Roots and Wings

Roots and Wings

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Kindergarten Classroom Setup Made Easy (Part 1)

Kindergarten classroom setup can be both exciting and stressful, especially if you go in without a plan. This year I decided to enlist the help of a pro! Julie Morgenstern, professional organizer and author of Organizing From the Inside Out says, “Walk into any kindergarten classroom in the world, and you will behold the perfect model […]

Kindergarten Writing Assessments that Show How You Grow

Inside: Use these kindergarten writing assessments to create a Show How You Grow book to monitor fine motor and writing development across the year.  Kindergarten Writing Assessments That Show Progress Over Time Finding kindergarten writing assessments for young children, who are just beginning to put pencil to paper, can be tricky. Many years ago, I […]

6 Building Blocks to Launch Your First Weeks of Kindergarten

Inside: Find out how to use 6 building blocks for a smooth start to the beginning of the year. Then, download the free building blocks planner, found at the end of this post, to get started planning for those first weeks of kindergarten. Tackling First Weeks of Kindergarten Anxiety When back-to-school time rolls around, I […]

The Last Day of Kindergarten

My worst, last day ever was the first year I taught kindergarten.  It was half-day and my kiddos were taking a different bus home than usual because they were riding with the whole school.  We made tags for the children to wear to avoid any mix-ups. At the very last minute, my assistant realized that […]

Dandelion Days in Kindergarten

Preview: When the dandelions appear in the spring, designate a special “Dandelion Day,” with fun activities to explore these plants that have already captured your children’s interest! Dandelion Bouquets Here in New York, it’s dandelion season, which means dandelion bouquets for all the teachers! This can be a problem, if you are prone to seasonal […]

Moving Up Day: Transitioning to First Grade

Inside: Are your kids nervous about leaving kindergarten? Discover a plan to help them better transition to first grade by planning a moving up day.  The Need for a Moving Up Day As kindergarten teachers, we might expect some tears on the first day, but how about on the last? It’s easy to forget that […]

Wind Walk Adventures & Activities

Inside: Use these wind activities before, during, and after a wind walk to help preschool and kindergarten kids learn about windy weather. Outdoor Wind Activities The best wind activities are those that take children outdoors and let them experience it.  Children can learn a lot about windy weather as they watch its effect on objects […]

Growing Our Thinking Around Matter

How We Began We’ve been dipping in and out of a study on matter for the last couple of months. Our first conversation began with the book, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  The children commented on the snowball Peter put in his pocket saying that it was going to melt. I asked them how […]

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