Little Priorities

It's Raining Hearts!

2026-03-26T19:45:00.001-05:00

The Day it Rained Hearts!

We read this adorable story and discussed the character and story elements. Then they got into a circle. I had labeled a lot of hearts with CVC words that rhymed. We have been struggling with rhyming lately! There were enough hearts for everyone.

After they practiced reading the words we did a movement activity with soft music. When the music played they milled around the room silently. When the music stopped they found the person they were closest to and read the words. If the words rhymed, they put a thumbs up and then the class listened to them read the words. Of course, I got observed during all of this! On Valentine's Day!

The next day we made an anchor chart of the words and taped them together in the word families.

I would definitely do this activity again!

100 Days Of School

2026-03-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

We surprised the class and dressed as 100 year olds!

The problem is I am getting closer and closer to that number!

So proud of her Fruit Loop Necklace!

Building with 100 Cups! A couple groups got together and built with multiple 100s!!

Build with 100 snap blocks!

Dot 100 sprinkles on a cupcake!

Build with 100 Legos!

It is always such a busy day but the kids absolutely love it!

Tomorrow...Valentine's Day! Oh Boy!

February Sensory Bins

2026-03-26T19:24:00.000-05:00

February Sensory Bins

Flower Lego Kits were bought from the Dollar Tree! Not all the kids could put these together but it was great for those that are great at visual skills.

I sorted out the red and purple magna blocks. Kids were asked to build a House Full of Love! The teddy bear was from the Dollar Tree also. I also include battery operated tea lights. They need reminders to shut them off.

In the playdough center they kids were asked to build a Love Bug. I included cut up pipe cleaners, cookie cutters, rolling pins, googly eyes, pom poms and buttons. They loved this center!

These centers help with cooperation! There are times the littles struggle with that and it is a teaching moment for them to learn to work together.

January Sensory Bins in Action!

2026-03-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

January Sensory Bins in Action!

Their creativity is endless and always surprised me!

Winter Sensory Motor Bins

2026-03-26T18:56:00.002-05:00

I absolutely believe that kids should be playing every day! One of the ways I love to incorporate play into my day is my morning sensory bins. The students love the bins and groan when they have to do something else.l

I started building these bins with things I already had in the room. They didn't care if the items were brand new, used, garbage or something I dug out of the closet. They are very creative with whatever I ended up giving them.

Some of my beginning of the year bins were:

Pipe Cleaners and colored noodles
Mini cups (shot size), with craft sticks and index cards (Challenged them to build the biggest tower and see how many blocks could they stack on the top - Don't let them fall in the lava!)
Legos
Colored mini blocks

During Christmas, I changed all the blocks, cups, pipe cleaners etc. to red and green. I also added fake candy canes, elves, pine trees, mini gifts etc. They were loving the changes and I was inspired to make their winter boxes the best ever.

So I started thrift shopping! I wish I could do this as a full time job!

I have 5 bins and the students have free choice and can move between the bins. They are required to clean up before moving on unless the rest of the group wants it to be left. Sometimes they are working on things together.

All blue blocks of all different shapes including see through blocks. Added ice cubes that I thrifted. The polar animals were from Temu.

Dollar Tree had the silver shot cups at New Years.

Dollar General also carries this size.

Found some great magna blocks from Temu. They were a little pricey but well worth it and the kids loved the little animals that came with the set. They also have magnets.

Taking Care of Me!!

2023-10-28T20:54:00.002-05:00

I have been a terrible blogger! Covid kicked my *** and had some big personal things going on in my life! Well, while I was gone I was taking care of me and I recommend this advice to everyone! I actually made my personal educational goal about my health! See... I was 321 pounds! I hated to type that out! Wearing the mask all day and teaching was a personal hell. I couldn't breath, I was sweating all the time and my heart rate would spike just to walk the class to music! Enough of this - it was time for a change!

This was me August 2022. I started a little TikTok Challenge to get myself moving. I made it about 9 days, I didn't make it through the recording of the 30 days because I actually joined a gym instead.

That was the beginning of my journey! I started following Corinne Crabtree with NO BS Diet! She taught me to stop eating like an asshole!

Eat When You're Hungry!

Stop When You're Full!

I journaled!

I kept track of my food!

I exercised!

I loved listening to her podcasts! Check her out!

August 2022

December 2022

Then I started meeting with a doctor to work on my weight! Many of my friends were taking Ozempic but I was not prediabetic so my insurance wouldn't support that. I was very frustrated! But in the end it was for the best. I have heard that you will need to be on that medication forever to keep the weight off. Plus there were a lot of side effects. My doctor did prescribe an appetite suppressant. I met with her monthly. She was very pleased with my progress. She said it is a tool and I need to use it. So I needed to eat high protein and exercise so that is what I did!

February 2023
Down 44 pounds!

April 2023
Down 60 pounds!
Even had sinus surgery!

July 2023
80 pounds gone!!
I am feeling so good!!

August 2023

85 pounds down!

Buying new clothes to go back to school!! Yahoo!!!

That brings us to today! 220 pounds! 101 pounds gone!!

I'd love to tell you it was easy! Some days were better than others!

I gave up soda and treats but honestly didn't miss them!

I learned to like water! I would love to get one of those soda streams! I like the fizzies!

I have been doing things I haven't done in a long time. Swim every day of the summer, went to a water park, walk up the stairs without having a heart attack, stopped sweating so much and have been dating!!

Things that are not so fun with weight loss....extra skin, (but I'll take this any day than being overweight) and hair loss! That will have to be another blog post!

So that has been my journey... so Little Priorities took a backseat for awhile and that is ok.

I am 53 years old and am finally learning priorities in my life!

Our littles in our classroom are important but they cannot be our only priorities.

Life has to have a balance and it's ok to put yourself first!

Catch Your Little Leprechauns Practicing Addition! Plus a Freebie!

2020-03-08T20:38:00.002-05:00

I put together this easy and fun math center. The students even play this during free time!

I found these goodies at The Dollar Tree! Not sure if your store will still have them available. I did buy mine early in the season. I added some links at the bottom at Amazon for the supplies if you can't find them.

Cute little Leprechaun Pots with Handles!

I used a Sharpie Silver pen to write numbers 1 through 10 on the pots.

These have a nice smooth surface to write on. I noticed many on Amazon have a bumpy surface. Not sure how well it will work to write on those. Maybe add a sticker instead.

Then using green round stickers I wrote the addition problems for the sums 1 through 10 and attached them to the pretend gold coins.

Students add the coin to the correct pot!

It's a quick and easy center to make.

It goes pretty fast for the kids to complete. Would make a great morning activity and they love doing it more than once.

We have the students make a leprechaun trap at home as a family project. They set them up the night before and lay out gold and pennies to entice the Leprechaun into their trap!

When the leprechaun steps onto the top it tips in! So clever!

He used the Lucky Charms box! They have the houses on them again this year.

This one lit up with lights to lure the leprechaun in!

They were all unique and the kids absolutely loved the project!

When the kiddos show up the next day they can't wait to see if they caught the little guy!
I leave little green footprints around the room with a tiny foot punch (link below), chocolate coins or any gold wrapped candy, and a green necklace!

Keep scrolling for a wonderful differentiated Freebie!

Thank you for visiting Little Priorities. Here's a differentiated freebie for addition and subtraction!

All you need to do is print out and you are ready to go!

Low Prep - that's what we all need!

Days of the Week Freebie

2019-11-24T16:23:00.000-06:00

After Thanksgiving we are going to focus on learning the days of the week! Most can recite them in order, although some start with January...

Now we need to learn to read and spell them!

We will start the week by reading Today is Monday. It's a classic loved by all. I love singing the song with them. This will help with learning the order of the days of the week. I also like to hand out cards labeled with the days of the week and have the 7 kids get themselves in order and they hold up the cards as we sing their day.

If you are musically challenged here is a video that plays the song for you.

TODAY IS MONDAY song from lizamr16 on Vimeo.

At their centers they will make this cut and paste book of the days of the week!

You can grab a copy by clicking on the picture.

Some more great books about the Days of the W eek!

Funny and cute book! Check out the others in the series too!

This post contains affiliate links with Amazon.

USA Postcard Exchange 2019-2020

2019-06-11T21:20:00.001-05:00

3rd Annual Postcard Exchange with Little Priorities!

Join us in writing to other classrooms around the states!

https://forms.gle/8Z4UnG1Ubdk32gP26

This link is for a Google Form for you to apply!

We are in need of 30 more states to make a complete group - so chances are your state is available!

This is a lot of fun and your class will love getting snail mail!

If you apply please know that we expect you to send a postcard to each of the states by the due date so the kids are not disappointed! Thank you!

Find It Activity

2019-04-20T23:14:00.001-05:00

Switching to kindergarten from second grade has been a whirlwind of emotions and learning. It took me the first two months before I was happy to go to school! Now I am in love with these kiddos! They make my day! Mind you... I am completely exhausted!! But I love what I am doing! I just found out I get to stay in kindergarten and I am very excited! Time to perfect what I have been doing and change what didn't work!

One activity that the kids are loving is a Find It activity that I made with Power Point. The students are working on decoding and blending. They are so proud of themselves for being able to read. We are currently working on long vowels.

If you would like to try this out with your kiddos click the picture for the link.

Currently I have Short O and U and Long U uploaded and I am working at uploading the others. I have a growing bundle available for a huge discount that will include all the vowels.

Dr. Seuss Day!

2019-03-02T20:18:00.000-06:00

This week we spent the whole week learning how to read Green Eggs and Ham! This story is personal to me! When I was in first grade my teacher was contemplating holding me back because I was struggling with reading. My mom took me to the library and I checked out Green Eggs and Ham! Every Week! My mom was so sick of it! So...Dr. Seuss taught me to read! I tell my students this story and they fall in love with the book too!

I made them these super cute treats! Twist pretzels, white almond bark (melted in the microwave) and Mint m&ms. They were delicious!

Our cooks serve Green Eggs and Ham every year! Almost everyone takes hot lunch that day! It's a big hit!

We made these adorable hats. I had Things running around everywhere!

Make a red headband sized to their heads. 6"x18" strips stapled together. Glue blue strips all around the red headband. Strips are 1.5"x18". Glue Thing circle to the front. Curl the blue strips around a marker.

Green Eggs and Ham Interactive Sight Word Activities

2019-02-24T16:35:00.000-06:00

I've been making these interactive activities for my class and this is the first one that I've put up for sale. My class loves these. The slides are on timers and the set of words go through three speeds: slow, faster, and fastest.

It's a great way to motivate your kiddos to read their sight words quicker!

In the bundle I have Level 1 and Level 2 and an editable version so you can add all your own words.

Level 1 Words Included: am, and, are, be, do, eat, if, in, me, not, on, or, see, so, the, you

Level 2 Words Included: anywhere, could, good, green, here, let, like, may, say, that, them, there, they, try, will, with, would

Added Bonus!

Make your own with the editable version!

Pick up yours for Dr. Seuss Week!

Have Fun!

Superhero Reading Celebration Bundle and Freebie

2019-01-05T23:33:00.000-06:00

This year my adventure has taken me to kindergarten and I haven't had a whole lot of moments to slow down and blog about this adventure! Can you say busy!

Our school also adopted Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing Units this year so that has added to the adventure! We recently celebrated unit 2 - Super Readers! We all dressed up in our favorite superhero costume! For those that didn't remember to dress up we gave them a paper headband. We carried our favorite books and paraded to the office!

Portrait Time

We read with our 6th grade buddies!

After Halloween I picked up a Spiderman treat basket for 50 cents!

What a great item to use for this POW word game!!

Click on the Headbands preview to pick them up for free.

Get the whole bundle for $3.00

TpT

DIY Puppet Theater

2018-10-26T20:56:00.002-05:00

DIY Puppet Theater!

Are you working on retelling stories! We are...

What better way than to let the kids use puppets to share their retelling!

This took me about 1.5 hours to complete (on a Saturday of course!)

Start by find a shelf that you can use. I dug through "extra" furniture room! I found one that had a short and tall side. I liked that part of it was shorter so the kids would be able to reach it. I took it outside and painted the back with chalkboard paint! I anticipate them adding the name of the show or the book they are retelling.

I purchased a trifold display from the Dollar Tree - Love that place!

I used the white side to face the audience.

With a ruler I measured out a square and used a blade to cut it out.

Next I used black duct tape that I also purchased from the Dollar Tree.

I bought three roles.

I taped around the square opening so they won't scrape their hands on it. Then extend the tape lines to the top.

Using the width of the tape rolls I spaced out the lines.

All done with this part!

I decided to add fabric for a curtain but you wouldn't need to.

I stapled it across the top but the staples didn't lay completely flat so I add some duct tape over the top!

You could just set this on a table or on the floor but I'm sure it will get knocked over.

Even with the way I did it I'm not sure it will last too long! Good thing I only spent $4.

I forgot to take a picture of the other side. I bent back a portion of the cardboard so I could tape it to the shelf. I also taped all along the bottom. The other side is not very sturdy since there is nothing to tape it to. That's where I have some concern. Any ideas!?

Happy Puppeteering!

Colored Salt for Letter Practice

2018-08-31T23:17:00.001-05:00

I am so excited for the kiddos to start using my colored salt to practice their letter and number formation.

I bought the cheapest salt at Walmart!

Pour the salt into a large ziplock bag.
Use liquid food coloring to get the color you desire. I made orange and aqua. I followed the ratios on the back of the box. (I used about four servings of the ratio amount.)
Seal the bag and work the color throughout the salt. It felt really cool. I bet the kids would love to mix the salt too.
Let dry!

Place the salt in a tray or I am using a school box. Try to find a box that doesn't have any openings or the salt can seep out and that's a mess you don't want.

Students lay a card in the lid of the box and draw the letter with their finger. Encourage them to say the sound of the letter as they are writing it in the sand!

Kindergarten Classroom Reveal 2018

2018-08-31T23:06:00.001-05:00

This is my first year teaching kindergarten after teaching for over 25 years! Not sure if I'm ready for this but I think my room is. (...are we ever ready?)

My favorite spot! The library! On the black shelf I have all my books organized by categories such as pets, snakes, cars etc... These boxes will be off limits to the students. I may cover them with a curtain. Their book boxes are on the green shelf. Every week we will book shop for new books and I will choose a few of the theme boxes at the a time. I've always let the students use all the boxes and boy do they make a mess! Since this is my first time with Kdg I decided less is best!

Do you see Pete the Cat on the shelf? Go to Kohl's and get yours! So cute!

$5 and the money goes toward Kohl's Cares!

Kohl's Link for Pete the Cat

Writing and Art Center

I'm still working on labeling all of these! Time consuming but important!

Kitchen Area

Exploration Area

This includes cars, dolls, tools, puzzles, Legos and more!

Carpet Area - forgot to take a picture before Back to School Night so I have all the bags of supplies on the bench! I guess I have some work to do!

Calendar Wall

I've been using these work displays for two years and I absolutely love them. I had to hang them lower this year so the kindergartners are able to reach them. That's why they are at the bottom of the board!

Another teacher gifted me this shelf! Isn't it the cutest!

This is my ABC center. Right now I have my HTOs blocks on top until I can find them a permanent home for math supplies. I'm starting to run out of room!

Word Wall and Student Books

The kiddos enjoyed adding their name to our first "Anchor" chart. I will be using this the first week to show them how many students start with a certain letter!

Love my new caddies from Walmart! Great price and awesome color!

Their crayons are in a ziplock small container with their name on the top.

Sensory Fillers

2018-08-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to have my first sensory table this year! Now to fill it. I'm starting with making some rice to fill it with.

I can't believe how easy this was. I've made colored rice before and it was very time consuming and not very vibrant. You will want to switch to this method!!

Put rice in a large ziplock bag and add a large dollop of tempera paint!
Seal and work the paint through the rice.
Pour onto a pan to dry. It didn't take very long! What great colors! (I added a piece of wax paper onto the pan but it wasn't necessary. It did help with picking up the rice and using it like a funnel.)

Now onto other colors!!!

Guided Reading Level Labels Freebie

2018-08-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

I was looking for some green labels for my room and of course I wanted them for free! I couldn't find what I was looking for so I made some.

I like circle labels but I'm too busy (lazy) to cut those all out.

Copy these onto the cardstock and laminate if you wish. Then just cut them between each card.

Easy Peasy and Free!!

I have small boxes so I have two of each!

Click on the pics to get yours for Free!!

Have a great year!

All About Me Freebie

2018-08-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

My blog has kind of taken a back seat for the last year! I guess I've been livin' life and have been busy - busy - busy! Five kids can do that to you!

On top of life - I was handed a ball curve! Kindergarten!!! I'm certified for 1-8 however, Wisconsin DPI has made some new rules such as lifetime license and allowing your administrator to place you in a grade you're not certified for with professional development for three years! Here's to my next crazy three years!

This is an All About Me page that I have used for 19+ years when I taught first and second grade. Each student makes one. Mount it on construction paper and laminate. I love looking at the previous years and so do the students. Especially, when I have siblings. Pick it up for FREE. Click the picture.

Well, I still want to do this with my kinders but this would be too hard, so....

Here is my version for kindergarten!

Click the picture to grab it for FREE!

I'm looking forward to starting this year with my kinders!

Any suggestions for me!? I'll take it!

Exclusive November Freebie

2017-11-13T16:59:00.000-06:00

Chances are you have a few football fans

in your room.

Even the girls will love this game!

The footballs are programmed with a set of sight words but it comes with a blank set of footballs to add your own set of words.

Be careful not to fumble!

To get this Freebie please sign up to receive the monthly newsletter

either at the top of my blog or the pop up!

It's included this month!

Have a great week!

Lori

Literature Foundations: Ada Twist Scientist

2017-11-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

This is a great story to start your science off for the year. Students can be inspired with Ada and her passion for finding answers.

Students go outside and make observations and ask themselves questions.

Why do ants live together?

How are clouds made?

What are the bumps under the leaf?

Now let's find the answer!

Learn to research ideas in books, online or even interviews!

Literature Foundations was developed out of the need to incorporate the love of literature and teach fundamental skills at the same time. I have coordinated these skills to the Common Core State Standards.

Share a fiction title with your students for 3 days along with a nonfiction close reading article. The reading portion of this program is set up to take 20-30 minutes a day. This allows you to incorporate guided reading groups into your day. Guided reading is where your students will get independent practice reading books at their level.

The writing portion should be given additional time. Aim to have 30-45 minutes of writing a day.

This lesson plan is full of great activities to use with your class. You will utilize fiction and nonfiction while addressing comprehension skills along with writing and grammar.

Time is Running Out!!

2017-10-18T21:18:00.001-05:00

I'm having a Giveaway on my Facebook page!

Stop on over and add your name!I'm giving away 5 copies of my new book unit Creepy Carrots!

Click on the carrot to go to my Facebook page and add your name! Would love for you to follow me on TpT or sign up for my monthly emails!

Have a great week!

US Postcard Exchange Sign Up

2017-09-15T11:51:00.001-05:00

I signed up for a postcard exchange and didn't hear anything back from them so... here is my own!

If you're interested click on the picture above to link to the google sheets. Add your information.

I am accepting three teachers per state. If all three are taken you can add your name and email to the 4th tab the waiting list.

Where can I get postcards?

I got mine for our state tourism.
Check local stores (mom and pop shops) usually cheaper.
www.zazzle.com $1.00 each
Use blank postcards and have the kids draw (Staples)
Vistaprint (250 for $26.24)

While waiting for all the addresses you can start writing out your postcards. You can have you or the kids write them. I like to write a group note and then I type the message onto 2x4 labels. Please try to send a postcard that shares something about your state, a fun fact or even a joke!

I look forward to doing this project with you!

5 Ways to Talk Like a Pirate

2017-09-10T22:34:00.001-05:00

Start by ordering some goodies to make the day extra fun!

I got mine from Amazon this year however I've also ordered from Oriental Trading in the past.

Photo Editing Apps

What super fun! I used Make Me a Pirate! App

If you don't have access to a photo app you could always use these blank faces and let the kids add their faces. Have them write a pirate story! Pick these up for free!

If you have a subscription to Reading A-Z you can download a reader for Blackbeard the Pirate. This site provides lesson plans and worksheets too!!

There are other pirate options but some are at a much higher level.

Freebies

Literature Foundations: Interrupting Chicken

2017-09-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

I just happened across this book and it's so cute! Little Red Chicken is always interrupting his Papa when Papa's telling a story because he doesn't like the path the story is taking.

I'm going to read this with the class next week and discuss how frustrating it can be when we are interrupted. Hopefully it will inspire a bit of respect for listening.

We will also be working on collective nouns, beginning, middle and end, and writing fairy tales. We are also going to read a close reading article on fairy tales.

I'm excited about this unit because I am working on having a small amount of time devoted to whole group reading and spend more time in guided reading. These reading lessons will take 20-30 minutes each day. I will be able to address fiction and nonfiction each week, read aloud to demonstrate fluency and dive deep into the nonfiction passage! I'm hoping to continue this method throughout the year with a different book each week!