FUN THINGS for the CLASSROOM or HOMESCHOOLING!

I have been getting some things for school this year and have found a few neat, fairly cheap, things to use with preschoolers.  Whether you are buying supplies for your classroom, homeschooling, or just to have at your house...I will list a few places and items I have found to be fun and educational at the same time.

Remember:   PLAY can be a very handy learning tool!

One of my favorite places to search for fun manipulatives and neat toys is  

BIG LOTS!

 Here are a few things I got the other day:

Acrylic Leaves & Pumpkins

These were in the fall/Thanksgiving area.

Each bag was $4.00

There are about 40 leaves in a bag.

16 Pumpkins in a bag (they are fatter)

They also had acorns which had about 25.

(I didn't get those cuz by then I had spent too much money!  LOL)

Each piece measures about 1 1/2 inch across.

These will make great counting/sorting/patterning tools during our fall/leaves theme.

Also great to hide in your sand table in sand, real leaves from outside, dried corn.

Small Square Containers

These came in a pack of 8 for $2.00

(I split half and half with a friend)

Great for keeping dice contained during a game with preschoolers.  Instead of having your dice bounce all over the place, they shake the container and when placed on table, see what the dice read.

Milkshake Straws

 There are at least 40 - 50 straws for only $1.80

These are big straws!  You could probably fit 3 regular straws in one.

These would be great to use with Play-Doh to make some neat things:

You can cut them to different sizes and have them sort by size or color.

You could also let them cut them into one or two inch pieces and string necklaces with them, maybe adding some wooden beads in between.

Another place I just bought some things: birthdayexpress.com

My nephew just turned 2 and is really into pretend play with costumes.  They have some cute/cheap hats I got for him.  Here are a few:

 

Pirate Felt Hat  -  $3.99

Pirate Mask  - $0.99 (Sturdy Foam)

Engineer's Hat  -  $2.99

Chef's Hat  -  $1.99

Fireman's Hat  -  $1.29

They have lots of party items and make sure to check out their CLEARANCE section.....never know what you might find!

Checkout Educator's Outlet  -  This place always has a sale and lots of times they have 50% off of their clearance stuff!  Here are some of the examples of savings I have gotten over the years:

Lacing Buttons  

Normal price $15.00  Clearance  $7.98  I paid  $3.00

There are a lot of buttons in here and lacing strings.

Teddy Bear Bingo

Normal Price $15.00   Clearance $8.98   I paid  $4.00

Lots of bears to use in the game or just as manipulatives to count/sort/pattern

Floor Puzzles

Normal Price  $12.97    Clearance  $4.98   I paid  $2.49 ea.

They have these puzzles for lots of themes ( I have about 7 of them)

That is just a sampling of their products.  Make sure to check back often to get a great deal!

Also check out Discount School Supply!   They have many sales too and sometimes you can save quite a bit during their "Dollar Days" sales.  You never know what they will offer during these sales, but here are a couple things I got last time:

Rainbow Dance Ribbons (6 in a pack)

Normal Price $33.95    Their price  $9.95     Dollar Day Price   $3.00

These are great to use during music or gross motor time.  Kids love them.

Colored Bean Bags (pack of 12 nylon bags)

Normal Price $17.00     Their Price  $12.95   Dollar Days Price  $2.00

These are all just a few samples of some neat things you can find.

Keep checking places and looking for those sales.  It really doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to get some fun things to use with your kids!

Always check your stores like: Dollar Tree, Dollar General, & Family Dollar Stores.....Have had some GREAT finds in these places too!

Summer Fun!

It's time for the Summer Olympics!!

What better way to celebrate the Olympics and athletes around the world, then to hold your own

BACKYARD OLYMPIC GAMES

 This was a huge hit for the kids!  You can get creative with the events you want to include in your games.  We had throwing, running, relays, crab walks, obstacle courses, trapeze bar or rings on a swing set, etc.  Be unique and think of some super fun events. 

Use a microphone hooked to an amp or speaker to call out events and later to announce winners of each event.  You can also use a small megaphone or even just one of those plastic kid microphones that amplifies their voice.

You can purchase little gold medal ribbons at any novelty shop, Pat Catan's, Oriental Trading and even your little stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar have them a lot of times.

We also printed out an 8" x 11" paper certificates with the Olympic rings in the background and different sports clipart in the corners.

Have a few tubs filled with ice sitting around and fill with bottles of water, Gatorade, etc.

Play Star Spangled Banner at the Opening Ceremony and some other type of patriotic music can be going during your winner announcements.  Build some type of platform for your winners or if you don't have anything, just use a set of outside steps from your house.

BACKYARD POTATO FIGHT

Don't wanna take time to fill up balloons or have your kids pelt each other with paintballs????  Then try a MASHED POTATO FIGHT!

Things you will need:  Lots of big (cheap) boxes of instant mashed potatoes

                                     One color of food coloring per team (decide how many teams you want)

                                     Playing field or lawn

                                     Rain Ponchos (optional)

Before your game.....mix up MANY batches of mashed potatoes (you don't need to add butter and milk - just water unless you plan on eating them  LOL)

Once you have them in tubs (one big tub per team or a couple smaller ones per team), add the teams color choice to their potatoes and mix well.

They can don their ponchos prior to starting or if it is a warm summer day, just wear bathing suits and you can hose them down afterward.

Blow a whistle and stand back as colored mashed potatoes are thrown at the enemies.  You can tell by the color of potatoes who is getting the most strikes against each team.  Play until no more potatoes can be scooped out of tubs or the ground.  Determine a winning team by the color most prevalent on the players.

Hose everyone down and don't worry about the colorful mess on your lawn....it is perishable and will soak into the ground eventually  :o)

PAPER MACHE' MARACAS

 Fun project that can be used later to create some cool backyard music.  Add a little drumming and maybe a guitar and you can create your own summer vacation cconcert....right in your own backyard.

Supplies needed:  2 small balloons per set of maracas

                              2 toilet paper tubes per set

                              Tape

                              Dried Beans or Popcorn Kernels

                              Newspaper

                              Flour & Water  (glue - optional)

                           

Blow up the balloons and tie shut. Stick the tied end of the balloon into a tube and tape them together. Leave one end of the tube open to add beans later.  Do not layer 

paper mache' over the open end.

                        For Paper Mache' mix....just add flour and water together (not very thick.....little more water).  You can also add a little glue to the mix is you want.

Tear strips of newspaper into about inch wide strips.  You will need many, many of these.

Lay out a thick layer of newspaper over your work area or table.

Have kids dip strips of newspaper into the mixture and once wet, apply to the balloon/tube base. Keep

adding layers of newspaper until you have the entire thing covered in a couple of layers.

Allow these to dry in a warm or sunny area.  May need to turn periodically.  Should be dry overnight.

Once they are dry, use a long pair of scissors to go into the open end of the tube and cut

open the balloon.  Use the scissors or needle-nosed pliers to pull the balloon out.

Once the balloon is out....let sit so you can make sure the inside dries completely.

After it is all dry, it is time to add your dried beans or popcorn kernels.  Once they are in, use

crinkled newspaper to stuff ONLY the handle(tube) of your maraca.

When everything is inside, use masking tape or duct tape to seal the end and wrap around the maraca 

handles. We used black duct tape that we had.

Now you can paint your maracas any colors or designs you choose.

Go make some music!

PLAY IN A CREEK!

I know it seems like such a simple thing, but there are lots of kids who have never gotten the opportunity!

Here we are at Christmas Run park in Wooster, Ohio!

The kids love to take their shoes off and splash through the water.

In this pic, my son and some friends are gathering rocks to try

and build a small dam across the creek.

When they are all done the rocks the gathered will be put 

back for other children to use later.

Don't be afraid to let them get dirty and explore the water and maybe any

little creatures living in it....your children are WASHABLE!  LOL

Just a few ideas for the day!

Get OUT and create some fun....

there is less than a MONTH 

before school starts!