December Guidecraft Educators Review/Giveaway: Desk to Easel Art Cart

Each month, the Guidecraft Educators will share our honest feelings
about a Guidecraft product(s) and how these products would fare in an
early childhood classroom. This month's selection comes from Guidecraft's Art Equipment line - Desk to Easel Art Cart.

I was very excited to see the Desk to Easel Art Cart when I arrived home from work in early November!  My classroom art center needed some sprucing up and this seemed to do just the trick!

This versatile unit can be positioned as an upright, angled easel or a folded-down, flat workspace. Features easy-to-clean laminate surfaces, with a write-on/wipe-off surface and paper roll on one side and a chalkboard on the opposite side. Plenty of storage space including four fabric bins, paper cubbies, and a paint/glue bottle area allows young artists to stay organized while working. Includes an 18" x 100' paper roll, five paint cups, and side clips for displaying artwork. Adult assembly required. Each fabric bin measures 9"W x 9"D x 5"H. Ages 3+. 22.5"W x 26"D x 42"H with easel fully assembled. 24" flat desk height. 

While the assembled unit is very sturdy, I, personally, found the it very difficult and clumsy to put together.  At times it required three sets of hands to maneuver the pieces into the correct position.  I also found it necessary to "lock" the cart into the easel workspace, as I feared that the curious little fingers in my room would be too inquiring and get pinched.  However, the lock can easily be undone and will make for a great crafting table for other projects at different points throughout the year (it will make for an awesome beading table)!

However, none of these factors has limited the children's interest in the art cart - it quickly became the favorite area in the room (despite the fact that we have had an easel/painting area ALL year long, I can count on one hand the number of children that showed an interest until last week)!  We had to have a waiting list of children waiting to use the "new paint area" and could not help the children clear up their artwork fast enough for the next!  No one has had much of an interest yet in the chalkboard side of the art cart, but I'm sure that time is coming - the children love their chalkboard table in the house area and it's only a matter of time until they really discover that there's now a second chalkboard for their use! 

As you can see, we've moved added an extra set of portable tabletop easels to the table so that extra painters can be at work!

The storage bins on the bottom will come in handy for storing an assortment of paint-related supplies and materials that will help them be easily accessible to the children.  Overall, I think the art cart is a great piece of equipment, once you get past the minor frustration of putting it together!

So... what do other 'Guidecraft Educators' have to say about the Desk to Easel Art Cart???

Maureen at Simply Stacie
Andrea at MommyPR
Deborah at Teach Preschool
Carrie from Huppie Mama
Jody from Mommy Moment
Candace at Mamanista!
Lisa from Planet Weidknecht
Vanessa from Pre-K Pages

The Giveaway

Guidecraft is generously offering ONE lucky reader of the Guidecraft Educators a chance to win one of these Desk to Easel Art Carts!!! To enter, comment on this post, sharing one of your favorite paint-related projects to explore with preschool aged children!

You have until Wednesday, December 12 @ 11:59PM eastern time to enter.  Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

Or... if you just can't wait to win one and NEED them now, they can be purchased online at: 

Guidecraft.com or Amazon.com

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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Andreasen, Dan.
The Twelve Days of Christmas.
September 2012.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

A classic Christmas song comes to life in this story and it will have you looking at things entirely differently that you might have prior to this reading and after looking at the illustrations, in which animals are brought to life and seemingly antagonize that poor partridge that is trying to rest peacefully in the pear tree!

This book is a great way to introduce young children to the "12 Days of Christmas" while at the same time it could be used to reinforce the concept of counting from 1-12.  The book could also be used to get children thinking how the antics of these animals affect the partridge and what emotions it might be experiencing.  This fun holiday read that incorporates a whole host of other themes will make a great addition to your holiday collection!





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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

November Guidecraft Educators Review/Giveaway Link

Each month, the Guidecraft Educators will share our honest feelings about a Guidecraft product(s) and how these products would fare in an early childhood classroom. This month's selection comes from Guidecraft's Construction Toys line - Magneato Better Builders - 100 piece set. 

I was SOOOO excited to see this arrive for review!  I love getting new manipulative-type toys for the kids to try out and they love finding something new on the shelf to explore.  The product immediately caught their eyes and the excitement run rampant until they were able to really get their hands on the Magneatos. 

This 100-piece set is ideal for small groups of children (I had about 7 at the table using this toy at a time, to ensure their were ample pieces for each to experiment with).  I probably could have gotten a few more at the table, but opted to try it out this way first... it worked well and all 20 children did have a chance to explore before the end of the day!

 Children loved how they were able to feel the "pull" as the magnets attracted each other and were even more amazed by how they repelled each other at times... I was impressed by the comments that were coming from their mouths and the way the vocabulary flowed - "Miss Katie, I can't be strong enough.  It keeps going sideways!"  The Magneatos provide such an opportunity to bring science and engineering into the children's lives in a creative way!

Magneatos Better Builders also offer children the opportunity to put their creative minds to use!  I had lots of children commenting and showing off their "castles" and "towers."  I also had a few children make a "necklace" with the curved pieces, while others still opted to make "microphone" and sing some of their favorite songs!

I'm definitely going to have to pull these from the shelf for a planned science/engineering activity on magnetism! 
We absolutely love these and they're going to be a hit for some time in our classroom!

So... what do other 'Guidecraft Educators' have to say about the Magneatos Better Builders - 100 piece set???

Maureen at Simply Stacie
Andrea at MommyPR
Deborah at Teach Preschool
Carrie from Huppie Mama
Jody from Mommy Moment
Candace at Mamanista!
Lisa from Planet Weidknecht
Vanessa from Pre-K Pages

The Giveaway

Guidecraft is generously offering ONE lucky reader of the Guidecraft Educators a chance to win one of these fabulous 100 piece sets of the Magneatos Better Builders!!! To enter, head on over to Andrea's post at MommyPR, as she's hosting this months giveaway!

You have until Friday, November 16 @ 11:59PM Pacific time to enter. 

Or... if you just can't wait to win one and NEED them now, they can be purchased online at: 

Guidecraft.com or Amazon.com

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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Crush those fears... Just Say BOO!

 Not only a Halloween story!

Hood, Susan.
Just Say BOO!
July 2012.
Harper Collins Childrens.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

If you've got a little one who tends to be fearful, this might be a great selection for you to help them overcome their fears in a cleaver, fun way!  Just say BOO!

The rhyming text makes the story fun to read and the predictability of what to say is sure to have children engaged in the reading process - a great story for beginning readers!




Tweet If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Halloween is just around the corner...

 ... but, there's still time to throw together a last-minute costume party!

Rey's Margret & H.A.
Curious George: Goes to a Costume Party.
Jorge el curioso va a una fiesta de disfraces
August 2012.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When Curious George and the man with the yellow hat arrive at Mrs. Gray's house, they're in for a surprise - a Halloween costume party.  Since neither of them had a costume, they quickly set to work finding something appropriate - George ends up dressed as a rodeo cowboy and the man with the yellow hat dresses up as a farmer. 

We all know George can't get through an evening without being too curious and he soon has everyone worried that a ghost is among them!  Of course, the suspense doesn't last too long before the Halloween party events resume and the evening is a success!

It's really not too late to plan a last-minute Halloween Costume Party!  Break out some apples for bobbing, pumpkins for carving and costumes for the contest and let the fun begin... you could even offer a copy of this title for one of the best costume prizes!!!!



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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

August Review/Giveaway... in September!

Each month, the Guidecraft Educators will share our honest feelings about a Guidecraft product(s) and how these products would fare in an early childhood classroom. This month's selection was our choice.. .something we were really interested in!  I selected the Modular Science Center.

Well... better late than never, I suppose!  Things have been crazy so it took me a while to get this post/review done up - I was so excited about incorporating the Modular Science Center into the classroom that I wanted to show it all set up in my post... and that took a while getting done!

The product I selected for my August review was Guidecraft's Modular Science Center, as I've been trying to get better at incorporating science into my Head Start classroom... it seems to be a real attention-getting area in the room, so I'm hoping that it's more meaningful this year!

The Modular Science Center is a four piece unit that easily comes apart, yet holds together tight enough that the children are not constantly taking it apart!  That's a plus in my room!

I had a helper in putting it together - a five-year old I was watching for the day that had FAR more energy that myself... I decided to put him to work being constructive and he was ALL about using the tools and putting the science center together.  With the exception of my tightening a few places and getting each individual component set up, he put the whole thing together!  That goes to show just how easily this piece of equipment sets up - although there was a lack excitement over the size of the Allen Wrench... according to my helper, we needed a bigger screw driver!

Once the Modular Science Center was placed in my room, it was a matter of deciding what to place on it... when scavenging our storage closet, there really didn't seem to be a lot of appropriate exploratory materials, so I decided to turn the task of filling the science center into the hands of the children.  I sent them all home after the first week of classes with an assignment... the family was to take a Nature Scavenger Hunt and return with a bag of their findings... by far one of my most successfully returned assignments EVER!!!  Many of the families spent more than an HOUR on this... needless to say, our science center is now full of findings and treasures... rocks, flowers, sticks, seeds, etc, and of course, something the children found beautiful and something the children found to be a treasure (one of which is a photo of one of our children with two cousins, as they used the activity as a family get-together)!  The empty shelf in the picture is no longer empty... the scavenger hunt findings are STILL trickling in!

We plan on sending the children and families on many more Nature Scavenger Hunts throughout the year to replenish/refresh our supplies... hopefully they will find them just as enjoyable!

So... what do other 'Guidecraft Educators' have to say about their selected August products??? (we each reviewed a product of our choosing)?

Maureen at Simply Stacie
Andrea at MommyPR
Deborah at Teach Preschool
Carrie from Huppie Mama
Jody from Mommy Moment
Candace at Mamanista!
Lisa from Planet Weidknecht
Vanessa from Pre-K Pages

The Giveaway

Guidecraft is generously offering ONE lucky reader of the Guidecraft Educators a chance to win one of these fabulous Modular Science Centers!!! To enter, comment on this post, sharing one of your favorite science-related items to explore with preschool aged children!

You have until Saturday, September 29 @ 11:59PM eastern time to enter.  Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

Or... if you just can't wait to win one and NEED them now, they can be purchased online at: 

Guidecraft.com or Amazon.com

Tweet If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Penguin Palooza

 Check out the latest penguin reads before heading out to the zoo and seeing what varieties of penguins your local zoo houses!

Cole, Carol.
The Penguin Lady.
February 2012.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Penelope Parker became known as the "Penguin Lady" after presenting herself in black and white clothes and waddling while she walked.  Her love of penguins quickly grows out of hand after it becomes known that she has received a gift of penguins from her brother and sister for her birthday.  As the penguin collection grows from 1 to 55, it becomes obvious that Penelope has taken on more than she can handle and decides to donate the penguins to the local zoo.  After the penguins take up home at the zoo, she quickly becomes sad and lonely and looks for a new love... her new love might just surprise readers and pose for an interesting writing topic for older children!

This book is a fun read and will keep children engaged as they wait eagerly to learn what other kinds of penguins exist for Penelope to take in.  10 different varieties are mentioned and will likely spark wonder in children to learn more about each kind, allowing a great opportunity for a little research project!  A great way to encourage learning throughout the summer months!

Lester, Helen.
Tacky Goes to Camp.
May 2012.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

This book was previously released in a hardcover edition.  Check out my review on that product here.  Children are sure to love this latest paperback installment of the popular "Tacky" series and eagerly await the next one to read!

After checking out one or both of these great "Penguin Palooza" titles, head out to your local zoo and spend some time with the penguins!  What species are housed at your local zoo?  What do they look like?  Where do they come from?  What kind of habitat do they thrive in?  It's interesting to learn about all the different species and how they differ and are similar to each other!


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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Homemade "Melissa & Doug" Costumes

For a couple years I've had my eyes on these fancy Melissa and Doug dramatic play costumes for preschoolers that I've seen for sale at AC Moore (for about $29.99) but have resisted the urge to splurge.  I just couldn't fathom spending ~$29.99 on a single costume... so I decided to get thrifty this summer and create my own versions of several of them.  So far, I've gotten 3 done, but I have about 6 more planned!  I'll continue sharing as I get them done!

I started with the firefighter costume... but chose to make mind slightly different than the one pictured above.  I started at the Salvation Army store and purchased a long-sleeve men's black dress shirt.  When I shop the thrift store, I always look to see what color tags are 50% off on the day I'm there and purchase only items with that color tag!  I got the shirt for $2.00!  I made a stop at AC Moore and picked up a foam firefighter's hat for $2.50 (regular price $4.99 but I had a 50% off one item coupon).  Last stop... Walmart.  I picked up a yard each of yellow and gray fabric from their new $1.00 selection.  After trimming the bottom to square it up and shortening the sleeves, I sewed on the yellow strips first, using a technique similar to single-fold bias tape.  I repeated the process with the gray after all the yellow was done.  To make the shirt easier for the kids to handle, I sewed on some Velcro that I had left over from a different project. 

Time spent on costume: 1hr, 30 mins. 
Total cost?  $6.50!!! 
I have a feeling it's going to be a hit!

Next, I opted for something that I felt would be quicker... and it definitely was!  For the postal worker, I picked up a blue children's dress shirt (size 8, so it would be big enough for the children to wear comfortably over their own clothes during "work time" but not too big).  The shirt cost $1.00 at Salvation Army due to that color-tag sale I mentioned earlier!  I also purchased a small women's messenger bag to use as the mail bag... cost?  $1.99.  I had some leftover Iron-On transfer paper to print on the computer printer.  I found a US Mail patch, rotated it vertically so it was backwards and then printed it twice - one about half the size of the other.  I ironed these on to a scrap of white fabric, cut out the patch and then appliqued them on to the shirt and messenger bag and had myself a Postal Worker costume!

Time spent on costume: 30 mins.
Total cost?  $2.99
This could be one of my favorites so far!

My third costume is the "Salon Stylist."  I could kick myself for not doing this last year, as I had a little girl who was ALL about playing with hair... she would have loved this and when I discovered this costume, I couldn't pass up attempting to make one!  With the smock style, I bypassed finding something workable at Salvation Army and instead hit up the fabric racks at Walmart.  I purchased one yard of pink fabric off the $1.00 rack, chose a 1/2 yard of a coordinating fabric in a "styling" pattern ($2.49).  To go along with the outfit, I bought at the dollar store, two "beauty" kits for $1.00 each.  I started by free-handing a smock pattern on the pink fabric (leaving the fold at the top for the shoulders).  After cutting out the smock, I sewed double-fold bias tape along all of the edges to finish them off.  Using the coordinating fabric, I made a sash that will work as a tie on back in case the outfit is too big for some of the kids and then constructed pockets for holding the salon stylist tools and loop to hold/display the hair dryer. 

Time spent on costume: 1hr, 30 mins
Total Cost?  $5.49 (there's enough fabric left to make another, so technically the one cost ~$2.25)
Perhaps the most challenging, as it was all from scratch, but definitely pleased with the final result!

Up next?  Road Crew, Nurse and Waitress!

 

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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!