Thanks to alexandalexa.com for sponsoring this post. As you all know, I passed my TExES EC-th Generalist Exam this month. Now, I’m on a constant look-out for educational toys for my future classroom as well as for our Little Ones as well as clothing  and other products we tend to need over time. alexandalexa.com offers everything from childrens burberry clothing to modern kids furniture. Below, you will find my wish-list and the reasons why I like all the the following products.

First, I’m going to say that the Scout Toys Insect Observation Set would make a perfect addition to any classroom! This observation set includes a net with a telescopic interchangeable handle, a shovel attachments  a net with a connection lock, an insect house with a carrying handle and a net for ventilation  a pair of tweezers, a mini lamp, a microscope, pincers, a container with magnifying glass and an instruction manual. This observation set is not recommended for children ages 36 months or younger. Overall, the entire set is a great value for a classroom Science Inquiry center coming in at $82.00 for years of future science lessons!

The second product on my Educational Wishlist for 2013 is the Leap Frog Tag Reader Solar System Adventure Pack. This particular Tag Reader product is best for children ages 4-8 years old. This Adventure Pack includes maps, a board game, more than 40 activities and 3 sheets of interactive stickers. Children will be able to utilize their own Tag Reader system to learn solar system facts and information which can directly apply to their classroom instruction. Little Girl already owns a Tag Reader and Tag Reader Jr. so this is a great product we could use at home or in my future classroom. We even bought her class a Tag Reader Jr. for her teacher’s Christmas gift. They use is daily now during centers. This pack costs $22.00 via the alexandalexa.com online store.

For my third choice, I can’t pass up the Melissa & Doug Wooden Magnetic Alphabet is perfect for at-home learning or center time, manipulative time, phonics, spelling, or just during reading. Students can manipulate the wooden alphabet letters to create digraphs, trigraphs, or even onsets and rimes. The entire letter has a magnetic back, which is great because you don’t have to worry about them looking all wonky on your refrigerator or on the front of your desk or magnetic white board like the ones with a little tiny magnet that isn’t very strong. Since they are durable, you can look at this purchase as $17.00 well spent.

We’re nearing the end of my Educational Wish-List for 2013 and coming in 4th place is the The Puppet Company LTD Table Top Puppet Theatre which retails for just $49.00. I am added this product because I have created a readers theater in the past for a college course project and my final costs was well over $60.00 after purchasing the board, fabric, and all of the other materials used to create scenes/backdrops as well as the curtains and the title area. My mom helped me construct the actual theater but it took more than a week of work for me to feel happy with the resulting product. However, the sides of this theatre folds resulting in a good use of space and storage.

For the last product on my Educational Wish-List of 2013, I am going with something for myself. Since I have been student teaching this year, I find that I need to keep on-the-go more often and I tend to forget to eat a healthy snack. Lately, I have done well when it comes to snaking, resulting in a 20 pound loss in nearly 3 months. However, I’m spending a lot more money on baggies to take for my lunch. I’m all for eco-friendly ways to pack snacks, but find the even with the use of fabric sandwich bags, my bread seems a bit dry when it comes to lunch time. Also, they don’t work as well as I would like when I have strawberries or grape tomatoes which tend to be my go-to snack lately. This is why I’m eyeing the Goodbyn Green Snack Box which costs only $6.00. I can pack .5 cup servings of fruits, yogurt, vegetables or even peanut butter and celery slices to nibble on throughout the day. For the Little Ones, they would like blueberries and bananas. This product is microwavable, dishwasher safe, and re-useable. 

Overall, I’m happy that alexandalexa.com has sponsored this post.  I have found products I know will be useful for me when I begin teaching and products I would purchase anyway since the Little Ones can benefit from them here at home! Double-duty and no worries about items going untouched or unused when it comes to utilizing them in-class or at home. What are some educational products you can’t live without? Do you home school? What are some items you find useful when teaching your lessons? 

This post have been compensated by alexandalexa.com in exchange for featuring products from their online retail store. All opinions are 100% mine. Read more of my disclosure…