Rainbow Skies for Teachers

You know the student who stares at a blank page and tells you they’ve got no ideas? Matt Stanton reckons that’s almost never a creativity problem. It’s a confidence problem.
Matt is a bestselling children’s author and illustrator, and in this chat he unpacks what actually gets kids writing. Time to think. Room to move. Permission to speak or draw the idea before writing a single word. If creative writing has become the hardest part of your week, you’ll walk away with a few things you can try on Monday. Have a listen.
In this episode, we cover:
Why confidence, not talent, is what sits between most kids and their creativity
Matt’s belief that everyone is creative, and that the job is finding each kid’s key
Matt’s alternative to the introduction, complication, conclusion scaffold
The trigger points that shut writers down before they’ve started, and how to take them away
Why letting kids move their bodies and get outside first leads to better ideas
Drawing as a real way to plan and generate ideas
Putting joy back at the centre of creative writing
Tell us the truth, what trips your class up most in creative writing? Come and share it with us over on Instagram, we love hearing what’s really going on in your classrooms.
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
Enjoying the Podcast?
If you’re loving Rainbow Skies for Teachers, we’d be so grateful if you could subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a teacher friend. Your support helps us reach more educators and continue inspiring teachers around the world.
About Today’s Guest
Matt Stanton is a bestselling children’s author and illustrator who has sold more than one million books in Australia. His middle-grade series FUNNY KID debuted as the #1 Australian kids’ book and has fans all around the world. He has twenty picture books to his name, including the award-winning THIS IS A BALL series, and over twenty-five novels including the immensely popular graphic novel series, THE ODDS, BORED, DUCK and FLUFF. Matt lives on the south coast of NSW with his wife, bestselling author Beck Stanton, their four kids and a giant dog.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Episode 153: We Asked an 11-Year-Old What Teachers REALLY Need to Know
Connect with Matt on Instagram or TikTok
Find Matt’s Website here: mattstanton.net
Ash’s favourite Matt Stanton series: Fart Monster and Me
Matt’s favourite read aloud: Elephant and Piggie series

About the Podcaster: Ashleigh Smith
Ashleigh Smith is an experienced primary educator, former school leader and Co-Founder of Rainbow Sky Creations. With almost 20 years in education, Ashleigh has taught in Australia and internationally in Dubai, UAE. Today, she draws on her classroom and leadership experience to create practical, engaging resources that save teachers time and make learning meaningful and fun. A passionate cheerleader for teachers, Ashleigh is all about helping educators work smarter, not harder. She also co-hosts the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing practical ideas, strategies and encouragement with primary teachers around the world. Connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Let's hear from you! Text us!

You know the moment… you ask 6 x 7 and half the class starts counting on their fingers while the other half either guesses or just looks at you with a blank stare. We've been there too, which is exactly why we spent months building something to fix it. 
In this episode, we're unpacking our brand new Fact Fluency Pathway for multiplication and division. It's a simple 10 minute daily routine that helps your students recall their facts accurately, quickly and flexibly, without eating into the rest of your math block.
We walk you through the “FACTS” routine day by day, share why we built it from our own classroom experience, and explain how it keeps every student working at the right level. If you teach Grade 3 and up and you're tired of the finger counting, this one's for you.
In this episode, we cover:
What fact fluency actually means
The three skills we want students to build when it comes to fluency
The FACTS routine: Focus, Apply, Connect, Target and Show Your Speed
How target cards give students ownership of their own tricky facts
Built-in differentiation so every student works at their level
How the pathway runs for 32 weeks at 10 minutes or less a day, with a pre-test to find each student's starting point
Which times table do your students find the trickiest? After trying our new fact fluency pathway this question will be a lot harder to answer! 
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
Enjoying the Podcast?
If you're loving Rainbow Skies for Teachers, we'd be so grateful if you could subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a teacher friend. Your support helps us reach more educators and continue inspiring teachers around the world.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Fact Fluency Pathway for Multiplication and Division ([LINK NEEDED])
About Rainbow Sky Creations
Ashleigh Smith and Alisha Hughes are experienced primary educators and the co-founders of Rainbow Sky Creations. With more than 30 years of combined classroom experience teaching in Australia and internationally, they create practical, engaging resources that help primary teachers save time and make learning meaningful and fun. Together, they also host the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing classroom ideas, teacher tips and real-world strategies with educators around the world. Connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Let's hear from you! Text us!

Most of us were taught that play is what kids get once the real work is done. Liz reckons that's backwards. Play can be the learning itself, and for kids aged 7 to 11 it's often the quickest way in.
Liz is the founder of Playful Learning Games, and in this chat she walks us through games you can run tomorrow with a deck of cards, a handful of dice and a stack of post-it notes. No laminating, no budget, no prep. She also takes on every pushback we've all made. No time. No space. It'll be chaos… it actually turns out play tends to settle a class rather than wind it up!
In this episode, we cover:
Why play works best as the learning itself, not a reward at the end of the lesson
The honest answer to "I don't have the time, the space or the resources"
How play-based math sits alongside curriculum pressure and test prep
Games using only a deck of cards or dice 
Fun Place Value games you can try with your class
Teaching fractions with paper plates and Play-Doh
Why running the same game all week is what makes your expectations stick
What's the topic your class switches off for every single year? Tell us over on Instagram and we'll see if we can dig up a game for it.
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
Enjoying the Podcast?
If you're loving Rainbow Skies for Teachers, we'd be so grateful if you could subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a teacher friend. Your support helps us reach more educators and continue inspiring teachers around the world.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Liz on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Playful Learning Games website: www.playfullearninggames.co.uk
2 Weeks 2 Learn website and Instagram
Rainbow Sky’s UNO Math Games.

About Today's Guest
Liz is the founder of Playful Learning Games, which provides printable games and resources to support the teaching of English and math for 6 to 11 year olds, through play. She believes we should all learn through play, no matter our age.
About the Podcaster: Ashleigh Smith
Ashleigh Smith is an experienced primary educator, former school leader and Co-Founder of Rainbow Sky Creations. With almost 20 years in education, Ashleigh has taught in Australia and internationally in Dubai, UAE. Today, she draws on her classroom and leadership experience to create practical, engaging resources that save teachers time and make learning meaningful and fun. A passionate cheerleader for teachers, Ashleigh is all about helping educators work smarter, not harder. She also co-hosts the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing practical ideas, strategies and encouragement with primary teachers around the world. Connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Let's hear from you! Text us!

In a world of screens and devices, handwriting can feel a bit old-school. But the research keeps landing on the same thing: when students physically write, they process, organise and remember more. In this episode we’re making the case for keeping the pencil in your math lessons, and showing you exactly how.
We get into why writing by hand builds stronger brain connections (there’s a fascinating Norwegian study on this), why explaining your thinking matters far more than just landing the right answer, and how short bursts of writing beat long, draining sessions. Then we hand you five simple strategies you can bring into your classroom this week, no fancy prep required.
In this episode, we cover:
The research behind why handwriting boosts learning and recall
Getting students to explain their reasoning, not just write the answer
Low-key ways to build the written-explanation habit
Swapping multiple choice for written responses through investigations and problem-solving
Speedy number booklets for quick, ten-minute written practice that builds stamina and confidence
The “My favourite No” and “Second-Chance Strategy” for spotting and fixing mistakes 
Hands-on games with a recording element, yes, even your favourite UNO activities
Are you team pencil or team screen in your math lessons? Come share how you balance the two, we love hearing what actually works in your classroom.
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
Enjoying the Podcast?
If you’re loving Rainbow Skies for Teachers, we’d be so grateful if you could subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a teacher friend. Your support helps us reach more educators and continue inspiring teachers around the world.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The handwriting and math blog post 
Speedy Number booklets 
UNO card game math activities 

About Rainbow Sky Creations
Ashleigh Smith and Alisha Hughes are experienced primary educators and the co-founders of Rainbow Sky Creations. With more than 30 years of combined classroom experience teaching in Australia and internationally, they create practical, engaging resources that help primary teachers save time and make learning meaningful and fun. Together, they also host the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing classroom ideas, teacher tips and real-world strategies with educators around the world. Connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Let's hear from you! Text us!

Ask a room full of grade 3 and 4 teachers what their students are stuck on, and times tables come up every single time. It’s one of the most requested topics from our listener surveys, so we knew it was time to sit down and talk about it (again!).
In this episode we’re sharing the simple, low-prep games we actually love for building multiplication fact fluency, the kind you can slot into ten minutes a day without piling more onto your plate. We also get honest about our own tricky facts (sevens were Ash’s nemesis, and eight times eight still trips Alisha up), because fluency was never about being perfect. It’s about practice that sticks. If your students freeze the second they have to recall a fact, this one’s for you.
In this episode, we cover:
Why ten minutes of daily practice beats the occasional big push, and how habit stacking makes it stick
Flip It and Times It, our card game for targeting specific times tables
Spin and Multiply, a game that differentiates in seconds so every student practises at their own level
Dots and Boxes, a strategy favourite that builds mathematical thinking, sportsmanship and social skills
Chatterbox / fortune tellers that are self-correcting, fun to make, and easy to send home
Speedy Numbers, a timed activity for building automaticity and tracking personal progress
A little sneak peek at what’s coming next (hello, division)
Don't forget this is just the beginning… We are working on our multiplication and division fluency pathway. Join the waitlist if you want a hassle-free, done-for-you programme that will get your students automatic in their multiplication and division recall.
Rainbows ahead,
Alisha and Ashleigh
Enjoying the Podcast?
If you’re loving Rainbow Skies for Teachers, we’d be so grateful if you could subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a teacher friend. Your support helps us reach more educators and continue inspiring teachers around the world.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Flip It and Times It, free version is linked here 
Spin and Multiply 
Dots and Boxes 
Multiplication Chatterboxes
Speedy Numbers - Multiplication
Our new multiplication fluency program - JOIN THE WAITLIST HERE
About Rainbow Sky Creations
Ashleigh Smith and Alisha Hughes are experienced primary educators and the co-founders of Rainbow Sky Creations. With more than 30 years of combined classroom experience teaching in Australia and internationally, they create practical, engaging resources that help primary teachers save time and make learning meaningful and fun. Together, they also host the Rainbow Skies for Teachers podcast, sharing classroom ideas, teacher tips and real-world strategies with educators around the world. Connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Let's hear from you! Text us!