Centers/Sensory Bins/management

[LVG]

1. How do you implement centers or sensory bins into your day?
2. Where do the kids do them?
3. Where do you store them? I can't keep craft supplies out due to having three kids that are newly 2 and under, so these things would have to be kept up when not in use.
4. Do you have all the kids do the same thing or have different centers per kid? 5. If different centers, then do you use a management chart where they can see which center they are at that day to cut down on the "I wanted to do that one". 6. How often do you change them?
7. Lastly, what kinds do you have?

Sorry for the amount of questions!! Just wanting to see how others make it work!

[Ariana]

I store my sensory bin and contents in a cupboard in the daycare bathroom and the kids can't get access to it. Normally I only allow 2 friends per activity and this is the rule that everyone follows. They play with the sensory bin either directly on a large rug or on a table on a large rug. This makes for easy clean up with a vacuum. While my two friends are at the sensory table the other kids freeplay in another area and when a friend is finished with the sensory I go and choose another friend to play. It works really well!

Sensory avtivities I have:
Bins with lentils and rocks, cloud dough, goop or sand (i change it up)
Water table filled with water, paper from the paper shredder, sand, snow, soapy water to clean babies/animals, wool and yarn....gosh anything I can think of goes in there!

[midaycare]

Pinterest is your friend. Lots of ideas on there. For storage I use a hanging shoe rack that is plastic. It goes over the door and holds all a lot of my craft supplies.

[Baby Beluga]

My answers are in blue

1. How do you implement centers or sensory bins into your day?

Our morning is filled with curriculum and outdoor play, our center time takes place in the afternoon after PM snack.

2. Where do the kids do them?

I have a max of 5 kids at one time, ages 18 months - newly turned 3 year old. I have 2 large rugs and a table were we do centers. I have the sand/water table below - the blue part is where we do the sensory play. Generally I have one center set up at the table and one center set up at a rug and the sensory table at another rug.

http://www.qvc.com/Little-Tikes-Easy...t.T104032.html

3. Where do you store them? I can't keep craft supplies out due to having three kids that are newly 2 and under, so these things would have to be kept up when not in use.

I keep them in shoe bins with lids under my desk. I do want to add though, I keep our table for the week out in the open. I just tell the kids that center is closed at the moment and we will explore it later. They all (even the 18 month old) understand this.

4. Do you have all the kids do the same thing or have different centers per kid?

No more then 3 children at a center at a time.

5. If different centers, then do you use a management chart where they can see which center they are at that day to cut down on the "I wanted to do that one".

I have an egg timer and set it for about 20 mins. When it goes off we switch centers. Of course sometimes someone wants to switch sooner and if there is room I allow them to switch.

6. How often do you change them?

Once a week based on whatever our unit of learning for that week is.

7. Lastly, what kinds do you have?

Sand, water, dried beans, cloud dough, scrap paper, carpet and chain scraps, sandpaper, etc. This week we are focusing on shapes, I have dried beans and different shaped/colored noodles with sandpaper shapes and different shapes I borrowed from a shape sorter along with spoons and cups.

Sorry for the amount of questions!! Just wanting to see how others make it work!

[LVG]

Thanks for the tips! I have a ton of pins pinned on pintrest...try to say that 3 times😄. I just haven't put anything together yet because I just wasn't sure how I wanted to implement it. I figured getting some input of how people work them into their day would be a good start, and kind of wanted to see if having these types of bins in a daycare setting was doable. Seems a lot of those ideas are used with moms that have 1 or 2 kids around the same age, so I wasn't sure how well it would work having them with such varying ages. Looks like it's doable though since you ladies are making it happen! I totally wished I could just say centers were closed, but my DS is super strong willed and I could see that being an ongoing battle😩. I have to keep everything up high that I don't want him to get into. It's exhausting😬. I've even been trying to figure out a way to create a desk I can fold away and lock up so I can do more school type work with my DD, but don't have to move everything every time we are done to keep it from getting destroyed...found one of those ideas on pintrest today! Thanks again for all of the ideas!