Treasure Boxes

I'm gonna come right out and say it... treasure boxes are LOVED! I love them, other teachers love them, and most importantly, my class loves them. I created them at first way back when as an option for children who were growing out of naps. They have come a long way since then.

The children over the past three years have loved them so much, that I have started to incorporate them into our day to day. They are a great option for in-between times, transitions and free time, as well as some nice structures partner play and individual play. I love to search dollar spots and sale sections for some new exciting things to add, only following the parameters that they have to fit in the boxes. (Around back-to-school time, you can get these boxes at Walmart for 57cents!!)

Here are the "regular" boxes that we have now!

 I drew a town map and put in cars that I got from the dollar store.

 I found a few sets of magnetic letters at Walmart for pretty cheap. The kids love to put them together and try to sound out the crazy words they create.

I wrote shape names and numbers on colored popsicle sticks. The kids have to try to put the shapes together. They use the drawn pictures to help out if they get stuck.

 They love this squishy, gooey and creepy crawlies.

 These flashcards are a favorite.

 I actually found this bunny game at Stop and Shop last year for $2. Can't beat it!

 Legos are always a beloved classic. I even find myself playing with them sometimes. 

 How cute!

 A very fun hodge-podge!

Good old fashioned playing cards. Don't underestimate simple stuff like this. The kids love to sort them, look at the numbers and letters on them.

I found these little puzzles at the dollar store. They came in a pack of 4 and have different numbers of pieces. anything with animals is always a hit with my kids.

These three connector sets I found in the Dollar Spot of Target.

In addition to the above treasure boxes, this year, I created some "small group" boxes. The toys I put in these I think lend themselves better to a small group of children.

 This cute little finger puppet set came from IKEA!

$Spot at Target!

 These cool guys came from Pottery Barn Kids! They were a bit more pricey than I would usually spend, but with all the superhero mania, I knew my class would really like them.

How about some feeling balloons? I filled them with sand, flour, corn, and sprinkles. Yay Texture!

Do you use treasure boxes in your classroom? Leave me a comment and let me know!