1️⃣ Freeze Your Milk For Security ❄️

If your milk is frozen, TSA won’t have to test it! Since frozen breast milk is considered a solid, it’s much easier to get through security without the hassle of additional screening. If you’re traveling with fresh milk, they may need to test a small amount. Either way, leave extra time to make it through security!

2️⃣ Bring Ice Packs + a Cooler Bag 🧊

A well-insulated cooler bag + ice packs = your best friends for keeping breast milk fresh during travel. TSA allows gel ice packs, even if they’re slightly melted, as long as they’re being used for breast milk storage. A small lunchbox-style cooler is perfect for carrying just enough milk for your flight without taking up too much space!

3️⃣ Use a Ceres Chill to Keep Milk Cold All Day 🍼

This was a game-changer for me! The Ceres Chill is a portable breast milk storage container that keeps milk cold for 20+ hours—no ice packs or cooler needed. It’s compact, TSA-friendly, and makes traveling with fresh milk SO much easier. Highly recommend! 🙌 Grab my favorite Portable Breast Milk Storage Container!

4️⃣ Bring a Nursing Cover & Check for Nursing Pods 🤱

Most airports now have designated nursing/pumping pods, but if you’re in a pinch, a nursing cover makes it easier to pump or feed comfortably on the go. Check your airport ahead of time to see what amenities they offer—some even have private rooms with outlets for pumping moms!

5️⃣ Pack a Portable Charger for Your Pump 🔋

If you’re using a wearable or portable pump, make sure you have a fully charged battery before boarding. A power bank is a lifesaver if you need to pump mid-flight and don’t have access to an outlet. Trust me—running out of battery mid-pump is NOT fun! My favorite portable charger plugs into a wall plus has three different charging options!

💡 Bonus Tip: TSA allows breast milk in reasonable quantities, even if it exceeds the standard 3.4oz liquid limit. Just let them know you’re traveling with breast milk, and they’ll screen it separately!

Traveling as a breastfeeding or pumping mom takes a little extra planning, but with these tips, you’ll be prepared and stress-free. Have you flown with breast milk before? Drop your best tips in the comments! 💬👇

📌 Click HERE to Shop My Travel Must-Haves Here!

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The Typical Writing Workshop

In the typical writing workshop model, your students are at all different places in the writing process. Some students might be planning, others drafting, a few pretending to revise and edit, some publishing and the rest are doodling or staring at the clock.

As a teacher, it is very difficult to decide what mini lesson to teach each day because your students have very different needs based on where they are in the writing process.

For example, you might decide to teach a lesson about how to revise your lead to be more interesting. It might be one of your best mini lessons, but only a few students really need that skill on that day. Students who are planning, editing or publishing won’t use the strategies that you just taught. And we all know what happens when students do not immediately use the strategies…they are forgotten. 

Another downside to students all being at different places in the writing process is that it is difficult to support them during conferences or independent writing time. You have to help one student figure out how to log in to his Google doc, support another student who doesn’t know what to write about, monitor partners who are supposed to be doing a peer edit, and handle a whole series of other issues that pop up. It feels like a three ring circus where you are madly dashing around the room.

Does this all sound about right?

A Simple Change to Your Writing Workshop

I needed all of my students to be at the same place in the writing process. This would make it easier for me to support my writers and my students would be able to implement lessons immediately. We all needed to be drafting at the same time. Then we could all revise together and so on.

But, how do you do this when every student writes at a different pace?

The answer? The masterpiece!

This one change completely transformed my writing workshop by decreasing the chaos and increasing the confidence of my writers.

Every day we would start with a ten-minute mini lesson on a very specific skill that I wanted students to use in their writing. First, we would do lessons about how to generate a writing topic. After they drafted, we would do short lessons on revising their lead, small moments, dialogue, etc. We would continue through the writing process with one mini lesson at a time.

At the end of the mini lesson, students were given a very short writing task to complete that was entirely based on the mini lesson from that day. They were implementing what I was teaching right away! For example, if I taught a mini lesson about strong opinion statements, their task might be to revise their opinion statement to be stronger. They were just being asked to work on revising one sentence! 

The task took writers less than ten minutes but made a huge difference in the effectiveness of their writing. This removed so much of the pressure that came with being told to “go write.” They have a very specific task and this increases your writers’ confidence. 

Every day this piece of writing (which I refer to as the masterpiece) will get better as students complete the daily task.

Now all students are at the same place in the writing process and implementing mini lesson strategies every single day. It was so much easier to support all of my writers!

Fast Finishers

I still had one problem. My writers still wrote at a different pace. This meant that everyone did not finish their daily task at the same time. 

If a student completed their task early, I didn’t want them to just continue working. Doing so would mean that everyone was no longer at the same place in the writing process. 

Instead of continuing to work on their masterpiece, students who were fast finishers would flip to the back of their notebook and work on a different story or report. Most students actually had two different stories or reports going at one time! And it worked.

I had two very simple rules for these extra stories:

1. The story had to be in the same genre that we were currently working on. If we were in the middle of our personal narrative writing unit, then their extra piece needed to be personal narrative as well.
2. Students needed to attempt to use all of the skills and strategies that we had learned in the mini lessons.

But here is my secret- I didn’t grade these extra pieces of writing. They were just extra practice for my writers! But, most importantly, the extra stories kept all of my writers at the same place in the writing process for their masterpiece. The extra stories could then be completed at their own pace.

Join the Writing Masterclass

This strategy is part of the Not So Wimpy Writing Process that is taught by my good friend Jamie from Not So Wimpy Teacher. She teaches this strategy and so many others in her online professional development course for teachers in grades 2-5.

The Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass is a self-paced professional development program that teaches you, step-by-step, how to become a successful writing teacher who inspires students and transforms them into great writers.

And the best part? Jamie will teach you how to make teaching writing EASY! 

This program is only available online–which makes it the best darn professional development you could ever take. Why? Because you don’t have to dress up, wear makeup, or do your hair in order to participate! You can watch (or listen) while wearing your pajamas, going on your run, or driving to pick up the kids from badminton practice–nobody will know but you!

The Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass gets results. By the end of this program, you will have learned how to:

• Turn your students into skilled writers who love writing so much, they beg for more writing time!
• Follow a process for teaching writing that makes it simple, effective, and even joyful to teach writing.
• Create manageable mini lessons to teach.
• Find time every day for writing instruction and weekly conference time for all of your students.
• Help your students get the skills they need to perform well on standardized tests.
• Take all the mystery, overwhelm, stress, and anxiety out of teaching writing.

Click HERE if you’re feeling like “YES! I want to make writing easy to teach!“

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How to Draw a Black Widow

Break out the art supplies, it is time to learn how to draw one of the most famous 8-legged creatures, a Black Widow Spider! Students love to draw and it is a great way for them to express themselves when learning a new concept! I love this directed drawing on YouTube, it is easy to follow along and in the end, students will have their own unique spider to share! They can take their creations home or you can display them on a bulletin board in your classroom.! Plus it’s a FREE activity that helps students work on those fine motor skills!

Don’t Be Afraid of Spiders!

Another video from YouTube that is super informative and fun for students is SciShow Kids, Don’t Be Afraid of Spiders! Let’s face it, spiders can get a bad rap. They look kind of creepy and kids can develop a fear early on. This video shares knowledge about spiders, like the important jobs they do, their body parts, and building spider webs! It is a short video that is packed with little tidbits of information to help students become more familiar with spiders and why they are actually not scary at all!

Spider Research Activities

Another fun and engaging way to learn about spiders is by doing a spider research activities. Your students will love this flip-flap foldable where students can record everything they’ve learned about the life cycle of a spider. You will love how simple it is to prep! It is an easy, one-page activity that allows students to really dive in and study spiders. Students will label body parts, record their spider facts, write a spider acrostic poem, and more! This is a great activity to pair along with any spider book or video! 

National Geographic Readers: Spiders

The National Geographic Readers: Spiders is a wonderful resource and awesome book that takes students into the world of spiders. This book is filled with cool spider facts and realistic, colorful photos! The book showcases different types of spiders and is perfect for any student wanting to learn more about these creatures. It is easy to read and comprehend and is packed with tons of spider-filled information. This fascinating book makes for the perfect book for young learners studying spiders! 

Spider Life Cycle Toy

If you are looking for a super cool, outside-of-the-box way to teach about the spider life cycle… look no further! This Spider Life Cycle Toy is a fascinating way for students to learn about the life cycle of a spider. It is something they can touch, feel and even play with! This toy includes the 4 stages of the life cycle, from an egg, to egg sac, to spiderlings to a spider! Students will enjoy this spider life cycle toy and it is something that can be used over and over again in the classroom! 

All About Spiders!

It is so fun to learn about spiders and there are so many cool ways to do it! These activities make a fantastic science lesson during the Halloween season or any time of year! The 5 spider research activities are a great way to kick off a spider unit in your classroom any time of year! Students will learn in a variety of hands-on ways and become little experts on the creepy creatures! 

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Day 1: Anchor Chart and Whole Group Practice

Kick-off day 1 with an anchor chart and whole group practice! Teach students all about answering questions by reading the whole question, spinning the words to make a sentence, and writing it out as a complete sentence! Then use the fun questioning cards as whole group practice. Just call on a student to pick and read a task card. Then students take turns answering the questions with a partner. As a class, students will decide if it is a complete sentence and then write it on the board. There are tons of fun questions like “what is your favorite color?” and “who is your teacher?” This is a great way to practice all together and a fun group activity! 

Day 2: Review Anchor Chart and Scoot Game

The next day will consist of review and small group practice with a game. For the small group practice, students will identify sentences that were correct. There are 2 fun ways to play. First is a scoot game where you place cards all around the room and have students walk around the room with a partner reading the cards. This gets them out of their seats and learning in an interactive way! Or you can choose to play a group game. Simply place cards under the doc cam, have students write down their answers on their recording sheet, and then review them all as a class. You can really get into a discussion about what is incorrect, what makes it a complete sentence, and involve everyone! 

Day 3: Anchor Chart and Practicing as a Class

These activities are great because they provide the opportunity for lots of review and repetition which is a great way for students to grasp a new concept. On day 3 there is another anchor chart with questions to answer and whole group practice. The questions will allow students to practice answering questions in complete sentences using the same read it, spin it, write it method! 

Day 4: Review and Assessment

Time for students to apply everything they have learned over the last few days! Students take a question card, answer it in a complete sentence and then pass the card along to a friend. They have completed the task once they have finished 8 questions correctly. This also allows students to discuss why they are right or where they made mistakes. The questions are fun and engaging so they keep the students’ attention and spark conversation within the class! 

Day 5: Daily Quick Check and Practice

It is time to assess student comprehension when it comes to answering questions in complete sentences. The answering questions quiz provides several questions for students to show off all that they learned over the last week! They will put their skills to the test and see if they can answer each one in a complete sentence! I have also provided an extension to this resource that includes questions that you can use for morning work, check-ins, or anything else you’d like! 

Restate the Question Practice

Writing out complete sentences doesn’t have to be a hard concept to grasp, students can learn in a fun way that will make sense and stick with them! I hope you enjoy this week-long unit that will break things down into chunks and help students practice in an engaging way! 

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Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Science Lesson

This is a fun and easy science experiment that will warm up your classroom with a nice hot cup of cocoa, because hot chocolate is always a wintertime staple, right? This winter science experiment focuses on melting and is a great, hands-on way for teaching the scientific method! It is simple too, which is always a bonus! All you need is hot chocolate, cups, spoons, markers, water for mixing, and some yummy marshmallows. 

Once all the supplies are gathered, your students are ready to test out the scientific method and see how melting works! Simply mix 3 cups of cocoa……one cold, one warm, and one nice and hot. Then add your marshmallows to each cup. Students will then wait, watch and identify which cup of cocoa melts the marshmallow first. You can do this experiment as a whole class or in small groups, but I highly recommend everyone enjoys a hot cup of cocoa once the experiment is done!

Grow Your Own Polar Bear Experiment

There is truly nothing better than a winter science experiment that doubles as a tasty treat! This experiment is a favorite because it uses the crowd-pleasing gummy bear! This science activity uses the scientific method and touches on osmosis as well. It is the perfect winter experiment when studying all about polar bears!

All you need for this experiment is water, baking soda, vinegar, and salt, super simple and you probably already have the supplies on hand! Then just grab a big bag of gummy bears, some for the experiment, and maybe a few extras to snack on! The gummy bears are then placed in different solutions to see which one grows the largest. You can have students break up into small groups to complete this project. They can write down and record all the data they find on their growing gummy bears! Plus it’s great for teaching the scientific method!

Snowflake Science Experiment

It is no surprise, all kids just LOVE snow! It is one of the most fun and magical parts of winter and who doesn’t love a good snow day here and there too? Incorporating snow-themed activities into the classroom during the winter is just always a good idea! Students love it and there are so many ways to teach with snow, especially when it comes to science! 

This is another easy winter science lesson that teaches about the scientific method. Have your students draw snowflakes on a ceramic plate with whiteboard markers. Then add water and watch the snowflakes float off the plate and all around the water! It is really neat and super simple. All you need are whiteboard markers, ceramic plates, water, and straws. This is the perfect winter experiment and great for a classroom unit on snow!  

Exploding Snowman Science Experiment

An exploding snowman just sounds cool, right? This is a wintery twist on a classic experiment using baking soda and vinegar to create a volcano effect. The easy-to-use science notebook can be printed out for students, or you can use it as a digital science experiment as well! 

Grab some Ziplock bags, water, vinegar, baking soda, and markers. Then have your students create their own unique snowman by drawing on the bag. Add some water, vinegar, and baking soda to the bag. Then the fun really begins… the snowman will explode! This is a favorite with students of all ages and perfect for a winter science experiment to liven up the class in the chilly months! 

Fun Winter Science Experiments

As you can see, there is no shortage of fun to be had in the winter when it comes to science! These are super simple experiments that your students will love and that use everyday items you can easily find…or maybe you already have laying around your classroom! Bring some excitement into the classroom during those gloomy, cold winter days with experiments that everyone will enjoy!

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Fun, Creative Memory Book

This is such a unique and creative gift that students love to work on, plus it comes in an adorable donut theme…because who doesn’t love a good donut?! Students will each get to work on their own page that can be put together to create a book full of memories from their time with the student-teacher. It is so simple and easy, just print and let students work their magic. The classroom memory book is such a cute gift that your student teacher can cherish forever! 

Hands-On Student-Teacher Gift

One of the best things about this gift is that it gets students involved and allows them to show their appreciation for their student teacher. This memory book lets them reflect on their time together! The writing prompts include “I will always remember when..” where students can share their favorite memory and “my best advice to you is” where students will give their student-teacher a bit of advice. I am telling you, they come up with some of the cutest (and hilarious) ideas! There is also a picture box where you can add a picture of each student with their student teacher, or even have them draw in their own picture (which can also be adorable and so funny!). This is a gift that is so special because it comes straight from each student. 

Long-Lasting Memories

Student teachers often don’t realize the impact they can leave behind on the little lives they touch in the classroom. That is why a goodbye gift like a memory book, can be something that is held on to forever. I have a similar memory book from my student teaching experience many years ago, and it’s so fun to open it back up and see how far I’ve come since then!

Perfect Goodbye Gift Idea

This student-teacher goodbye gift is perfect on its own… but you can also choose to pair it with some other cute gifts to celebrate your student-teacher. 

Grab a box of donuts and throw a donut party with your whole class, or pick up some sprinkle-themed school supplies as a goodbye gift!

Click HERE to grab a copy of the Student-Teacher Memory Book to celebrate this special time in the classroom! 

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1. Magnetic Pick-Up Tool

When I am searching for items for the classroom, I am always thinking of things that can save me time and make my life easier..aren’t we all? That is why I absolutely love this magnetic pick-up tool. It is small and easy to store in your classroom. I have found it super helpful for picking up staples off the floor. I know that when I am switching out bulletin boards my floors become covered with little staples. This tool extends so you can easily pick up all the staples off the floor without even bending over! Pro Tip: This is a great job for a student who loves to be rewarded as a helper! I love tools that make classroom life easier and this pick-up tool does just that!

2. Easy Staple Remover for Bulletin Boards

While we are on the subject of bulletin boards, this magnetic staple remover is the best one I have found! This staple remover is great for bulletin boards, it is quick, easy to use, and comfortable to hold, unlike typical staple removers. It is also great for removing staples from worksheets because it doesn’t tear the paper! I used to have one of the ones you squeeze together, and I was always ripping papers! That’s the last thing you want to do to students’ awesome bulletin board projects! Plus the magnetic aspect makes it easy to pick up loose staples which I love! 

3. Reusable Dry Erase Tape

Have you ever used dry erase tape in the classroom? If not, you are missing out! It really is the gift that keeps on giving and can be used over and over again in many different ways! You can put a few strips of this dry erase tape on each of your students’ desks and they can use it to practice writing sentences, sight words, practice their names, cursive handwriting… the options are endless!  

Dry erase tape is also great to use at center tables so that students can practice their phonics and sight words. Just add a few dry erase markers and erasers, and you can use these strips of dry erase tape over and over again around your classroom!

Bonus Idea: I actually use this tape at home to label and organize book bins and storage bins in our garage! I love that you can quickly change the label!

4. Stikki Clips – The Perfect Bulletin Board Buddy

I am always looking for ways to hand student projects up throughout the classroom. Stikki Clips are an Amazon classroom favorite because they are so easy and convenient to use! I am sure you could find a million uses for them! These Stikki Clips will stick to any surface and won’t cause damage so you can remove and reuse them all throughout your classroom. You can place them on the wall for each student to store work, use them for classroom bulletin boards or use them to hang classroom signage and posters throughout your room. I personally love that it means students can switch out their own work around the room too! Definitely a multi-use must-have for every classroom! 

5. Magnetic Storage Basket for Your Whiteboard

Classroom storage is so important and something that is constantly being switched up to find the perfect system. I found these magnetic locker baskets on Amazon and fell in love! They are great for smaller items that can seem to take over the classroom like pens, pencils, markers, scissors, and more! This is a great little basket to sit by your dry erase board to store your markers, erasers, and dry erase spray. If you have to switch out your daily schedule, it’s an awesome spot to keep all of your classroom subject and day of the week labels organized! You can put them all around the classroom for quick and easy storage you and your students can use day today!

More Amazon Classroom Favorites

I hope you love these Amazon classroom favorites as much as I do! They are all great for making day-to-day life in the classroom running smooth. If you love Amazon like I do, and would love more classroom ideas check out my other blog post with more classroom Amazon must-haves HERE! Happy shopping!!

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1. Keep A Routine

Keeping a routine in the classroom is always important, but even more so at the end of the year. Students start to get anxious for the upcoming break (don’t we all!) and tire out from a full year of learning. Stick with the same routine you’ve had all year. Giving students consistency at the end of the school year helps them to stay focused and finish out the year with a bang! 

It’s easy to want to pack your entire day with fun activities you wouldn’t normally do, but even structuring your day by teaching the same subjects at the same time of day can be really helpful in keeping your students focused! To ensure students don’t begin to “check out” at the end of the year, keep your routine running smoothly in the classroom to keep everyone engaged. 

2. Create A Countdown

Everyone loves a good countdown. Creating a countdown to an exciting event like the last day of school is fun for students and gives them something to look forward to. This ABC countdown to summer calendar is the perfect way to keep students engaged and excited for the closing of the school year. 

Not sure what an ABC Countdown is? It’s easy! Every day for the last 26 days of the school year, you will add in one special activity for a letter of the alphabet! For example, on A-Day, you might do a fun art project that ties in with your social studies curriculum. On B-Day you might go outside and look for butterflies. Each activity can be simple, but a great way to make memories with your kids those last couple weeks! The calendar I always used is editable so you can add your own ABC countdown activities or keep the ones I have selected. It is simple and easy to use, just print and send it home with students! 

3. Provide Fun, Independent Activities

Another fantastic way to keep students engaged those last few weeks of school is by providing fun, independent activities for them to work on throughout the day. It can seem like the days drag on forever during the last month of school, so keeping students engaged and focused is key! 

Provide them with activities they can work on at centers that are both fun and interactive. This Research Project template is a great start! Prep is super simple, just print and go and it gives students the opportunity to cut, color, and write their research on any topic you choose. This is a great project for the end of the year and can be used for any subject you choose! Using these independent activities give students time to unwind and learn while giving you time to get ahead of end-of-the-year tasks you have as well! 

Fun and Stress-Free End of the Year

As the end of the school year approaches, it is time to plan a way for kids to have fun, stay focused, and create a stress-free close to a great year. Help students enjoy their last few weeks of the year by creating memories and engaging them with fun activities. I hope you find these tips helpful as you celebrate the end of a fantastic year with your students! 

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1. Prep Copies for Next Year

The beginning of the school year always includes tons of copies, worksheets, and paperwork prep. The end of the school year is a great opportunity to take some of that prep work off your plate for next year by making your copies ahead of time, because who likes to stand at the copy machine for eternity at the start of the new school year? Not me! Prep copies of spelling test papers, reading calendars, handwriting notebooks, worksheets, daily warm-ups, and anything you know you use daily or weekly! Then keep them front and center in your classroom so you will see them when you head back after the summer. I loved having these handwriting worksheets copied into booklets for the entire year before I left for summer! 

2. Keep a Running List on Your Phone

Are you a list maker like me? I love a good list! When prepping for a new school year, lists are important to keep you on task and help remind you of everything that needs to be done. As the school year winds down, make sure you are keeping a running list of ideas you have for the next school year. This can include things like what you need to buy, bulletin board themes, worksheets, and paperwork to print, ideas, etc. Now you will have a streamlined list of what needs to be done before you head back after break, no more guesswork! I suggest keeping it on your phone, so you can pull it up anywhere or any time!

3. Set a Daily Cleaning Timer

Setting aside small amounts of time to get things prepared is a great way to block off time each day without it feeling like a huge task. Set a 15-minute timer every single day after school to organize spaces in your classroom that may need a quick tidy up. I suggest starting this the last month of school! We all know that throughout the year our classroom spaces can get a little out of control. Setting this daily timer will allow you to take a short block of time out of your day to focus on a certain spot in your room. Clean out cubby holes, reorganize centers, throw away any junk and get your room neat and tidy so you leave it prepped for next year!

This trick is great for making sure you can actually leave on time when that final school bell rings for summer!

Prep Now, Relax Later

Summer break is awesome, but it feels so much better when you already have a leg up on the next school year! Knowing that most of your preparation is behind you will let you truly enjoy your break and focus on relaxing during your time off. Take these 3 tips and start implementing them into your daily school day now, and you will thank yourself later! Just imagine heading into a new school year without feeling stressed and overwhelmed with a ton of work? Sounds great right! Now you can enter the classroom feeling refreshed, ready to focus on your new students, and geared up for a great year of learning!

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