Mamas & Papas -
Our daycare has sent home notes asking parents to provide apples so the kids can compare, discuss color, size, shape taste, and smell (fostering little scientists). This week its leaves of different shapes, colors, sizes and textures. I'm all for the learning, and glad that they are doing these activities with the kids. Meanwhile, DS is only 2 years old. I joked with my own mother that it seems like we've been tasked with homework all over again. She chuckled, and said it's only the begining, you've got many years of this ahead of you. She remembers scambling to the neighbors for their old magazines when we were in kindergarden and had to cut and paste pictures of 5 things which were blue.
What things should we have on hand to make sure that we aren't having to scramble ourselves? Both of us work, and we live in an apartment. Its not like we've got a shed out back in which we can keep spare magazines, and odds and ends.
Thanks in advance for your ideas and suggestions,
F. B.
So far I haven't had any requests for magazine cut outs. Magazines are now online. If the school asked for something blue, I would open a baggy and plop a few blue items in there and send it right over to them. A blue crayon would probably be one of them.
The basic school supplies others have mentioned are good. But maybe you could ask the daycare if they have their lesson plans planned out already and maybe they can give you a list of things they will be asking for in the future. Then you can plan ahead and shop/look at your convenience.
Last year in kinder, we had to do a collage - that rack of free magazines that you pass by in the grocery store? Lifesaver. No, we didn't take the whole stack, but one of each did the trick. Plus, we found a fun activity in the "Free Family Fun" magazine, and got a laugh from "News of the Weird" in our local "alternative" freebie newspaper, so some even served their intended purposes!
That being said, we are only in kinder, but this is what I've already discovered we HAVE to have on hand:
stickers
glue sticks
crayons/markers/colored pencils
pencils
writing tablets (whatever the school requests, get two extras, to use at home)
composition notebooks (you can get away with just one extra)
This is stuff the kids use at school, and their homework will mimic what they are doing there. Saved us a lot of confusion, to have the same things HERE, that they are using THERE.
What a fun thing to do...really 'tasting' life!
So, as a preschool teacher myself, I tend to collect things for projects. Here are some you might consider:
Pressed autumn leaves. This is a great use for old phone books. Collect the leaves, wipe clean, press. You can do this with flowers too.
Some home and garden magazines. I like National Geographic, too, however, I do tend to purge those of upsetting images before letting the kids peruse them for collage stuff.
I'm a saver: that is, I collect up good ribbon, wrapping ribbon/raffia that's in good shape. I also save tea tins and sturdy glass jars with their lids (for bug houses). If you have baby food jars with lids, those are also good to save a bag or so of. I used them for wet-on-wet watercolor activities and have all of my son's tempera paints ready to go in the larger-sized baby food jars.
The baby food jars and tea tins are great for storing the extras, by the way.
We also have a nature table at our home (I've got an old printer's type tray set up on its side for small treasures) full of shells, rocks, feathers, pinecones of all sizes, seed pods and other interesting tidbits which will work in a pinch if there's a need at school. Dried seed pods can be really neat for artwork.
Buttons. A container of errant buttons is great, especially as manipulatives for practicing counting or for more advanced beading (big needle and embroidery floss.... good fine motor activity for 4yo +.) Buttons and popcorn, seeds can be glued onto just about anything.
What Amanda listed below is also helpful. I would add a hole punch and stapler to the list. What I listed may be more than you need (I didn't go into all the other stuff I've collected-- it would just make your head swim!). Have fun with your little one!
Crayons, Markers, blank paper, stickers, glue and glue sticks, Pencils and a few magazines wouldn't hurt. My daughter has only had homework 2x this year (Kindergarten) and once was to review this packet and the other time was to read short stories to me.
I would just keep the basics like crayons, glue and glue sticks, markers, paper and pencils. I would hope that the teachers give you some time to pick up something if you need it but I don't think at two they should be asking for too much.
Once your child starts K they will give you a sheet with needed supplies (for home and school) and they usually have a list for donations to the class room.
F. B.,
I would keep basic school supplies on hand- crayons, glue sticks, pencils, white and lined paper, construction paper. Also, I would suggest asking the daycare to give you at least a week's notice if you need to bring in items (other than show-and tell). After all, most families I assume do their grocery shopping once a week or biweekly. I hate having to run to the store for last minute items for class. I would also make use of Facebook and your neighbors ("hey, does anyone have any magazines they are throwing out" etc.) My neighbors are always happy to help each other out if someone needs a little something small like this.
I usually keep just one or two old magazines around along with some construction paper and glue sticks.
You might also make sure you have macaroni of different shapes and sizes.
Your mother is right; this is just the beginning. I hate homework now more than I did when I was in school!
Same boat here. Just, if you know when they need things, make sure you know ahead of time. That way, you can get what you can when it comes up. I'm not prepared at all, but I've been getting things here or there that could help out. You should get some basics--construction paper, glue, sissors, tape. And, the magazines--you know, there are a lot of 2nd hand stores out there that sell old magazines...
Hope that helps!
I would ask the teacher what she has planned for the next month so that you can be prepared with supplies at home. Preschool activities use such random items. They make crafts out of everything. I'm actually surprised the day care isn't providing their own apples and taking the kids on the nature walk to collect leaves themselves.
Both of my boys had to bring in a different coloured item each week in nursery school. I went to the dollar store and bought a bag of balloons fr one so he could bring a different colour each week, and for the other I bought a bag of coloured feathers. They both had to bring 100 of something to school on the 100th day of school in kindergarten and grade one. We did paper clips, pennies and M&M's. In grade one they had to bring something wooden, something plastic and something metal, so we sent a popsicle stick, a plastic spoon and a paper clip. I kept a fairly well stocked little craft box, and we could usually find odds and ends for projects in there. One or two magazines is a good idea to have. Usually the things you need for these projects can easily be found around the house.
