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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>My Creativity Has Left The Building!!!
daycaremom76 02:48 PM 01-09-2013
Ok so after 3yrs doing this by creative arts and crafts has worn out!!!! I am thinking about joining one of those clubs like Mother Goose or something where they just send you all the supplies for each kid etc..........I have all this arts and crafts crap every where and I am tired of looking at it and trying to figure out what to make today! Anyone tried the programs that send you everything for the month, I know it's pricey but for my sanity it might be worth it!!! I have an 18mo, 2 2yr olds and a 3yr old. So I need something for little ones to do that doesn't look like I did most of the work like some projects look like! HELP!!
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Michael 02:49 PM 01-09-2013
Some Arts and Crafts Ideas to help out: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.p...+crafts-+ideas
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Country Kids 02:50 PM 01-09-2013
Originally Posted by daycaremom76:
Ok so after 3yrs doing this by creative arts and crafts has worn out!!!! I am thinking about joining one of those clubs like Mother Goose or something where they just send you all the supplies for each kid etc..........I have all this arts and crafts crap every where and I am tired of looking at it and trying to figure out what to make today! Anyone tried the programs that send you everything for the month, I know it's pricey but for my sanity it might be worth it!!! I have an 18mo, 2 2yr olds and a 3yr old. So I need something for little ones to do that doesn't look like I did most of the work like some projects look like! HELP!!
I do MGT and love, love, love it and so do my kids. I actually add things to some of our projects and the lesson plans each day. They send you everything and sometimes I just run with what they say to do and make it our own. I think you would really love it!
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daycaremom76 02:54 PM 01-09-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
I do MGT and love, love, love it and so do my kids. I actually add things to some of our projects and the lesson plans each day. They send you everything and sometimes I just run with what they say to do and make it our own. I think you would really love it!
Is MGT Mother Goose??? My biggest problem is I don't like clutter! And when I open my daycare closet thats all I see (it's organized in boxes too) I get super anxiety over trying to figure out what to make this time with the 1200 popcycle sticks I have...........500 stings.............300 paper bags...........etc........ I think if I just get the preplanned packages I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed. And my other problem is the things I have seem to be way over my dck's heads like they don't grasp what we are trying to do so I loose them quick!
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Country Kids 02:56 PM 01-09-2013
Originally Posted by daycaremom76:
Is MGT Mother Goose??? My biggest problem is I don't like clutter! And when I open my daycare closet thats all I see (it's organized in boxes too) I get super anxiety over trying to figure out what to make this time with the 1200 popcycle sticks I have...........500 stings.............300 paper bags...........etc........ I think if I just get the preplanned packages I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed. And my other problem is the things I have seem to be way over my dck's heads like they don't grasp what we are trying to do so I loose them quick!
Yes, MGT is Mother Goose Time!

I figured by the time I bought things, copied, bought ink/paper, what ever for the crafts I was spending about the same amount and getting way more with MGT then on my own.
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daycarediva 04:50 PM 01-09-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Yes, MGT is Mother Goose Time!

I figured by the time I bought things, copied, bought ink/paper, what ever for the crafts I was spending about the same amount and getting way more with MGT then on my own.
I actually sat down and crunched #'s and was spending more!

That's NOT including my time/energy planning curriculum to correspond with our theme. I loveeeee MGT and would never go back to the old way again.

We are having a blast with this months safari theme.
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Country Kids 04:53 PM 01-09-2013
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
I actually sat down and crunched #'s and was spending more!

That's NOT including my time/energy planning curriculum to correspond with our theme. I loveeeee MGT and would never go back to the old way again.

We are having a blast with this months safari theme.
I guess I should have said I actually spent as much if not more planning my own stuff then when ordering MGT.

Its amazing how much that stuff adds up!

If I add anything to the theme I pretty much have everything already so its not like I'm spending more on it.
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daycarediva 05:08 PM 01-09-2013
YUP! I have looked at some of the crafts they sent, some I couldn't even begin to reproduce & others would cost quite a bit.

I do add toys that relate (and then remove them to rotate back in for a similar theme, and sometimes INVEST money in that) and always, always get books from scholastic for cheap.

This month I got the I'm brave book pack for free (bravery is the monthly character trait), the national geographic kids African animal alphabet (free), and the african animals 5 book pack (also free).

I also add in free art (process, not product) so that the kids have the best of both worlds.

Today we did the lion puppet (provided) and then made lions out of handprints (that came out ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE) and cost me next to nothing (white cardstock and paint!) The kids ripped crepe paper and pasted for the lions mane, then they crawled around like lions & roared, we read the lion book (free from scholastic) and found the letters of L I O N in the sensory bin, etc.....

My parents are in awe, and my kids are having fun & learning.
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Crazy In Mo 05:21 PM 01-09-2013
Wow! MGT sounds great! How much is it a month? Does it come with any books to read to the kids? Does it have something to do daily? How long does the whole "lesson" last per day?
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Starburst 06:12 PM 01-09-2013
In my curriculum building classes they wanted us to use a Desired Results Development Profile (DRDP) to help build creative curriculums for children in our care- we chose one child and observed them for the semester to understand how to build a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate.

http://www.wested.org/desiredresults.../form_drdp.htm

They have one for every age group- this is what teachers sometimes use to chart a child's progress through out the year. The great thing is other than the materials you want to buy for the activity (which you may already have at home) it's pretty much free! And you can always recycle old curriculums and activities if you want.

Some other things you can do is pick a subject- something not too broad but not too seclusive (like animals, the beach, a holidays, ect.) and do a web and a KWL (know, wanna know, learned) about it. The web starts off with the subject and ask them (or the most verbal one) what they know about this subject (flies, walks, eats, sleeps, etc) and what they want to know and then when you get to a main subject (like pets) just try to find away to incorperate all of the domains-social, physical, intellegence (aka cognitive), Creative, and emotional (S.P.I.C.E.) this is one way to help the children choose what they want to learn about and still help them progress.

When all else fails just stick to wooden blocks and dramatic play- they both can be used to work all of the domains.
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daycaremom76 06:24 PM 01-09-2013
Great I'm going to have to price MGT up and fit it into my budget! I joined Scolastic last month for the first time and ordered their Honeybee (1-4yrs) catalogs but haven't gotten them yet. I sent them an email yesterday and they said they would send me some out again, they said it might have gotten over looked with the holidays. I'm excited about getting those and I think my parents will get a kick out of them too! Plus my kiddos always end up tearing pages out of our current books (they like to pretend to read to each other after I have read them the book 100000x) so it will be nice to get some new stories in here!
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LK5kids 07:34 PM 01-09-2013
I did MGT years ago. I loved it. It seems like it has improved over the years. I did not use all the extra stuff they sent....mainly the creative art stuff. At that time I just charged each family an extra $1.25per wk. I had 6 kids full time and they we're all 3 & 4 yrs. old. That just about covered the cost back then. I never had anyone complain about the extra fee.

It was so fun to get that box each month. I am back running a chid care program again, but I am not sure if I will use a pre-made curriculum this time around or not! Good luck!
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kitykids3 04:33 AM 01-10-2013
You should also look into Funshine Express (the Buttercups program). They also send you everything ready for 12 crafts, plus more. They also align with early learning standards too. I like them a lot and it's not too expensive. It's worth pricing them too.
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daycaremom76 05:21 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by kitykids3:
You should also look into Funshine Express (the Buttercups program). They also send you everything ready for 12 crafts, plus more. They also align with early learning standards too. I like them a lot and it's not too expensive. It's worth pricing them too.
I just checked them out and think they would be better then MGT because they deal with younger kids. Just to check them out I ordered the Nov/Dec 2012 kit that was 50% off it only cost $44 for 2 months for 6 kids. I couldn't even get that good of a deal if I used a million coupons at the store!
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Crazy In Mo 06:09 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by daycaremom76:
I just checked them out and think they would be better then MGT because they deal with younger kids. Just to check them out I ordered the Nov/Dec 2012 kit that was 50% off it only cost $44 for 2 months for 6 kids. I couldn't even get that good of a deal if I used a million coupons at the store!
Where did you find this deal on the website? I looked but didn't see it. I would love to try it also at that cheap of a price
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lolaland 06:22 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by daycaremom76:
I just checked them out and think they would be better then MGT because they deal with younger kids. Just to check them out I ordered the Nov/Dec 2012 kit that was 50% off it only cost $44 for 2 months for 6 kids. I couldn't even get that good of a deal if I used a million coupons at the store!
I've been using these since September. I don't use all their activities and I mix it with some ideas of my own... but getting the Nov/Dec one, you my find you can not use many of their crafts because they do relate to Thanksgiving and Christmas a lot... Maybe other months with not so important holidays you may find it easier to adapt... Even the Sept/Oct one was all about Fall and harvest....
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daycaremom76 06:58 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by Crazy In Mo:
Where did you find this deal on the website? I looked but didn't see it. I would love to try it also at that cheap of a price
Go to the main page then click on "Educational Supplies" then down the left side near the bottom it says "sale Items" hover and it shows "Clearance Kits" then just click on the one you want.
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Crazy In Mo 07:02 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by daycaremom76:
Go to the main page then click on "Educational Supplies" then down the left side near the bottom it says "sale Items" hover and it shows "Clearance Kits" then just click on the one you want.
Great! Thank you so much
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Blackcat31 07:31 AM 01-10-2013
The BEST thing I learned in college was boxed crafts with specific end results are not at all necessary. I am so relieved!

After years of doing Funshine Express and basically doing the craft stuff myself, since most of the craft kits require lots of adult intervention or hands on stuff for me, that I found it simply wasn't worth my time.

The kids got bored waiting their turn while I went from each individual child to the next helping them affix the wiggly eyes where they are "suppose" to go so that their project looked like the picture.

Plus looking looking back, the same amount of money spent on pre-packed crafts could buy me an awful lot of creative art supplies.

Another negative for me personally is that NONE of the boxed curriculum's meet the standards our state's QRIS is setting for approved curriculum.
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Country Kids 07:54 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
The BEST thing I learned in college was boxed crafts with specific end results are not at all necessary. I am so relieved!

After years of doing Funshine Express and basically doing the craft stuff myself, since most of the craft kits require lots of adult intervention or hands on stuff for me, that I found it simply wasn't worth my time.

The kids got bored waiting their turn while I went from each individual child to the next helping them affix the wiggly eyes where they are "suppose" to go so that their project looked like the picture.

Plus looking looking back, the same amount of money spent on pre-packed crafts could buy me an awful lot of creative art supplies.

Another negative for me personally is that NONE of the boxed curriculum's meet the standards our state's QRIS is setting for approved curriculum.
See thats the thing I don't understand-why make them all look alike. I do a boxed curriculum and just let the kids do the best they can at it. They still all love the results of it also. We do open ended stuff but they really don't seem to like it as much. My SA love doing open ended but not the younger ones. Also, I buy it also for the curriculum not just the crafts. I need a little help with ideas and then do extra with them. I don't do well doing things on my own (had to have actual textbooks even for homeschooling) so having a boxed curriculum helps me immensly!
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Blackcat31 08:12 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
We do open ended stuff but they really don't seem to like it as much. My SA love doing open ended but not the younger ones.
Isn't that funny how kids can be so different?

My older kids nearing SA are the ones who really strive to make something concrete and something that looks like their "friends" project.

My littles just want to use stuff. Glue, scissors, paint etc..... they have no intentions of creating anything other than a mess.
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daycarediva 10:44 AM 01-10-2013
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
See thats the thing I don't understand-why make them all look alike. I do a boxed curriculum and just let the kids do the best they can at it. They still all love the results of it also. We do open ended stuff but they really don't seem to like it as much. My SA love doing open ended but not the younger ones. Also, I buy it also for the curriculum not just the crafts. I need a little help with ideas and then do extra with them. I don't do well doing things on my own (had to have actual textbooks even for homeschooling) so having a boxed curriculum helps me immensly!
This is what I do as well. I don't care what the end product looks like, and I DON'T show the kids the 'picture' of the end craft that MGT sends. When we did the lion puppet, I had a picture of a lion on the table.
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Unregistered 05:10 AM 03-04-2013
Originally Posted by kitykids3:
You should also look into Funshine Express (the Buttercups program). They also send you everything ready for 12 crafts, plus more. They also align with early learning standards too. I like them a lot and it's not too expensive. It's worth pricing them too.
Mother Goose Time when you add it all up is actually cheaper. Plus their materials are higher quality. I love that they have a monthly music and movement program that is included with the cost. My kids have learned so much from the music CD that is included each month. Plus with Mother Goose Time there is something every day for the children to make a take home. They have really set the standard.
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Tags:arts and crafts, arts and crafts- ideas, mother goose time
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