Classroom Wishlist

Classroom Wishlist

What an awesome idea. I cannot begin to tell you how much money I've spent over the years on things for the classroom because it wasn't in the budget or because a director or whoever deemed it unnecessary. I should own stock in the contact paper company. Seriously. And how many times did I run out of boxes of tissues before the year was over? And really, I cannot name a single time that there was enough colored tissue paper for a single project I've done.

And I'm not a wasteful teacher, either. I save every little scrap of tissue and construction paper. I get newspapers to donate the ends of their rolls of paper for art projects. I use the backs of company letterheads that would be tossed out every time someone goes through "rebranding." I am the queen of wallpaper and carpet scraps. I melt crayons down into multi-colored sticks. I make my own paints, pastes and glues wherever possible. Every container for manipulatives and art supplies used to be a container for something else -- oatmeal, chocolate milk mix, baby wipes... I could go on forever here.

Now, you can sign up here, add items to your wishlist and send a brochure to your parents. If they want to donate items, they can do so and it's tax deductible.

Give it a try. If you're already using this system, feel free to leave a comment and let readers know how it's working for you.

Can I Charge More for a Special Needs Child?

L.C. asks:

"I have a question and am seeking input from several people.

I run a small in-home daycare, and have an opening for one child. I am interviewing today to fill the position. The child with the interview is a 6-year-old child with special needs. He has the size/ability of a 2-year-old child. He is diabetic and has down syndrome. I know that is child would require extra care -- would it be wrong to increase my weekly rate for this child?"

Most centers can charge fees related to care above and beyond what another child without special needs would receive, but it's iffy and the costs have to be directly related to services that you provide that fall outside "reasonable accommodations." Because even home child care providers are often required to follow title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it would be best to familiarize yourself with these regulations and do an individualized assessment of your program and how it would handle this child.

The government has a very comprehensive FAQ on this topic here:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/childq&a.htm

And this can answer many of your questions.

Woman’s Day Magazine: Calendar Corner

Here are some great (free, printable) calendars for your classroom or homeschool. Right now there are three months ready -- January, February and March -- with more to come soon. Each month has two parts: the actual calendar and a top portion that has fun events and important holidays.

These can be colored and used to decorate the calendar. If you want to make them into stickers, have the children color them and then use this recipe for making stickers and stamps.



Woman's Day Magazine: Calendar Corner

Making a Pine Cone Birdfeeder

Winter is nearly over and even though it's been a mild winter this year, food is always harder to come by for the birds during this season. Bird feeding is a great winter activity and can help kids get a closer view of these amazing creatures.

Bird feeders can be expensive, however. Luckily, there is no shortage of pine cones in nature and in most homes and centers, peanut butter isn't too hard to find, either. Add a few more things and some little hands to put it all together and you've got yourself a birdfeeder.

Here's a step-by-step guide:

First, gather your ingredients.

• pine cones (one for each child)


• peanut butter (figure one 16-ounce jar for about 12 pine cones)


• corn meal (about 1/2 cup per jar of peanut butter used. This is optional, but it adds nutritional value and keeps the peanut butter from being too sticky or runny)


• string, ribbon or yarn (about 2 feet per pine cone)


• something to spread the peanut butter with


• waxed paper

Next, tie string to the pine cone. Older children can do this alone, but if you're doing this with toddlers, do it ahead of time. It's a lot harder to do once you've got peanut butter and bird seed everywhere. :)

Place corn meal (optional) and peanut butter in a bowl and mix. If you're doing this with younger children, giving everyone a turn at mixing is a good way to keep everyone's attention and involvement.

The mix should look thicker and have lost its oily shine. This will make the peanut butter easier to work with and the meal adds nutritional value for the birds.

Place the birdseed in a container. Use a dish that has a bit of a lip or is deep so that spills will be prevented. Any birdseed will do, really. It's not necessary to use a type with smaller pieces. Cardinals and other colorful birds will be attracted to it if it has sunflower seeds.

Spread peanut butter on the pine cones. If using spoons, plastic spoons will probably break, so use metal spoons or something sturdy. Make sure to use the utensil to push the peanut butter deep into the crevices.

Roll the pine cones in the birdseed.

Lay the finished feeders on waxed paper until you are ready to hang them. This gives the added benefit of keeping hands clean. When you're ready to hang them, you can just wrap each one in the paper for carrying. They can also be wrapped up to send home and they won't stick too much when unwrapped.

Hang the bird feeder. Find a strategic location. Try to choose an area where you have seen birds "hanging out" before. Hang it near existing feeders or along a fence.

If you have many children doing this project and not many branches, you can put the feeders on one string and hang them in a row between two trees or bushes or along a fence.

Sit back and wait for the birds. It doesn't take long. I hung this feeder and it took about five minutes for Mr. Cardinal here to land on a nearby branch.

I think he's starting to figure out that some food is nearby...

Ah ha. There he's found it.

And a few minutes later, a European Starling finds the feeder, as well.