Happy Chappy

 What's Happy Chappy?

Sorry for the delay in posts; I was lesson planning for October and got a little overwhelmed!  I would LOVE to credit this idea to someone, but I heard about it second hand, so.....thanks to the Music (?) teacher at Ryan's preschool for this idea.

Do your kids love stickers?  Mine do.  They love to peel them off of paper, stick them to their shirts, then peel them off of their shirts and stick them to their hands, then peel them off their hands and so on and so forth until they are stuck to my rainbow carpet, my tile floor, or, my favorite, the seat of my pants, at which point, the children no longer have that reward they were so excited about.

"But stickers are such a great reward!" you might say.  "The fit in your pocket, they're inexpensive, less distracting than a toy, and kids love them!"  And I would agree.  Stickers are great...but not as great as Happy Chappy.

The way I heard about it was that this (sadly, unnamed) teacher would rub a little cherry Chapstick on each child's hand before they went back to their own classroom.  The kids would be able to smell their hand and the Happy Chappy for a good portion of the day.  I heard this and immediately grasped the possibilities.  A reward that was longer lasting than a sticker but not as permanent as a temporary tattoo?  A way to incorporate other senses into the classroom?  A way to get rid of all of those flavored lipglosses I got for Christmas but haven't touched?

"Ms. Betsy's Hugs and Happy Chappy" was born. At the end of each class, I get (and give) some one on one affection and a sweet smelling reward to each child.

I looked through some cosmetics drawers, and visited a few discount shops, and found a variety of six different flavors of lip gloss.  They had a great selection at Gordman's, like boxed sets of candy and cola scents, including the Willy Wonka Brand, Hershey's, Dr. Pepper, Jolly Ranchers, and Bubble Yum flavors.  I got the one on clearance with a coupon, so it cost about $.50 per tube of gloss.  If you have a slightly bigger budget and/or prefer a balm to a gloss, I highly recommend Bonne Bell's Lip Smacker.

Pros and Cons

Happy Chappy isn't perfect, but it is surprisingly versatile.  Here's a quick look at what it can and can't do.

Cons:

• Some children are sensitive to certain cosmetics or fragrances
• It isn't sanitary to use the same gloss/balm on multiple children
• It will be gone after they wash their hands
• Boys and Girls will like different flavors

Luckily, it is easy to come up with alternative awards (I know you didn't throw your stickers AWAY), and a baggie full of Q-tips can turn into single use applicators.  As far as hand washing goes, try smoothing the Happy Chappy onto their wrists or the crook of their elbows, and, at this age, all kids want to smell like bubblegum or watermelon.  If they don't, try more gender neutral scents like chocolate or cola.

Pros:

• The smooth/glossy texture and scent is a sensory experience
• You can use it for right and left recognition (only put it on one hand every single time)
• You can let children choose the flavor for extra incentive
• You can double up two flavors
• You can change scents for the month, season, or theme

*An alternative to scented lip balm is scented lotion.  If you rub the lotion in, this is a great way to incorporate a little massage and one on one time with each student.  If they rub it in, this can increase fine motor control and reinforce movement for hand washing.*

Do you have other creative ways to positively reinforce your students for good behavior?  Be sure to comment!

Also, thanks to all the people who have been adding me to your Pinboards!  Feel free to follow me on Pinterest.  :)

-Ms. Betsy

Sensory Bins Materials List

Sensory Bins Materials List

I'm sure that many of my posts will relate to sensory bins, but I wanted to share the types of materials I used to get started.  For the bins themselves, I recommend:

• A 60 quart bin (under the bed size) so that multiple kids can access the sensory bin

• Clear bins with locking lids (15.5 gallon size works well to store your bins or for one or two children to play)

Trust me, you want the locking lids.  I've had more than one mega-spill with the lids that don't.

You can find most of the bin filling items with trip to the grocery store and the Dollar Tree. 

Bin filling basics:

• Rice
• Pasta-rotini, penne, macaroni, ziti, spaghetti
• Marbles- round and flat
• Water beads
• Dried beans- all sizes and colors
• Birdseed
• Shaving Cream
• Fruit Loops, Cheerios
• Regular Salt
• Epsom Salt
• Sand (colored)
• Aquarium Rocks

Add these to make them fancy:

• Food coloring
• Kool-aid Packets
• Essential oils (citrus, peppermint, lavender, etc)
• Fake Snow
• Glitter
• Easter grass/paper shred

Add these to make them fun:

• Plastic or squishy animals for sand, jungle, ocean

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Tongs

• Small shovels, rakes, molds and scoops (a beach playset is perfect)

These ingredients are common in many sensory recipes you will find online (maybe even here!):

• Jell-o
• Plain Gelatin
• Flour
• Dish soap (Blue Dawn is the best!)
• Bar soap (I like Ivory)
• Toilet paper
• White Vinegar
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Baking Soda
• Cornstarch (get several boxes, you'd be surprised at how many sensory recipes call for them)
• Cream of Tartar (for homemade Play-dough)

Now, once you have all this stuff, what in the world should you do with it?

Don't overthink it.  For the sensory bin beginner, take any of the "basics" and pour them into your large bin.  For example, Cheerios:  Kids will pick them up, put them down, get great big handfuls of cereal or one Cheerio at the time.  They'll squeeze/crush them, play pretend, and show you all the cool things about Cheerios you have long forgotten...and that is without ANY OTHER MANIPULATIVE.  Give them some spoons and measuring cups, and it's time for a pretend gourmet meal.  Give them some pipe cleaners (or some of your uncooked spaghetti), and they'll develop their fine motor skills threading the strands through the center of the cereal.  Introduce a new element, like fruit loops (colors!) or glitter (sparkles!) to add to the fun.

I will definitely be including some of my own sensory bin ideas along with pictures, and links to some of the more fantastic ones I've found online and tried.

PreK Supply Lists

Pre-K Supply Lists

Oh, how I wish I had seen a blog post like this one when I was starting out.  When I was hired as the center's preschool teacher, I was totally clueless!  I was asked to give a supply list with all the materials I would need, for the classroom, the activity (arts and crafts room), and various centers around our building. I wasn't sure where to begin, so I started with the craft room.

In my experience, this is a great list to get you started, should you ever find yourself at square one:

• Regular crayons, all colors including skin colors
• Washable markers
• Tempera paint (gallons if possible)- AT LEAST red, yellow, blue, black, and white; get orange, green, and purple if you have the budget for it
• Paintbrushes in various sizes
• Construction paper-pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, light blue, purple, brown, black, gray
• Butcher paper, any/all colors
• Printed paper and stationary
• Newsprint/Large Art Paper
• Large colored construction paper
• Card stock, white
• Tissue paper, white and colors
• Ribbon, different sizes and textures
• Foam stickers, all sizes, colors, styles
• Buttons, assortment
• Paper streamers, all colors
• Roll on painters/Bingo Blotters, all colors
• Paper plates, large and small
• Glue bottles and a gallon refill
• Glue sticks
• Spray adhesive
• Rubber Cement
• Craft sticks
• Yarn in various colors
• Brass brads
• Styrofoam cups
• Doilies
• Clothespins, wooden
• Powdered tempera

Almost all of our art supplies were found at www.discountschoolsupply.com or at our local superstore.

Next, I focused on classroom supplies.  Some things could be shared with the Art Room, obviously, but for my own use, I asked for the following:

• Large and Small Ziplock bags (quart and gallon)
• Pencils and pencil grippers
• Writing manipulatives: gel pens, wide tipped pens or markers
• Sharpies
• Corkboard
• Die-cut letters
• Masking, Duct, and Painters tape
• Hot Glue gun
• White board
• Food coloring
• Play-doh, all colors
• Index Cards
• Stickers
• Paper Clips, various colors
• Colored Electrical Tape
• File Folders, various Colors
• Dry erase markers
• Adhesive for wall- adhesive putty, stikki clips
• Rubber Cement
• Small Square table for center in classroom
• Medium rectangle table for dramatic play
• Command hooks for classroom walls
• Double sided Velcro, adhesive back, dots or strips

Again, almost all of these things were found at a superstore or office supply store.  I keep all of them in a large black storage cabinet in the corner of my room.  My next post will include the supplies we purchased for our sensory bins.

It was a relief getting my hands on all of these supplies!  We've been able to make almost all of our crafts and do our activities (except sensory bins) without additional purchases.  Every few months, we restock, but I think this is a pretty comprehensive list.  Let me know if I left anything out!