Library Books

We are lucky to have a great library and a librarian who volunteers once a week.  I also have my own library with age appropriate books that the children are welcome to check out.  I even have students from other classroom (former students) who come to ask to borrow certain books they remember enjoying or didn’t have a chance to get to.

I already mentioned how I keep my books organized.  But many people wonder where I get all these books since I don’t get any money from my school to purchase supplies.  There are a few things I do and over the years it has helped to build my collection.

·         Scope out library book sales.  The one I attend allows you to fill a paper shopping bag to the brim for about $5.  I take my husband with me and make sure I get there as soon as the sale opens.  He is my bag holder (such a strong guy!) 

·         Use Scholastic book orders.  For every dollar my parents spend, I earn points which I can use to buy books or other classroom supplies.  I make sure I hype this up so the students encourage their parents to buy (sorry parents). 

·         Go to garage sales and let them know you are a teacher looking for books for your room.  Sometimes they are willing to lower their price for you or allow you to just take what you want/need.

·         Go to second hand stores.  My favorite place is Goodwill.  I have found so many books (and games) there for great prices. 

·         Ask on Freecycle if anyone has age appropriate books to give you.  Freecycle is a group on yahoo that helps reduce the amount of waste going into landfills by giving unwanted items away for free.

·         If your school has a Scholastic book sale, make sure you ask the person hosting it if there is a wishlist for teachers.  I am lucky enough to have very generous parents who are willing to buy at least one book off my wishlist. 

·         Send a note home with your students.  Ask for any books they may no longer want. 

When buying used books, make sure you flip through the book to check its condition.  When you get it home, put your room number (or name) inside the book and show the children what you found.  Many times it being new excites them enough to read it.  I don’t know about you, but I do anything I can to get them excited over reading!

The Sensory Table

One of my favorite centers is the water table (AKA sensory table).  I had one in both my preschool and kindergarten classrooms.  This was always the center that EVERYONE wanted to be at.

This is what a good sensory table looks like:

http://amzn.to/pLdlXj

It's standing so children don't have to be stooped over it.  There is a cover for when that center is closed for the day, or part of the day, or for whatever reason you are closing it (we had to close it for kids fighting over it).  Also, there are two sections, which means more kids can be at it at one time. 

Some things I have put in the sensory table:

• Soapy water and things to wash (dishes, babies)
• Water with glitter in it
• Water and toys (boats, turkey basters, small nets and plastic fish)
• Baby oil and buckets
• Wood shavings or sawdust
• Felt pieces/ fabric pieces
• Feathers
• Sand with shovels, pails, plastic bugs, seashells, toy trucks
• Snow (make sure they wear their mittens!)
• Dried peas, beans, pasta, popcorn kernals, or any kind of seed (be careful of grass seed-grass can grow anywhere!) with measuring cups, big spoons, pots
• Aquarium gravel
• Cotton balls with large tweezers to pick up them up
• Hay with toy horses
• Sugar or salt with kitchen items or plastic animal toys
• Leaves, acorns, twigs, pinecones
• Plastic eggs and Easter grass
• Shaving cream!
• Birdseed and toy birds
• Packing peanuts (very messy) hide items in there for them to find
• Large beads and string
• Buttons
• Oatmeal (not cooked)
• Pom-poms with ice cream scoops and cups or fake ice cream cones
• Marbles with melon scoops (the scoop you use to make your melon pieces into balls)
• Magnets and metal objects
• Coffee grounds
• Potato flakes

Really, I could go on and on...Hopefully this is a good starter list for you.