How to Tie a Shoe for Kids

I'll never, ever tie another shoe again!

Why should I?  I figured out the holy grail of kids' sneakers.

This year, not a single kid could tie a shoe.  Not one.

I knew I'd be squatting all day, knotting a spaghetti tangle of shoe laces.

Did I panic?  Yes, briefly.  Then I recovered--and realized what I had to do.

I spent 10 minutes teaching about the shoe tie center.

I opened the Shoe Tie Tutorial on my SMARTboard, and followed the "Easy Tie" Steps.  I used the kiddie sneaker I keep in my learning center, and I showed each step in real-time.   And...I had my kids act out the steps in mid-air--a fun brain break, if you vamp it up a little:

1)  Pull the laces out
2)  Cross them over
3)  Put one lace into the hole
4)  Pull the laces tight

etc., etc...

I went through the steps twice, then I set up my Shoe Tie Center (with a printout of the shoe tie tutorial in a binder), and watched the magic happen.

Day One, one girl learned how to tie shoes.  She signed my Shoe Tie Club poster, and she won an award and a little prize.

Ahh, the look on a child's face when they tie their first shoe is glorious!

Day Two, she taught 4 other kids, using the binder pictures...

Once my kids master the easy shoe tie, they move on to the advanced shoe tie.  That's the one where they have to loop around a loop.  It's a piece of cake--not!  (no pun intended!)

The doctorate level involves making a double knot--which every teacher knows is a MUST to get through a whole day.

To quote one buyer: 

"It works! It really, really works! I'm never tying another shoe, except my own, once a day. I love this product!"  

Maybe, I'll set that to a rock beat and belt it out, while standing on a kindergarten tabletop.

Or I'll sing to the tune of George Michael's "Careless Whisper."

"I'll never tie a shoe again

Guilt-less feet have got some rhythm..."

I'm definitely doing a happy dance!

Poetry Writing for Kids: Similes

Kids can write poetry — and similes that dazzle.  It's fun, fascinating, and mind-stretching.  So, let's take off our gloves and pack a punch with our teaching!

Earth is like a boat…

…because they’re both floating, they’re both alone, traveling across long distances, carrying people.

But a ship is not the first simile to come to mind. 

When you ask a kid, at first they might say:  Earth is like a…planet.

No, you say, Earth is a planet.  Tell me something different that Earth is like.  It can be the same color, shape, size, texture, or action as Earth—but otherwise very different.

OK, Earth is like an apple because they’re both round.

That’s good.  Now let’s go deeper.  What’s the same color AND shape?  Earth is like a blueberry.  They are both blue and round.  And besides that they are both fragile and easily destroyed.

Very good!  What else?  Earth is like an eye.  An eye can be green and blue, and, like the people on Earth, it sees stuff.  You can even ask of the Earth, “What have you seen?”

So, which simile packs the most emotional punch?

That depends.   What else do you want to say about the Earth?  Is it crowded—like a zoo?  Is it big and lonely—like a blue whale?

Is it alive—like a garden?  Or desolate—like a desert?

Simile isn’t just a matter of finding something similar.  It’s finding the thing that’s the most similar to how you feel about your object.

Go deeper…

Pack an emotional punch…

What else does your subject mean to you?

Once you get the hang of similes, you can’t stop noticing connections and associations.  

• An iguana is like a pickle, because they’re both green, bumpy and strange.  
• A spider is like a robber because they’re both creeping and frightening.  
• A sea shell is like a cave, because they both have deep, dark spaces.  
• A flower is like a soldier, because they both stand tall and weather a storm.

If you teach your kids to write spectacular poems with similes that “punch,” they’ll never see the world the same.  Because then, all of life will be like a poem!

Behavior Management Ultimate Guide

 After many years of teaching, one thing makes me wince more than anything else--a teacher who yells, screams, berates, nags, threatens, squints, mocks, pleas, frightens, embarrasses, mutters, grumbles, drones, shrugs, rants, curses...and later on, cries.

The fact is, very few teachers are born-naturals when it comes to classroom management.  And there are no instant fixes.

Behavior management is like a language that you can learn to speak fluently.

Step-by-step, you learn a few words.  Simple words like...

• Please -- as in, Would you please show me your very best silly-face...and now please show me your I-love-to-learn-face?
• Thank you -- Thank you for sharing your unique perspective!
• Beautiful -- You're so focused; beautiful!
• Watch -- Watch how I (or a child) stand in line, with my shoulders back, chest out, head straight, eyes ahead, arms down, no touching, legs together, ready to move.
• Why? -- Why is it important to be respectful?  What would happen if we weren't kind and polite?

After that, you master the basic management routines, and -- over time -- you find personal tricks that work well for you.

If you want to take the trip toward mastery, and you really should — sooner rather than later — this creative and comprehensive guide will help you.  You’ll find hundreds of tools and tips for a calm and confident—and happy—classroom. 

The Ultimate Guide to Behavior Management includes School Rules, Bathroom Rules, Behavior Management with Humor, Behavior Modification Game Charts, Reward Tags, and Behavior Management Callbacks.

The centerpiece is Behavior Management with Humor:

Compiled by a long-term teacher, this resource will help you feel CALM and CONFIDENT--and ready to laugh--starting on your first day of school.

Behavior Management with Humor explores...

•  Behavior Management 101: Strategies that Work

•  How to Teach Rules so they "Stick“

•  How to Cultivate Respect and Rapport

•  How to Control your Class Firmly but Graciously

•  The All-Important “Stop Signal”

•  Behavior Mod Charts

•  Behavior Management Clip Chart

•  How to Add Humor into your Day

•  A Full Day of Humor and Good Behavior, Step-by-Step

•  Exactly what to Say and Do, from the Moment Kids Arrive till Dismissal, for the Best Behavior

•  Humor in Reading, Writing, Math, Music, and Dance

•  Make it Fun in the Lunchroom, Auditorium, School Yard, Parties, and More

•  Funny Things to Say All Day

•  Songs that Get Kids to Move, Smile and Behave

•  Callbacks for Easy, Fun Management

•  Brain Breaks to Calm or Energize Kids

•  Printable Resources: Awards, Hats, Masks, Glasses, Bracelets, Brag Tags, Pointers, and More!

•  “Reboot Box” for Time-Out

•  Zen Zone for Calming

•  Behavior Management Posters

•  Student Activities and Printables for Bulletin Board Displays

•  Deal-Breakers – Behavior Management to Avoid

•  “Tips from the Trenches” for Behavior Management with Humor

Your Behavior Management Ultimate Guide includes this:  

•  BIG BONUS - Counting Backward Song MP3 

•  A soothing voice counts backward over relaxing music with a soft beat.  Perfect for calming down or taking a refreshing break--for kids AND teachers!

Here are some SUPER-COOL REWARD TAGS, awards, or prizes.  You can see them as the first brick, in an awesome tower of respect and rapport that you'll build in your classroom.

Enjoy your FREEBIE Reward Tags!

So, exactly how do you get kids to behave, calm down, clean up, transition, time out, or stand and stretch?  There's no short answer, but it’s all made easier with this Counting Song MP3—a soothing voice counting the numbers 1 – 20 over relaxing music with a soft beat.

This “magic timer” counts like a heartbeat, one beat per second. You can slow your heart rate by breathing deeply and matching your pulse to the beat of the songs.  It’s a great behavior management tool to help kids calm their minds and focus on the task at hand.  If you want an extended countdown, you can play it again. 

Enjoy your FREEBIE Counting Song MP3!

It's amazing how a very small change in your approach to behavior management can have a huge impact on your classroom culture and in your life.

The best gift you can give yourself, or another teacher, is the expertise to create a great classroom culture.

As always, I'm wishing you all the best!

How to Use the TpT Digital Tool for Online Learning

Need digital tools or lessons to teach your students—for distance learning, hybrid learning, or homeschooling?

Did you know…

You can take a TeachersPayTeachers resource, and assign one or more of the pages to your students—over the internet?

It’s easy. 

TpT has a new Digital Tool that allows you to upload many of your TpT-bought PDF pages to your Google Classroom account.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

If you use any resource for distance learning such as Google Classroom, you must use a secure site.  Please be sure it is password protected.

You can even add instructions for your kids, and text boxes for them to write in.

You can see their completed assignments if you choose.

Here’s how…

 

How to Use the TpT Digital Tool
To Assign Activities to Students

 

1)  Go to TpT/My Purchases.  Open the product page and click on “Create Digital Activity.”  (Some products don’t include this option.)

2)  You will see the digital resource.  Click Preview at the top center of the page.

3)  If you’d like to make changes, click Prepare.

4)  To delete pages, click Edit Pages, at the left side, above the page thumbnails.

5)  To add answer boxes, click the Answer Box icon on the top left, click on the screen, and re-size the box to meet your needs.  Kids will be able to type inside these boxes.

6)  Select the Font Size by clicking inside the answer box.

7)  Delete any features the seller has inserted by clicking the Delete icon, then clicking on the item.

8)  Add text or directions by clicking the screen where you would like to write, and type.

9)  Click Assign.

10)   To assign the page(s) to your kids through Google Classroom, click the Green icon to the far left of the screen.

11)   You may use an Access Code if you prefer.

12)    To review your students’ work, click Review Responses, at the far right.

♥    Learn more at TpT’s Guide to the New Digital Tool.

♥    Have questions?  TpT’s Contact Us Form will get you quick tech support!

Would you like more PandemicTeaching Tips?  Here they are.

Please stay safe, calm, and patient, as we all wait for this pandemic to pass.

I’ll be wishing you the best of health, and the best possible teaching year!

Healthy Teacher Tips for the COVID-19 Virus Crisis

Here are some healthy teacher tips, as we all navigate these uncertain days of the COVID-19 Virus Pandemic. Great reminders, even once the pandemic is over.

 

♥    Boost your health with multi-vitamins, zinc, probiotics, vitamins B, C, and D3.

♥    Get plenty of sleep.

♥    Meditate for a few minutes every day.

♥    Wash or sanitize your hands often.

♥    Use facial wipes every few hours.

♥    Use bleach wipes on personal items like pens, keys, and phones.

♥    Protect your eyes with glasses or non-prescription glasses.

♥    Don’t touch the front of your mask.  Only handle the ear loops, and wash your hands before and after.

♥    Keep school shoes in your car, or bag them inside your home.

♥    Wash your clothes and shower as soon as you get home.

♥    Stay informed!  If you’re not sure, ask about protocols.

♥    Find your support groups, but keep your comments in person or in group texts—not on the internet.

 

Would you like more Pandemic Teaching Tips?  Here they are.

Please stay safe, calm, and patient, as we all wait for this pandemic to pass.

I’ll be wishing you the best of health, and the best possible teaching year!

Pandemic Teaching Tips

Teaching during a pandemic can be difficult.  Here are some tips to help you teach in these trying times.

Safety First!

 

Rule #1, as always, is safety first!  All other teaching and activities are put on hold if there’s an unsafe situation to attend to.

Before you start teaching, be sure kids know the rules for pandemic safety.

Have a plan for emergencies.  For example, if a child is having trouble breathing, he or she can sit apart from the group and temporarily remove the mask.

Attend to any health, safety, or medical emergencies calmly and immediately.

Take a little time periodically to check in on kids’ feelings and emotions.  Assure them that we’ll get through this difficult time together.

Take plenty of brain breaks—they’re good for your mind, body and soul!  Deep breathing, yoga stretches, dancing, singing, and chanting are great ways to relieve stress.

Be optimistic, creative, flexible, and add a touch of humor whenever possible, to make these difficult days just a little more pleasant.

Would you like more tips for teaching during a pandemic--including the posters for your class rules?  Here they are.

 

Please stay safe, calm, and patient, as we all wait for this pandemic to pass.

I’ll be wishing you the best of health, and the best possible teaching year!

Teacher Back To School Sale!

 It's the Teacher Back to School Sale -- Part 2.

Last chance before you head out west! 

Please consider these must-have treasures--at outrageously low prices.

As always, I'm wishing you all the best, for a healthy and happy new school year!