Preschool Co-op: Go-to Box

One of the components that makes our preschool co-op go off without a hitch with very few hitches is the Go To Box that we send with each teacher. Inside that box, we have some essentials and a few fun things to help the flow go more smoothly. 

Kids rug squares for sitting on during circle time (ripped out of a friend's remodel and bordered with colored duct tape to reign in the fraying!)

 

Contents (plus or minus): calendar, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, tootie frooties, construction paper, coloring books, a bin for each child, circle time bin, glue, markers, kids names for practicing handwriting, crayons... We bought supplies in August at WalMart during their back-to-school markdowns and stocked up to last us the year. Everyone contributed $10 and anything supplies they wanted and then I filled it up...

 

Our Go-To Box



I printed this off on 4 sheets of paper, then mounted it to a poster board, self-laminated it for durability, and then can tape each day and month on it.



We have a big white board that we us for many purposes throughout class.  This is what our September calendar looks like.  We work on patterning, counting, and understanding a calendar with this.

Each child has their own box with crayons, a glue stick, and safety scissors.  They could choose to decorate it on the first day of school if they wanted to.  This helps them establish some ownership and taking care of their possessions.

Each day we talk about the weather- we put the different types of weather on our board and eliminate until we figure out what kind of weather we are having today.  Find graphics for weather here.

I keep this with me whenever we do circle time.  Shower Caddy- $2.49 at ALDI.  I have all our magnets for the calendar, songs, weather, etc., plus scissors, markers, tape, etc. that I might need when showing the kids what activities we are doing.

When it is time to sing, I pick a few songs (find graphics here) and stick them up on the board.  They each have a magnet on the back...  We typically only do 5-6 at the most but I try to give each child a turn picking.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm: self-laminated and taped to a popsicle stick.  Find graphics here.

Felt page for "5 Green & Speckled Frogs"

Sally the Camel: remove a hump after each verse.

Each letter is a separate magnet, so we can take them off the board as we sing.

Contact Paper: this is an absolute lifesaver for preschool.  So much cheaper than laminating your items, but increases the life of whatever you need protecting.  I use it ALL THE TIME!  You can find it in the kitchen organizing section of WalMart: I get Duck Brand Peel&Stick.  I really love it!!