Learning Through Play

Children’s Literature!

Those of you that have been following this page from the beginning know that this is truly where my heart is. I’m so excited to be sharing some of the best books for early childhood; for classrooms or the home!

Each Saturday we will be highlighting what we read during the week, our favorite books, how to incorporate books and literature into all aspects of your day, and more.

Have a great weekend, friends!

💜 Holland

There is no “recess” during our school day 💜

Our time outside is an equal part of our learning!

In our Thursday Outdoor Learning series we are going to be showing just what that looks like. There is a great deal of intentionality behind the time we spend outside, how we set up the space, and what is available to students.

Can’t wait to hear what outside time looks like where you are and chat about all the learning that takes place when children are given an uninterrupted chunk of their day dedicated to outside play.

Have you ever walked into a preschool classroom, or come across some early childhood activities online and thought to yourself… “why that??”

“Why playdough?” “Why sensory bins?” “Why blocks?”

Or maybe one step farther…

“Why not worksheets?” “Why not calendar time?” “Why not product based art?”

Let’s chat about it! We will be discussing the “why” in our Wednesday series, and maybe even a few “why nots” and I’m excited to hear your why and why nots too!

I distinctly remember the first time volunteering in my child’s preschool classroom.

As a mom, you’d hear me say things like “be careful!” Or “stop that!” Or “why are you doing that?”

The more time I spent around young kids and eavesdropping conversations between my child’s teacher and other children, the more I learned how very useless some of the phrases I was using (quite consistently!) were.

In our Tuesday Language series I am going to be diving into ideas, phrases, and alternative ways to approach common scenarios that can arise in the early childhood classrooms.

A great birthday book pick by my big kid for her 8th birthday!

Each year one of the most exciting parts of our birthdays is that we go to our local bookstore and the birthday kiddo picks out ANY book they want.

This year she chose a really cool cookbook for kids! I love that it talks about flavor profiles, kitchen tools, why we cook, and so much more than just (wonderful) recipes.

Do your kids like to cook??

Fellow teachers- you know you spent a good portion of your break thinking about school this week 😄

Doesn’t coming back and setting up feel so exciting?! Honestly, no place I would rather spend my Sunday!

hollandjolley on TikTok Fellow teachers- you know you spent a good portion of your break thinking about school this week 😄 Doesn’t coming back and setting up feel so exciting?! Honestly, no place I would rather spend my Sunday right now!

Today marks 10 years of “first day of teaching!”

And it’s been a wild decade…

First Grade
Coach Teachers
Second Grade
Fifth Grade
Adult ESL
Pre-School

I have had the privilege of teaching people ages 1 through 75!

And I have to say, you don’t have to be a parent to be a good teacher. But damn, I’m a much better teacher now that I’m a parent! Thanks to my two beautiful girls 💜

It’s just…I mean…does this one even need a caption?

I can’t help but hear ‘s voice when I read this, and I feel just as uplifted and inspired as I did on Inauguration Day.

And the illustrations are absolutely perfect, we always love

Go see for yourselves!