A great lesson plan is more than preparation and delivery. It needs to grab the attention of the listeners and actively engage their minds in order to be effective. Students have many distractions pulling at them all the time: technology, relationship dilemmas, hunger, tiredness, on and on and on. As teachers, we have to break through that noise and grab the attention of our listeners. One of the easiest and most effective ways to make…
Do kids need cursive? Depends on who you talk to! Many say that with the rise of technology and the need to prepare children for the digital future, cursive is becoming obsolete. This article from Memoria Press points out 10 reasons why learning cursive is beneficial. However, I am going to focus on just two of these areas that demonstrate why kids need cursive. 1. Writing in cursive builds neural pathways. 2. Writing in cursive…
As teachers, we are excited about our lessons, but our excitement alone isn’t enough to keep students attention during lessons. Keeping their interest and focus is like following a recipe. We must add the right ingredients in order to get a good finished product. The four ingredients for a good lesson delivery are visuals, eye contact, interaction, and movement. Use visuals. Students need to have something they can look at whether one simple visual to…
Spring has sprung, and it’s time for some fresh new activities for your homeschool or classroom! A good lesson plan is made up of multiple types of instruction that involves visual, auditory and tactile activities. However, creating effective lesson plans is time consuming. That’s why I love gathering free resources that are major time savers! I’ve rounded up 10 of my favorites here. These ten free insect activities for spring will enhance your lesson plans…
Do Pets Help Kids Learn? We won’t all agree on which pet is best-dogs, cats, turtles, fish, and the list goes on. However, we can all agree that pets are beneficial for mental health and companionship. But do they specifically help kids learn? I believe the answer is ABSOLUTELY! There’s myriad information online about this, but I’m just going to share what I’ve seen from personal experience with my own family and friends. A few…
Why do people choose to homeschool, and how in the world do they make homeschooling work for their families? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? As a homeschooling mom myself I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many other homeschoolers over the years. One thing I’ve learned is that there are many different reasons why families homeschool. And just as each family is different, the way they make homeschooling work for them is…
This short vowel practice activity reinforces the short vowel sounds A, E, and U. This activity is best suited for Kindergarten-Second Grade. Addie Elephant’s Umbrella A Short Vowel Sounds Practice Activity Once upon a time, in a lush green jungle, there lived a little elephant named Addie. Addie had big, floppy ears and a long, swishy trunk that she used to pick apples from the trees. Addie loved apples more than anything else in the…
If you’re looking for a simple way to help your student unlock the world of reading and writing, consider the humble word wall. Whether you’re a teacher, a parent homeschooling your child, or you’re simply looking to strengthen your own vocabulary, creating a word wall may be one of the most effective and simple ways to begin. Here are three steps to get you started: 1. Get a List of Words. The first step in…
Reading well significantly improves our lives. Our children’s future success may rise and fall on their reading and comprehension skills. Learning to read can be a delightful experience. Conversely, it can also be an absolute nightmarish struggle! Every battle needs a strategy, and teaching reading is no different. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to reading, but the 4 basic tools below will help to build a strong framework for reading mastery. Tool#1 for…
Lately I’ve been enjoying creating writing prompts using real pictures on my camera as well as AI generated pictures. Enjoy reading the short story and using the prompts to discuss creative writing, President’s Day, leprechauns, and whatever else it leads to. Hope you enjoy! Larry Leprechaun had always been a curious and adventurous little creature. He had been living in the lush green forests of Mt. Rushmore for as long as he could remember. The…