Rainbow Skies for Teachers

The holiday season is here, and there’s no better time to embrace the spirit of giving! This episode is all about ways to encourage kindness in the classroom, showing students how small acts can make a big difference.

 Kindness doesn’t cost a thing, yet it holds the power to brighten someone’s day—especially during Christmas! Here are 7 easy, heartwarming ideas for incorporating kindness into your classroom this holiday season.

7 Ways to Promote Christmas Kindness Lessons in the Classroom:

1. Daily Reminders – Start each day with a simple reminder or quote about kindness to set the tone for the season.
2. Dedicating a Lesson to Kindness – Take time to explore what kindness means and why it’s important. This reflection helps students understand the impact they can have on others (find a lesson linked at th end).
3. Kindness Advent Calendar – Create a countdown to Christmas filled with daily kindness challenges, motivating students to spread cheer each day.
4. Make Kindness Baubles – Get crafty! Have students decorate baubles with kind messages or actions, adding a personal touch to the classroom decor.
5. Kindness Compliment Wreaths – Help students create wreaths filled with compliments for their classmates, a beautiful reminder of the positive things we see in each other.
6. Run a Kindness Kris Kringle – Encourage students to be “secret givers” by performing small acts of kindness for each other—it's a surprise they’ll love!
7. Kindness Campaign Flyers – Design and post flyers around the school, encouraging everyone to participate in spreading kindness throughout the community.

Christmas is an ideal time to help students reflect on how they can give back and make a difference simply by being kind. It’s a beautiful reminder that kindness, especially in this expensive time of year, is always free and appreciated.

You can access more classroom Christmas inspo on our website

 www.rainbowskycreations.com.

Rainbows ahead, Alisha and Ashleigh

Resources mentioned in today’s episode
YAY I’m a Teacher FREEBIE
FREE A Cheat’s Guide to Christmas in the Classroom
Christmas Kindness Desk Tags
Kindness Advent Calendar
Kindness Compliment Wreaths
FREE Kindness Kris Kringle
FREE Kindness Tear-off Flyers

Join the waitlist for our game-changing membership here.

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This week we chat with Jo Edgar, a veteran teacher and the creative mind behind the beloved educational brand, Mrs Edgar. Jo shares her journey into entrepreneurship, fueled by a passion for creating resources that bring both joy and practicality to classrooms. 

We dive into the magical moments that make teaching so rewarding and explore the core values that guide Mrs Edgar's beautifully crafted teacher planners and resources.

Jo opens up about the best parts of teaching, along with some of its biggest challenges, and offers her top tips for staying organised as a teacher. She shares that you don’t need to be the most organised person to benefit from her planners—they’re designed to support every teacher's unique style. 

Jo also has a thoughtful gift idea for teachers, perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and offers a glimpse into what’s next for Mrs Edgar as the brand continues to grow.

Whether you’re an experienced teacher or just starting out, Jo’s insights are filled with practical advice and a refreshing dose of inspiration that will resonate with teachers everywhere.

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review to stay updated with the latest content. And, send us a post on social media so we can say a personal thank you!

You can access more teacher PD, classroom inspiration and a wealth of resources by visiting our website  www.rainbowskycreations.com.

Rainbows ahead, 

Alisha and Ashleigh

Thank you to ePlatform Digital Libraries, the sponsor of today’s episode. Visit www.eplatform.co to learn more about Decodable Readers and Digital Libraries for schools.

Resources mentioned in today’s episode

Connect with Jo on instagram @mrsedgarsclass

Learn more about Mrs Edgar or shop their planners here.

Find Mrs Edgar’s sticker books here

Rainbow Sky Creations Teacher Christmas Gift Guide

Go Noodle

Pevan and Sarah

Dr Paul Swan

Join the waitlist for our exciting new membership HERE. 

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In this episode, we chat with Kate, a passionate educator and author who writes decodable readers. We dive into the importance of reading as a life skill and explore how it acts as a 'ticket' to broader opportunities. Kate shares her non-negotiables when teaching literacy and walks us through the process of writing engaging decodable books. We also discuss the debate between digital texts and physical books, weighing the pros and cons of each.

Kate addresses a common criticism of decodable books—that they can be boring and lack a storyline—and offers her perspective on how to make these texts more engaging for young readers. She also provides valuable tips on selecting the best decodable texts for your students and shares innovative ways teachers can use these resources in the classroom beyond just reading them.

Finally, we wrap up with Kate’s thoughts on what she would change in education if given the chance. This episode is a must-listen for any educator looking to deepen their understanding of literacy and improve their approach to teaching reading.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Your feedback will help us improve and reach more educators like you! Until next week…

There are rainbows ahead,

Ashleigh and Alisha

Thank you to ePlatform Digital Libraries, the sponsor of today’s episode. Visit www.eplatform.co to learn more about Decodable Readers and Digital Libraries for schools.

Resources mentioned in this episode

For a free sample, email [email protected] with your name, school, and postal address.

Learn more about eplatform’s decodable texts here

Science of Reading Podcast Episode 21 with Sara Marye

Science of Reading Podcast Episode 29 with Malia Hollowell 

Join the waitlist for our exciting new membership HERE. 

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Today we are sharing the mic with some amazing Aussie teachers to hear some of their secret strategies to help manage their class as the year comes to an end.

By the time December rolls around, everyone is tired and often our tried and true classroom management strategies that we have been using all year long aren’t working as well.

Now is the time to mix it up! Today, we are sharing 9 different strategies you could try in your classroom, including:

• VIP desks
• Class wishlists
• Brownie points
• Kindness activities
• Bucket fillers
• Christmas mailroom
• Class Christmas carols
• The mystery elf
• Fun themed days

Make sure you listen to the end - some classroom management strategies we share are not what you expect!!

Connect with our guests:

Tam from Mrs Learning Bee

Eden from Eden Lisa Designs

Julia from Mrs Chalmers Cherubs

James from Amplify Music Education

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review to stay updated with the latest content. And, send us a post on social media so we can say a personal thank you!

You can access more teacher PD, classroom inspiration and a wealth of resources by visiting our website  www.rainbowskycreations.com.

Alisha and Ashleigh

Resources mentioned in today’s episode

Join our 12 Days of Christmas here. 

Join the waitlist for our game-changing membership here.

Find more information and visuals for today’s episode on our blog. 

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Introducing the “Basketball classroom" - Ash is a teacher of 11 years who focuses on not only academic success, but also importantly personal and social success!

Ash aka @mrcurmisclassroom on TikTok is passionate about embedding real-life experiences into his lessons, such as using the Olympics to teach decimals or incorporating Wordle into language activities. He discusses why this approach is effective and how he comes up with his innovative ideas.

With a significant presence on TikTok, Ash uses his platform to share his teaching experiences and offer opinions on various educational topics. He addresses common misconceptions that teachers may encounter on social media and why it’s important to get the message right.

We also chat about one of his passions, classroom management, and how it underpins all learning. Ash gives three pieces of advice when managing your classroom:

• Prevention is better than cure
• Be the speed camera
• Differentiate for your learners

If you want to know what he means by these things, you will have to listen to the episode!

Whether you’re a new teacher looking for inspiration or a seasoned educator interested in fresh ideas, this episode is packed with practical advice and relatable insights.

You can access more teacher strategies, classroom inspiration and a wealth of resources by visiting our website  www.rainbowskycreations.com.

Rainbows ahead,

Ashleigh and Alisha

Resources mentioned in this episode

Follow Ash @mrcurmisclassroom on Tiktok and Instagram

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About today’s sponsor: Mrs Edgar

Mrs Edgar’s is a teacher-founded business dedicated to making planning easier—and happier! 

Their vibrant, high-quality planners are crafted just for Australian teachers, with term dates, public holidays, and thoughtful pages of practical tools like assessment trackers and classroom setups. Plus, with inspiring artwork and thoughtful touches, Mrs Edgar planners are designed to bring a little joy to every day. 

Ready to empower your teaching and stay focused on your goals? Grab your 2025 teacher planner, stickers, lanyards are more from mrsedgar.com.au

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We’ve hit a huge milestone! This episode is extra special as we’re celebrating our one-year anniversary of podcasting! Over the past year, we’ve shared tips, inspiration, and conversations with passionate educators like you. But the journey doesn’t stop here—big changes are coming!

We’re excited to announce that our podcast is getting a new name—Rainbow Skies for Teachers—to reflect our mission of supporting all teachers who want to inspire their students and bring creativity, simplicity and joy into their classrooms.

In this episode, we chat about:

• The journey over the past year 
• Why we’re changing the name and what it means for you
• Sneak peek at our upcoming membership—an inspiring community just for teachers
• How you can join the waitlist and be the first to know when doors open!

We also have some special guests coming in to join us with the celebration.

Before we go, we want to take the time to thank YOU for being part of this amazing year! A shout out to our team and awesome podcast editor Rosie too. Let’s keep growing and learning together!

Rainbows ahead,

Alisha and Ashleigh

Today’s episode was sponsored by ePlatform Digital Libraries. Visit www.eplatform.co to learn more about Decodable Readers and Digital Libraries for schools.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Join our exciting Membership Waitlist

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If you have been sitting on the fence when it comes to incorporating Yoga in the classroom but wasn’t sure how, or you’ve started but need some fresh ideas, then Giselle from Kids Yoga Stories in your gal. 

Giselle has taken her passion for yoga, mindfulness and education to created books and resources with the intention of sharing the benefits of yoga for children  everywhere. Not only will your students benefit from yoga practising but you will to! 

In today’s chat we talk about: 

• How yoga practice can benefit students
• Simple and effective yoga techniques to integrate in your classroom routine
• How you can integrate storytelling into yoga practises.
• Tips for teachers starting out on adding these tools to their teaching practice.

You can access more teacher strategies, classroom inspiration and a wealth of resources by visiting our website  www.rainbowskycreations.com.

Rainbows ahead,

Ashleigh and Alisha

Resources mentioned in this episode

Learn more about Kids Yoga Stories - www.kidsyogastories.com 

Connect with Giselle on Instagram @kidsyogastories and Facebook @kidsyogastories  and Pinterest @kidsyogastories 

Contact Giselle - [email protected]

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“Help! How do I differentiate?”—It’s the number one question we hear from teachers time and time again.

Gone are the days when teaching was a one-size-fits-all approach with students simply following along. Now, we understand so much more about how the brain works and how students learn in their own unique ways. That's why differentiation is absolutely essential in today’s classroom. It’s all about ensuring every student can thrive, no matter where they’re starting from!

But we know, it isn’t as easy as clicking your fingers and your lessons are differentiated. It takes time, skill and a toolkit of ideas and strategies. 

Today we are here to share the strategies. Some you may tick off in your mind because you are already doing them, others might inspire you to give them a go!

We breakdown these 9 strategies to help differentiate in your classroom:

• Content
• Process
• Product
• Pacing
• Learning Environment
• Grouping
• Choice / Choice Boards
• Interest
• Readiness

You can’t possibly implement all these differentiation strategies at once, so think of these ideas like a menu that you can pick and choose from!

If this episode was helpful and you would love to hear more about differentiation in the classroom, write us a review and let us know! We value the feedback we get from our awesome teacher listeners.

Rainbows ahead,

Ashleigh and Alisha

Resources mentioned in this episode

Join our exciting Membership Waitlist

Episode 52 - It Takes a Village to Educate a Child with Kylie Altier

Christmas Blooms activities for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-6

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In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kelsey Sorenson, a teacher, homeschool mama, certified life coach and author, to dive deep into the issue of teacher burnout. With educators leaving the profession at an alarming rate, we explore what's driving this exodus and how teachers can protect their well-being.

A recent Gallup panel shared that 44% of teachers said they are “always” or “almost always” burned out, outpacing all other professions. Perhaps a more shocking statistic than this is most teachers are surprised this statistic isn’t higher!

Kelsey shares everything she has learned about teacher burnout and how to stop ourselves getting to that place before it actually happens. And here’s a hint… it starts with self-compassion and curiosity.

Throughout this conversation we talk about:

• The burnout crisis in education
• Factors contributing to the current burnout epidemic 
• Common patterns in burned-out teachers
• How to become an observer
• Self-advocacy for teachers

We need more of Kelsey’s message in the world for teachers. It is time to educate and rejuvenate ourselves to start to reverse the trend of teachers burning out. 

If you know a teacher that is going through any of the things we talked about in this episode, please share it with them - we need to keep our amazing teachers in classrooms. 

Rainbows ahead,

Ashleigh and Alisha

Resources mentioned in this episode

Connect with Kelsey via email- hello@educateandrejuvenate or on Instagram @educateandrejuvenate

Website: www.educateandrejuvenate.com

Purchase Kelsey’s book

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You have probably heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” but what if we applied this to teaching? Kylie Altier has explored this exact idea of it taking a “village” to educate a child and what she discovered was career changing!

Throughout today’s episode Kylie shares how she has gone about this transformation of building a village outside the four walls of her classroom and sprinkles through some amazing stories of how doing this has impacted her and her students. 

Not only that, Kylie shares 5 ways that you can also follow her lead and start to build your own village. We talk about:

• Asking for help
• Look near and far for villagers
• Varying requests of potential ‘villagers’
• Be an open door
• Expressing gratitude

The passion and fire for creating lifelong learners in her classroom is so compelling throughout this episode. It is one that will get you feeling pumped up and inspired (it did for us!)

If you want to join Kylie’s village, the links are below.

You can join the Rainbow Sky village on Instagram, TikTok or through our private podcast Facebook Group.

Until next week, there are rainbows ahead!

Alisha and Ashleigh

Resources mentioned in this episode

Transform your First Years, join our village for New Teachers

Find our podcast village here: Podcast FB group

Connect with Kylie on Instagram @mrs.altiersvillage or on her website www.readwithkylie.com

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