So next week I get to provide respite for a foster kiddo for a week. I am so excited! I was putting together our daily schedule (more on that in a later post) and realized I needed a bunch of supplies. I headed to Target to stock up. I’ll need to go to a teacher supply store, but Target wore me out so I’ll do that another day.
Here’s what I bought:
Art supplies. I don’t have a craft-oriented cell in my body, so I don’t have any art supplies in my house other than a fairly crusty watercolor set left over from my nieces. And while I have zero interest in art projects myself, they are amazing sensory activities. So there’s a slot for art in our daily schedule. I bought a coloring set: crayons, markers, stickers, glitter glue, etc. I also got finger paints, play doh, sidewalk chalk, and model magic.
Active play equipment. Karyn Purvis recommends exercise every two hours. We’ve got walk time built into the daily schedule, and a couple of our outings (again, more on that later) involve exercise. I’ve got a mini trampoline already, and we’ll be having dance time each day. I picked up a cool hoola hoop that lights up—good for exercise and for talking through respecting personal space. I also got a “sit n’ spin” because kids love them. Lastly, I bought a catch game set—it has things you put on your hand that are all Velcro (so the ball sticks). Oh, and I got a board game where you do fun activities.
Kitchen stuff. I’m a single lady with all breakable dishware. Not a good idea with little kids! So I bought an awesome plastic plate/bowl/cup with cute monkeys on them. I also got a kid-sized water bottle (hydration is super important for healthy brain chemistry!). I snagged a cool insulated tote bag for carrying snacks and some freezer packs to cool it. Dr. Purvis recommends feeding the kids every two hours, which means you need to carry your apple slices and trail mix with you wherever you go. And I got lots of sugar free bubble gum. Kids love gum, and the chewing motion helps calm and focus them. Win!
Miscellaneous safety items. I got cute fish-shaped sticker things for the bottom of the bathtub (to prevent slipping). I stocked up on wipes to keep in my purse (kids are dirty). I got an extra night light for the bathroom and a small flashlight she can keep by the bed. I got a baby monitor so that I can hear her if she calls out in the night. And I got some tinkerbell bandaids, because they were super cute and are a great fun way of communicating, “if you are hurt, I will help you.”
I still need to go to the teacher supply store to get a few puppets, but today’s trip filled in some holes.
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