Funsteps To Learning
Customer Handbook

 Sections

Section 1 - Getting Started With Funsteps

• Checking The Contents Of Your Box

The time you spend checking your box at the beginning of the month can save you time and frustration later. Although we do our best to make sure that everything is included in your box, our workers must count thousands of each item each month, and errors are unavoidable. The list containing the Contents of the Daily Packets is located on the top of your box each month.

• Please check the number of Activity Pages, punch-out pages, and unusual items for which you won't be able to make substitutions.

• Save extra pompons, feathers, cups, etc., from your boxes, so that you can use them to fill in if you do find something missing in a box. Use one of your empty Funsteps boxes as a place to keep this supply of extras.

• Please call (1-800-882-7332) and let us know when things are missing so that we can send you replacements in time for when you’ll need them.

• Read through the Materials List at the beginning of the curriculum guide ahead of time so you may purchase any materials you might need for activities.  Also read the Booklist so you can reserve titles at your local library or purchase them for your child care.

• Decide Which Days Of The Month You Will Use Each Packet

Look at your calendar and decide how you’d like to set up your month. Write in the date that you’d like to use each of the Daily Activity Packets in the appropriate box on the overview found on the back cover of the curriculum guide. Perhaps you’ll want to stretch one days materials over more than one day.

It's better to do a few activities in a relaxed and non-stressful way, than to try to pack many activities into a day without time to enjoy them.

If holiday activities are included in our program, decide whether you want to include them in your program. If not, decide how you will reschedule the activities to replace them.

• Preparing For A Unit or Special Day

1. Plan for any special decorations. Look at the suggestions included for each special day and start a list of things that you want to purchase, if any. Perhaps you want to buy some special stickers, crepe paper, or treats.

2. Briefly scan the list of activities for each day to see if any require special preparation. Decide whether or not you want to do those activities, and then plan to try them out ahead of time.

If possible, try out science experiments ahead of time, so that you know how they will work best in your own situation.

3. If the children are being asked to bring or wear special items, arrange to have some of these on hand for children who forget theirs.

Scheduling Daily Activities

Remember that young children have very short attention spans. Organize your planned activities in short sessions throughout the day.

Spend a few minutes at the end of each child care day planning your next day and getting materials ready. Go through the list of activities and decide when you want to fit each activity in the next day's schedule. Number the activities in the curriculum guide. Do some imaging as you plan. For example, picture each activity in your mind as it might take place. This will help you to plan for items that you will need, and to decide on the best location to set up various activities.

Integrate activities to make the best use of your time. For example...

If dressing and undressing children for outdoor play is a problem, plan outdoor play just prior to arrival of parents. Do plan at least a few minutes of outdoor play daily, even on winter days. A brisk walk will be good for all of you.

Plan your more difficult activities for early in the day when you are fresh and feeling energetic, and when the children are more receptive. Children listen and follow directions best when they are not tired.

Keep an ice cream bucket of water and a roll of paper towels handy any time you do an art, science, or cooking activity.

Whenever possible, prepare materials ahead of time, including lunches and snacks. Setting materials for a Science Activity together on a tray ahead of time can help make transition into this activity go more smoothly.

Plan your free play times to allow you time to prepare lunch, or other activities which require more of your undivided attention.

Do your art or craft activities with small groups of one or two children, while the other children are having free play time in a nearby location where you can easily supervise both.

Plan messy activities just before the children have free play or naps so that you will have time to clean up. For example, finger painting might be done at the lunch table, right after lunch and just before naps. It will be a quiet time activity that can work well as a lead in to naps.

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Section 2 - Materials

Materials To Have On Hand For Routine Use

The following materials will be needed routinely as you work with the Funsteps program, and will not be included in your kit box or on the Monthly Materials List at the beginning of your curriculum guide.

Also Suggested Are:

Materials To Collect For Future Use

Most Daily Activity Packets come with all necessary materials. Once in a while, however, we will ask you to contribute the following items:

You might want to let parents know when your supply runs low so that they can save some for you. A good source for milk cartons is to ask your local elementary school to save a trash bag full. Rinse them with hot water and set them aside to dry.

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Section 3 - The Components of the Program

The Provider Pack

The Curriculum Guide

This is the core of the program. It sets up your day with an outline and brief explanation of activities in an easy to use provider format.

The daily curriculum pages include teaching units each month, as well as complete outlines of activities for special days during the month. There are also activities included for the alphabet letters for those providers who wish to use alphabet activities as part of their programs. You may choose to follow the format suggested on the overview on the back of the curriculum guide, or you may choose to use the units and special day activities in any manner in which they fit your program.  You'll find a booklist and overview for the upcoming month included in your provider pack each month so that you can do any advanced planning that you wish to do.

The Alphabet and Number Activity Page Instructions can be found with the craft instructions and usually also in the curriculum guide.

The Stories

The stories can be found in the curriculum guide each month. The stories correspond with the flannelboard pages and will be used as part of the units and special days each month.

The Songs

The songs are used in conjunction with the units or special day activities in the curriculum and are found in the curriculum guide. These songs are also recorded on the Sing-A-Long CD each month that can be purchased separately.  The CDs always include extra songs since they were created for our previously produced Kapers program.  You'll also find two stories included on the CD.  The Brian Blinkenhopper stories, which are on the CDs, are available by calling our toll free number 1-800-882-7332.  You may purchase a set of nine booklets for each of your children and distribute them monthly as they coincide with the curriculum, or you may purchase just one set to use in your facility.

The Flannelboard Pictures

The Flannelboard Pictures are included in our Provider Pack each month. They include full color flannelboard pictures for use with the stories, as well as pictures for language and other activities. (For more information, see the special section in this booklet on Using The Flannelboard Pictures.)

The Number Posters

Each month you'll receive a Number Poster to hang in your facility. We suggest that you cover these with clear contact paper or laminate them to increase durability. They can be found in the provider pack.

The Color Posters

Each month you'll receive a poster for the color of the month. We suggest that you cover these with clear contact paper or laminate them to increase durability. They can be found in the provider pack.

The Training Manual

Additional training in early childhood education is provided by the monthly Training Manual, which includes popular techniques, new ideas, and information. The Training Manual may be 3-hole punched to store in a 3-ring binder for easy reference.

 The Daily Activity Packs

The Funsteps Craft Activities are designed to reinforce or enrich other activities that are part of your teaching units or special days. They will help your children to develop such skills as following directions or completing a project in a specific sequence. They help children to develop fine motor skills and are great for imaginative play. And best of all, they're fun and colorful, and are a great way for the children to share some of their day with their parents. To make sure the projects are still in one piece by the end of the day, you may want to have a special place near your front door, where you can hang art activities to dry during the day. The children will love admiring their work during the remainder of the day, and their take-home projects will be intact when parents arrive.

Each Craft Activity is packaged in the Daily Activity Packets in a plastic bag. Each bag is labeled with the day which corresponds with the daily curriculum . All of the materials necessary for completing the activity (yarn, pompons, feathers, construction paper, etc.), are included in the package.  Each Craft Activity includes complete, step-by-step instructions and a sketch to show you how to assemble the project.

We encourage you to be creative with our Craft Activities. Provide crayons, markers, extra construction paper, etc., so that the children may add their own personal touches. Our instructions and sketches are suggestions only. Please feel free to disregard them and use the materials in any way that you wish. Please don’t require that the children’s crafts all look like yours. Let them put pieces where they wish to create their own unique and special creations.

The Activity Pages

Daily Activity Packet 1 contains a Parent Letter which may be sent home at the beginning of the month, to let parents know about the activities which you have planned for the month. It also contains the words to the Fingerplays and Music used during the month.

The Activity Pages are packaged in the Daily Activity Packet that corresponds with the daily curriculum.  For example, if the Activity Page is listed in the curriculum for Funsteps 1, the Activity Page can be found in Daily Activity Packet 1.

Parent Notes for special days are included in the Daily Activity Packets for the actual special day and may be colored by the children, and sent home prior to your special day.

The Classroom Calendar

These can be used exactly as they are, with no special preparation. Simply attach the calendar to a wall, bulletin board, door, or refrigerator. If you plan to have the children attach the small pictures, be sure that the calendar is posted where they can easily reach it. SUGGESTIONS FOR HANGING YOUR CLASSROOM CALENDARS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Purchase a supply of large tagboard sheets in the Funsteps colors of the months. (e.g. blue for September, orange or black for October, etc.) Attach the paper calendar to the lower half of the large sheet. Then attach appropriate decorations at the top of the sheet. These might be purchased at a party shop or cut from a magazine or greeting cards. Or, simply cut a large shape from construction paper. (e.g. a pumpkin for October, a large leaf for September, etc.)

2. Put a simple border around the outer edge of the calendar before you hang it. This might be made from construction paper, gift-wrap, or wallpaper. The children will enjoy a variety of colors and designs. You might also try to make the borders have textures. For example, try making a border using strips of colored cups from egg cartons.

Attach the pictures using just a dab of glue so that you can recycle the pictures for future art activities.

Miscellaneous Items

The Monthly Materials List

The Monthly Materials List is at the beginning of the curriculum guide each month. It lists materials not included in your box, and the days on which you will need them, for science, language, creative art, and other activities throughout the month. Most of these materials may be found around the home, but some will need to be purchased or borrowed from various sources. Be sure to read the list over after you have decided on the units and special days that you'll be doing. This will allow you to plan ahead.

The Schedule For The Year

The Funsteps curriculum is on a three year cycle and the crafts are on a six year cycle, and each month of those years is different. Yearly schedules are included in the April box and are available at any time, upon request, by calling our toll-free number.

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Section 4 - Using the Flannelboard Pictures

Mount the pages on tagboard or use them as they are. Rubber cement will allow you to glue without having the paper curl or become brittle.

Print the story and letter or activity with which each picture is to be used on the back of each picture.

You may cover the fronts of the pictures with clear contact paper, if you wish, to preserve them for extended use.

Cut out the pictures along the edges, or just cut each picture out in a circle or oval shape if you don't wish to take the time to cut along the edges.

Glue bits of sandpaper, sticky-back velcro (this is our favorite method - it's available in most fabric shops), felt, or flannel to the backs of the pictures to make them adhere to your flannelboard (or magnetic tape to allow you to use your refrigerator as a magnet board).

Build a library of flannelboard pictures by placing each month's pictures in a plastic bag. Or, you might want to collect them in file folders and separate them in specific categories such as animals, vehicles, foods, etc.

To Make A Simple Flannelboard…

A simple flannelboard can be made by covering a hardboard oil painting canvas with a length of colored flannel, using bedsheet folds on the corners, and securing the edges to the back with masking tape or glue. This type of flannelboard can be very portable and is easily stored.

An apron made of flannel also makes an interesting "flannelboard." Make a pocket at the bottom so that you can store the flannelboard pictures until you need them in the story that you're telling.

For providers who use their family living room as a circle time area, try having the children sit on the floor in front of the sofa. Then sit on the sofa yourself as you tell the story and use the back of the sofa as your flannelboard.

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