WILD ABOUT LEARNING FREEBIE!

 It's about time, teachers, for a FREEBIE!

Here's what you will find in Wild About Learning Posters and Garlands:

These 8 posters are letter sized. I plan to print them on cardstock and post several of them with my welcome back banner. All of this will go on the big, cement block wall outside my classroom; a dull space if ever there was one.  

But the display still needs some pizzazz. So I made some garlands of forest elements. I will make several leaf and acorn garlands for the beginning of school. Later, I will provide the components for my students to create garlands of their own. To that end, I have included black line elements so the students can color them to suit themselves. Or, maybe I'll print them on construction paper for the kiddos. I haven't decided yet.  

Here's my display so far:

[Wild About Learning... does not include the pennants.  They are available here.  Neither are the toadstools included.]  

It is my pleasure to offer this product for FREE. If you download it, I would greatly appreciate feedback on TPT.  TYIA

A quick trip to Michael's scored this wreath for my forest theme.

While it definitely has a fall feel, I think I can justify leaving it up all year since it blends with my theme. The room number part is just a simple sign I printed and glued to the back of the wreath. It's much more appealing than the room sign my school provides. It's the little things...

This product joins a plethora of other Forest Friends resources. Check them out here!

IT'S ABOUT TIME for FOREST FRIENDS DECOR!

 

What could be cuter than a classroom decorated with adorable forest friends? This week, all of my FOREST FRIENDS decor is on sale through Sat., June 3, 2023. Individual products are marked down 20% and the bundle is discounted 30%!

Start with this FREEBIE:

Here are the individual products:

Save even more with the purchase of the bundle:

It's about time, teachers, ... 

As a new school year dawns, young children, parents, and teachers are faced with a dilemma: saying goodbye.  Every parent has encountered the tears and heart-wrenching pleas.  Every teacher of young children has ached for the children and parents.  (Separation anxiety works both ways; parents cry, too.)  And, as a teacher with many years of experience in early childhood education, I would like to offer a suggestion for easing this transition...

...establish a transition tradition.

Young children thrive on routine.  They find comfort in being able to predict the events of the day.  They find reassurance in repetitive, positive procedures.  Thus, teachers can help ease these transitions by encouraging parents and children to establish a parting protocol. One transition tool is teaching children and care-givers to give a quick, fun, light-hearted good-bye.

Most people are familiar with these:

In my quest to establish a forest friends' classroom, I challenged myself to create such sayings using forest animals.  Here's a sampling:

At our parent information meeting before school starts, I plan to have this set of posters displayed near the door.  Drawing the parents' attention to them, I will encourage them, along with their children, to select a pair of favorite phrases for their farewells. In my experience, the tearful transitions will quickly give way to smiling sendoffs.

If you are creating a forest friends' classroom, you may like these products:

Calling All Forest Friends, Classroom Campers, and Woodland Wanderers

Calling all forest friends...

If you are creating a forest/woodland/camping themed classroom, this set of alphabet and color posters is just what you need.

You may also like this companion product of number posters.

If you would like even more forest friends resources, click here.

Here's to a fun and furry school year!

Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.

When It Rains, Make Forest Animals!

It rained torrents for the entire 4th of July weekend and I had a house full of family and friends. We had planned to boat and ski and swim and float and grill out and...  

Mother Nature did not cooperate.  

So there I was with a house bursting at the seams, including 10 children ages 10 and under. We have very few toys at the lake house. It's best suited to outdoor play. So, being the teacher that I am, I grabbed the art supplies I had and organized the kiddos to make forest animals. I gave them 1 caveat: they had to use hearts to make the animals because I love forest friends.

Here's what they made:

• hedgehog

 

• bear

 

• dragonfly

• fox

• bee

• owl

• beaver

• ladybug

• butterfly

• raccoon

Not bad for a spur-of-the-moment activity. These and similar craftivities will definitely be undertaken in my classroom this fall.

If you love forest friends, too, you may like these products: