- I want my kids to have rich experiences.
- It takes forever to plan engaging lessons from scratch.
THE SOLUTION:
- Find the right balance of routine and novelty.
- Do it in SMALL steps.
Provide new, exciting materials every day, or stick to the same old, same old? I've been on both sides of that spectrum. And neither is ideal. A balance works best.
Here's what the first half of my lesson plan template looks like currently, to show how I manage the "routine" part. It's so easy to just fill in the blanks with this week's theme, story, etc.
Now for the fun part, the novelty! I've gathered many great ideas over the years, but had a difficult time fitting them in! I always feel like there's not enough time, but when I think about it, there is a lot that can be cut out, and plenty of activities that don't need to be done as often. This leads into the next points...
- Take time to browse for new ideas.
- Incorporate your passions into your teaching.
- Get organized!
Pinterest is a teacher's best friend! You can browse my boards here:
My biggest passions are definitely art & science. So I looked for ways I could incorporate those into everyday math, reading, and writing activities. I found so much great stuff!
So many wonderful ideas. But so many that take a lot of time to prepare. *sigh*
Organization is key! I invested heavily in ziplocs, tabbed binders, and totes, and it has paid off.
Over the summer, I gathered all my great lessons together and got all my files sorted out so that I can be more efficient and get everything in that I want to! I am most proud of myself for eliminating almost ALL worksheets!
Thanks for reading!
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