This week’s Mid-Week Focus features Creativity… Q. How do we define it? A. Simply stated, creativity is the ability to be inventive and imaginative. Q. How can we light the fire of creativity in kids? A. One answer is by asking…
Light the Fire of Creativity in Kids!
Tagged with: 21st century skills, 3 - 5, creative ways to get kids' attention, defining creativity, Fall, K - 2, lighting the fire of creativity in kids, Mid-Week Focus, multi-disciplinary, Preparing children for change, Spring, Summer, the role of creative thinking in K - 5 curricula, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Self-Assess at New Year’s Start
Mid-Week Focus this week falls on New Year’s Day…a great time to celebrate new beginnings. Advice for making and managing new year resolutions are easy to find. I hope this post offers an attention-getting, easy-to-use and helpful tool at the…
Catch Kids’ Attention with Nature’s Power
This week’s Mid-Week Focus features the power of nature to catch kids’ attention. No matter what season of the year, many students always agree that the beach is a wonderful place to be. Simulate the Sea – Even if you…
Tagged with: 3 - 5, antidotes to stress in K - 5 classes, countering obesity, creative writing techniques, easy, effective attention-getting strategies, Fall, helping children appreciate nature, K - 2, Mid-Week Focus, multi-disciplinary, Simulating sounds of nature, Spring, Summer, using movement and new voices to teach, using nature to catch kids' attention, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
De-Stressors & Attention-Getters for the Holiday Season
Mid-Week Focus this week offers ideas to help teachers and students de-stress during a holiday season… Sometimes Blank Space Is Best – If you’re suffering from “information overload,” take a few minutes out from your pressed school schedule and ask your…
Tagged with: 3 - 5, encouraging student ownership in learning, Fall, Helping teachers and students manage stress, K - 2, keeping kids' focused on learning during holiday seasons, Mid-Week Focus, music as a teaching tool, Spring, using SmartBoards and other white boards, value of asking open-ended questions, value of mind wandering, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Cheer Up Anxious Children
Mid-Week Focus this week features quick and easy ways to cheer up anxious children. Is it just me or have there been a frightening number of major natural disasters in a relatively short period of time around the world? If…
Tagged with: 3 - 5, encouraging critical thinking in grades 3 - 5, Fall, helping children cope with anxieties, helping children deal with natural disasters, K - 2, Literary, Mid-Week Focus, poems about smiles and frowns, poems by The Lovable Poet, Spring, strategies to cheer up children during the holidays, Summer, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Tricks to Enrich Read Aloud Time
Picture this…a fourth grade teacher sitting on a high chair in the middle of her classroom of twenty-five students, eyes focused down on a book she was reading aloud to… …no one! I saw this as I entered the room to…
Tagged with: 1001 Children's Books, 3 - 5, Beverly Cleary, developing children's language appreciation, encouraging parents to read to children, Enriching Read Aloud Time, Fall, Google Translate, Helping Students Stay Focused When Reading, K - 2, Literary, Mid-Week Focus, Spring, story of Balto, strategies to introduce children to world cultures, Summer, using dramatization during read aloud time, using sound effects when reading to kids, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Share a Harvest of Attention-Getting Thanks!
¡Gracias! (Spanish) Je vous remercie! (French) Danke! (German) Спасибо! (Russian) धन्यवाद! (Hindi) ありがとうございました！(Japanese) Asante! (Swahili) Mèsi! (Haitian Creole) Obrigado! (Portuguese) Matur nuwun! (Javanese) Salamat sa…
Tagged with: 3 - 5, attention-getting thank yous, cornucopias as teaching tools, developing an enduring sense of appreciation, Fall, favorite activity bulletin board, harvest-time bulletin boards, helping children learn to show appreciation, K - 2, Literary, Mid-Week Focus, Teaching letter writing to kids, world languages, writing activities for K - 5 kids
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Wands, Words, Circle Time to Prepare Children for Learning
Looking for quick and easy ways to help children settle down at the start of a school day? Mid-Week Focus this week features more tried and true attention-getting tools and tricks – my own ideas and strategies that other teachers…
Tagged with: classroom circles help kids share, easy to make teaching tools, efffective school day starters, Fall, helping children express feelings, hooks for K - 2 lessons, K - 2, Mid-Week Focus, multi-disciplinary, rhyming activities for kids, Spring, Summer, using toy wands as teaching tools, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Magical Teaching Tools Work Like a Charm
Grab a big black hat and get ready to charm students and catch their attention… Mid-Week Focus this week features quick and easy teaching tools and tricks that include an element of magic! (No special training needed.) In the United…
Tagged with: "Magical" teaching tools and tricks, 3 - 5, Bulletin Board Ideas for K-5 Teachers, entertaining children to help them learn, Fall, K - 2, math activities for K - 5 classes, Mid-Week Focus, motivating children to read, multi-disciplinary, National Magic Week, Spring, Summer, The Magic Pencil by The Lovable Poet, using magic to teach K - 5 kids, using the concept of cooking to teach multiple subjects, Winter
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Posted in Mid-Week Focus
Barbara Cleary has been serving as a resource to hundreds of educators for more than 25 years.
An award-winning writer, producer, teacher, and trainer, Barbara’s focus is on offering easy, fun tools and tricks that support K-5 curricula and assist teachers with classroom management.
