Indoor activities for Preschoolers

Little ones can get antsy quickly when they are kept inside all day. They need a good activity to help them get their wiggles out and to keep you, teacher or parent, from going a little crazy too. Here’s a fun one that students are guaranteed to enjoy!

Create an indoor obstacle course!

You can even let your students help you create it. All you need is a room with enough space to play, a few obstacles for students to pass through, and a lot of team spirit to cheer on your class as they make their way through the course.

Start by making sure that the area you are placing your obstacle course in is clear and safe for the students. This might mean moving a table or two or making sure items are picked up off the floor. Next you can begin to construct your course.

Obstacles can be created from anything you want. You can easily use items around your classroom or in the toy chest. You could even incorporate some class material. For example, they could write their name in cursive or complete a math problem on a sketch pad as one of the obstacles. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the obstacles you choose! This also allows you to create a new course every time. Students will be excited to see what you’ve come up with on rainy days. Plus, it’s a great way to make sure they are getting their daily exercise.

Here’s an example course:

 Hula hoop 5 times, crawl underneath the table, circle a chair 3 times, correctly answer the math problem, do 10 jumping jacks, go down the slide, make a basket in the basketball goal and sit down. The first team to have everyone through the obstacle course and seated quietly wins!

Foamnasium products are great for indoor play and obstacle courses!

Be sure to check those out HERE!

If you need to keep the noise level to a minimum, have your students cheer silently. The faces and expressions are sure to make you giggle as they cheer on their team without making any sounds! This will allow them to show their team spirit, maintain good sportsmanship and not disturb nearby classes at the same time.

Planning on trying out an indoor obstacle course? We want to see what you come up with! Send us pictures of your course and you may see yours featured in a future post! Stay tuned for more indoor activities and ideas for those yucky weather days.

religious classroom decorations

Inspire your students to be more Christ-like by decorating your room with inspirational verses and phrases. By adding inspirational classroom decorations to your room you are exposing students to God’s word on a daily bases. They will come to recognize these verses and phrases just by seeing them every day in class.

Adding inspirational classroom decorations to your room can also make for a more positive environment. It is a wonderful way to remind children that they are loved and accepted. These messages are sure to motivate your students and remind them that God has a great plan for their lives. Inspirational decorations will also improve students attitude and work ethic!

What is your favorite verse to use when inspiring students?

Motivate your students with these classroom decorations!

Motivating your students to work hard is a must if you want to see their best work and efforts. There are several ways to motivate students but have you ever thought about setting up your classroom to motivate? You can help lead your students to success through motivational decorations.

Motivational decorations can be a daily reminder for students to give their best effort! Just a simple poster or banner that reminds students to think positively could make all the difference on a bad day. Providing that daily encouragement around your classroom will help students to stay encouraged as well as encourage each other.

Another great motivator in the form of decoration is a goal chart! It will help keep students focused on reaching their goals throughout the semester. You can also hang up student work that deserves recognition or display a student of the week that has shown their hard work. Students will enjoy being rewarded for their hard work.

Staying positive is the key to success! Make your room a positive and encouraging place for your students.

Animal Classroom Decoration Ideas

Looking for a fun and colorful way to decorate your classroom? Take a look at these Animal Decorations!

Animals are a fun edition to any classroom that all students will love. The animals featured in these decorations come in a variety of species, sizes and colors. Some have a more realistic look while others feature a more cartoonish, friendly face.

Animal Decorations are also perfect for teaching your little ones about different types of animals including insects, amphibians, mammals and more!

The ladybug decorations are my favorite! Which animal do you like best?

Is it February already? Below are ideas for 2014 for your daycare center!

2013 flew by didn’t it? For the new year, we encourage you to try something new! There are several ways that you can change up your everyday routine when it comes to the classroom and your students. Here are a few ideas to get your class in the new year spirit.

The typical way to start off the new year is to create your goals or resolutions. Since the new year is the half-way mark for the school year, this is a great time to check on student’s progress and take a look at how far each student has come. You can mark off certain goals they have met and create the new ones for the second half of the year. This is an excellent time of encouragement and perspective for the children. Remember to continue encouraging them as you reflect and create new goals.

Another way to incorporate something new is to change the look of your classroom. You can do this by adding new posters, bulletin board sets, furniture and more. You can change or add an item or two or even change up the entire room! This will give a fresh look to your classroom that will encourage your students to proceed with a fresh mindset as well.

While changing up the classroom decor, you could also think about adding some new material in your curriculum as well as your book and game selection. This is the perfect time to add in material of the next level to give your students a challenge. By doing so you will give them that extra push they need to finish out the school year strongly. Plus, they will love having new games to play and new books to read.

Don't forget about snack time or lunch time! This is a fun way to put a new spin on the new year. Change up the food you serve and give your students a chance to try something new. You could even incorporate snacks that coordinate with your lessons. This would also be a great time to discuss health and nutrition as well.

Lastly, take some time out of your day to add something fun to do as a class. This might be a silly song or even a two minute dance party! Get creative here. This will create a time everyday that students look forward to. This time would probably be most beneficial in the middle of the day. It is the perfect way to get those wiggles and giggles out and wake students back up to continue with the day.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating fun and new ideas for the classroom and your students. We would love to hear what your ideas are for the new year too! Be sure to share your ideas with us here or on our Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

Want more New Years ideas? Follow us for all of our updates and deals and keep an eye out for more New Years Ideas in our blogs. We may even include yours!

Alphabet Line Decorations for Child Care Centers

Teach your little ones their ABC’s with the help of Alphabet Line Decorations.These decorations are ideal for preschools, daycares and childcare facilities because they add color and knowledge to the walls of the classroom!

By placing these decorations around your classroom for the students to see every day, you are repetitively exposing them to the alphabet without any effort. The students will slowly become more familiar with the letters of the alphabet and recognizing which letters match each sound. This will also help them with their writing skills as they recall the shapes of each letter.

There are Alphabet Lines with pictures to help remember the sounds as well as lines written in cursive for those more advanced writers. We even have sets that come with both letters and numbers so your little ones can work on counting too! Alphabet Line Decorations come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. This will allow you to choose the perfect set for your classroom and students.

Try this! Hang up a set of Alphabet Lines around your classroom and recite or sing the ABC’s with your class every morning. Point to each letter that goes along with the song as they sing. Eventually you can begin allowing the students to be the pointer. Your class will know the alphabet in no time!

Food Theme Classroom Decorations!

Create a yummy classroom environment with Food Theme Decorations! From cake and ice cream to popcorn and pumpkins, there is a sweet treat to add color and designs to any classroom.

We also have a healthier selection full of fruits. These would be a great choice for teaching your students about healthy food choices and what our body needs to work properly.

The Food Theme Decorations include a selection of cut outs, bulletin board sets, borders and more! They are full of bright colors to give life to your room and kid friendly designs that will make students happy to come to class as well.

Get yours today and make your classroom a school favorite! Your students will think the Food Theme Decorations are pretty SWEET!

Sports Theme Classroom Decorations

It’s game time! Decorate your classroom with fun Sports Themed Decorations that are sure to inspire homerun worthy grades.

Sports Themed Decorations are a great way to encourage students to stay physically active and involved in sports. It is important to start children off in a healthy lifestyle at an early age. By starting while they’re young they are able to form healthy habits that will eventually guide them into a healthy life style in their future.

The selection of decorations comes in several colors, shapes, sizes and sports! Students are guaranteed to have a ball in the classroom with the help of these Sports Themed Decorations.

Pick out your favorite decorations and encourage your students to reach their classroom goals as you cheer them on!

Smilie Face Decorations!

Inspire a positive attitude in your classroom with Smiley Face Decorations! These happy faces are contagious and will surely spread from student to student as they enter the room. Each Smiley Face Decoration features a friendly smiley face with a variety of colors and shapes! From stars to the original circle, each of these Smiley Face Decorations are guaranteed to make a happy environment for your students.

     Decorations include accents, borders, chart seals, name tags, cut outs, stamps and more! You can color your room in these happy accents and provide students with a reminder to smile.

   Don’t forget to check out the selection of smiley face stickers too! This is the perfect way to send those contagious smiles home with your students and encourage a positive attitude all day long.

Paper Cone cups

Paper Cone Water Cups are the perfect choice for any daycare or child care facility! They hold up to 4 oz giving thirsty little ones the perfect amount of refreshment during play time. The cups are economical, including 5000 cups per case, and can be recycled. The cone shape allows little hands to hold cups easily and takes up little room when storing.

Paper Cone Water Cups would be great for sports teams during a water break or outdoor activities at summer camps. You could even use them as more than just water cups! You could fill them up with snacks or use them for crafting projects. With 5000 cups per case, you will have more than enough to work with!

Decoration Series!

Join us this month as we go through decoration ideas for your school!

We will have FUN! tips and ideas for different types of classroom decorations!

Stay tuned for more!!!

4 inch plastic protractors for state testing

It’s State Testing time again and we have all the materials you will need! The item in highest demand is the 4 inch protractor. Made of transparent plastic, this protractor is both durable and easy to use. It measures 180 degrees and has an accurate 4 inch ruler at the base with both English and metric system markings. It is perfect for teaching children how to use protractors and measure angles as well.

This 4 inch plastic protractor is a must have for 2014 New York State Testing! Hurry and get yours today while supplies lasts.

Special Needs Resources for your Daycare or School

One of the most challenging things a childcare center may experience is the addition of a special needs child. Not only do children with special needs require a different approach than most children, but there are also many different types of special needs that may be encountered at a daycare or preschool. We offer a number of products that are designed to prepare and help you in educating and caring for children with special needs.

One of our best products is the Understanding Special Education Resource Book. This wonderful book provides overviews of 16 different forms of special needs including autism, dyslexia, and emotional disorders. It is perfect for getting a grasp on just what challenges your special needs student will face and ways to help them. It also contains up to date resources that include web sites and phone numbers of organizations that may provide further information.

We also offer an assortment of more specialized resources. For instance, our books on teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome. Our tactile toys and learning materials are also great for special needs children. They are perfect for play time with Autistic children and those with Down Syndrome, because they encourage the development of sensory and fine motor skills.

Another great resource is our wide selection geared towards teaching sign language. Our sign language guides, flash cards and more will have your little ones signing in no time at all!

Be sure to let us know what you thought of this post in the comments down below and tell us what you would like future posts on!

Childcare Foam Play

 

All of our soft foam furniture and play products are manufactured by Foamnasium. These all American made products are made of the highest quality materials to ensure that they are safe and durable. Each product is made of two main pieces; the foam padding and the vinyl cover.

The foam used in our soft play furniture is high quality polyurethane. With six decades of polyurethane research and development behind them, Foamnasium foam is one of the best products on the market! Their foam is soft, durable, odor-free and free of harmful chemicals. It is also flame retardant and contains an antimicrobial additive. This additive prevents the growth of fungus and bacteria even if the foam gets wet. It really is an amazing product!

The vinyl covers of our foam furniture and play equipment are made of the highest grade vinyl. This strong and easy to clean vinyl is also lead and phthalate free. Like the foam it covers, the vinyl is also flame retardant and antimicrobial.

The antimicrobial properties, ease of cleaning and lack of harmful materials make these products completely safe in every way. You can be sure that our foam furniture and play equipment is 100% safe for your children. Let them enjoy hours of fun play time without worrying if they are safe or unhealthy.