Language Activities and Resources - Art Lessons - Other Freebies, free resources, free websites, team building activities, ontario curriculum, language lessons, write the room, subitizing, addition strategies, students, educators, parents, teachers, education Free Resources: Lifestyle & Wellness Parents Educators Students Some of My Favourite Websites Collection of language resources from Spel-Lang Tree Learning resources aligned with Ontario curriculum from TVO Learn Art lessons from Deep Space Sparkle Language lessons and resources from Read Write Think (scroll down to the bottom to select grade) Lessons, activities and resources shared by teachers from Share My Lesson (searchable by grade, subject and resource type) Check out my Facebook Group, Busy Women Finding Balance , a supportive space for women to share struggles, wins, and practical strategies for reducing stress and creating balance in our busy lives. As a bonus for joining, you’ll get free access to my 18-page goal-setting workbook, Beyond the To-Do List! It’s designed to help you reflect, prioritize, and take action—one step at a time (you can find it in the Files section). Some of My Own Freebies (shareable Google docs) Write the Room - Beginning Blends (for gr. 1-2) Personal Thesaurus (for gr. 2-5) Subitizing Dot slides (for gr. K-2) Addition Strategies Practice (for gr. 1-2) Team Building Activities (for gr. 2-5) Supply Teacher Toolkit (for gr. K-6) Sample Learning Skills Comments (for gr. 1-6) Also check out the Free Resources for Students . Click here to contact me and start a conversation about how I can support you with custom resources and strategies to lighten your workload!

Growing Hearts and Minds - Life Coaching and Support - Lifestyle and Wellness - Educators - Parents - journey - path forward Your journey matters. Let's find your path forward - together! Educational Support for Students and Families: Does a student in your home need support with setting goals, time management, organizational skills or motivation? Do you need assistance with providing assessments, lessons or learning activities to help you homeschool or work with your children? I can help your child to reach their full potential. For Educators: Are you looking for assistance with long-term planning, lesson creation, custom teaching resources, or crafting thoughtful report card comments? Let me lighten the load so you can focus on your students. For Parents: Do you need help managing daily tasks, setting and reaching goals, or navigating stress and emotional challenges? I’m here to provide support and coaching every step of the way. Life Coaching : Are you ready to set meaningful goals and build healthy habits in areas like nutrition, fitness, self-care, stress management or meditation? Let’s work together to create a plan that works for you. "Barb always helps me see a different angle to the problems I face, often ones that provide a better solution than I'd been leaning towards. She helps me come to conclusions myself that were likely buried beneath my pride and guilt." ~ Alison B, Waterloo

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Prices & Hours Before school care for Shanty Bay P.S. - $ 2 0, 7:30-9:30 After school care for Shanty Bay P.S. - $20, 3:50-6:00 Morning kindergarten readiness classes - $20, 10:00-12:00 After school homework help and literacy & math support - $20, 4:00-6:00 Evening and weekend one-on-one online tutoring - $50/hr (Email for available times) PA days and March break programs - $60 per day, 8:30-4:30 ($10 to extend for one hour, either before or after) Payment can be made by e-transfer upon registration.

Contact me for a free and complimentary 30 minute consultation Click "Buy Now" to pay for a 1 hour session: Growing Hearts and Minds barb.elvidge@gmail.com

Growing Hearts And Minds

Meditation & Journaling - Goal Setting & Habit Building - Motivation & Organization - Positive Mindset - Emotional Support - Coaching - Mind-Body Alignment - Meaningful Change - Personal Growth - Health Goals - Lifestyle Changes - Resilience Life Coaching My journey of personal growth has been a cornerstone of my life. Over the years, I’ve embraced transformative practices like meditation, journaling, reading, and listening to inspiring podcasts. These habits have brought me profound breakthroughs, reducing stress and anxiety while nurturing a deeper sense of love and acceptance for both myself and others. One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned is the power of the mind-body connection. By aligning my mental and physical well-being, I’ve experienced greater harmony, vitality and resilience in my daily life. Whether it’s using mindfulness to ease tension, practicing gratitude to cultivate inner peace or setting intentions to stay focused, I’ve come to appreciate how deeply our thoughts, emotions and actions influence our health and happiness. As a certified life coach, I’m now channeling my passion and experience into helping others achieve their goals and create meaningful change. My coaching approach combines practical tools, emotional support, and personalized guidance to help you thrive in all areas of your life — physical, mental, emotional, and social. How I Can Help You I offer personalized coaching sessions tailored to your unique wellness goals. Whether you’re looking for ways to reduce stress, build healthier habits, or achieve a more balanced life, I’m here to guide you every step of the way. Here are some of the ways we can work together: Mind-Body Alignment Explore the mind-body connection to manage stress, ease tension, and cultivate inner peace. I’ll help you develop mindfulness practices that fit your lifestyle, making it easier to maintain calm and focus during life’s challenges. Goal Setting & Habit Building Whether you’re working on personal growth, health goals, or lifestyle changes, I provide guidance, accountability, and strategies to help you stay motivated and create lasting change. Together, we’ll break down your goals into actionable steps and celebrate your progress along the way. Motivation & Organization Struggling with time management or motivation? I provide tools and resources to help you improve organization, streamline scheduling, and stay on track with your goals. Emotional Support & Positive Mindset Coaching Sometimes, we just need someone to talk to — someone who listens without judgment and helps us see the bigger picture. I’ll help you navigate anxiety, chronic pain, and other challenges while focusing on cultivating a positive mindset and building emotional resilience. Let’s work together to help you thrive in every aspect of your life. Click here to schedule a free 30 minute consultation and start your wellness journey today!

Helping your child with math - Tips and support for educators, parents and students, shapes and patterns, measurement, mathematical thinking, math games, sorting, problem-solving games, real life math, money, counting Helping Your Child With Math Here are some things you can try at home to help your child improve math skills: Look for shapes and patterns at home or during daily activities. Have children help with measurement, for example when cooking, sewing, building, etc. Ask your child to explain the math skills they are working on or how they got an answer to a math question. Model different approaches to mathematical thinking. For example when counting a group of objects you could line them up, put them in groups of five or ten, or move them while you count by ones or twos. Play card, dice or board games that involve counting, adding or other math concepts. Compare and sort by height, length, weight, speed, cost, etc. Point out ways that math is part of real life as situations arise; money, music, art, construction, cooking, etc. Have tools such as a ruler, scale, calculator and measuring tape available to use to solve day to day math problems. Help your child find appropriate number and problem-solving games online. Check out these math games from Tang Math .

As a recently retired OCT (Ontario College of Teachers) teacher and lifelong learner, I am excited to bring my passion for helping others into a new role that aligns with my skills and experience. 1 Hour Session

Here are some things you can practice at home to help your child get ready for kindergarten, letter and sound recognition, number matching, school lunches, name activities, fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, washing hands, social skills, children, education, parents, teachers, early childhood education, educators Getting Ready For Kindergarten Here are some things you can practice at home to help your child get ready for kindergarten: Skills that develop personal independence: using the washroom independently, washing their hands, opening and closing their backpack and lunchbox (as well as any containers inside), putting on and taking off their shoes and coat, follow simple directions with 1 or 2 steps. Social skills: sharing, taking turns, asking for help, allowing someone else to go first, discuss feelings. Letter/sound recognition activities: watch some short, fun videos such as this Letter Factory song, pick one letter (start with the first letter in your child’s name) and discuss the sound it makes then look for it in books or objects in the environment, check out some fun printables at funlearningforkids.com that you can do with your child. Number activities: identify numbers in the environment, count a variety of objects, match numbers with pictures (see my Numbers to 10 Matching Activity freebie). Name activities: point out their name in different contexts, practice identifying their name next to a few other names of friends or family, practice tracing their name, hide a name card and have your child find it. Fine motor skills: drawing, painting, tracing, cutting with scissors, glueing with white glue and glue sticks, using tweezers to pick up small objects such as pompoms or beads. Problem-solving skills: follow your child’s interests (such as creating art, cooking, building structures, conducting science experiments or exploring nature), brainstorm ideas, ask questions, research, try using different tools or materials, discuss challenges, reflect on what went well and what you could do differently. Here is a link from the Ontario Government about Preparing Your Child for Full-Day Kindergarten.

Meal Planning - Parenting Resources - Family Goal Setting - Empathetic Support - Organization - Scheduling - Coaching - Emotional Challenges - Best Life Support for Parents With over 20 years of experience as a teacher and tutor, raising two children of my own, and volunteering with Kids Help Phone, I understand the joys and challenges of parenting. My goal is to provide the guidance and resources you need to thrive as a parent and support your family’s success. How I Can Help You I offer personalized support in the following areas: Meal Planning : Customized meal plans complete with grocery lists to simplify your busy days. Parenting Resources : Practical tools and resources for parenting, organization, and scheduling. Family Goal Setting : Help with creating actionable goals and plans for you and your family’s growth. Empathetic Coaching : A compassionate ear to listen, understand, and stand by your side while empowering you to overcome emotional challenges and create your best life. Let’s work together to make parenting more manageable and fulfilling. Click here to contact me for a free 30 minute consultation to discuss how I can support you as a parent!

Contact me for a free and complimentary 30 minute consultation, connect, goal setting, conversation, support, guidance, customized resources I offer a complimentary 30 minute consultation to discuss your goals and explore how I can best support you. This initial conversation will help us determine the right approach to meet your needs and answer any questions you may have. After the consultation, my rate is $50 per hour. This includes time spent connecting via video conference, telephone, or text, as well as any work required to gather or create customized resources. Payments can be made using e-transfer, PayPal or credit card. To get started, please send me an email using the on-line form. Share a bit about your goals and how I can help, and we’ll arrange a time to chat. I look forward to connecting with you! Also, feel free to email me if you have any questions or to request my free workbook: Beyond the To-Do List , a goal-setting guide to help you reflect, prioritize, and take action—one step at a time. Growing Hearts and Minds barb.elvidge@gmail.com Submit Thanks for submitting!