Teacher’s Brain

3 Reasons To Use Holiday Escape Rooms

Let’s talk about escape rooms! 

If you know me, you know that I’m a huge fan of this incredibly engaging and exciting way to teach little learners various concepts. It feels like a game and it’s just, well, fun for teachers and students! What’s not to love?! 

If you’re looking for the perfect classroom escape room kit or even a fun digital escape room to use in your classroom, you’re in the right place! But first, let’s discuss some of the many benefits of escape rooms for students. 

escape rooms

What skills do escape rooms build? What does an escape room teach?

It Boosts Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Escape rooms are like a real-life puzzle that our young learners get to solve together. As they work their way through the challenges and riddles, they’re not just having a blast; they’re also honing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s like a sneak-attack on those important cognitive abilities!

It Fosters Teamwork and Collaboration

Escape rooms are all about teamwork. Our students have to communicate, share ideas, and assign tasks to successfully complete their mission. This experience helps them learn the value of working together and teaches them essential skills for life. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun in the process!

It Makes Learning an Exciting Adventure

The best part is that escape rooms can sneakily incorporate educational content. Think math, science, history, and language—all cleverly disguised in the form of puzzles and challenges. By turning learning into an adventure, we can keep our students engaged, curious, and excited about learning. It’s like a magic potion for knowledge retention!

With the holidays around the corner, it’s the perfect time to bring in some engaging holiday themed escape rooms to your students! Whether it’s Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or anything in between, it can be celebrated with a classroom escape room. 

Luckily, I have the perfect resource for you! I created an all inclusive Holiday Escape Room bundle that will have you covered for all holidays! 

escape rooms

Use these holiday themed Escape Rooms to guarantee student engagement while they learn and solve a classroom mystery. With little prep, your students will work as a team to break into a box, which breaks them out of the classroom as they beat the clock!

What’s inside this download?

6 escape rooms all meeting 1st and 2nd Grade Standards to use for the holidays. Several can be used with 3rd or Kindergarten too! 

classroom escape room kit

These escape rooms are focusing on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Veterans Day, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. 

What does an escape room look like for primary students?

You will have to spend about 40 minutes to prep your materials. Students will be separated into two groups. First students watch the YouTube video as a hook. Then, students are handed or find a mystery envelope with a clue. The clue might have them find letters to build sentences, solve puzzles, or solve a riddle. (Each escape room is different.) 

Each time they complete a challenge, they get another mystery envelope. There are 3 to 4 clues in each activity. Eventually, they will discover keys that will open a box. (The keys are paper. The box can be an old paper box filled with a treat or homework pass that you will open together once each group has their key.) 

Once the box is open, the student can escape the room to recess or the library. 

escape room kit for kids

Certificates are provided for students who are Master Mystery Problem Solvers. The activity takes about 45-60 minutes to complete! 

escape room bundle

Check it out here! 

Have you tried escape rooms in your classroom? How did it go? Let me know in the comments! For more escape room fun, check out my post here!

5 Fall Activities to Do With Your Elementary Students

Fall is in the air! Are you ready? 

The fall colors and weather are a fantastic backdrop for outdoor exploration. It’s the perfect time to take your students on nature walks, scavenger hunts, and teach them about the changing seasons.

I always loved using this time of year as a chance to explore apples and pumpkins in lessons. These activities not only engage students but also provide opportunities for math, science, and sensory learning. 🍁🍂📚

fall activities

If you are looking for some fall activities for elementary students, fall activity sheets, or fall worksheets, you are in the right place! 

So what are some activities you can do during the fall season? 

I have you covered! Here are 5 of my favorite fall themed resources to use this time of year! 

Fall Scarecrow Writing Craft

fall activities for kids

This engaging  fall activity will help your kids enjoy their writing time and provide a cute display for your classroom! Three different types of lines for you to choose from to make it perfect to individualize for your students.

Fall Math and Literacy Worksheets

fall crafts and math activities

Candy corn activities are so easy to get kids engaged in learning in the fall! Teach math, opinion writing, letter id, STEM and so more with this activity pack made around a candy corn theme! Learning made fun for fall time!

Fall Would You Rather Writing Activity

fall writing activities

Would you Rather Prompts are great conversation starters, ice breakers or writing prompts. Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students show one or two fingers to share their choice.

Fall Directed Drawing

fall directed drawing

Show students how to draw fall images with their writing using these directed drawings for primary and intermediate grades in 5 simple steps. Pick and choose what works for you to create a journal or a gift for others!

Pumpkin Worksheets and Activities

pumpkins worksheets fall activities

Looking for a great plan with everything you need to teach students all about pumpkins? I have you covered with this math and literacy plan that includes crafts, writing, reading, bulletin board options, posters, and so much more! 

 I hope your students love these fall activities, crafts, and worksheets as much as mine did! Fall is such a great season to celebrate in the classroom, so don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunities that fall brings! 

If you want more fall fun, check out these free fall printables! 

What are your favorite fall activities for the classroom? Let me know in the comments!

Ideas for Teaching about Johnny Appleseed


What is Johnny Appleseed famous for? 

Johnny Appleseed has become a classic story in elementary classrooms across the country. If you don’t know the Johnny Appleseed story, it goes that he went around and planted apple seeds for people across the country. 

Johnny Appleseed

What is the lesson of the story of Johnny Appleseed? 

The general moral of the story is to give generously to others. We use this story to teach students the power of generosity and kindness, which is so important in those early years of learning. 

When should I teach Johnny Appleseed? 

Traditionally, people teach about this story during fall or Autumn. So right when you head back to the classroom and start incorporating fall lessons, apples are all around!  This makes it the perfect time to incorporate this important story. 

Add some more apple fun by serving some applesauce, or doing some apple crafts. 

Looking for some fun Johnny Appleseed Crafts? I have you covered! 

My Hat Craft is perfect for elementary students as they read and learn about Johnny. It also includes a journal for students to write down the data that they get as they work through their lesson. 

Johnny Appleseed Craft

This resource is a quick and easy way to celebrate apples and the hard work of Johnny Appleseed. 

​​What is in this download?

Pg. 1 Cover

Pg. 2 Resources

Pg. 3 Pot Printable

Pg. 4 Headband Printable

Pg. 5-8 Journal 1/2 pages (primary and intermediate lined)

Pg. 9 Credits

For even more Johnny Appleseed fun, check out my digital escape! 

Johnny Appleseed Digital Escape Room

Digital Escapes™ are a fun way to get students to learn without even realizing it. NO printing and no prep needed for this digital escape! Super EASY for distance learning.

Students will click a video for a short story and directions to help with their first clue. 

During the escape, students will be tasked with solving 4 lock clues in order to save Johnny from a hole. There is a pdf included in this download with directions, the link to the site, an answer key, and an optional note-taking worksheet for students. This activity takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

Students will:

  • Listen to short audio directions and a YouTube video
  • Solve 5 Comprehension Questions 
  • Solve a Jigsaw Puzzle
  • Sort apples by color
  • Work on problem-solving as a group or individually

What are your favorite activities for teaching about this story? Let me know in the comments! 
For more fall activities, check out these free printables!

What Should My Teacher Be For Halloween

This is such a fun activity to do with your students! Not only are your students going to be engaged with opinion writing, but you will also enjoy reading their papers about what their teacher should be for Halloween.

Halloween Writing

These prompts are easy to share virtually or in person.  First, they are made using Google Slides.  The background is not editable, but there are text boxes provided for those virtual students to write about what their teacher should be for Halloween.  Students can move parts to design costumes for their teacher, edit the color, fonts, and add images. Included in this resource are printable pages with primary lines or intermediate lined worksheets to have students color or add materials to make a costume in class or for homework.

What Should My Teacher Be For Halloween

Brainstorming Ideas

Students will have a blast brainstorming ideas for their teacher’s Halloween costume! After, they complete the writing assignment, there is also an option for students to write ideas for their own costumes.  They can design them using the virtual moveable parts in the slides or print for in-person learning.

If you do these digitally, spooky music is provided for you to use the student’s creations in a new slide show with the music to share with others. Just insert their slides in a new presentation, copy and paste the music and play in presentation mode.

What Should My Teacher Be For Halloween

What Should I Be For Halloween

Video Tutorial

Check out the video tutorial on YouTube to see how easy it is to work with these Google Slides. You do not need to have Google Classroom to use this resource.  You can print the slides out or send them through email.  No matter what you do, have fun this Halloween season!

What Should My Teacher Be For Halloween

Want to learn about other Halloween Resources? Check Out The MUST DO Halloween Lessons