Resources & Freebies

Kindergarten Big Goals

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The Do's And Don'ts Of Teaching Your Kid The Alphabet

Natalie shares essential tips for teaching your child the alphabet. Perfect for parents of 4, 5, and 6 year olds. Learn what to really focus on when teaching the ABC's and what is a waste of time. Primary Focus was founded by a former kindergarten teacher to guide parents through

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A book club for kids?

"Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' through the jasmine in my mind" Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts I hope you had a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend! Now that summer is here, academics will take a natural step back as the kids enjoy some freedom. But it's

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Kids vs Standardized Tests

"Help me if you can, I'm feeling down" Help! by The Beatles We are inching closer to the end of the school year- but there's one big obstacle between students and summer break: and that's testing 😳 If your child is in public school it's unavoidable- every state has countless mandated

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Ask THIS before summer break

"Summertime and the livin' is easy" Summertime by Ella Fitzgerald ...and famously covered by Sublime 💕 Happy belated Mother's Day 💕 Summer break is on its way! This is a time of year where teacher communication can dial wayyyyy back. Just like parents, teachers are focused on closing out the school year

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🍎 3 free ways to appreciate teachers

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! I've got three free ideas to celebrate.

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❤️ Learning with Love & Logic

Last week I told you why my students used to hate me. It all changed when I read Teaching with Love & Logic.

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My students used to hate me

Last week I explained intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It may seem like one is better than the other, but from my experience in the classroom, the reality is somewhere in the middle.

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End of Year Gifts for Teacher Assistants | Teacher Aide | Para Professional

🖍️ In this video, Natalie compiled a list of the best gifts for teacher assistants that are sure to show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication. She's got some amazing ideas for you, including practical gifts that will make their work easier, sentimental gifts that will touch their heart,

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How do you motivate kids?

There's a lot of philosophies out there about how to motivate children. So whether you're team #gentleparenting, teaching with love and logic, or just winging it day to day all these approaches come back to one debate: Should we use intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

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3 Surprising Ways My Life Has Changed Since I Quit Teaching | Former Teacher Vlog | a day in my life

It was a really hard decision to leave teaching...so was it worth it? In this video I share 3 surprising ways my life is different that I think others teachers could relate to. I also explain what I do now and compare my life last year to this year.

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💐 Spring Fever

Spring is here and soon most children in America will be waltzing back into school from spring break. Suddenly the days are longer, the weather is warmer, and just like that spring fever is here!

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So, how'd I do?

Quarter 1 just ended, so I've been reflecting on how content has performed.

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🪧 LAUSD went on strike: what does that mean for us?

LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) is the second largest school district in the United States. They also have one of the most powerful teacher unions in the country. So, when they strike the rest of the country listens...

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🎉 4 FUN AI tools to try

Here's a few interesting AI tools I found- some for you and some for kids

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ChatGPT in K-12 Schools: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know Now | release of GPT-4

ChatGPT by open AI is here to stay. And with the release of GPT4 we need to be even more vigilant of this technology in schools. As the adults in the room we need to understand what ChatGPT is and how we can use ChatGPT as this technology becomes more

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Does ChatGPT belong in schools?

OpenAI's ChatGPT will chat with you about anything you can think of...and maybe even get some work done for you too.

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Should you leave teaching? Watch this before you quit

Are you thinking about leaving teaching? Do you want to quit teaching? Is it time to leave the classroom? Natalie walks through the thought process and research she did before she took the leap to leaving teaching. She shouts back at the doubts in your mind and the most common

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Stop paying for apps- the best free sites for kids!

Let's talk tech. The market is FLOODED with learning games for children. That's why I did the work for you.

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Are schools a worthy investment?

Over the past few weeks I followed the funding in public schools. Here's a few conclusions I drew while researching.

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Pros and Cons of Private School Vouchers

School Voucher programs have been quietly dominating the United States. I'm going to break down the pros and cons for you so you can form your own opinion.

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NC's Education Lottery: not a win for kids

Profits from the lottery program (scratch off tickets, power ball etc) are supposed to be bonus funding for the school's education budget. But that's not happening in North Carolina...

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What is going on with North Carolina's student funding?

How fair is school funding in your state?

How to talk to your child’s teacher without feeling like a helicopter mom

This article was originally published in the Peanut App. It was written to an audience of mothers, but the advice to true no matter how you identify. There’s a relationship that is important to work on: it’s kind of professional and kind of personal, making the lines blurry

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📣 teach your kids time management NOW

Teaching children time management is a process....and when they can't even read a clock it can get really difficult. That's why I'm dedicating this newsletter to 3 simple ways to use calendars to build time management.