Alphabet Sorting Containers

There are so many items that we have in the classroom that I consider a luxury. No matter how much your center has or doesn't have, everyone has luxury items. What I consider to be luxury items are anything that is not an absolute need.

We need: red, yellow, blue, white, and black tempura paint.

We also get: orange, green, purple, pink, magenta, and all the other fancy colors.

We need: markers, crayons, paper, scissors, glue

We also get: feathers, pompom balls, every color of construction paper, fancy scissors, etc...

We need: books

We also get: big books, books on tape/CD

We need: pencils and plain paper (scrap paper would work)

We also get: line newsprint, pencils of every size

Do you get where I am going? There are some things that we enhance what we are doing. It's not a bad thing; really it's not! We can make a lesson out of anything, yet we fall back on some items that aren't necessary. I look for teachers who can make quality lessons with a rock and some leaves. Anyone can sort and categorize colored teddy bears; a thought provoked teacher can sort and categorize anything!

That brings me to the Alphabet Sorting Containers that somehow made their way into my center (They were there when I arrived years ago). Now, we don't need this. Any teacher can ask the children to bring in items that start with a letter and add it to the manipulative area, or the science area. However, today I was sitting with a child who is three and a half. This is a child with lots of behavior challenges. He sat with me for 30 minutes picking up different items from a bowl, saying the name of the item, and repeating the first sound over and over until he figured out what letter that was. Yes, I helped him with some; probably more than not. He is 3 after all and we don't work on academics until the second half of their preschool year. They first have to learn to socialize. The pride on his face when he said "Lion...llll...llllll....llllll...ELLL!" That made this item worth it.

So, I am not saying that everyone should go out and get this item. What I am saying is, if you have a few hundred dollars sitting around and wondering what you should buy (and you don't need 5 more gallons of paint, new paintbrushes in every size, big huge easel paper, play food, or anything else) go ahead and spend your money on this. It is worth it.

However, if you don't have the money...make your own with the children. They will remember it so much more!

Worth the price

Whether you are a teacher in the classroom or an administrator in the office, there is one supply that everyone uses: a stapler. I recently got this one. Yes, it's a bit more than a standard simple stapler, but it is worth the money. It's not a stapler I would put out for the children on their writing desk or anything, but I think that every classroom and office should have one. It is spring loaded so it pushes a powerful punch. Have a thick bunch of papers to staple together? This will do the job! Want to easel art up on the wall? No need to look at bulletin board space, this easily puts staples into the most difficult walls! Unless you are in a totally brick building like mine. It doesn't do brick. But did you really expect that? You can get it in many different colors...I chose green. It's very pretty!

It does have a safety button that sometimes is difficult to work around. It has to be pressed strategically down before it will let a staple go off. So, sometimes it can be difficult; but once you get the hang of it, there are no problems. It can be placed on the desk horizontal like a traditional stapler (and used as such); but it also can be placed vertically and is very comfortable to be used as a hand stapler. The only downfall I have found is when you want to open it to staple into the wall. When opening the stapler, it automatically opens the place that holds the staples and, if you are not careful, staples will come tumbling out; causing the user to have to reload it. When opening the stapler, just be aware of this and hold it upside down when opening and quickly slide the staple lock back in place.

I highly recommend everyone get one of these. I can say I am now spoiled by this stapler and will never purchase a standard stapler again.

Set of play dishes

I had a set of these in the classroom with my last classroom as a teacher. I got them here. I think the first day one plate broke. After that, the set lasted until I left. I don't know if it's still there; but I would think it has lasted. I am a firm believer in trusting children. You give them things to use, show them how to use it respectfully, and everything will be fine. 90% of the things that broke in my classroom (sound bottles, picture frames, dishes, etc...) was because of me, not the children.

So, these dishes are sturdy. The stand up to the accidental droppings on the carpet. When they do break, it is usually into large pieces that are easy to clean up.

I would say that if you are just starting out in trusting children and want to give yourself some practice in trusting them, this is a great item to start with. Plus it's reasonably priced. I tell you, once you begin to trust children, you will do most of your classroom supply shopping at IKEA. They have some GREAT things!

Busboy Trays

We bought these, what I call, busboy trays at Smart and Final. They don't have a picture on line, so I found a picture elsewhere. However, I'm sure, if you've ever been in a restaurant to eat, you have seen the, usually gray, tubs that the busboys use when cleaning up a table. They dump all the dishes from the table into the buckets and then wipe the table down using the bucket to catch whatever they wipe off. Well, we initially bought them for the kitchen (we provide meals for the children in our center). The cook puts everything in the buckets for each classroom and then, at the end of the meal, everything gets put back in the buckets to go back. Maybe one day soon I'll show you what our typical meal service looks like. One bucket will last year! They are easy to clean, sturdy and thick, so they are not prone to cracks or breaks. I know that at the center I am currently at, we have had these trays for more than 6 years, I can't go back further than that to date them. However, they are still in great shape. If we only used them for meal service, that would be worth getting them.

I have found another great use for them: in the classroom. I have used these for all sorts of activities. They are great to use on table tops for small sensory activities. When we do a sink/float lesson, I will use these as well. One of the best activities was filling them about 3/4 full of sand. We made mountains and poured water with cups, droppers, and spray bottles to make rivers, valleys, and other things. This was such a popular activity we left it out on the science table for a while too. They work pretty well with marble painting as well, but some of the smaller children have a hard time holding them. Putting bubble solution on the bottom to use large bubble wands are great! If you have some children that need the sensory experience, but have a hard time working in a group at the sensory table, these work very well to give them their own space. The possibility of uses seems to be endless with these tubs.

I highly recommend making them part of your classroom.