Teacher’s Brain

Tag: kindergarten

Fun Ways To Celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day

education, Teaching Tips

Johnny Appleseed Day is coming up on September 26th, and that means it’s the perfect time to teach your students about who he is and celebrate apples! 

This holiday is all about appreciating apples and the legacy of a remarkable individual who planted apple trees across the country. If you are looking for some Johnny Appleseed Day activities and resources to have an engaging lesson to celebrate Johnny Appleseed and his favorite fruit, you’re in the right place! 

Johnny appleseed

How do you celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day?

Learn about who he was

Start by learning about the life and adventures of Johnny Appleseed! You can read books, watch videos on YouTube, or have a special lesson in class about this important historical figure. Understanding his love for apples and his contributions to our country is a great way to begin your celebration!

Do some apple themed arts and crafts

Get creative with apple-themed arts and crafts activities. Try making apple prints, drawing Johnny Appleseed’s character, or creating colorful posters that showcase the importance of apple trees. These hands-on projects will help your students express their creativity while celebrating Johnny Appleseed.

Go Apple tasting at an Apple Orchard

If possible, take a field trip! Explore the world of apples by tasting different apple varieties and, if possible, visiting a local apple orchard. Create a mini apple tasting event where you and your classmates can sample various apples and discuss your favorites. If you go to an orchard, learn about the apple-growing process and pick some apples to take home.

Plant your own apple seeds

Consider planting your own apple seeds or small apple tree saplings. This hands-on activity can help you understand the process of growing apple trees and appreciate the work this historical figure did. Over time, you can watch your apple trees grow and even produce apples of your own!

Try out some apple themed snacks and treats

End your celebration with some delicious apple-themed snacks and treats. Make apple pie, apple crisp, or apple muffins in class or at home. You can also enjoy a healthy snack of sliced apples with caramel or peanut butter. Sharing these tasty treats with your classmates is a great way to wrap up your celebration.

Looking for some easy, print and go Johnny Appleseed resources that you can easily incorporate into your lessons? I have you covered! 

Johnny appleseed

Check out this Johnny Appleseed Activities Bundle! 

Johnny appleseed activities

This bundle has it all! Crafts, writing, a digital escape, reading, math, science, and art activities! 

Johnny appleseed activities

7 Products Bundled

Craft Hat & Journal

Apple Glasses

Apple Math

Digital Escape Room (Reading and Problem Solving)

Puppet & Pop Art

Apple Sauce & Apple Pie Recipe

Biography (Week-long unit)

Opinion Writing & More

Celebrating Johnny Appleseed is such a fun activity for the fall! I hope you and your students love these Johnny Appleseed activities and  ideas as much as I do! For more activities to do with your students this fall, check out my post here!

5 Reasons to Use Morning Work in Kindergarten

Back to School, education, kindergarten survival, Sight Words, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Picture this: It’s a bright, bustling morning in your kindergarten classroom. The tiny tots are shuffling in with sleepy eyes and contagious energy. As a teacher, you know that the first moments of the day set the tone for everything that follows.

morning work

That’s where the magic of kindergarten morning work comes into play. It’s like the secret ingredient in your morning routine that can transform chaos into calm, hesitation into confidence, and groggy minds into eager learners.

If you’re looking for morning work ideas for kindergarten or morning work worksheets, you’re in the right place! 

But first, let’s discuss the advantages of having morning work in your kindergarten classroom.

Smooth Morning Transitions

Morning work is like the secret sauce that makes our mornings smoother than a fresh jar of peanut butter. It gives our little ones a structured start to the day, helping them transition from home to the classroom routine with ease. Less chaos, more focus!

Independence Boost

You know that feeling when a kindergartener proudly completes a task on their own? It’s like a warm cup of coffee for our teacher hearts! Morning work encourages independence. They’re tackling challenges right away, building confidence as they go.

Skill Reinforcement

Think of morning work as a daily dose of learning vitamins. It reinforces the skills we’ve been teaching. Whether it’s reviewing letters, numbers, or shapes, these quick exercises keep their growing brains engaged and active.

Time Management Skills

In the real world, time management is a superpower, right? Well, morning work helps our little ones develop those skills early on. They learn to manage their time by completing tasks within a set period. It’s like a mini time-management boot camp!

Teacher Prep Time

Last but not least, morning work can be a lifesaver for us teachers. While the kiddos are busy, we can take a moment to assess their progress, prepare for the day, or have a quick chat with parents. It’s like a small gift of time in a busy morning schedule.

You may be wondering what to do for kindergarten morning work? 

This resource is all you need! 

morning work

This engaging morning work for kindergarten covers reading and math skills and is super easy to implement. These no prep packets are perfect. They will help keep your class calm while reviewing skills at their own pace for the entire school year. 

You’ll never find yourself scrambling for morning activities again!

This resource  covers:

❀ Handwriting Uppercase and Lowercase Letters

❀ Sight Word Practice 

❀ Beginning Letter Sounds

❀ Months of the Year

❀ Days of the Week

❀ Handwriting Sentences

❀ Word Families

❀ Silent /e/

❀ Digraphs

❀ Number Sense

❀ Ten Frames

❀ Counting

❀ Number Lines 

❀ Writing Numbers 

❀ Counting On

❀ Shapes

❀ More and Less Than

❀ 3D Shapes

❀ Graphs

❀ Place Value

morning work

What’s included? 

Pg 1-42 – Aug. and Sept. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Colors, Sight Words, Counting)

Pg. 43-84 – Oct. and Nov. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Ten Frame, Counting, What Comes Next)

Pg. 85-126 Dec. Jan. (Word Families, Vowels, Counting, Greater than, Less Than, Handwriting)

Pg. 127-168 – Feb. and March (capital letters, lowercase letters, word families, shapes, counting on, less than)

Pg. 169-210 April and May (digraphs, tens and ones, 3D shapes, graphs, and silent /e/)

Each page has an extended activity for students to do on the back of the page for early finishers. It is designed to model once to the whole group, and students should be working independently for each set (4 Weeks.) 

There are only mild changes in this packet each month to make it easy for students to follow the pattern each morning. I provide different fonts, so students get used to seeing letters that look different. 

morning work

The number and the number word is used so students get familiar with number word recognition. I tell students to look at their crayons to find the color word to help them figure out the color on their own to create independence. 

I print my pages out to create a journal to easily store papers, leaving the back blank for the extended activity. My students could move on to the next page if they finished. You can just give one individual sheet, if you like to ensure students don’t move on to the next page.

Check it out here! 

For more kindergarten morning work activities, check out my post here!

3 Effective Ways to Hold Students Accountable During Science

Teacher's Pay Teachers

Science education plays a crucial role in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in young minds. Kindergarten science lessons are the perfect opportunity to ignite this curiosity and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. However, keeping kindergarten students engaged and accountable can be a challenge. We will explore three effective ways to hold students accountable during kindergarten science lessons, ensuring they actively participate and grasp the fundamental concepts.

1. Hands-On Experiments with Individual Responsibility

Kindergarten students learn best when they can interact with their environment. Incorporating hands-on experiments into science lessons not only captures their attention. To ensure accountability, assign each student a specific task within the experiment. For example, if the class is exploring the concept of sinking and floating, one student can be responsible for placing objects in water, while another observes and records the results.

By giving students individual responsibilities, they become accountable for their role in the experiment’s success. This approach promotes teamwork, builds a sense of ownership, and encourages active participation.

2. Interactive Group Discussions and Show-and-Tell

Kindergarten students love to share their thoughts and experiences. Leveraging this natural inclination, incorporate interactive group discussions into your science lessons. After introducing a new concept or conducting an experiment, gather the students and encourage them to express their observations, questions, and ideas.

To enhance accountability, designate a “show-and-tell” session where each student shares one thing they learned or found interesting during the lesson. This practice reinforces their understanding of the topic. It also fosters a sense of responsibility to contribute to the class’s learning environment.

3. Visual Journals, Interactive Notebooks, or Learning Logs

Kindergarten students are often more visually oriented learners. Introduce the concept of visual journals, interactive notebooks or learning logs early. This is where each student can document their scientific discoveries and reflections through drawings, short sentences, or even photographs. Provide prompts related to the lesson, such as “What did you learn today?” or “Draw a picture of the experiment we conducted.”

Regularly reviewing and discussing these journals in class allows you to gauge each student’s level of engagement and comprehension. It also gives them a personal sense of responsibility to document their learning journey and share their insights with their peers.

Grab this free energy download!

Bonus Tip: Celebrate Achievements

Incorporate a reward system to celebrate students’ achievements in understanding and participating during science lessons. This can be as simple as handing out stickers, small prizes, or certificates for active participation, insightful contributions, or successful completion of experiments. These rewards can act as positive reinforcement and motivate students to remain engaged and accountable in future lessons.

Grab the K-1 Science Yearlong Bundle

5 Back To School Resources That Will Make Your Year Better

Back to School, Classroom Behavior Management, Classroom Decor, education


It’s almost time to head back to the classroom! 

As we gear up to welcome our new students and reunite with the familiar faces, it’s essential to be equipped with the best resources to make this academic year a smashing success. 

If you’re looking for back to school activities, classroom decoration ideas, classroom management resources, or back to school resources for teachers, you’re in the right place! I’ll be sharing some fantastic back-to-school resources that will help us create engaging lessons, foster a positive classroom environment, and make this school year the best one yet! 🚀

back to school

What do you do to welcome kids back to school? 

It all starts with your classroom! Creating a warm and welcome environment can work wonders when it comes to easing students’ stress and making them feel comfortable. Add colors and even a fun classroom theme to bring life to a cold and bland classroom. 

The next step is implementing a good classroom management system that will make expectations clear, and then you want to have some fun with back to school and get to know you activities! 

Here are 5 back to school resources to get you started!

1. This Boho Rainbow Classroom Decor Bundle is adorable and welcoming!  

back to school classroom decoration ideas

Create an inviting classroom decor with this calming boho Rainbow-themed set! This is a calm theme with editable pages to easily personalize. Use the suggested fonts or create your own.

What is in the download:

  • An Editable Calendar Set
  • Editable Birthday Chart
  • Editable Daily Visual Schedule 
  • Classroom Jobs Set
  • Color Word Posters & Name Tags
  • An Alphabet Line (Print and Cursive)
  • Back to School Welcome Banners, Forms, Posters & Labels for Binders

2. Try out the Desk Pet Pals Classroom Management System

back to school classroom management system

Need a great way to help your class improve daily behavior? I have you covered with this editable Powerpoint and Google Slides! Use these slides to personalize editable text boxes. Use mini erasers or the virtual pets provided to improve student’s behavior.

This resource comes with everything you need to implement this fun and engaging resource including behavior contracts, charts, pet store price list, signs, writing prompts, pet personality posters, and so much more! Just add some pet erasers. 

Try it out free here! 

3. Wondering what’s a good activity for the first lesson? Try out this Back To  School Gingerbread Man Campus Hunt activity! 

back to school Ginger Bread Man Hunt resource

Are you looking for a back-to-school activity to help students learn where different locations are on your school campus? This is a week of lessons integrating reading with a campus hunt for the Gingerbread Man! There is enough to keep your kiddos busy for weeks learning with this fun theme. It is full of extras too! Check it out!

4. Try out this First Day Jitters Glitter Slime Activity to ease the nerves

first day of school activity

Love reading First Day Jitters to your students to help them get rid of their nervousness during the first week of school? The Jitter Glitter Slime included in this week lesson plan is always a huge hit with students! Use this at the beginning of the year to get students excited about science and teach them about inferences!

5. Don’t forget a fun craft! Check out these First Day of School Hat Crafts

back to school craft

Looking for an engaging activity to do with students to celebrate the first day or week of school? Have them create their own first day of school hat to wear while using the provided writing prompt to explain their favorite part of the first day, and give them a certificate!

I hope you and your students love these resources and that you have a marvelous first day of school! 
Want more back to school resources? Check out these beachy classroom decor ideas.