Latest Teaching trailblazers Podcast Episodes
Preschool Circle Time Makeover
Elevating Early Childhood - September 10, 2023 14:35 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsCheck out my latest circle time area makeover, 2023 edition! Have you ever wondered what you should have in your circle time area? Or maybe you're wondering what's really necessary, and what's not. In this episode of Elevating Early Childhood I'll be unveiling my new circle time board for 2023-...
Preschool Writing Center Do's and Don'ts for the Beginning of the Year
Elevating Early Childhood - August 24, 2023 15:36 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsWelcome to another episode of "Elevating Early Childhood!" In this episode, we unravel the secrets to creating a successful preschool writing center from Day 1. 🍎✏️ 🔍 What You'll Learn: Why planning and setup are essential before the school year starts. The importance of organization: center si...
Preschool Circle Time Area Set-Up
Elevating Early Childhood - August 16, 2023 21:15 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsToday we're diving deep into setting up the perfect Circle Time Area for your little learners. Discover how to create a space that inspires, educates, and brings everyone together!
Must-Have Sensory Table Tools
Elevating Early Childhood - August 08, 2023 10:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDoes setting up your centers stress you out? Are you looking for ways to make your sensory table center more fun and engaging for your students? In this episode of Elevating Early Childhood we'll be looking at the best sensory bin tools to enhance sensory play and fine motor skills. We'll also ...
Dramatic Play Center Tour
Elevating Early Childhood - August 01, 2023 15:16 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo you have questions about setting up the dramatic play center in your classroom? Are you looking for ways to make your dramatic play center more engaging and deepen the play and learning? Or maybe you just LOVE peeking into other teacher’s classrooms. If any of these describe you, then you’r...
Preschool Power-Up: Setting Up Your Block Center for Success
Elevating Early Childhood - July 26, 2023 17:51 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsIn this impactful episode of Elevating Early Childhood with Vanessa Levin, we dive into the heart of the early childhood classroom with a focus on blocks – the cornerstone of creativity and cognitive development. Discover the intricacies of setting up your block center for unparalleled success ...
Mastering Meet the Teacher Night
Elevating Early Childhood - July 18, 2023 19:54 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsTeachers, do you want the upcoming school year to be your best year ever? What if I told you that you can start laying the foundation for a successful school year BEFORE your kids ever walk through your classroom door? Yes, you heard me right! You can get a jump start on things during the summ...
Feeling Overwhelmed by All the "Non-Teaching" Things?
Elevating Early Childhood - July 11, 2023 18:22 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsTeachers, are you overwhelmed by all the “non-teaching” responsibilities you have at school? I’m talking about the things not related to when the students are in the classroom, like labeling the tubs in your centers, communicating with parents, planning events like meet the teacher etc. I could ...
Do You Feel Like a Failure as a Teacher?
Elevating Early Childhood - July 04, 2023 21:03 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsTeachers, have you ever felt like a failure? Of course you have, and so have I! Every teacher out there feels like a failure some, or even all of the time. And that feeling of failure, it can really drag you down if you let it, am I right? That’s exactly why #teacher quittok exists. But before y...
Pre-K Edition: What to Teach and When to Teach it?
Elevating Early Childhood - June 27, 2023 20:20 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsListen, it's no secret that teaching preschoolers isn't easy peasy. It's full of ups and downs with lots of bumps along the way, which leaves you exhausted from trying to find a balance between work and life. You just wish somebody would tell you what to teach and when to teach it, so you can f...
Overwhelmed by student behaviors?
Elevating Early Childhood - June 19, 2023 16:59 - 6 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsHave you ever felt overwhelmed by all the behaviors in your preschool classroom? That’s a trick question because every teacher feels like that sometimes. And those behaviors, do they seem like they’re getting worse each year? If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re in the right place because...
Are You New to Teaching Pre-K?
Elevating Early Childhood - June 06, 2023 16:58 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsLet me ask you a question, how is teaching Pre-K different from, let’s say, 4th grade? Or even first, second, or third grade? It’s an entirely different animal, isn’t it? So, if you’ve you been moved down to Pre-K from a higher grade, OR you’re brand new to teaching Pre-K, Then this episode of e...
Building a Natural Preschool Math Center
Elevating Early Childhood - May 29, 2023 16:59 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsAre you looking for ways to incorporate more nature into your classroom? Bringing the outdoors into your classroom can provide a calmer and more soothing environment for young children. Who doesn’t want more calm and less chaos in their classroom, am I right? In today’s episode of elevating early...
End-of-the-School Year: 5 Easy and Stress-Free Hacks for Preschool Teachers
Elevating Early Childhood - May 22, 2023 18:41 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsTeachers, let’s be honest, the end of the school year is almost as stressful as the beginning of the year, am I right? If you’re not rehearsing for the end of the year “program,” you’re assessing your students, doing report cards, planning Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events, field trips, and mu...
Kindergarten Readiness, Should Preschoolers Read Before Kindergarten?
Elevating Early Childhood - May 15, 2023 20:23 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsWhat does it really mean to be “kindergarten ready?” Should we be teaching kids to read before they enter kindergarten? Are you worried that your preschool or Pre-K kids won’t have all the skills they need to excel in today’s kindergarten classrooms? In this episode I'm going to break it all d...
Preschool Centers: Puzzle Tips & Tricks
Elevating Early Childhood - May 08, 2023 15:31 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo puzzles cause headaches in your classroom? Are your kids uninterested in puzzles? Or maybe they’re frustrated because they can’t put them together? If you think puzzles are too much of a hassle, or they’re too old school for today’s kids – think again! In today’s episode I’ll be sharing my b...
6 Learning Center Myths Preschool Teachers Should Stop Falling For
Elevating Early Childhood - May 04, 2023 11:38 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsTeachers, have you ever been told by an administrator that centers are “just playing?” Maybe you’re even one of the unlucky ones who have been told by an administrator that you can’t have centers in your classroom because they’re “just for fun” and not enough academic learning is taking place. ...
My Ultimate Guide for Setting-Up and Stocking Your Classroom Centers
Elevating Early Childhood - April 24, 2023 10:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo you ever feel like you just don’t have enough center materials in your classroom? Are you wondering if what you have is enough? And how do you know? You see, setting-up and stocking your classroom centers can be very tricky. Every good teacher knows that centers are essential for a high-q...
My Foolproof Formula to Improve Cleanup Transitions
Elevating Early Childhood - April 17, 2023 09:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo transitions in your classroom have you at the end of your rope? Does it feel like you’re trying to herd kittens during arrival, dismissal, or cleanup time? Then I have two things to tell you: You’re not alone. I can help! You see, transitions are something that all early childhood teacher...
3 Steps to Improve Handwriting Skills in Preschool
Elevating Early Childhood - April 10, 2023 09:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo your students struggle to write the letters of the alphabet? If so, I’ve got some good news for you: You’re not alone! In fact, most preschool teachers have to deal with this issue every single year (if not several times a year). And because I have dealt with it too, I’ve ended up coming ...
Is Your Classroom Too Loud?
Elevating Early Childhood - April 03, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsFriends, I have a question for you: Are the students in your classroom too loud? If so, then welcome to the club no one wants to join (yes, I have jokes). I can relate to students who have trouble keeping their outside voices where they belong, outside. And principals who complain about nois...
Using ASL in the Early Childhood Classroom
Elevating Early Childhood - March 27, 2023 09:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsFriends, I have a question for you: Could your students use a little extra help paying attention during circle time? Are they constantly interrupting you? Or maybe they're struggling to learn important academic skills? All right, that was more than one question, but you get the gist! Children...
The Top 5 Playdough Must-Haves for Preschool
Elevating Early Childhood - March 20, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsDo your students love playing with playdough in your classroom or at home? I know mine do! Playdough is not only super fun for children to play with, it’s also a great tool for them. It can help them develop stronger hand muscles and better hand-eye coordination. It’s also a great way for them ...
How to Ace Your Formal Observation
Elevating Early Childhood - March 13, 2023 09:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsNothing strikes fear in the heart of a teacher more than a formal observation. You’re exhausted from all the hours you spent creating the perfect lesson plans. You’re waiting anxiously with a dry mouth and sweaty palms for your principal to walk through the door. And there’s this sound of a...
How to Create the Perfect Morning Routine for Your Preschool Classroom
Elevating Early Childhood - March 06, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsOur morning routine sets the tone for our whole day. And the same can be said for your students. You see, what young children do from the minute they walk into your classroom each morning will affect the rest of their day. And this is why choosing the right morning activities for your classroom...
What to Do When Parents Don’t Want Their Child to Participate in Holiday Classroom Activities
Elevating Early Childhood - February 27, 2023 10:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsFriends, I have a question for you: Have you ever had a parent request that their child not participate in holiday activities in your classroom? If you've taught for any length of time, chances are you've encountered this issue before. But what can you do about it? And how do you deal with i...
What to Do When Parents Bring Up Bullying
Elevating Early Childhood - February 20, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsIn the last two episodes, Dan St. Romain and I sat down and discussed everything from how to teach your students to become more independent to how to get them not to interrupt you during small group time. Today, he and I will be tackling another hot topic: What to do when a parent tells you the...
Want More Independent Students? Do This, Not That!
Elevating Early Childhood - February 13, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsIn last week’s episode, Dan St. Romain and I discussed how to teach children not to interrupt you during small group time. Something Dan and I really focused on during that conversation was the importance of teaching preschool-aged children to be independent the right way. Well, today, Dan and...
How to Reduce Interruptions During Small Group Time
Elevating Early Childhood - February 06, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsIt’s no secret that small group time can be challenging, even for the most seasoned early childhood teachers. Why is that? Simply because it’s not always easy to manage the other students while working with small groups, which means the possibilities for interruption can be… infinite. But wh...
The Art of Redirecting Preschoolers: What, Why, and How
Elevating Early Childhood - January 30, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 232 ratingsMany early childhood teachers feel like a broken record. They’re always saying “no” and “no hitting” and “use your words,” etc… If you’ve been teaching preschool for a while, then you know that every day can be like a battlefield (full of cute children, yes, but a battlefield nonetheless). Ou...
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