Hi everyone! I’m excited to begin sharing ideas and resources on the Teacher’s Suitcase.

In the classroom, I always loved seeing a kid get excited about a lesson — watching the realization that they can have fun in the classroom. My goal was to always create a lesson that drew the kids into what they were doing. I also wanted to have fun myself! The classroom should be an environment that everyone wants to be in.

Since then, I’ve traded in 20-something pupils for two kids of my own, but not much has changed. Whether we are teachers or parents or both, we all want to find that breakthrough — the one that sticks with the kids. The best way to do that is to get the kids excited. I want every resource on these pages to make learning fun. I’ve created art projects, movie packets and activities with the goal of making learning enjoyable.

I also want to make your job easy! Just because learning is fun doesn’t mean that it needs to cost you a lot of time and energy. The resources here are meant to facilitate learning in the classroom and the home. Whether you are a busy teacher that needs a display for parent teacher night, a homeschooler looking for the next project or a parent looking to jumpstart your little one’s education, I want to help.

I can’t wait to share all my ideas with everyone. Thanks so much for coming to the Teacher’s Suitcase. I hope you find something that helps brighten the learning experience for you.

-Renee Smalley