Shopping, shopping, shopping! This week has been all about shopping. I was given the large task of ordering all the furniture/items for my brand-new classroom that will be providing a program for 10 amazing kids with developmental disabilities. As this was my first time setting up this kind of program, I visited multiple classrooms and reached out to many people for advice and suggestions. I also used my new students’ IEPs and transition meetings to guide my purchases, which is a mandatory part of the process. For those of you out there trying to make decisions without my amazing network of colleagues to rely on, below is the list of items that I purchased this week for the upcoming school year:
List of things to buy for new DD class
- Printer with colour ink
- Laminator
- Velcro
- Microwave
- Fridge
- Plates
- Cups
- Cutlery
- 3-seater couch
- Bean bag chairs
- Glider rocking chair
- Carpet
- Independent work stations
- Shelf for books
- Trampoline/active movement in the school?
- Bikes
- Washer/dryer
- Tables
- Independent work station desk
- Sensory bins
- Peg board
- Chewlery
- Cause and effect toys
- Slant board
- Writing tool grips
- Triangular tools
- Multi-sensory materials
- Math manipulatives
- Calendar
- Bob books/Pattern books
- Reading A to Z
- Site word activities
- Number games
- Timers
- Alphabet books
- Playdough
- Picture books
- Matching activities
- Thera-putty
- Paint/art materials
This is by no means exhaustive and was designed to meet the needs of my particular students. Also, some of the items will come through referrals by Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. But if you were like me last week and had no idea where to start, hopefully, this will give you a staring point! Happy shopping.
