My first one is starting kindergarten next week and needs something for "rest time". The papers say to send in a bath towel with their name in permanent marker that will come home each week for washing. Well, I don't have any towel to donate for this, but I could buy one. I have a nap mat that is about the size of a bath towel. It has a little pillow sewn in with a blanket attached. This seems like it would be ok, actually better, than a bath towel. I don't want to bug the teacher with something like this, so I was curious what other kids kindergarten classes do? Did your kids bring their own mat, blanket, or towel?
Edit: When I say I don't have a towel to donate for naptime, I mean to my SON. There seems to be some confusion due to my phrasing there. I don't have any towels I am willing to write on with permanent marker, but of course I could buy a cheap one. The nap mat is the same size rolled up as a bath towel. The teacher requested a bath towel OR a small blanket. I have small blakets for him already. It didn't occur to me that they may already have the mats and just need a blanket. Thanks moms for clearing up some of the mystery here! I will just send him with a small blanket to start, and if need be, upgrade to the mat later. At least I don't feel like I need to rush out to Walmart this week for a towel!
I am a kindergarten teacher...I ask my students to bring a small blanket or towel...the school has mats that they students use. I would just email the teacher...I would think (s)he would be fine with it!
They lay down on something then cover with the towel. It is about the right size to cover a Kindergartner and not have tons of blanket laying on the floor. Our Kindergarten class had their own sleep mats and let us bring small blankets or towels.
It is not a donation...don't understand why you'd think you wee donating his covers, it should have his name on it in sharpie, but anyway, it comes home each week so it can be washed then is sent back on Monday to use the next week.
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Just a note here:
Head lice like CLEAN hair so please don't feel dirty or gross if your kids get them. They are at epidemic levels across the USA and everyone will get them. Don't freak out and go nuts.
Go to headlice.org and educate yourself.
You don't need to waste time and effort doing all the old wives tales things. They don't work anyway.
If you use a shampoo that has Tea Tree Oil in it your kids won't get head lice to start with, they hate the smell and it is slightly oily so they can't stick their eggs to the hair shaft. If you buy some Tea Tree Oil at the pharmacy or store only add 2-3 DROPS of it to the entire bottle of shampoo. It is very potent.
We just had the kinder orientation bit, too, and we are also supposed to send in a beach towel. They explained to us that they prefer towels because, frankly, there is a good chance that there will be a child at some point during the year who has lice. Pillows and blankets harbor their spread much easier than something like a beach towel.
Sorry about that. It seems like I just keep saying, "Thank you, for that new paranoia." Like we need one more, right?
Congratulations on your little one starting kinder!
My kindergartener was asked to bring a towel, so we're buying her a towel. I would suggest keeping with the 'norm' on this one....while YOU might think the nap mat is better, your child *may* be upset that they're the only ones without a towel.
we were asked to bring beach towels too, Lice issue and space issue. your's sounds small enough but some people go crazy and the things they bring in are hard to store. A few kids in DD kindg class fell asleep but most just had some quiet time. It isn't a long 2 hour nap like in daycare.
They might have the mats already and will be using the towel to cover the mat with. My daughter's preschool class she's starting uses a king size pillowcase to cover the napmats.
If they are asking for towels, hit wal-mart and let her pick out the color towel she wants. They have towels that will do the trick and aren't expensive.
I would bring the nap mat. I know that some parents had a hard time finding nap mats when my daughter was in kindergarten.
This is the type of question to ask the teacher, not others who are not in the class. The reason they're asking for a towel is because it saves space. If you send in a mat they will send it back and ask for a towel. If someone sees that one person has sent in a mat then more people will switch to mats and I'm sure there is just not the room to store them or else they would have ok'd it in the first place. Just buy an inexpensive towel and Sharpie your child's name on it.
The other thing could be that they may have mats or racks for the kids already and this is to cover up with. Your best bet is to contact the teacher and ask. But if they ask for something, there's a reason for it.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
For pre-k, my son's class used nap mats. For kindergarten, they used towels spread out on the floor. It's probably just a preference of the school or teacher. If you already have a mat, and it doesn't take up any more space than a towel to store, and your daughter is able to fold and unfold it on her own, then you probably don't have to buy something new. Or if you have a meet the teacher day maybe you could mention it then.
Since my son no longer napped in kindergarten, I sewed a washcloth to the towel as a pocket to hold a book to read during quiet time.
You can get a mat at Target in their school supplies section for like four bucks.
They provided him with a pillow(we had to wash and return half way through)and we had to send some form of Towel or blanket.
They only laid down for the first month or two...after that it was a recess time.
If they ask for a towel, bring a towel.
MOST all Kinder classes, ask for a towel.
Here, at my kids' school, they ask for a "beach" towel. Not a 'bath' towel. Beach towels are longer.
My son is tall.
He fits a beach towel.
The nap towels will come home at the end of each week, to be washed.
Also, bear in mind, that if you bring a clunky mat or something thick and cumbersome... the class is not a 'storage' for each child's bedding. Each child has a CUBBY, in which they put their things.
THUS, the nap "towel" or whatever you have your child use... typically.. has to FIT, into the cubby. And if it does not fit, then well, it will probably be on the floor, folded up.
And who wants their child's nap towel/mat/pad, on the floor?
It should be IN their cubby. And be able to fit, in the cubby, appropriately
Also, this is NOT a "Donation."
It is to be used for YOUR child..... to nap on, in class, at nap time.
Your child's name will be on it, with Sharpie pen.
This "towel" they ask for, is ALL a part of school supplies which each child needs to bring, to school.
My daughter started kindergarten this week. They provide nap maps but they also gave us the option to bring our own so we got one from target that sounds similar to yours. I guess if they have a problem with it they'll let you know!
I think you are fine with the nap mat. The teacher was probably making an inexpensive suggestion so parents didn't have to spend a lot of money. I would send in the mat you already have and if it's not ok then go get a towel. No big deal.
When I was a kid we had a "kindermat." It was a foam pad covered in plastic that had 4 seams so that it folded up neatly. This is the EXACT item we had:
http://www.napmat.com/kindermatinfo.html
We had the one that folded to 5/8"
