Dollar Store Finds and Ideas, Part 1

Within a five-minute radius, there's a Dollar Tree, a Dollar General, and a Family Dollar store. Each one carries similar items, but not always the same merchandise. Every so often I go in one to pick up something, and when I do, I always peruse the store for things that catch my eye and ignite my imagination. (This also goes for those dollar bins at the grocery store and Target.)

This go-round, I came away with a bonanza, which I'll be sharing this week in three parts. Most of these items I already have, but through use and "borrowing", my supplies needed replenishing or replacing.

One can never have too many shapes puzzles to use in centers, or to put out during my Ten Minute Smarters. These are great ways for the kids to use Tangrams, work on their fine motor skills, and to recognize shapes.

Seashells can be utilized in many ways: as part of your science center, to have the kids separate into classifications, as markers on a game board, or simply to count. The possibilities are endless!

Marbles are terrific when it comes to marble painting (rolling it in Tempra, then letting it go all over a sheet of paper.) They're also neat to use in science experiments (let them roll down ramps, and see if the angle of the ramp makes a difference in speed.) Have racing games with them. Play "croquet" using a pencil for a club. Or go bowling.

The chips are also great, and these multi-colored ones offer a wider variety of utilization. They make terrific tokens or markers. Toss them into a paper cup. Count them, or show math sentences for sums (ex: 2 yellow + 3 green = 5, the same as 4 yellow + 1 green = 5). Divide into different color classifications.

More to come!