teach Archives - The Inspired Apple

Why Crafts in the Classroom Are Okay!

March 16, 2017

I love to do crafts with my kids. Glue, paint, paper scraps, markers, popsicle sticks, even…dare I say it…GLITTER…I love it all. Assembling a craft may seem frivolous and mismatched in today’s elementary classroom, but I beg to differ. I believe that crafts can be meaningful, engaging, and purposeful for our little learners.

Teachers! Incorporating crafts into preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade classrooms is SO important! If you're ever hesitant to add crafts into your curriculum, you must read this post. You'll be grabbing the gluesticks in no time! Plus, you can grab two FREE content-related crafts that you can use with your kiddos!

First of all, there is value in the process that goes into following directions, manipulating materials, and seeing a project through to the end. Upon completion, there is a sense of pride in the end result. The glow that radiates from a child’s face as he shows you his artwork is priceless. Plus, learning to follow directions is a lifelong skill – and one that you won’t regret reinforcing through a content-related craft.

Wizard of Oz Writing Craft | Pirate ‘AR’ Words Craft | Monster Words Craft

I also believe crafts are age-appropriate, particularly when it comes to fine-motor skills. Students must manipulate paper, apply pressure to scissors along specific margins, stream a paint-filled brush across a page, or grasp a variety of small sundries while they turn unrelated materials into works of art.

Another important benefit of completing the occasional classroom craft is the mental stimulation and rest it provides to kiddos who spend lots of brain power each day engaging in rigorous instruction. Pablo Picasso even said, Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. So true, right?! It’s pretty incredible that we can teach a life-long love of creation and provide them with a valuable coping strategy for dealing with life all with a little cutting and pasting.

Subitize Eyes Math Craft

Make-Ten Friends Math Craft

Though our kids see craft projects as FUN (and that really should be enough of a justification to incorporate them into our lesson plans), the benefits are far-reaching and long-lasting. Curriculum, content, and creativity can all be uncovered with a craft. So, all of this to say: don’t be scared. Do a craft!

Don’t want to forget this post? Pin the image below!

If you want to read more about the mental health benefits of creating art, check out this article.

60 Fun, Hand Drawn Fonts!

June 7, 2016

My husband is all into woodworking these days, so turning my handwriting into fonts has been a great way to keep me occupied while he’s busy sanding farmhouse tables 🙂

There are currently six volumes of fonts available individually, and I’ve bundled them together (with the promise of adding a seventh volume), too.

You can check out each volume or the bundle by clicking any of the graphics below!

If you buy the bundle now, you’ll automatically get a seventh volume of fonts for free. The price will increase once it’s added, so there’s an incentive to get it now! However, I make no mention of when it will be added! I’ve learned that the second I make a promise, something crazy will happen in my life! #notkidding

Someone recently asked for a font-making tutorial, which I would be more than happy to give! It’s really very simple and a lot of fun – especially if you’re handwriting obsessed, like myself. I will try to find a way to make this happen and hopefully post a video in the near future.

Oh, and before I forget! Volume Six was just uploaded and will remain on sale through the end of today! The bundle reflects the price of each volume as if they were on sale for eternity, if you’re looking to snag them all for a bargain 🙂

I'm a bit of a font addict, so it's been super fun to turn my handwriting into 60 hand drawn fonts! Some are simple, some are swirly, some are just plain fun! They're perfect for creating teaching resources to use in your Teachers Pay Teachers shop and are licensed for personal and commercial use. Check them out!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

40 Hand Drawn Fonts for Teachers

May 26, 2016

I have always enjoyed handwriting and, more recently, fonts! Since middle school, my notebooks and journals became a place for me to practice not only my future last name based on whatever boy I was crushing on (well…there was only one boy…aaaaand we’re married now), but also to doodle and really perfect my handwriting. I swear doodling helped me pay attention better during class! To this day, I can’t sit through a meeting without turning my notes into art.

Anyway, it’s been really fun to take a long-time hobby and turn my own handwriting into actual fonts! Not only is it a great stress-reliever and something to do while I’m watching Bloodline with B at night, but I LOVE having new fonts to use on my teaching resources.

So far, I’ve created 4 separate volumes, each containing 10 hand-drawn, true type fonts. They’re all commercial and personal use approved, with no credit required (but always appreciated!).

Click on the graphics below to check them out!

Most have been named after my favorite girls – family and friends – including this sweet little lady…

I tried to keep product design in mind, which is why I made several “chunky” fonts that will stand out on covers. My friend Rebecca suggested that 🙂

Volume Four is on sale through the rest of the day and includes Babbling Rachelle pictured above!

I hope you’ll check them out! Happy Thursday!

No More Lamination?!

March 29, 2016

Okay, I’m a teacher, so naturally I get a little thrill over freshly printed pages glossed over with a warm laminating sheet. (I even wrote previous posts about my laminator love HERE and HERE). There’s just something so type-A-wonderful about it. And, while I sometimes find great peace and relaxation in the whole process of print, laminate, cut, repeat, I also kinda get a little annoyed with it. It’s a smidge time-consuming and those little lamination shreds are everywhere afterward. Usually clinging to my pajamas. #Ialwayslaminateafterkidsgotobed #andIrecruitmyhusband

So, how about we just eliminate one of those steps completely?

Like, the laminate step.

Before you say What?! How is that possible? How can I maintain durability and extend the life of the center pieces that I love so dearly and invest SO MUCH TIME in?!

Well, it’s really not that earth-shattering. Maybe you already do this and I’m the last one on the time-saving-no-laminating train.

My solution?

CARDSTOCK.

Print. On. Cardstock.

That’s it!

I’ve been doing this with our science units, and the I’m so impressed with how sturdy the cardstock is and how vividly the colors print on each page!

Good news: the ends don’t turn up after cutting either! The shelf life on my laminated centers was probably about 2-3 years before something was missing, torn, or just needed to be retired for one reason or another, and then I’d have to reprint, relaminate and recut something new. I’d imagine that printing centers on cardstock would result in a very similar shelf life.

If you’re a home-laminator (as I once was), printing directly on cardstock is not only more time efficient, but actually WAY cheaper than laminating sleeves. My quick little cost analysis shows a savings of about 10 cents per page.