About Me

Hi there! I’m Rachel, the creator of Hopping into Kindergarten. I live in Iowa with my wonderful husband, our dog Murphy, and our two bunnies, Izzy & Lilly (who inspired my store name!). Besides teaching, I’m very passionate about animals and dream of someday having a farm for rescued animals! Murphy and Lilly are both from animal shelters, and helping animals is something near and dear to my heart.

Growing up, I moved around very often as we were a military family! We landed in Iowa right before I started HS and I’ve been here ever since. I went to Iowa State University for my undergrad in Elementary Education with endorsements in Reading and ELA. I met some of my best friends at ISU and cherish my memories! I earned my Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa with an early childhood/full inclusion endorsement. I love teaching the little ones and creating resources that I believe in. From engaging science centers to literacy activity ideas, I hope you’ll enjoy my blog and TPT store and find something to use in your own classroom or with your little ones at home. Happy teaching, and thanks for stopping by!