A Tabletop Obstacle Course for Fingers

I'm trying to find fun ways to build this little guy's fine motor control. He really liked this Pinterest inspired activity. As he was working his way through this little obstacle course, it occurred to me that this might be a fun activity for first graders at the beginning of the year. 

Anyone have other ideas for easy to set up, fun fine motor development? 

A Question For Teachers

Some teachers I know leave for summer break the minute their contract is up. Others spend days (or weeks!) reorganizing  their classrooms.

Our last principal was insistent that we leave for the summer on our last contract day, so I managed to do it, this year I came back one extra day. I love hearing how things go in other places. Please share in the comments!

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Do You Know This Sticky Trick?

Teacher Trick!

I learned this cool trick for hanging things from my 6th grade teacher! He always told us to keep it a secret. I assume it wouldn't have been popular with administration. But the rubber cement just rolls right off the paper and the surface you stick it to! Shhhh!

If you like this "Not very fancy" classroom tips, check out this Wordless Wednesday post, then head over to Miss DeCarbo to see who else is sharing classroom photos!

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Wordless Wednesday: Geology Edition

It's so funny to see all the excitement and fascination when you break out rocks and water.

What hand- on lesson do you and your students love?

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This is One Way to Use the Power of Surprise

Sometimes kids hear the same direction so many times it just becomes background noise. That's when it's time to mix things up. What's your trick?

Thanks to Miss DeCarbo for hosting Wordless Wednesday. Visit the linkup to see what other teachers are up to.

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Wordless Wednesday #teacherproblems Edition

This is one of my biggest teacher pet-peeves. Not quite as big as kids tapping on me, but very close.  What's yours? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

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Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to Miss DeCarbo for hosting Wordless Wednesday!

I get so excited about good math strategies. She came up with this all on her own.

If you found this post to be interesting or fun, I'd love for you to connect with me!

Wordless Wednesday

Can you tell what book we just read? What books do you like to have students respond to with art?