What Would You Buy?

[tenderhearts]

If you got a free $1000.00 to spend on your daycare, what would you buy?
I was considering a "light table", does anyone have any opinions on those for ages 2 and up? and what else would you buy?

[Tin Blues]

Do you have magna tiles? Single most played with toy in my daycare for years. Lakeshore Learning has jumbo size magna tiles that I’ve been eyeing, but they’re 300 bucks for one set.

[MarinaVanessa]

Do you have magna tiles? Single most played with toy in my daycare for years. Lakeshore Learning has jumbo size magna tiles that I’ve been eyeing, but they’re 300 bucks for one set.

I got an off-brand set (Picasso Tiles) of 180 for $67 on sale on Amazon ($80 sale price, $85 regular price on Amazon and an additional 15% off coupon deal that they have going on right now). I've had them for 3 days and NOTHING else has gotten played with except those tiles, I love them. I've had them on my wishlist forever and finally took the plunge. LOVE LOVE LOVE and they feel just as sturdy as the Lakeshore, Magna Tiles ones do.

As far as what I would buy with $1k, I'd spend it on the sturdy preschool-grade shelving and tables and other furniture. I'd love to have sturdy furniture, I just can't afford it. I have champagne taste on a beer budget ::

[tenderhearts]

Do you use magna tiles with the light table?

[BrynleeJean]

oh yea magna tiles they have them all around they have them at target too.
duplo blocks are a favorite, i only have one set id get more because one kid can build a whole tower out of them.
Id get a folding kid sized picnic table for my Little to eat at so my kitchen table can have a chance
or maybe laminate floors put in my daycare rooms
Maybe a bunch of curriculum for a whole year for all my kids
maybe a koala care changing table. I've always wanted one to save space but they are a little pricey
at least 10 new baby board books maybe giant ones and some with black and white picture
maybe a mobile for every crib (i only have two right now)
it can go so quick i spent 2500 on stuff for this home daycare when i moved to this house and it was basically just matching durable furniture i wanted to last me years and a coulples.
daycare is expensive.
you can use it for necessity or fun. Choose wisely

[storybookending]

I personally would buy a couple more bikes/trikes etc as that has been our biggest hit lately or finally finish up the dress up corner I’ve had planned in my head for years.

My kids also love magna tiles. We have the Picasso brand that someone mentioned that I got on a groupon and an excellerations brand that I don’t care for as much.

[nanglgrl]

Check out IKEA if you’re looking for cheap, sturdy child-sized furniture and toys without buttons. They ship at much cheaper prices now. I just redid my daycare last year and changed almost everything and IKEA saved me a lot of $.

The kitchen,doll bed, child sized chairs and table chairs in the dramatic play center, the sensory table and stools, easel, dollhouse and child sized storage units on the walls and ground and the “stairs” leading to the egress are all IKEA. Some of the wooden toys are also IKEA. Each ground storage unit is a different center.

I have a light table that is a much cheaper light box on top of an IKEA storage unit. IKEA also has a small see through light box with lights inside. As far as manga-tiles you can’t go wrong with those!

[Cat Herder]

I'd go with this:https://www.discountschoolsupply.com...&Category=6655

[tenderhearts]

Check out IKEA if you’re looking for cheap, sturdy child-sized furniture and toys without buttons. They ship at much cheaper prices now. I just redid my daycare last year and changed almost everything and IKEA saved me a lot of $.

The kitchen,doll bed, child sized chairs and table chairs in the dramatic play center, the sensory table and stools, easel, dollhouse and child sized storage units on the walls and ground and the “stairs” leading to the egress are all IKEA. Some of the wooden toys are also IKEA. Each ground storage unit is a different center.

I have a light table that is a much cheaper light box on top of an IKEA storage unit. IKEA also has a small see through light box with lights inside. As far as manga-tiles you can’t go wrong with those!

Wow great thanks for the tip with IKEA I never thought of that.
One thing I know for sure I need right now is nap mats and I need a new rocking chair (for me) I got one a few years ago at walmart and it was garbage so any tips on that too would be great. I will definitley be searching the Ikea website.
So I'm still a little confused withe the tiles, are those for the light tables or are they just tiles? I have tons of mega magnets that are the most played toy in my daycare and it has been that way since I bought them 5 years ago, I keep adding to those because they are expensive.

At a class I went to others in it just really raved about these light tables and I had never heard of them before

https://www.amazon.com/Whitney-Brothers-WB0724-Light-Table/dp/B0039KB4MQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541008594&sr=8-1&keywords=light+table+whitney+brothers

[tenderhearts]

I just figured out that I have a lot of the magna tiles, I didn't realize that was the name of them, I thought they were just magnets, so I'm pretty good on those.

This is so hard, I didn't realize how hard this would be

[tenderhearts]

Check out IKEA if you’re looking for cheap, sturdy child-sized furniture and toys without buttons. They ship at much cheaper prices now. I just redid my daycare last year and changed almost everything and IKEA saved me a lot of $.

The kitchen,doll bed, child sized chairs and table chairs in the dramatic play center, the sensory table and stools, easel, dollhouse and child sized storage units on the walls and ground and the “stairs” leading to the egress are all IKEA. Some of the wooden toys are also IKEA. Each ground storage unit is a different center.

I have a light table that is a much cheaper light box on top of an IKEA storage unit. IKEA also has a small see through light box with lights inside. As far as manga-tiles you can’t go wrong with those!

I have a large walk in step 2 kitchen, I kind of want to down size this so I can get other stuff, I like the wood kitchen that IKEA has but is it durable, does it dent easily with kids banging and such?

[nanglgrl]

I have a large walk in step 2 kitchen, I kind of want to down size this so I can get other stuff, I like the wood kitchen that IKEA has but is it durable, does it dent easily with kids banging and such?

It has been durable so far! We’ve had it for over a year with no problems, it still looks good as new and is played with all day every day.

[tenderhearts]

Great thanks for the information

[lovemykidstoo]

I got almost $5,000 in a grant a little over a year ago. Bought a ton of stuff. Lots of it, the kids have zero interest in which is disappointing. The magna tiles are a huge hit, but you already have those. I did buy a light table and honestly I thought they would love it. They play with it sometimes, but not often. I bought 2 really sturdy trikes and they love those. Also a playhouse for outside, that they play with daily. My biggest love is I bought a quad stroller from Walmart! Love love that.

[lovemykidstoo]

I got almost $5,000 in a grant a little over a year ago. Bought a ton of stuff. Lots of it, the kids have zero interest in which is disappointing. The magna tiles are a huge hit, but you already have those. I did buy a light table and honestly I thought they would love it. They play with it sometimes, but not often. I bought 2 really sturdy trikes and they love those. Also a playhouse for outside, that they play with daily. My biggest love is I bought a quad stroller from Walmart! Love love that.

I wanted to add that I bought the trikes from constructive playthings. They're called
Constructive® Sure-Ride Trike and are $160. They are so sturdy, you will never be able to kill them.

Also, I bought an entire wall of storage shelves from Ikea. Love those too!