I"m new to HS and am a little overwhelmed by the amount of stuff available. So my question is what materials (books, games, manipulatives etc) do you have that you use on a regular basis. What are some must haves? What are some things that I could live without? I know that each erson will teach differently, so what works for you might not work for me, but I'd still like to hear what everyone likes/dislikes. elissa
Well, this is tough because I like to have it all, lol! I suppose, to me, the most important things are her curriculum (we use workbooks and textbooks), children's books and art supplies (especially traditional school supplies). I feel my kids get the basics from their curriculum. I add to that to make the work fun and just spice things up a bit. Everyone is different. I should say the most important thing to have is a good attitude about teaching....which then gives your kids a good attitude about learning. :wink:
We use lots of games and math manipulatives like marbles to add/subtract, dice, shape blocks, base ten cubes, etc. I print a lot of things from websites too. I don't have to buy workbooks much because there's soooo much free stuff online! I use Hooked on Phonics for reading which has worked really well so far. We also do scavenger hunts and such in which she reads the clues and follows them around the house. Craft supplies are a must in our house! Felt, glue, glitter, pipe cleaner, paper towel/toilet paper rolls, paint, etc. I use crafts as a way to do something fun while teaching a certain subject. Like last week we were learning about Alaska so we made totem poles out of paper towel rolls. She won't soon forget what a totem pole is now! I'm not into using a set curriculum at all because I follow my daughter's interests when teaching except for math and reading. She loves sign language so we learn signs from http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm (ALL FREE) I do have the books: What Every Kindergartener needs to know (and First grade as well) since she doesn't fall into a specific grade. The way I use them is by reading them myself and making sure I'm hitting on the important areas, but other than that I'm very flexible! Good luck!
Your kids are sooo young. Focus on crafty things for them to make. Play doh, glue & paper, crayons. Get some cheap dinosaurs or colored bears at Wal-mart for counting & sorting. Pony beads are great for this and also sequencing & stringing to make necklaces/bracelets. Once they get older then your focus will switch to getting the good math and textbooks. Right now just let them do crafts and read to them. Talk about colors, under/over, up/down things like that. Enjoy the ride!
Library I'd say that at this age, a "must have" would be a library card. Take the kids to the library once a week. Get them used to picking out a half dozen picture books and taking them home to read over the week. Make a regular story time, like right before nap time. Most Libraries also have pre-schooler story and craft once a week. That makes for a fun, free outing.
