Timeline looks like this:
February: Landlord cleans up property, repairs, paints, makes small improvements to property.
March-April: We begin moving in, setting up rooms, getting property compliant for licensing, send off application, staff training, get inspected, and permit issuance.
May: "Soft" opening with a small group of children and core teachers, Atelierista, and a Director. Throughout the summer, slowly add children and teachers in stages, with the goal of all 3 classrooms being full by Fall of 2009!
Schedules for part time enrollment will change just a bit once I'm offsite.
If you want 2 day per week enrollment, that will be offered on T TH. (There will no longer be a M W option).
If you want 3 day per week enrollment, that will be offered on M W F.
As my current Casa T. parents,you all will get first dibs on scheduling.
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Many of you have offered to help, and I will need it! I have several things on my admin list to take care of, and thank goodness I have Kellyann here to help during the day.
What I can think of right now is personal shoppers. Thrifts shops, garage sales, estate sales, creative recyclable and surplus stores (and even your garage and attic) can be goldmines for what we need to stock our Atelier and classrooms:
THRIFT STORES, GARAGE SALES, AND DOLLAR STORES
*Baskets: Flat baskets where materials can be seen easily in the displays
*Wooden trays, bowls, dishes, and cutting boards: Look for flat bowls and trays to display items. Many of these wooden pieces have dividers and make great containers for displaying a variety of items for children to sort objects
*Glass jars, vases, and bottles
*Mirrors (large and small).
*Furniture for making a cozy environmet: Estate sales are usually a good source of quality used furniture (rocking chair, small end tables, etc) . I will be purchasing child size tables and chairs for the classrooms online.
*Hardware and appliances: Visit the hardware and appliance section of your stores looking for things that move--nuts, bolts, pulleys, and other treasures--to make into contraptions for children's exploration.
*Frames and book stands: dollar stores are a good source for wooden and Plexiglass frames for displaying photos, documentation, and art. Also need stands for holding up books.
*Plastic toys - you all know where I stand on the junky plastic toys thang, but there some items that can work well on the overhead projector (collections of glow in the dark letters, number, shapes work well on the overhead projector.
*Dramatic Play items: Hats, scarves, small aprons, purses, vests, ties, etc.
*Need overhead projector(s). I keep checking Craiglist for these.
GARDEN STORES, PLANT NURSERIES, AND CRAFT STORES
*Natural Materials. Look for dried flowers, pods and gourds, as well as [non-toxic] living plants and flowers. Stones, shells, rocks, beach glass, glass stones too.
*Sand, rocks, and pebbles. There are bags of different colored washed sand (black, sparkly white, and volcanic red) for sensory tables. Bags of rocks and pebbles can be used for sensory tables too.
SPECIALTY SHOPS AND ETHNIC STORES
*Asian dishware and utensils. These bowls and plates are usually small and come in a variety of shpaes and beautiful patterns. Glass and plastic containers can be used for all sorts of things from the sensory table to the drama corner.
*Fabric, purses, and musical instruments. I want to incorporate beautiful fabric from all around the world to soften the rooms. Also want unique musical intruments to add to our collection, like shakers and bells.
*Animal and people figures. These are often made from wood, leather or fabric with whimsical and realistic features.
MUSEUM GIFT SHOPS
*Light and color objects: Prisms, holograms, color cubes, kaleidescopes, special lights, and other things for exploring light and color. *These are great for the light table.
*Math and physics games and experiments. An array of interesting objects for investigating physics and motion and other natural phenomena including perpetual motion machines, mobiles, magnets, displays of solar system, etc.
*Nature posters, postcards, books, games, and figurines, or models. Look for print resources with beautiful illustrations, photographs, stories, and representations of the natural world. My cousin, Yvonne has this amazing book on Nature Art by Andy Goldsworthy and talk about gathering inspiration from nature!
Let the treasure hunting begin!
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