Summer Fun with Chalk Paint

Hey friends! It's me, Amanda from Mrs. Richardson's Class!

If summer hasn't arrived for you, it will arrive soon I hope! Here in Texas our school's are already on summer vacation and the heat is in FULL force!

A few years ago I shared one of my favorite activities to do at the end of the year with my students--CHALK PAINT!

I LOVE chalk paint.  I always do this at the end of each year and here is why, sweet friends!

If you are already out of school, you can easily do this at home with your little ones! It will keep them busy for a while and you can sit and relax for a bit! Trust me, I know that sometimes being at home with your own kids can be just as exhausting as the classroom! 

Need some ideas of how to use it in the classroom?  This is how I tied it to something educational every year!

And of course you can write about ANYTHING! Here is a How To FREEBIE so your students can write about how they made the chalk paint!

Click the image above to grab it! 

Poetry Fun and a FREEBIE

Hello there! Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? I'll be honest--it wasn't until I started teaching did I learn this!

Poetry is something that I expose my little friends to all the time! Every chance I get, I use it! Science, math, shared reading--all the time, ya'll! They always love it! Plus, reading it often helps build fluency!

When it comes to teaching my friends to write poetry, we typically start with sensory poetry because it is easy for them to relate to and write.

Here are a few examples that we made in class together. They always have so much fun being creative!

Want to try this with your class? Go for it! Grab this FREEBIE to get your little ones started.



If you love this freebie, take a peak at this Poetry unit.  It's perfect for K-2 learners!

Have a super weekend!!!

Arctic Animal Fun, Freebie, and Flip Books!

Hey guys, it's Amanda from Mrs. Richardson's Class. You have survived your first week back--you totally deserve something great! I hope you slept in, ate a yummy breakfast, and enjoy your Saturday!!

The month of January is filled with many great themes and topics that can be integrated into your standards.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Penguins, Snow, and definitely other Arctic Animal FUN!

My kids always love, love, love to research animals. They are just at that age where they are so fascinated with cool animal facts and seeing polar bears eat all kinds of crazy things!

We love checking out Discovery Education for great information videos.

We always explore tons of non-fiction text, focus on and discuss the text features, and dig into the content.

Anchor charts are a must!

Recording our information onto these flip books is easy-peasy, too!

If you are looking for more flip books for arctic animals, be sure to check this out. They are great for interactive notebooks!

My kids always enjoy writing and when I can add something fun to create with it, they enjoy it even more! It's easy to put something like this into the writing station for them to enjoy. 

Grab this little craftivity FREEBIE! Be sure to hop on over to my blog to pick this up! 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day, sweet friends!!!

Fa La La La Link-Up: Holiday FREEBIES

Hello sweet friends!! It's Amanda from Mrs. Richardson's Class.

The holiday season is crazy busy! There are so many times that you need something quick to fill time between assemblies, early dismissals, and--let's be honest-- just pure craziness in the classroom!

We wanted to help you out as much as possible so we have gathered all of our fabulous holiday freebies so that you can hopefully enjoy the holiday season a little bit more!

Here is a subitizing game freebie that is always a BIG hit in my classroom! 

click the image to check it out in my TpT Store FREE

Want to link up and join the fun? 

1. Grab the button! 

2. Add it to your blog post.

3. Link to your Holiday freebie to help make everyone's Holiday a little more cheerful! 

Be sure to check out the many other Holiday FREEBIES and leave some love, too! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Amanda {Mrs. Richardson's Class}

Hi there! I'm Amanda and I blog over at Mrs. Richardson's Class. 

I have taught for 6 years in kindergarten, first grade, and first grade two-way dual language.  I have loved each of them for different reasons, but my heart is truly in kindergarten! 

My Superpower: I'm a new mom to this little squirt. Lately I feel like my only superpower is the ability to be late EVERYWHERE I go. Can I get an "Amen!" from all the other mommas out there?!

My Super Food: Salads are something super quick to whip up between feeding and playing with this kiddo so I have been eating tons of salads lately.  Also, they made me super sick when I was pregnant so I have been making up for that! Brownies…when there is a pan around, I will eat on them all day. It's dangerous! 

I Get My Super Strength From: I am all about "quality time" with people.  Of course my husband is my first choice because I love a night of eating dinner while catching up on our t.v. shows.  If that's not an option, I love a night out or day out with my wonderful friends! 

Here are some pictures from my August girl time! I hope I soaked up some super decorating strength from these two!!! 

Now for a little freebie fun! 

One of the skills that we focus on a great amount during this time of the year is our alphabet fluency.  We want to know not only our letters and sounds, but I want my littles to be so familiar with the alphabet that they can place letters quickly without having to sing the ABC song.   

This little activity is perfect for any work station, a Daily 5 Word Work activity, or even small group. Click the picture to snag it! I hope your little ones enjoy this Super Sequencing activity! 

I am so thrilled to be on this little journey with some great blogging buddies! Be sure to follow my blog and TpT store for more great ideas and activities!