed 100,000 followers
You might also like this free Computer Shortcuts resource! Did you know you can create your own teacher font? Have you ever wished you could have your very own font? With your personal handwriting? Or maybe that signature heart you dot your i’s with? Well, I’ll walk you through the fast, easy, and free way that you can make your very own custom teacher font
Arts Education: Benefits That Must Be Saved As an educator, there’s truly no better feeling than helping children succeed. Proper support and learning techniques are an important part of the process, but that’s not all that’s needed. Studies have shown that kids thrive when they have opportunities for fun, diverse, hands-on education — the kind that art, music, and theater classes naturally encourage. When the
https://minds-in-bloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ghost-zeros-video.mp4 Download a FREE Craftivity! Two different versions: 1 for adding & subtracting with decimals & 1 for dividing with decimals I always ask the students “What sound does a ghost make?” When they say “ooooo,” I spookily ask them if they think it’s a coincidence ghost zeros spell oooooo. NOTE: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Ghost Zeros Exist- In Decimals that
Click here to grab 10 free Would You Rather slides and 10 “make your own” slides. Would You Rather…. “Would You Rather” is a game that students love! It’s definitely fun and engaging, but did you know there are lots of added benefits to playing this game? Would You Rather helps students develop skills that will last them a lifetime including: Critical thinking skills Respectful
Get this activity for FREE! Gamify your classroom by taking a worksheet and making it more fun! We all have textbooks, quizzes, old worksheets, and tons of task cards that we can use to gamify our classroom! While these resources definitely are important to a student’s learning, sometimes you just need a little more fun! Take, for instance, HALLOWEEN DAY! As I was thinking about
Why use an annotation tool? An annotation tool allows you to turn print resources into digital resources. It provides a way for students to mark their answers on worksheets or activities without the need for printers and pencils. This type of resource is invaluable when remote teaching or when your district limits the number of paper copies you can use in your classroom. Want a
Math Workshop doesn’t have to be hard! Since my very first year teaching, I’ve been obsessed with student-centered classrooms. I found that hosting a math workshop was the best way to keep kids having fun and learning. But, as much as I wanted a true math workshop format in my class, I was limited by my lack of resources. The textbook just didn’t cut it.
FREE, customizable presentation I’ve been in the curriculum creation business for quite a while now! I LOVE IT! I look at it as my creative outlet. I get to write a little, do a little graphic design, and package it all up pretty. Did you know my very first product I sold on Teachers Pay Teachers was a back-to-school presentation? I made it because I
When you think of task cards, you probably think about centers, games, and other hands-on activities. You might not think you can use them with distance learning, but there are actually several ways to use task cards when teaching remotely. Here are some ideas to get you started: If you send home packets for students to work on at home, you could also send home
Whether you are teaching in person this year or online (or both!) Brain Breaks are more important than ever! Many of the natural opportunities to move, like going to a specialist, working in groups, or even going to recess are not a part of the distance learning classroom. Further, you may not be able to use many of your favorite Brain Breaks because they involve
Honest Truth: Organizing my pantry is something I NEVER do- well almost never. But on those very rare occasions that I break down and do it, I feel like a brand new woman! There’s just something about how order and beauty (well, as beautiful as cans of veggies and boxes of cereal can be) makes you feel. Keeping your Google Classroom organized can give you
