We are 3 1/2 weeks away from the first day of school, and we still haven't chosen a schooling option. It's a decision that has been taking over my thoughts every waking hour for months. Nothing feels right, and there are no good options for my family. I have absolutely no idea what to do, but that's another topic for another day!
This past school year taught me to expect ANYTHING to happen! I never expected to enroll a child in cyber school, and I never expected schools to close abruptly in March. There was no closure this past school year, and this upcoming school year is going to be unlike anything we've ever experienced. Whether we choose going to school 5 days a week, live streaming classes 5 days a week, cyber school, or homeschooling, I wanted to be prepared, so I stocked up on supplies at my go to - the Target Dollar Spot!
I wouldn't be surprised if we all ended up learning from home again at some point this school year, but if that doesn't happen, I'll still support in-school curriculum with learning activities at home. Plus, I'll be working with Coen at home in the near future, and I use a lot of items for at home therapy with Liam, so nothing will go to waste. (Remember my Target Dollar Spot busy bags? They are one of my most popular posts on here and on Pinterest, and we still use them every week!)
Here are my fun Target Dollar Spot Finds - ALL CURRENT - for the upcoming (home)school? year!
WINDOW CLINGS ($1 each)
At the start of the pandemic, my kids decorated hearts and wrote motivational signs, and we hung them up in our front window. Over the months, our baby and our kitten ripped them down one by one. I spotted these "We're All In This Together" window clings at Target this week, and figured they would be a great, more permanent option!
Dry Erase Blocks
I was going to work on a sight word activity with Liam, where I write words on large Lego Duplos, and have him match the correct letters on smaller Duplos to the words. Then I spotted these dry erase blocks, and I was sold! It's a great tool for name recognition, learning sight words, and matching uppercase and lowercase letters!
Color Mixing Paddles ($1)
This was a random find, but I thought they would be fun for seeing how colors mix, changing colors of items when looking through each one, and as a great tool for our upcoming inexpensive light box hack!
Magnetic Fridge Caddy ($3)
Technically, I bought this caddy to organize smaller items in our art/learning supplies cart, then realized it was magnetic. Now I'm not sure if I will actually use it on the fridge, or keep it in the cart. Either way, it's going to be handy for organizing supplies!
Ink Pads ($3 for 3)
We use stamps a lot in our home, and we're always running out of ink! Lily likes to use them for fun, Liam uses them for learning and fine motor activities, and Coen uses them to keep busy. This 3 pack will get used quickly!
Flashcards ($1)
We use flashcards all the time with Lily and Liam. We actually have a ton thanks to previous Target Dollar Spot purchases, but since we're really focusing on sight words with Liam, I snagged an extra pack to keep in my purse for fast flashing on the go! (That isn't as dirty as it sounds - it's just a method for teaching kids who have Down syndrome how to read!)
Flashcard Holders ($1 each)
To go along with the previous item, I bought a bunch of flashcard holders. Those boxes always inevitably break, or the cards get mixed together, so my goal is to organize them all into these plastic boxes!
Dry Erase Board ($1)
Liam does a lot of repetitive writing work at home, and I hate wasting paper. We use dry erase boards all the time, so I picked up a new one for this school year. (At just $1, you can grab a few!)
Wooden Balance Game ($3)
I thought this would be a fun activity for Liam and Coen. They can work on fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and Coen can learn number recognition. Plus, it's super cute!
Colors Wallet ($3)
This is another fun item I picked up for Liam and Coen. It's geared toward toddlers, so it's more for Coen to learn his colors, and open and close the zipper, but Liam can link the loops together for some fun and easy fine motor work.
Magnetic Letters and Numbers ($5 each)
My kids love playing with magnetics, and I loved the look and feel of these foam letters and numbers sets! I love the fact that it comes with several of each letter and number. We use magnetic letters and numbers for learning and for fun. (Just FYI - magnets on a garage door or metal exterior door will keep kids busy for a long time - works great with magnetic tiles, too!)
Painting Tray ($3)
Oh, how I wish these awesome trays were around years ago! This oversized plastic tray, with designated spots for paper and paint (or any arts and crafts supplies) is perfect for creating masterpieces at home with minimal mess and cleanup!
Puzzle Connectors ($3)
I grabbed these puzzle connectors, because I thought they would be fun for kids of all ages. Younger kids can work on letter recognition and putting letters in order, and older kids can build with them! I think they're going to be a lot of fun for Coen, who is 1, and Liam, who is 6, but has extra needs.
Sensory Path ($3)
I spotted these stickers, and had to buy them! They recently put in a sensory path at our elementary school, and the kids love it. Liam will be going to that building next, and I think it's going to help him throughout the day. Making sensory paths with chalk was one thing we did for physical therapy during quarantine, so I snagged this for use in our basement playroom (if we ever finish it)!
BONUS! Here are three fun finds from Aldi this week, for about $2 each!
Alphabet & Numbers Scratch Activity Books
Liam is very hands-on when it comes to learning, so I'm hoping these will keep his interest as we review his letters and numbers!
Time & Fractions Wipe-Clean 2 Pack
These would have been great this past year for Lily as she learned fractions and telling time. I decided to grab a pack and store them away for future use. (They had a bunch of other wipe-clean boards, too!)
We already have a big collection of learning at home and therapy supplies, but I'm always excited to add new educational tools to the rotation! I'm sure everything I chose will get used frequently. Now I just need to make a back to school decison! Go back to school? Stay home and live stream classes? Cyber school for all? Homeschooling? Or some combination? I wish this wasn't so hard, but I know we're all facing this impossible decision!
What are your favorite at home learning or therapy supplies? What have you found at the Target Dollar Spot that you love?
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