Avery's 1st Birthday!

This past weekend, we celebrated ONE whole year with Avery!

She will forever be my squishy baby. She is a snuggler and is really just the happiest girl.

Her smash cake came from Publix. We love the taste of their cakes and cupcakes, and they can usually take any vision I have for a design become a reality.

She's a fan, obviously.

Our immediate family came to celebrate with us (and to watch the first Alabama football game of the season......eeeeeeeekk!!)

Big sister is always close by to help :)

Since we all know I'm a fall enthusiast, pink and gold pumpkins it was for the theme! I painted paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby to make the ONE letters.

My sweet sister made these delicious pumpkin spice cookies! (@sweetnlo_cookieco)

And a shoutout to my neighbor Mallorie for helping me make these cupcake toppers with her Cricut!!

Avery had the best day being the center of attention. It's so easy to celebrate you, Avery girl! 

 

Apple Books & a Surprise

There's something about September that automatically makes me crave all the apple things. This past weekend, we visited an apple orchard in my hometown since the weather was finally in the 70s and so pleasant. We live in the deep south, so there's not an abundance of apple orchards....and for a reason. There wasn't much to choose from, but we did leave with some apples and my oldest had an absolute blast!

When COVID-19 closed the country (and schools) in the spring, I started the Playing Preschool curriculum from Busy Toddler. The first unit is about apples, and my (then) 3 year old was obsessed with it! There were songs, crafts, lessons, and book suggestions....we loved everything about it! Ever since, she's been asking me to go apple picking, so when I found this place in my hometown, we decided to visit. 

She had so. much. fun. 

These are the books about apples we used and still love! They would be great for your apple unit in the classroom/homeschool, or just for fun for your kids at home.

Apples, Apples, Apples, by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace - a fun story about a family going apple picking. The illustrations are different but awesome.

Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg - EM laughs every single time we read this book! And has to count all the apples of course. If you're a fan of Seuss, you'll love it.

Apples by Gail Gibbons - seriously, Gail Gibbons is a nonfiction genius. She packs in so much information that's not too overwhelming for kids. I always learn something from her books...and I'm the adult, ha. 

Fancy Nancy, Apples Galore! by Jane O'Connor - we are BIG into Fancy Nancy right now in our house! This one was an instant hit.

And now for the surprise! EM loved singing this song when we did our apple unit, she even sang it at the apple orchard. So whether your picking apples, baking with apples, or reading about apples, this song will be perfect for your preschooler.

Now, off to bake with all the apples!

Hey Pumpkin...Fall 2020 Playlist

 

Happy Friday!

There's nothing like a good music playlist to get you in the right mood. Right now, my mood is Fall, Fall, and More Fall!! It made me especially giddy when I walked into my neighborhood grocery store yesterday and saw this:

As soon as I got home, I played my Fall 2020 Spotify playlist and burned my pumpkin spice candle...it's my Fall heaven!

If you need a light, happy playlist to listen to this Fall, click here. 

Now, excuse me while I go turn my AC down a notch so I can pretend it's not still 90 degrees outside.....

My Autumn Words Book

 I love absolutely everything about Fall! Some may say I'm a *tad* bit obsessed...

Not too much to ask for, right?! 

My 4 year old is very into seasons/holidays as well. She came home from preschool last week with a little booklet all about colors, and she is still carrying that little thing around the house! So, I made a little book for her with words about Autumn, and she is obsessed. She also feels soooo big that she is "reading" the book by naming the pictures. 

Here was her little creation:

We're also very into rainbow colors, can you tell?

I made it teacher and mama friendly so you can do it with your students/kids, too!

All you need is a copy of the sheet, scissors, and crayons! Your little ones will need some help with folding, but step-by-step photo instructions are provided for you! It will *maybe* take you a whole minute to fold. And take your kiddos minutes to color! WINNING!

Another option: You can also cut each page out separately (a paper cutter would make this faster!) and staple together to make a book. For advanced options, you could have the students put the words in ABC order before stapling. Or they could be glued on construction paper/butcher paper. Or they could be turned into simple sentences for beginning writers. The possibilities are endless! :)

Click here to grab it for $1! Be sure to tag me if you use it with your kiddos!

Instagram: @the_elementary_mama

Facebook: The Elementary Mama

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Out with the Old...

 What. A. Year. 

It's been a whole year since I stepped out of the elementary classroom and man, a lot has happened since then! For starters....

this little bundle of chunky cuteness is the reason I decided to stay home for the 2019/2020 school year. She was born September 25, 2019 at 8 lbs, 5 oz. and made me a double girl mama! We got in a really good groove with our new life as a family of 4 until....

March 2020 happened. My big girl came home from preschool for a week of Spring Break and never went back to school. COVID-19 kept us at home together for 5 months, and I had to figure out how to do preschool at home. Friends, there is a reason I did not major in Early Childhood! It's just not my jam, but my big girl loves school and is crazy smart, so we had to figure out something to keep her little brain engaged. 

This season of life helped me blend my love for education and my love for raising my babies at home. So, once my big girl was able to go back to preschool (her last year before KINDER....what?!?!), I decided it was time to dust off this old blog and revamp it to match my current season of life. So, I present to you...

The Elementary Mama!

This is my way to share everything education and home/family related. I'll never be able to shake off the elementary teacher in me, but I'm also totally embracing being home with my girls. I'm keeping my previous Mrs. Elementary content on here and TPT the same, just adding a bunch of new goodness to the mix. I'm also now @the_elementary_mama on Instagram. Hopefully I'll be getting some new content out soon!

Until then...

I'll be hanging out with my 3 favorite people! :)