Creative Kindergarten

In episode 161 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk with Veronica about different neuromyths that are popular in the education world. We discuss learning styles, dyslexia, how much of our brain we use, and so much more. 

In episode 160 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk with Krista about using visuals in the classroom to support students. We go through the what, where, how and who of using visuals so that you can feel comfortable using them in your classroom!

In episode 11 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, I reflect on the learning that I have done throughout the book, and how it has changed and enhanced the literacy program in my classroom. I share my biggest take-aways and the routines that I’ve started to implement!

In episode 159 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I answer all of your questions about setting up and using a sound wall in your kindergarten classroom. I go over the why, when, how and what of sound walls!

In episode 10 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 10 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. I think back to all the elements that we have been learning about, and how they have to work together to develop writing skills.

In episode 158 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go over my September morning routine. The activities and songs I do, the routines I teach and everything else that goes into planning my morning meeting.

In episode 157 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk about the different ways that I find ideas when I am planning activities and centers for my students. Coming up with new learning experiences can seem overwhelming, but there are lots of ways we can make it easier.

In episode 9 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 9 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. I discuss the difference in teaching spelling patterns and spelling development among native English language speakers and English language learners (spoiler: not much!)

In episode 156 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I look at the Ontario Grade 1 Language curriculum through the lens of kindergarten. What does it change about our program? What does it mean for whole and small group instruction? What are my thoughts on the changes? Listen to find out!

In episode 8 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 8 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. Since our kindergarten students are still learning how to read, modeling reading comprehension strategies through read-alouds is a great tool that we can use. I have been doing this through my 3-Day Read-Aloud routines this year, and I have seen a significant increase in my students’ comprehension skills.

Links I mention in this episode:

In episode 155 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I dive deep into the Ontario Kindergarten Program literacy frame to discuss the changes that need to be made. I reflect on which steps you can take to align your lessons to a structured literacy approach and how we can ensure we are following the science of reading.

In episode 7 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 7 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. Vocabulary has been one of my main focuses for literacy instruction in my classroom this past school year. I am committed to ensuring that I am embedding vocabulary instruction into all areas of my classroom. While reading this chapter, I reflected on how I can continue to support my English learners in gaining rich vocabulary knowledge.

Links I mention in this episode:

In episode 154 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go through my Professional Portfolio and update it with you. This document highlights my strengths as an educator and is a useful tool in my professional career.

In episode 153 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk about the professional development that I have done this past year and what I am looking forward to accomplishing this upcoming year.

In episode 6 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 6 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. I haven’t put much thought into building fluency with my kindergarten students, and this chapter gave me some perspective and some ideas to think about. I love the focus on the foundational skills needed for readers to build fluency and the different ways we can work on building fluency through whole and small-group lessons.

In episode 152 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I am preparing for my summer break by organizing and reflecting. I want to set myself up for success and recharge over the next two months, so I do some things that help me with that!

In episode 5 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 5 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. I am so excited to be talking about phonics! Ensuring that my instruction meets the needs of all my students is so important to me, and I think about the different ways that I can differentiate my lessons so that my English learners can continue to learn and thrive!

Links I mention in this episode:

In episode 4 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 4 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. I reflect on my growing understanding of phonological awareness skills, and how I can ensure my English learners start to build a strong foundation in these important skills.

In episode 151 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk about how I clean up the classroom for the end of the school year! It’s almost time for summer break, and I am ready to pack up for summer break. What does this look like for me? I’ll let you know in this week’s episode!

In episode 3 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 3 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners. Literacy instruction has been a huge focus for my own professional learning these past few years. I want to ensure that my teaching benefits all students, and incorporates strategies to help my English learners become readers. This chapter helps me come up wth strategies and reflections for further learning!

Links I mention in this episode:

In episode 2 of Creative Kindergarten’s Book Club, we read and reflect on chapter 2 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners.  There are many components to learning to speak, read and write in English. This chapter specifically focuses on language development, and how we can effectively use your classroom time to help develop these skills with your English learner students.

In episode 150 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I look back on this school year and reflect on how my programming has grown and changed. A core part of my practice is ensuring that I am constantly evolving and tailoring my classroom to fit the needs of my students. How did I do that this past year? Listen to find out!

Welcome to Creative Kindergarten’s first episode of Book Club! I am so excited to embark on this amazing professional development with you and read an amazing book that will further my understanding of teaching English learners. In this first episode, I discuss the first chapter of the book: “Teaching Literacy Skills to English Learners”, and share my experiences as a language learner growing up in Québec.

In episode 149 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go over some of the fun things that I like to do at the end of the school year to keep students engaged and learning! This can be a hard time of the year to plan for, so make it easier with these tips and ideas!

In episode 148 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I give my tips and strategies for making it to the end of the school year with your mental health intact. This can be a challenging time for educators and students, so how can we set ourselves up for success and prevent burnout? 

In episode 147 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go over what I have done in the past for my Alphabet Countdown to the end of the school year. Make each day exciting and easy to plan by reviewing and having fun with each letter of the alphabet!

In episode 146 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go through the information that I leave for a supply educator in my handbook. What I think is important, tips I’ve picked up from supplying and advice for how you can make a supply’s day a bit easier!

In episode 145 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk about the need to know basic first-aid, and how to calm a student down when they are hurt. I often call myself a ‘part-time nurse’ with all the ailments and injuries that I ‘treat’ throughout the day.

To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on:

In episode 144 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I reflect on all the important fine motor work I have done with my students to ensure that they are developing the necessary skills. Fine motor skills are important for self-help skills, writing, and so much more - but how can we focus on strengthening them in the classroom?

In episode 143 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I celebrate the arrival of spring! I love this time of the year with my students when we are able to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather (without snow pants!) I go over my spring ‘to-do list’ of activities that I love doing with my classroom every year.

In episode 142 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I share my thoughts around teaching during Earth Hour, Month and Day. How can we ensure that our students are engaged in authentic learning and that we understand the why behind the activities that we are engaging in?

In episode 141 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I reflect on my own practice when teaching problem-solving skills to my students. How can we explicitly teach the strategies needed for our students to think critically about problems they encounter, and be able to solve them independently?

> Problem-Solving Task Cards: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Problem-Solving-Task-Cards-and-Prompts-Printable-and-Slide-Deck-included-9210157

To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on:

In episode 140 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I discuss Pink Shirt Day and the implications it has for our practice all year. How can we teach our students to be upstanders and stand up to social justice issues?

In episode 139 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk with Annabelle about how we can work to build effective and healthy partnerships with our teaching team members.

In episode 138 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk with Sophia about introducing art materials and techniques with Sophia from Creative Kids Co. We dive into some tips and tricks on how to get started, where to get materials and where to find inspiration!

In episode 137 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I discuss self-regulation skills with Avery and Alannah. We talk through strategies that we use and the learning that we’ve done around teaching our young learners how to regulate their big emotions.

first step to creating a successful outdoor program. Lauren gives us the tools and the confidence to bring the learning outside!

In episode 135 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I have an amazing discussion with Marissa from Mme Marissa about Story Workshops. We talk through how she uses them (along with her whole school), how impactful they are, and how you can get started doing your own story workshops.

In episode 134 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I discuss decodable texts! I go over how I use them in the classroom and where I have found decodable texts that I use. They have been an amazing tool to use with my students and are an integral part of building confident readers.

In episode 133 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I go over my literacy instruction and how I embed Scarborouh’s Reading Rope into my day. Listen along as I discuss each strand and what I do in my classroom to explicitly teach for each skill.

In episode 132 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I share the activities that we did to celebrate learning the alphabet! We learned the basic consonant and vowel sounds, so we decided to have a party to mark the occasion. Listen to find out what we did!

In episode 131 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I share my thoughts and reflections on how Christmas is celebrated in kindergarten classrooms. How are educators explicitly and implicitly centring the holiday in their classroom environment? I also delve into the use of Elf on the Shelf and teaching Christmas Around the World.

In episode 130 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I look at what my next steps are in my literacy instruction for my students. I discuss what I am doing with my class to get them reading or ready to read. This is a big step for children as they develop their literacy skills and start their journey to becoming readers.

In episode 129 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk about how I have incorporated a 3-day interactive read-aloud into my classroom routines. After being inspired to try it by many different educators, I have been blown away by the results with my students. Listen as I explain what it is, how I plan for it and how it works in my classroom.

> Reading Rockets Repeated Interactive Read Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/repeated-interactive-read-alouds-preschool-and-kindergarten

> The Ramped Up Read Aloud by Maria P. Walther: https://amzn.to/3O19Lvz

> Rebellious Read Alouds by Vera Ahiyya: https://amzn.to/3UzuZmH

To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on:

In episode 128 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I get inspired to go outside and find balance in my teaching life with Kat from Je Me Demande. We discuss how you can stop feeling overwhelmed by teaching and how outdoor education can transform your classroom!

In episode 127 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I reaffirm my love of loose parts with Sarah from Loose Parts of Kinder. We discuss how to store, use, share and collect items for your classroom loose parts collection! Such a fun and inspiring conversation that will get you excited to play with loose parts.

In episode 126 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I talk communities and dramatic play with Sydney and Nicole from Kind Kindies. We had such a fun time talking about the parallels between kindergarten in Ontario and British Columbia!

In episode 125 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I have a fantastic conversation with Mme Amy from 123 Petits Pas. We discuss involving families in their child’s learning and using music for teaching in the classroom. Listen as she gives amazing advice and shares her knowledge!

In episode 124 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I work through my reflections on the follow-up activities that kindergarten educators love to do! Read a book? Follow-up activity. Learn about a new topic?  Follow-up activity. But do we really need them? Listen as I work through my own thoughts on this topic.

To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on:

In episode 123 of the Creative Kindergarten Podcast, I look back on the first week of school. What were some of the positives? What did we do? What are we looking forward to? Let me tell you all about it in this week’s episode!

To join in on the conversation with me, you can find me on: