Kindermark Kids Blog

Enhance Your Space with a Colorful Rug

Whether you’re in need of a place to host circle time in your preschool classroom or would like to add to the décor of your waiting room, our carpets and rugs are the perfect solution! Kindermark Kids’ diverse selection of carpets and rugs provide a soft, comfortable and inviting environment for both learning and creativity. Even better, they are easier to clean and maintain than your typical classroom floors. They are great for protecting the finish of hardwood floors during play or adding cushioning for young children learning to walk. Our carpets and rugs are available in a wide selection of sizes, shapes, and colors to stimulate learning and development and to provide decoration for nurseries, playrooms, classrooms and waiting rooms. Enhance your space with one of these options below:

Alpha Carpets Oval

Now everyone can join in the fun of learning the alphabet with this bright, cheerful rug designed especially for circle time or any other group activity. This oval shaped rug comes in two sizes: 6’9” by 9’5” or 8’3” by 11’8”. It is also available in a 6’ circle rug. 

Cruisin’ Around the Town Carpets

Start your engines and cruise around the town with this fun and colorful rug. Children can play with their cars, driving down the roads and exploring all the sites that this rug has to offer. It’s perfect for keeping children entertained in waiting rooms or learning in the classroom. This carpet comes in three different sizes: 3’10” by 5’5”, 5’5” by 7’8” or 7’8” by 10’10”.

Calendar Carpets

This colorful multifunctional rug is ideal for imaginative and cognitive play. Use this rug along with our calendar kit to allow children to learn about the days of the month. This rug comes in two different sizes: 7’6” by 12’ or 8’4” by 13’4”.

KIDply Solid Color Rectangular Rug

The KIDply rug is a soft, durable classroom carpet with a lifetime abrasive wear warranty.  These rugs are great for schools, waiting rooms and spaces that get a lot of traffic. They come in 6 different colors: Demin, Midnight Blue, Grass Green, Red Velvet, Brown Sugar and Lilac. The rectangle carpet comes in 3 sizes: 6’x9’, 4’x6’ or 8’4”x10’.

Alphabet Farm Carpets

Have fun with the animals on the farm while learning the alphabet and animal sounds with this fun and colorful rug! The Alphabet Farm Carpets come in three different sizes: 4’5” by 5’10”, 5’10” by 8’4” or 8’4” by 11’8”.

With the end of the school year upon us, it’s time to start thinking about re-ordering for the 2018-2019 school year. Could your classroom use some new rugs next year? Maybe you want to invest in some new sleep cots or educational toys. Whatever you may need for the next school year, Kindermark Kids has you covered! In addition, our carpets, rugs and other products are also great for waiting rooms at auto dealerships, doctors’ offices and more! Browse our website today to find everything you need!

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24 Fun Ways to Keep Your Preschooler Entertained Through the Summer

The summer season is almost here! What are your little ones going to do now that preschool is out for the summer? They’re used to being around other children their age all day, playing and learning together. Kindermark Kids is here to help you keep them occupied with a few fun ideas you can implement into your child’s schedule this summer.

1. Visit a national park and explore nature’s beauty.
2. Join in your local library’s summer reading program.
3. Go camping, even if it’s just in your backyard.
4. Grow a garden together.
5. Put together a scavenger hunt.
6. Build a blanket fort in the living room.
7. Draw a picture with sidewalk chalk.
8. Setup a backyard obstacle course.
9. Do a science experiment.
10. Make tie-dye shirts together.
11. Have a pizza making night.
12. Take a trip to the zoo and see all the animals.
13. Learn how to ride a bike or trike and get some exercise.
14. Head to the county fair or some other summer festival.
15. Take a road trip to a nearby city and go exploring.
16. Go to a matinee movie.
17. Make homemade popsicles.
18. Go fishing in a nearby river or lake.
19. Play a round of mini golf.
20. Visit a local famer’s market and enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies together.
21. Put a puzzle together.
22. Play in water with a sprinkle, mini pool or slip’n’slide!
23. Go on a picnic and enjoy a meal in the great outdoors.
24. Hand wash your vehicle with your child and play in the suds.

Not only will your preschooler have fun participating in these activities, but he or she will be able to learn new things along the way. These activities are also a great way for parents to bond with their children. They need that interaction with adults just like they need the interaction with other children.

Kindermark Kids is here to help you with fun summer activities by offering a variety of educational toys that aren’t just for the classroom, but that can also be used at home. Check out our science equipment or our trikes. Our selection of play items will help you make the most of the summer season with your preschooler, and help prepare them for the next school session when it comes back around. Have a great summer!

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National Autism Awareness Month

April is National Autism Awareness Month. This month represents an excellent opportunity to promote autism awareness, autism acceptance and to draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year. The Autism Society has organized a variety of ways you can get involved, and celebrations include presidential/congressional declarations, online events and activities, local events and activities through their affiliates and partner opportunities.

What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disability. Signs of the disorder typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. ASD is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. Behaviors associated with autism can include delayed learning of language, difficulty making eye contact or holding conversation, difficulty with executive functioning, narrow, intense interests, poor motor skills and sensory sensitivities.

Tips for Teachers Working with Students on the Autism Spectrum

With an increasing population of individuals with autism, it’s important for teachers to be well-versed on those students’ needs. In today’s blog, Kindermark Kids wanted to offer some tips for working with students with autism.

 1. Get to Know the Student’s Needs and Interests.

The most important tip for teachers working with students with autism is to build a relationship. Start off by getting to know them, understanding both their needs and their interests. By developing a friendship with students on the autism spectrum, you are able to prepare them to be open to learning in your classroom. Once you get to know the student, you’ll begin to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and then can adjust your teaching methods accordingly.

 2. Avoid Sensory Overload.

Many students on the autism spectrum have sensory sensitivities. Therefore, it’s important that you ensure their senses aren’t overloaded. Fluorescent lights, unique smells and noises from other students can make it difficult for students with autism to concentrate. Avoid covering the classroom walls with too many posters and other distractions. Some students will also benefit from having their own center, where they can spend time away from any distractions. Consider one of our room dividers to create a quiet space. Sensory overload can lead to negative behavior, fear, anxiety, withdrawal, increased repetitive behavior, tantrums or complete meltdowns.

 3. Teach Social Skills Directly.

While many children that are thrown into a classroom setting make friends easily, those with autism can struggle with social skills. As the teacher, it’s important that you show support for their needs and directly teach them how to be social. Not only do you want to model appropriate social skills, but you’ll need to discuss how our behaviors make others feel.  In addition, you need to help build their confidence in interacting socially.

 4. Use Concrete Language.

Those students on the autism spectrum can have a difficult time with language, especially figurative language. These students interpret things very literally. Try to use concrete language, using as few words as possible. Be direct and get to the point. If you get a blank stare after asking a question or giving an instruction, try rewording it. In addition, asking a student to repeat what you said helps clarify that you’ve been understood. You’ll also want to avoid using sarcasm and idioms.

5. Offer Positive Feedback Before Criticism.

Students with autism often take things very personally, and can have difficulty handling constructive criticism. Be sure to offer positive feedback whenever possible. For example, when grading papers offer positive comments at the beginning and end to offset any negative comments. In some cases, you may want to ask the student to come discuss the paper with you rather than marking it up. Also consider using a different color pen than red for corrections. Students often associate red ink with failure and negativity. When a student is putting forth effort, be sure to reward them and offer praise.

At Kindermark Kids, it’s our mission to advance the business and professional goals of our customers and team members, while promoting the well-being of children and families. We do so through offering carefully chosen toys, classroom accessories and children’s furniture. Every product that we offer was designed and build with public play areas in mind. Be sure to visit our website for all your classroom needs!

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Ways to Use Our NEW Club Seating

Kindermark Kids is proud to offer the best in children’s furniture. Whether you need child-height seating for your classroom, daycare, waiting room or church, we’ve got a great selection from you to choose from. We are excited to have added some new pieces to our inventory, the Club Seating from Children’s Factory! Learn more about it below.

About Our Club Seating

Create a children’s seating space in your classroom, waiting room, etc. with Club Seating from Children’s Factory. Choose between a chair, sofa or set that includes both! The Club Chair and Club Sofa are both made of sturdy foam with no hard edges. They are covered with easy to wipe clean material. The furniture comes in either primary colors or cozy woodland colors. Keep reading to learn about some different ways to use this furniture.

1. To Create a Reading Nook in Your Classroom.

The Club Seating is perfect for creating a reading nook in your classroom. Pair the furniture with one of our book shelves to create space for students to enjoy their favorite books. The chairs and sofas allow for students to take a break from their desk and enjoy a more comfortable space while they read. Students can learn about taking turns by rotating who sits on the furniture each time.

2. To Provide Comfortable Seating in Waiting Rooms.

From doctor’s offices to dentist’s waiting rooms, business owners can create a comfortable space for children to wait. Child-height seating combined with some toys and books will help keep children entertained while they wait. This will cut down on temper-tantrums and bad behavior as a result of being bored waiting for long periods of time.

3. To Enhance Children’s Ministry Rooms.

Churches that offer children’s ministry need to provide a comfortable and safe place for children to learn and play while their parents attend church service. Our club seating is the perfect addition to these children’s ministry rooms at your church. 

The best part is that this new club seating is part of our Seating Sale happening now! For a limited time, you can purchase our club seating at a discounted rate. There’s no better time to invest in some comfortable, safe, child-height seating for your classroom, waiting room or church!   

Kindermark Kids - Creating Child-Friendly Spaces!

Easter Activities for Preschoolers

With the Easter holiday just around the corner, you can start incorporating Easter eggs hunts and bunny rabbit activities into your classroom lesson plans. From craft projects to snack time and everything in between, you can easily incorporate some of the Easter traditions into your daily classroom activities. Kindermark Kids has gathered some fun activities for you to try in your classroom this year.

Peeps Edible Play Dough

What child doesn’t like play dough? Not only is it fun, but it’s great for working little fingers to start to practice fine motor skills that will be used later when writing. However, little learners tend to put thing in their mouth, so you might be concerned with the play dough recipes you use with them. With Easter less than two weeks away, there’s no shortage on peeps! For an easy, edible play dough recipe, all you need is peeps, corn starch, vegetable oil and water. Check it out here: http://www.stillplayingschool.com/2014/03/peeps-play-dough-recipe.html.

Bunny Hopping

During this activity, children will get to learn about bunny rabbits while also getting some exercise. Rabbits hop in a zig zag when they are trying to get away from their prey. Have children practice jumping like a bunny rabbit by using masking tape to create a zig zag on the floor for them to hop along.

Homemade Easter Baskets

Turn your classroom Easter egg hunt into a craft project and math lesson! All you need for this activity is some empty egg cartons, acrylic paints, ribbon and a hot glue gun. Start by cutting the tops and tabs off. Then let the children decorate the cartons with the paint. Once they’ve had a chance to dry. Glue a piece of ribbon to the carton to create a handle. Voila! Now the children have Easter baskets with individual spaces, so they can practice counting to 12.

Contact Paper Chick

Sensory activity meets craft project with this contact paper chick activity. For the project, you will need a piece of contact paper large enough to fit two eggs, a bag of yellow feathers, two pieces of white cardstock, a pair of scissors, masking tape, two large googly eyes, a piece of orange construction paper and an orange marker. Find the instructions and pictures here: http://www.houseofburkeblog.com/2013/03/contact-paper-chick.html. Make sure the children have plenty of table space for these Easter crafts and other activities throughout the year by investing in some of our child-height table and chair sets!

Bunny Snacks

Bunny’s love vegetables, and they make the perfect healthy snack for children! Add to the Easter fun by providing carrots, celery and lettuce with ranch dressing for the children to enjoy during snack time. Let the children help you prepare the snack by allowing them to help wash the veggies. Our child-height portable sinks work perfectly in the classroom for activities such as this!

Beginning Letter Sounds Easter Egg Hunt

To help with reading and sounds, consider an Easter egg hunt that allows children to match the objects they find with the letters of the alphabet. Find the free downloadable Easter basket mat here. Once you’ve printed that, you can fill it in with whatever letters you want your students to work on. You can even customize it for each child if there are certain letters or sounds that they have been struggling with. Find small items that go with each letter that you can place in Easter eggs. For example, you might use a button for the letter “B” or a toy snake for the letter “S”. Then hide the eggs and once the children have found them, they can work together to match the items with the letters on their mats.

Kindermark Kids is here for all your classroom needs, from furniture to storage options and portable sinks for easy clean up. Visit our website to browse our wide selection of products to help make your classroom more organized and efficient. Happy Easter from Kindermark Kids!

Kindermark Kids - Creating Child-Friendly Spaces!

4 Strategies for Engaging Preschoolers in Rich Conversation

As an early childhood educator, you want to provide daily opportunities for your students to participate in activities that help them learn new skills or practice existing ones in a fun, stimulating and supporting environment. One of those skills would be communication. Effective communication skills are integral to children’s self-expression, their development of social relationships and their learning. Today’s blog from Kindermark Kids offers some strategies for engaging your students in rich conversation.

It’s important for students to have the opportunity to engage in conversation in a variety of different ways, for example in a group of peers, with adults, and one-on-one. Using everyday opportunities, you can engage children in meaningful conversation as they listen carefully, build on what others say, model responses and observe. Not only is it your job to create and encourage these opportunities, but remember to lead by example. Children are always watching your interactions with other children, as well as with adults.

1. Use Everyday Activities as Opportunities.

To engage students in rich conversations, you don’t necessarily need to create entirely new lesson plans and activities. You just need to be aware of what’s going on in your classroom and encourage communication throughout everything you do. Rather than just telling children what is going to happen next, get them involved. Use circle time, snack time, story time, nap time, etc. to engage meaningful conversation that sparks learning. For example, instead of just saying it is nap time, ask the children what do we do during nap time? There are so many opportunities for engaging children in rich conversation during the activities you already partake in each day. The challenge is recognizing those opportunities.

2. Design Spaces that Encourage Children to Talk Together.

Be sure to arrange your classroom in a way that supports each type of instructional activity and promotes effective communication. Include an area for circle time, setup different learning centers where children can work together on activities and be sure to engage children outdoors as well. Keep changes to this environment to a minimum. This will provide structure and routine for the children so that they can learn which activities take place in various parts of the classroom. The physical environment will then cue them as to what they are to do and how they are to behave in that area, including what type of communication to use. Predictable classroom routines allow children to anticipate what will happen each day and the type of language they will use for each activity.

 3. Regularly Introduce New Words and Phrases.

One of the most effective strategies for exposing children to rich language input is for the teacher to provide an ongoing commentary on activities that are taking place in the classroom. This exposes children to language associated with the immediate context. Give detailed descriptions, using different words and grammar. In addition, teachers can use props, introducing objects that spark conversation. You can also use books to introduce new language and engage children’s participation. Then read those books over and over so that they learn the words and their meanings. Songs and videos can also be used to effectively introduce new language and ideas.

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions to Challenge Children.

When engaging in conversation with children, make sure to ask open-ended questions rather than yes or no questions. This will challenge the children to think deeper as they express their ideas. For example, instead of asking “Did you think that would happen?” ask “Why do you think that happened?” You want to prompt the children to use as many words as possible when they express themselves. By doing so, you are helping them not only express their thoughts effectively, but conversation also helps them get what they need, resolve conflict, ask for help and learn from others.

Kindermark Kids is here to help support you in engaging your students in rich conversation by providing quality learning products. From educational toys to children’s furniture and organizational storage for organizing your centers, we’ve got your classroom needs covered!

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