Surviving Indoor Recess: Simple Play Ideas That Won’t Drive You Crazy

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple ways to survive indoor recess without losing your sanity. If indoor recess in your classroom feels loud, chaotic, or completely exhausting, this episode is for you.

Whether it’s freezing temperatures, pouring rain, or just one of those days when going outside isn’t an option, indoor recess happens more often than we’d like. Instead of dreading it, you’ll learn how to put a plan in place that keeps kids playing, happy, and calm, all without a ton of prep or structure.

Molly walks you through how she handled indoor recess in her own first grade classroom, from setting clear expectations to choosing play options that actually work. You’ll hear practical ideas for free play, simple materials kids love, and low-stress games that don’t turn your classroom upside down.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✔️ Why indoor recess still needs rules and how to set them up ahead of time

✔️ Simple indoor recess expectations that help keep noise and behavior under control

✔️ Easy free play ideas kids love, like art, building toys, and playdough

✔️ How to use classroom centers during indoor recess to give kids choice

✔️ Favorite whole-group indoor games that are fun but not wild

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel more confident walking into your next indoor recess with a plan that allows kids to play while still keeping your classroom under control.

Favorite Indoor Recess Toys List – https://firstieland.com/indoor-toys

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Need classroom resources? Visit the TPT store: https://firstieland.com/TPT-store

Have questions or want more ideas? Send me a message on Instagram @firstieland

To see everything mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes:

👉 https://firstieland.com/podcast

Be sure to tap follow so you don’t miss an episode.

If this podcast has been helpful to you, I’d love for you to leave a review.

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Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play… see you next week! 💜

Molly

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links, which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Fun January Room Transformation With Snowmen At Work - Book Bite #3

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares quick and easy ways to use Snowmen at Work to boost engagement during the long winter stretch. You’ll learn how to use this playful picture book to teach reading skills, spark creative writing, and bring joy back into your classroom with a simple winter room transformation.

You’ll learn:

✔️ How to teach story elements and predictions with the snowman jobs

✔️ Simple writing prompts your kids will love

✔️ Easy ideas for a Snowman Village room transformation

Resources Mentioned

FREE Winter Read Aloud Challenge – firstieland.com/challenge

Snowmen At Work TPT resource: firstieland.com/snowman

Book - Snowmen At Work - https://amzn.to/49qbirQ

Let's Stay Connected

Visit our website: www.firstieland.com

Need resources? Visit our TPT store: https://firstieland.com/TPT-store

Need more help or ideas? Send me a message on Instagram @firstieland

To check out all the resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the show notes: https://firstieland.com/podcast

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🍎 APPLE PODCAST – https://firstieland.com/apple

🎧 SPOTIFY – https://firstieland.com/spotify

Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play… see you next week! 💜

Molly

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are affiliate links, which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.

Teaching Animal Habitats in First Grade: Project-Based Science and Writing Unit

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to integrate science with writing with a project based learning unit about Animal Habitats.

If you’ve ever wondered how you’re supposed to fit science and writing into an already packed day, this episode is for you. Instead of teaching everything separately, you’ll learn how to use a simple project-based unit to cover multiple standards at once, without adding more to your plate.

Molly walks you step-by-step through her favorite animal habitats unit, a unit she taught year after year in first grade, and shows you how to make it engaging, manageable, and fun for kids.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✔️ How to introduce animal habitats in a way that’s simple and age-appropriate for first grade

✔️ Easy ways to build background knowledge using books, videos, and anchor charts

✔️ How to guide students through basic animal research, even with emerging readers

✔️ A simple writing project that helps students organize facts and write an animal report

✔️ How to wrap up the unit with a hands-on shoebox habitat project kids love

✔️ How combining science and writing actually saves time and increases student engagement

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear picture of how to plan and teach an animal habitats unit that covers science standards, strengthens writing skills, and keeps students excited about learning, all without needing a formal curriculum.

Animal Habitats Unit (TPT) –https://firstieland.com/animalhabitats

Animal Habitats Blog Post – https://firstieland.com/animalhabitatblog

Visit the website: www.firstieland.com

Need classroom resources? Visit the TPT store: https://firstieland.com/TPT-store

Have questions or want more ideas? Send me a message on Instagram @firstieland

To see everything mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes:

👉 https://firstieland.com/podcast

Be sure to tap follow so you don’t miss an episode.

If this podcast has been helpful to you, I’d love for you to leave a review.

🍎 APPLE PODCASTS – https://firstieland.com/apple

🎧 SPOTIFY – https://firstieland.com/spotify

Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play… see you next...