Equipment & Furnishings

[mabell]

What equipment and furnishings are your favorite?
What did you think you needed but have learned you can live without?
Favorite places/brands to purchase?
Brands to look out for?

Bonus points for pictures

(I'm unable to search the forum on my phone )

[flying_babyb]

current classroom favorites:
Our little tea set (pink play school that sings)
Tangrams


Tomorrow we get new stuff. I brought a bunch of empty boxes from the kitchen to put in house area. Also have a mother load of Mc. Donald's coffee cups too (mom's a addict). The best newbie? I found one of those pillows that change colors when you play with it for $5!

[midaycare]

I have the same issue with my phone. And I just upgraded to the latest and greatest, so it can't be just us!

I had a dollhouse the first few years - major waste of space. And I currently have almost all girls.

I bought a racecar bed off of a garage sale site for $40. I threw away the mattress, put a wooden board down, and we use it as a ball pit, to hold stuffed animals...You name it. The kids love it. Outside I have the Thomas the Train bed, with no mattress or board. The kids love to play in it. Cost me $60 off a garage sale site. 2 of my best purchases.

I have a small indoor slide. I get huge use out of that.

I bought a $20 oil drip pan from Wal-Mart- it's big. I use it as a magnetic board.

And everything Little People. Those are huge here. Most I buy at garage sales.

[storybookending]

I have a play kitchen in both of my playrooms full of foods and dishes that by far gets the most use. Also balls of any sort are a crowd pleaser with my bunch. Baby dolls and accessories are super popular here as all of my 3’s and 2’s are girls.

I used to have two doll houses out but I got rid of one and just kept out the bigger little tykes one and after a year of no one playing with it the girls finally have some interest.

I have a smaller little tykes cube climber with a slide that’s in my basement year round that they also love!

Also books, my kids are OBSESSED with books of any kind.

[Jdy2222]

My son built pieces like those in the forefront of this image. The kids love the ramp and the platform/stage (ours isn't carpeted) ... the stage upside down is a whole new toy too. They aren't as into the climbing triangle yet, but do come up with a variety of used for it.

Their other favorites right now are anything doll - but they really like putting the dolls in real stuff (exersaucer, bouncy seat, swing) more than in doll specific items.

The non-walkers appreciate anything in a box or bucket. Everything goes into and out of shoebox sized buckets all day long.

[mabell]

Awesome! Thank you everyone :hug:

What type of furniture do you have as far as tables and chairs go? And high chairs?
What about cubbies/hooks for kids' things?

[storybookending]

Awesome! Thank you everyone :hug:

What type of furniture do you have as far as tables and chairs go? And high chairs?
What about cubbies/hooks for kids' things?

My daycare is in my home so my children all eat at my regular dinging table with boosters. The under 1s have trays on their boosters and they are slowly moved to the big table without the trays around their first birthday.

For cubbies my house has a little built in nook in my enterance way and all of their outdoor gear goes in there when they arrive. No specific spots, I only have 6 children. They don’t bribe anything back and forth except themselves and their jackets. Extra clothes, supplies and diapers are kept in their own drawer in a 6 drawer dresser in the playroom with a changing pad on top.

[Blackcat31]

Awesome! Thank you everyone :hug:

What type of furniture do you have as far as tables and chairs go? And high chairs?
What about cubbies/hooks for kids' things?

My daycare is in a separate house and is used just for daycare. I have a stop sign shaped oak table that used to be adult sized but my husband cut the pedestal down and it is now kid size. I have matching kid size chairs. For littler ones I just put the regular booster seats on the little chairs so that everyone can eat at one table verses littles in a high chair.

As for cubbies/hooks, I have a separate entryway that is used as a cubby/coat room and my husband is a woodworker by trade so he made wood cubbies for me.

Here are a couple (really old) pictures..