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One of my favorite invitations is a simple set up of exploring ladybugs. In my hometown of Alameda we love going to Encinal Nursery and getting ladybugs this time of year. After walking around the nursery and talking about all the different plants we grabbed our ladybugs and set out to explore. To set this invitation we used our #gifted Excellerations magnifying Excellerations magnifying glasses from Discount School Supply, wood circles, leaves, flowers and sugar water spray

There is no denying that children learn best by hands on experiences and providing hands on open ended sensory experiences are extremely beneficial for a young child’s development. Children’s Factory #gifted this Indoor/Outdoor 4 Pack Sensory Tablue Set that can be configured in a row for individual play or a circle for community play. The Sensory Tables feature durable plastic table and lid and a convenient lower shelf for supplies. To set this invitation you can place any s

Been soaking up extra newborn cuddles thanks to #gifted Bonsie skin to skin wear. Skin to skin time is the first step in developing a loving, empathetic and lifelong bond according to Bonsie. Benefits of Practicing Skin to Skin: Baby Stabilizes heart and breathing rates Helps baby regulate temperature and blood sugar Helps baby sleep more soundly and wake less often. Mom Increases levels of oxytocin in mom and baby Promotes healing for mom Helps baby cry less Lowers mom's ris

If you haven’t checked out the FB Live on Discount School Supply on their IG and FB,here is a bit more about one of the products! Whenever I get my hands on anything that is translucent, I immediately have to put it on a light table. Discount School Supply #gifted these Excellerations® Translucent Building Bricks - 206 Pieces and simple way to enhance the experience is providing a light table for the child to create and explore the blocks. Children are naturally drawn to the

The book The Shape of Home written and Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh, is about a Iranian girl’s first day of school in America. Through the eyes of Rashin it explores how everything she encounters is a different shape than what she's used to. From the foods, letters in the books, & children/families. When she goes to school her teacher asks each child to imagine the shape of home on a map which opens up the discussion of each child’s country that their family is originally

Rainbow season is upon us and here are four rainbow process art invitations that you can do! To set these invitations you will need Colorations® 1/2 Gallon Simply Washable Tempera Paint, Rainbow set of 6 Colors #gifted, butcher paper, tape, scissors, paint scrapers, fidget spinners, slinkies, cotton rounds, mallet, and Excellerations® Color Paddles. 1. Rainbow Scrape Art: To do this invitation dots of paint on the butcher paper, followed by letting the child scrape the dots a

When Discount School Supply #gifted Excellerations® Photo Block Building Around the World it inspired recreating one of my all time favorite STEM invitations of creating famous landmarks from around the world! To set this invitation you can print out images of landmarks from around the world, provide blocks (translucent blocks or foam wooden blocks), & the photo building blocks. Invite the child to explore, build, and create landmarks around the world! Since children are nat

Young children are very curious about the sights and sounds in the world around them and interested in exploring them. They are naturally drawn to the properties of light. Whether it is through shadows, rainbows, reflection, colors, or the sun, they experience the properties of light in the world around them at all times. Light has a way of focusing their attention and illuminating new perspectives. Connect to USB cable provided to charge. Knock or tap the cylinders to activi

There is no denying that children love to use their imagination especially during pretend play! A fun way to enhance your dramatic play areas is changing it up with a creative theme. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up setting up a Sweet Sweet Treats Bake Shop is a great way to explore in role playing. Children’s Factory #gifted this Birch Toddler 2-in-1 Kitchen Set is perfect for any dramatic play center. To set up the rest of the bake shop you can provide baking tins, cookw

Magnetic toys are always extremely engaging and inviting to young children. We created this DIY Interactive Magnetic Wall in one of our classrooms so that we could provide a vertical play space to use all of our #gifted Learning Resources magnetic toys. To create this Interactive Magnetic Wall get this Magnetize-It! Magnetic Paint that needs a couple coats on a wall or ply wood that you can drill into the wall. Once the wall is ready, you can store Learning Resources Magneti

Angeles Feeding Chair (Availabe on: Amazon, Discount School Supply, Children's Factory) #gifted from Children's Factory is not only the perfect solution for feeding your infant/toddler but for activities as well. The one-piece chair with a removable dishwasher safe tray is easy to stack up and store, which is perfect for any home or classroom. To set this invitation to explore winter holiday actives you will need: foam blocks, large bells, gift bows, shaving cream, flat marb

Discount School Supply has always been our go to for getting the best and long lasting quality rugs for our classrooms. When they #gifted Friendly Fish Seating we were completely enamored by the calming ocean print. Since the ocean brings relaxation to many, the high quality imagery makes for creating a serene corner filled with ocean animals. Children need a place they can retreat to when they need to think, rest, or just decompress. Comfy corners give children a safe place

About a year ago we created this Cars Corner for Cy, and we just refreshed the corner with the #gifted Children's Factory Giant Road Play Carpet. Before After It is such an interactive carpet that is great for any classroom or play space to create a defined area without taking up too much space. They have so many other options (City Life, Fun at the Fair, Ride the Train, Zoo, and Hop Scotch) which make it easy to rotate to create varying environments to spark their interes

Dramatic play, imaginative play, creative play, role-playing, make-believe or just plain pretending…is a foundation of childhood development. Giving children endless opportunities to imitate what they often see adults doing allows children to imagine themselves in new roles and act different scenarios. The Excellerations® 14" Dolls with Swaddle Blanket & Removeable Diapers Set of 4 and Excellerations® Yummy Plush Pretend Play Food - 25 Pieces #gifted are great staples for a

Pouring stations have limitless options and endless engagement. Whether you provide colored water, rice, water beads, sand, dried beans, and so on, it is simple set up that is packed with so much learning. To set this invitation you will need a sensory bin, Learning Resources Gallon Measuring Set , Graduated Beakers, Graduated Cylinders, Liquid Measures #gifted, water, liquid water colors or food coloring. Invite the child to pour, scoop, measure, and mix, in the sensory bi

Have you seen the new products at @discountschoolsupply? They have so many new and innovative products such as the Children's Factory Whatsit. #gifted This is perfect for any playroom or classroom that lets a child creatively use it as a fort, tunnel, boat, car, castle, obstacle course, read a book, or simply relax. The possibilities are endless. With the ability to be rearranged in so many different ways, it provides for boosting a child's imagination as well as enhancing th

Discount School Supply has so many innovative social-emotional learning tools for children. Since the Social-Emotional aspect of a child is the foundation that supports all areas of development, the stronger awareness that surrounds this pillar the more equipped the child will be. Social-Emotional development heavily influences the child, therefore using as many tools possible will only benefit the child. The social-emotional develop­ment domain consists of the following thre

Did you know that riding a tricycle is a rite of passage for most children in the early years? When young children ride a tricycle they learn, develop, and benefit so many skills. When a child rides a tricycle it improves their coordination and balance moving various muscle groups, promotes development of hand-eye coordination, and enhances their arm and leg coordination as they maneuver getting on and off the bike. All these gross motor movements are great for promoting cont

Painting without paintbrushes is always a good idea. After doing this process art invitation for several years now it’s safe to say painting with slinkies is always a favorite. To set this initiation you will need Colorations® 1/2 Gallon Simply Washable Tempera Paint, Rainbow set of 6 Colors #gifted, plates, butcher paper, and slinkies. Pour the paint into the plates and let child explore a whole new way of painting by dipping the slinky into the paint and creating freely. As

In early childhood, manipulatives are learning tools that keep children engaged by simply manipulating. Since children learn best through play, manipulative play specifically requires that a child use objects to arrange, move, weigh, count, turn, order, sort, build, and so on. Skoolzy, provides manipulatives that help develop an array of skills. Every toy is designed to enhance development skills including hand dexterity, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, logic, and c