Think first.
Sounds simple right?
The first thing I did- when I thought about a home base preschool- was go to the school supply shop in our area. DON'T DO THIS! So many cute and adorable things in those stores. And it can be a little overwhelming too.
Against better judgment, I bought a cute calendar kit, an ABC phonic CD and then Velcro tape and two (science fair) project boards. (I bought these items at Walmart.) I spent in total $50. I rationalized, "I'm going to need a Calendar for my circle time!" and I know my circle time routine- so I knew what I was looking for in a Calendar kit.
I tend to do this- JUMP in first and Figure The Details Out later.
Please learn from my impulsiveness and do a little planning first.
Why am I kicking myself you ask?
When I sat down and thought about the logistics of starting a preschool from scratch- the reality of having to do it on a smart budget became a real concern.
I can't spend top dollar on all my preschool supplies. There is simply too much I have to buy. (I gave away most our household- especially our preschool age things when we moved.)
So I started making a list of things I would need to start out.
(I'll blog more about that later: but books, toys (you probably have a ton of these already), center activities, small table and chairs, etc..)
Then I realized- this is going to be EXPENSIVE!
I asked myself: How can I simplify it? Where can I save money? How can I be cost effective?
This time around- Preschool is going to be in addition to Mommy duties, not just an extension of my duties. (When my own kids were in the preschool- I taught preschool and it was investing time, energy in THEM too.)
FUNSHINE EXPRESS immediately came to mind! This company has a great preschool curriculum that they send to your door monthly. I loved using them in Hawaii. (In Hawaii Funshine Express was such a heaven sent! It just wasn't worth the gas and time it took to drive around the island for googly eyes, or pom poms, whatever little craft item I wanted or needed to preschool.) This preschool curriculum sends you the supplies needed for each activity- depending on the number of kids are in your preschool. (And they are cute activities!)
It is such a brilliant concept- if you look on line you'll find a handful of these types of companies. In Hawaii I tried a few, I started with the cheapest program and that was a waste of money. Funshine isn't the cheapest- but as the saying goes "You get what you pay for".
I found using Funshine Express actually saved me time and money! If I need 8 red pom poms- the kit has 8. I found this type of preschool kit saves space too- you don't need to have a craft closet to hold all your surplus craft supplies. (Our house in Hawaii was slim on storage space too.)
I looked forward to getting my preschool box every month.
(I'll talk more about what comes in your kits later.)
But the reason I am kicking myself about that $50 shopping spree .... is
www.Funshineexpress.com sends you a calendar with your starter kit. Every month you get a new header for your calendar and cute numbers to put on your calendar that match that month's theme!
That was $15 dollars I could have saved.
So I recommend.
If you are thinking about starting a home base preschool or you currently run a home base preschool-
and are looking for ways to save time and money- Look into Funshine Express.
Their monthly packets have more than just craft kits. (But that is a huge time saver that they do!)If you follow this link- it will take you to their page so you can see what comes each month.
There are center activities, a children's book that follows the theme for the month- and much more.
I knew I wanted to use Funshine Express this fall. I contacted them and asked if I could blog about their products. So you'll see a lot more about Funshine Express on this blog- as I share their amazing preschool curriculum this year!
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