Supplies Lists

To give everyone time to find the supplies they'll need for the weekly crafts I came up with an index card sized template for a supply list and a book list. Many libraries can order books you need from libraries farther away, or might have waiting lists, so I recommend doing a weekly library visit and looking for each week's books a few days ahead of time. At our house I plan to keep a basket in the breakfast area to display the books for that week. I've seen other people use a shelf too, however you want to do it I think it's a great idea to keep the week's books out on display as something special :)
There will be one Supplies List and one Book List per week. Many of the supplies lists will overlap so once you get the basics you won't need to buy anything except the occasional special food item (like apples) for a cooking activity.

The lists can be printed on 3x5 index cards and slipped inside library pockets that will be glued/stapled onto our file folders. Then when it's time to do your weekly grocery shopping or trip to the library you simply grab the index card and you've got a ready-made list, no work involved. These are available at Dollar Tree for $2.50 and Amazon.com for $4.99 for a pack of 50. They can also be made using cardstock, construction paper, or old file folders. You can choose to skip the actual pocket altogether and just put the index card lists inside the file folder or your purse, though I do think these look really neat and organized.

(and for those who are tempted by color, amazon has some really cute ones for $5.99 a pack)



**Those lists above are the real supply and book lists for September, Week One to give you a real idea and if you want to go ahead and start looking for supplies knock yourself out!

For those wanting a general list of materials we'll likely use, here are some good craft things to keep around in general:

• construction paper
• crayons
• pencils
  
• glue/glue sticks
  
• scissors
• fingerpaints (red, yellow, and blue are enough to get you all the other colors by mixing)
• art smock (use an old oversized t-shirt, it works great. Ikea also has a nice art smock/bib that fits several ages and has long sleeves so it covers the child fully)
• googly eyes
  
• pipe cleaners
• popsicle sticks
• paintbrush
• hole puncher
• tape
• puff balls
• cotton balls

Also, be sure to save things! I keep craft supplies in old yogurt containers, shoeboxes, spaghetti sauce jars, and baby food jars. Baby food jars are also perfect for pouring paint into. Tissue paper from christmas and birthdays is useful for tons of crafts. Empty milk jugs, soda bottles, paper bags, paper plates, and paper cups are also useful for crafting.

Store Sales

First, I must say that I LOVE Target :) I got all the above items for $1 or $2.50 each at Target's dollar section (at the front of the store when you first walk in). So if you need pipe cleaners, crayons, paper, stickers, plastic bins, magazine holders, or a planner book go ahead and check that section out.

Here's what I ended up getting:

Wooden Date Board: $2.50 I'll be using this as part of our calendar time each morning, it just seemed perfect, it's all wooden, and it was $2.50!!

Yellow Bin: for all those arts and crafts things I've collected

Blue Desk Chart: these are similar to what's used in classrooms. The slots allow cut out letters, words, or numbers to be slid in. I used these in my K-1 classroom for making sentences, putting words together, and even a behavior chart where each child had colored cards above their name.

Blue Wall Chart: same as the desk chart, but this can be put on the wall anywhere.

Teacher Plan Book: The paper must have cost more than the $1 this item cost, I've no idea how they did it really. It's basic and meant for a classroom but can provide a nice organized place to put daily activity ideas, list the themes of the month, etc.

So keep your eye out right now for cheap school supplies that might be useful for your preschooler.

Some ideas include:

• glue stick
• crayons
• stickers
• paper
• markers
• pencils
• pipe cleaners
• puff balls
• manipulatives (anything small that can be counted, sorted, matched, or transferred)

Has anyone else found any good deals they'd like to share? Any $.05 crayons or anything?