I shared a picture of our LEGO challenges for this week on my Instagram @mrshenryinfirst and many of you were wondering what else we were doing to make things fun during the Covid-19 #homelearningquarantine so here's a quick snapshot of what LEGO WEEK looks like for us! For reference, my own kiddos are 4 and 5 years old but I'll try and share some ideas you can use and tweak if your kids are a little older!

Educational companies (and teachers!) are coming together and offering FREE resources due to school closings and Covid-19!! I've been working hard to collect a list of those resources to share here with you and your students!!

Here is a list of some AMAZING resources for digital learning at home! These can be used with guidance from teachers or directly by families at home looking for resources to support home learning! 

"Sub plans are a breeze!" said NO TEACHER EVER! Ugh, we all know how difficult it is to miss school for a prepared absence and the stress it places on staff when there's no plan in place, but how do you plan for an emergency absence? 

​I know first hand what it's like to miss school for an emergency. As a first year teacher, my dad was involved in a motorcycle accident that sent him in a helicopter straight to the ICU. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wasn't going to be going to school the next day or week for that matter, but as a new teacher I just wasn't prepared for missing any days! I had no sub plans because, well let's face it, I was barely hanging on to the day-to-day happenings myself! I was learning the ropes and barely staying afloat on my own.

If you're looking for more than JUST a toy, check out these awesome gifts for kids available on Amazon! As a teacher, I love giving gifts that inspire creativity, build on skills, and take fun to the next level! 

I love shopping for gifts during the holiday season, but I also avoid crowds like the plague! I'd much rather enjoy the comforts of home, put on a Christmas movie and snuggle up with my laptop while I shop away! I've spent a lot of time perusing Amazon for gift ideas and today I'm sharing my favorite finds! Hopefully this will inspire you if you're looking for the PERFECT gift for her (or maybe add them to your own wishlist!) Best of all, everything listed is under $30!!

I recently shared my Playdoh Cart on Instagram @mrshenryinfirst and I received a TON of questions about what was inside! So today, I'm finally sharing what's in my Playdoh cart! We love using Playdoh and I needed a way to organize all the things, so I used my favorite Ikea r​olling cart and got busy. Here's what's included:

Hello teacher friends! I'm excited to show you one of my FAVORITE Veterans Day craft activities today! It's the perfect way to honor and thank your local Veterans and bonus, it makes for a beautiful display! 

Hey teacher friends!! It's that time of year and I'm here to share my top 5 tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences! Whether you hold traditional conferences with parents or prefer student-led conferences, I hope this post provides some insight as you plan! 

It's been quite a while since I organized my craft bins. So much so, that I'm nervous to show you the BEFORE pics! I love the false sense of security that my large storage bins provide, neatly tucked into my IKEA shelves. But let's be real... the second you pull them out, YIKES!!

My large bins were a hot mess from too many ziplock bags filled with #allthethings. When making craft projects or searching for particular items, I would just get frustrated and pull everything out, creating an even bigger mess! Don't believe me, just check out my bins below.

I've been using a teacher toolbox for a few years now and I love how it keeps me super organized! It's one of THE BEST teacher hacks and it helps me keep my desk under control (no more junk drawers!!).