Where do you buy your preschool supplies?

[ECE53]

All About Kids is a preschool warehouse type store in Ottawa. Sells good quality toys and arts and crafts supplies. You can down load their catalogue online and order.

[5 Little Monkeys]

My fiancé used to work at Rona....I wouldn't have thought about the painters tape either lol.

Thanks ECE53! I'll check it out

[5 Little Monkeys]

This is the wall daily planner I'd like

http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Hanging-D...028995-8586350

[AmandaKDT]

That sounds like a lot of work on the calendar Amanda lol. I want one that is already all done and ready to go. I might just have to order the one from Amazon.

I also have those dry erase work sheet books and they are great! I love them. I want worksheets to be able to send home though so parents can see their children's work as well though. I think I will probably make most of my own (I have some made already) but that's a good idea to photocopy the resource books!

It may sound like a lot of work for the calendar but it really wasn't. Those calendar sets are all just made out of paper and if you don't laminate then it won't stay nice looking long. The Velcro stickers are in place of sticky tack, which IS super annoying. The Velcro makes it possible for the kids to be the one to do the calendar. I actually have one of kids be the calendar time leader (being the teacher) so I need everything to be as kid friendly as possible.

If you buy the workbooks then you can tear out the pages to send home if you want.

Painter's tape isn't meant for long term use, in my experience the more expensive tape takes paint off the wall too if you leave it on too long.

I just use the sticky tack to put things on the wall, and move things around every once and awhile to make sure it doesn't permanently stick.

[playfelt]

Question on calendar, days of the week, etc. - at what age do you do this with them actually learning the information or is it something that you just do out of habit. I know that doesn't sound right but what I mean is that abstract concepts is not something infants and toddlers grasp so if your group is mostly or all age 3 and under do you bother with calendar. I actually stopped doing it after reading that it was being pulled from many preschool/kindergarten classrooms too because of it's rote nature.

For those that want a felt version of a calendar I do sell one in two sizes and two styles through Story Time Felts. Here is the link to them on the US parent site. Prices in Canada are different but you can see what they look like here. I have a couple in stock but it would take about 3 weeks to get them from the US as they are printed as ordered. They are cheaper when not mounted on coroplast and ordered as just felt.

https://storytimefelts.com/index.php...&product_id=57

https://storytimefelts.com/index.php...product_id=453

[AmandaKDT]

Question on calendar, days of the week, etc. - at what age do you do this with them actually learning the information or is it something that you just do out of habit. I know that doesn't sound right but what I mean is that abstract concepts is not something infants and toddlers grasp so if your group is mostly or all age 3 and under do you bother with calendar. I actually stopped doing it after reading that it was being pulled from many preschool/kindergarten classrooms too because of it's rote nature.

For those that want a felt version of a calendar I do sell one in two sizes and two styles through Story Time Felts. Here is the link to them on the US parent site. Prices in Canada are different but you can see what they look like here. I have a couple in stock but it would take about 3 weeks to get them from the US as they are printed as ordered. They are cheaper when not mounted on coroplast and ordered as just felt.

https://storytimefelts.com/index.php...&product_id=57

https://storytimefelts.com/index.php...product_id=453

I do the calendar mostly for the older kids (3 years +), but my younger ones always take part. I think it depends how you approach the calendar subject - I would have to say I focus on using it to work on number recognition, getting a concept of the passage of time, counting forwards and backwards from different numbers, counting how many days until someone's birthday, letter recognition by practicing what letter the month starts with, etc. I also play games with it - like switching around some numbers and then having them take turns finding a number that is in the wrong place. So this all develop more than rote memorization of saying the numbers in order.

I also have the kids take turns being the calendar leader, where they led the activity and ask the questions that I would ask if I were doing it (after having done it myself for several months so they all know what the routine is). This develops leadership skills and promotes self esteem - and who doesn't love playing teacher!

I am going to look up about the discontinued use of calendar time with young kids, that is interesting. I never really thought about it when I included calendar time in my circle time, when I was teaching in schools I would use it everyday to teach concepts from the math curriculum.

[cate]

I found a Melissa & Doug calendar at Chapters last night, it's wooden with magnets.

[playfelt]

Here are a few articles to get you thinking:

http://blog.mathatplay.org/2012/01/0...sing-the-mark/

http://preschoolinspirations.com/201...me-meaningful/

http://teachingthelittlepeople.blogs...preschool.html

[5 Little Monkeys]

Thanks for those links playfelt! I understand both sides of it....I can see why some of the learning components would be lost on little ones but I also think calendar time can teach them things like listening, being patient, turn taking etc. Any chance I can take to teach my little ones those things, I love! Lol.

I think because most of us work with a variety of ages, we likely do many things daily/weekly that are too advanced for some of the kids but we do because it's either something we like or part of our routine or even because we just don't realize it's not developmentally acceptable for all. (This also goes the other way for older kids having to do things that they are developmentally passed as well)

I liked the article that said calendar time may be too advanced for some but it won't harm them either. I also think there is something to be said for activities that kids just like doing...if I do calendar time and I can see that they enjoy it, i would continue with it even if they weren't getting the cookie cutter knowledge from it that some expect they should be. Kids learn so many other things that we don't intentionally set out for by doing things that we have planned.

If I do calendar time and see that it is more of a chore and that the kids really aren't getting ANYTHING from it, than I'd stop and leave it for awhile and try again at a later time.

[Secondtimearound]

I found a lot at the dollar tree , a lot of months of the year , clock , colors , so much !!! We do a morning song time about the days , special helper picks the weather for the day ect . Our monthly unit study includes a story each day and craft . I buy things at kids in harmony as well . Last night at walmart I stumbled upon a teachers decorative packages !!