There are few things that feel as special as they did when I was a child, now I admit that I am lucky to work with preschoolers as I do get to witness many events through their eyes but it still doesn't feel as magical as my own childhood experiences!
Every year when my mum's Autumn/Winter Grattan catalogue used to drop through the door my brother & I would almost burst with the anticipation of what toys might lie within! We would spend weeks leafing through the toy section dreaming of what delights Santa might bring us that Christmas.
Since then, nothing has ever made me feel that way until I discovered Cosy a couple of years ago!
In our school every teacher gets a set amount of money each Spring to spend on requisition, some approach this with as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist (in fairness for those teaching older pupils, it can't be that much fun) whereas I love this time, I pour over the various catalogues whittling down my wish list until it fits within budget. However in the past few years all the educational supply catalogues have started to look the same apart from the variety of prices & don't get me started on the fact schools in N.Ireland are charged more for the same products by a particular company!
BUT when I found a Cosy catalogue, on the recommendation of Juliet Robertson of Creative Star Learning Company, I knew I had found a new firm favourite. 3 years on, it is still the best catalogue out there, it is brimming full of quirky & affordable ideas. Almost every page has something I have been searching for & you can tell most new products have been inspired by other teachers, they are practical & you know the children will love them.
Cosy are a young company & full of enthusiasm, their products are fun & practical. My all time favourite (for now) is the bread crate dolley, I got one last year & my class had so much fun with it, to hear them laughing as they ride around on this whilst bouncing off tyres was brilliant. It is always hard to judge products from a photo & sometimes you need to see them in action to actual see how 'worth' it they are. I know of a colleague who bought a bread crate dolley after seeing it in action in my playground as she had passed by it many times in the catalogue.
In the latest catalogue I have many new favourites & a long list of 'I have to have that' items but I'll have to wait to see what budget I have this year before making my final decision. However, here are a few of my favourites:
New improved Tuff spot den covers, I love my tuff spots & always encourage the children to see how they can play under it as well as on the top. Turning them into a little quiet hideaway within a busy classroom will help many teachers as we struggle to accommodate more & more children with sensory issues. But it will also create another play area for everyone, we all know children love to feel out of sight of adults.
Various outdoor nature buntings, there are trees/leaves, wild flowers & birds to choose from. I can see these becoming a big feature of many playground fences.
I just have to get some marshmallow forks, much more environmentally friendly than always using throw away skewers.
A quirky favourite are the impressionist lollipops, I can just imagine these dotted around the playground or Bear Woods in my setting. And best of all they can be decorated by the children too to make them more personal to your own space.
I love the wavy log sets & think they are fantastic value but more importantly,the hollows will create ready made spaces so more pushing & shoving to get settled on a log!
My N.Ireland humour is drawn to the metal bin lids!
Having seen the natural number line planks used as seating in a friend's setting I now know they have so many uses.
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| The rustic number line planks used as seating at the incredible Highway Farm Activity Centre. |
So, if you are the kind of person who can get lost in an educational supply catalogue for a few hours, make sure you ring 01332 370152 & order your own copy today. I promise you won't be disappointed & how could a company based in a building called The Chocolate Factory not appeal!
Metal bin lids! Everyone needs those! Sitting on pins and needles waiting for our copy. Thanks for the sneak peek. L.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a metal bin & lid sitting outside full of ashes from the fire! You will love this one as much as the others!
DeleteI think I would spend hours reading that mag, it look brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI love the number plank line idea, its so cute.
That is exactly what it is like to me Kim, a magazine to be treasured.
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