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Mrs. Munch's Munchkins

A blog to give teachers ideas and tools that make teaching easier

March 6, 2023

Make a Memorable Café Classroom Transformation Day!

Ready for the most memorable day of the year?! Transform your classroom into a café for the day with the Learning Café resource and watch your student excitement and engagement abound! Below I’m telling you all the details and resources I use to make this day a success.

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Filed in: Student Engagement | 5 Comments

August 18, 2022

How to Celebrate Birthdays in the Classroom

A little girl and her dog in party hats. How to Celebrate Birthdays in the Classroom.

My birthday is on December 30th. Thus, I was that kid who never got to celebrate birthdays in the classroom. All my Summer and Winter Break birthday friends know the pain. For me, even my half birthday was out of the question because it occurs during the Summer.

Therefore, as a teacher, I’ve always been passionate about making sure EVERY birthday is celebrated in the classroom. I want every student to get the chance to feel special and recognized! Below I’ll explain exactly what I do to accomplish this.

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Filed in: Back to School, Blog Posts, Student Engagement | 59 Comments

August 1, 2022

How to use Handshakes in the Classroom

A video of The Parent Trap movie handshake. How to use Handshakes in the Classroom.

How to Use Handshakes in the Classroom: I once had a super amazing babysitter who memorized The Parent Trap handshake with me. In case you’re unfamiliar, the handshake occurs in iconic scene in the move (the full clip is inserted below.) Annie is a young girl from London headed to summer camp in the states for 8 weeks. Before leaving, she and her butler commence in a darling handshake sequence.

My babysitter and I replayed this clip over and over. Rewinding our VCR multiple times to ensure we had the sequence down just right.

I’ve always loved that scene. And I’ve always loved the symbol of closeness special handshakes hold. Thus, it’s no wonder I love using handshakes with my students!

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Filed in: Back to School, Blog Posts, Student Engagement | 2 Comments

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A photo of the author of the website. Teacher expert, Melody Munch.

About me

Hi teacher friend! My name is Melody Munch. I taught 2nd grade for 8 years and am currently serving teachers through full time resource creation. Here you'll find ideas to help you create classroom memories and teach with ease. Enjoy looking around, I’m so happy you're here!

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Advice for Parent Teacher Conferences

Conferences + Teachers = Anxiety. True for you?! While preparing and hosting Parent Teacher Conferences can be very stressful, there are a few things you can do to add ease to this time and help them run smoothly. Read for my tips below!

End of Year Awards for Elementary Students

Hands down, my favorite Last Day of School tradition is our End of Year Awards Ceremony. I lay out the red (butcher paper) carpet, turn on the disco lights, cue the Hollywood Award Show music, and grab my microphone for announcing each student’s name. It’s a massive hit. And it just feels right as a […]

Make a Memorable Café Classroom Transformation Day!

Ready for the most memorable day of the year?! Transform your classroom into a café for the day with the Learning Café resource and watch your student excitement and engagement abound! Below I’m telling you all the details and resources I use to make this day a success.

Follow @mrsmunchsmunchkins

mrsmunchsmunchkins

🍎 Here to help Elementary Teachers
🫶🏼Jesus lover, wife, & mama
📓Creating for the classroom full time
⬇️ Find items from posts linked below

Comment “LEAF” for the link! 🍁🍂 This is the perfec Comment “LEAF” for the link! 🍁🍂 This is the perfect craft for students to share how they’re FaLLiNg in love with learning! ✂️

You know Fall has arrived when Starbucks drops their Autumn Menu! (even if it’s still 90 degrees outside🙋🏻‍♀️😅) This makes a darling display for the hallway or the classroom walls as the seasons change & ties in recent learning + writing! 👏🏼

I loved using writing crafts as a reading center or as a morning work activity!

#teachersofinstagram #elementaryteachers #teacherideas #2ndgradeteacher #secondgradeteacher
Comment SLIDES for the link! ✨📚 Reading Groups jus Comment SLIDES for the link! ✨📚 Reading Groups just got so much easier with this tool!

Extra good news: I made them for math groups, too! Grab them as a set for a discount or sold separately (OH and they’re on SALE today so run fast!! 🏃‍♀️)

#teachersofinstagram #2ndgradeteacher #elementaryteacher #classroomideas #3rdgradeteacher
Comment SLIDES for the link! ✨✏️ Sometimes all you Comment SLIDES for the link! ✨✏️ Sometimes all you need is a fresh morning slide on the board 🥰

#teachersofinstagram #2ndgradeteacher #elementaryteacher #3rdgradeteacher #secondgradeteacher
Comment PENCIL to learn more! ✏️✨Bye bye pencil pr Comment PENCIL to learn more! ✏️✨Bye bye pencil problems! 

I’ll never forget the first Pencil Challenge I tried with my 2nd graders. I set our challenge for one week thinking most of them would be out by the end of it…and then everyone succeeded 😅👏🏽🤯 I couldn’t believe it! 

Pencil Management has never been easier or more fun for my classes. We saved a TON of pencils (they used 7-9 pencils each for the year bc I use @weareticonderoga ‼️) and I stopped constantly finding pencils all over the floor. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

I can’t WAIT for you to try it with your class! 

#classroomideas #classroommanagement #teachersofinstagram #elementaryteacher #2ndgradeteacher
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