Clear Plastic Shoe Box Storage

As an aspiring teacher, I keep dreaming of the day that I get a phone call saying "Congratulations Mrs. Castle, we would want our team of educators."  EEK!  I just can't wait; however, I kinda have to; because I do not have the powers to speed up time.  What can I do between now and then?  Finish my education, build a game plan, and daydream about what my classroom is going to look like.  So far I have found some organization ideas that I think ROCK.

First and foremost, I can see how every teacher will have a plethra of pencils, pens, erasers, stickers, crayons, markers, paint, calculators, construction paper, and etc.  How do you organize it?  One of the best ways that I have seen this done was actually in a teacher friends classroom.  She had all little stuff like crayons, scissors, rulers and markers in the clear plastic shoe boxes that you can get at the Dollar Tree for $1.  On one end and the lid she had a taken the printable name badges from Avery and printed labels with the word of the objects and a clip art picture of the objects on them.  The boxes were neatly stacked and looked perfectly organized. How cool is that?

(I just found this pic on Pinterest, had a hard time finding the original pin, sorry)

I would be giddy if I walked into my new classroom and it was set up like this, SO COOL!  This is great!  Oh, and look at the "Mirror", it is stainless steel framed and used as a magnetic board for little containers with stuff like paperclips.  Just pop a piece of magnet strip on the back and Rock On!

Now, back to what I was saying.  Using these clear plastic storage bins, everything has a home, stacks, and looks GREAT!  

Using this same set up, cut some card stock to fit into these boxes and use as dividers for things like stickers. Just label the top based on seasons, lessons, holidays, etc.  This way all of the stickers are corralled in one box that you can sit up high and out of reach of the students.

I also like the idea of having an award box.  My idea of a award box is using the above two techniques.  I am not a candy giver-outer as awards simply because I can't afford lots of candy.  So why not make some award tickets?  using the divider techniques, you can make some tickets, print them out, cut them up and box them.  This will come in super handy and the students can have some choice. More on a good award system later.

Also, I have seen where teachers have students bring in a box or two of pencils.  Using these shoe boxes, you can write the students name on the box they brought in and keep the boxes of pencils stored away.  When the student needs another pencil, they can go to their box and get one.  Along with the award system, I have more about pencils for a later date.

Do you get what I am trying to say here?  These clear plastic shoe boxed with lids stack great, provide a organized system that students can easily follow, corral loose tools, and just plain ole store items for later use.  When labeled properly and with clear instructions, these boxes should be a great addition to any classroom.  You can even have a student assigned to make sure that all the items are put back where they belong and the boxes are placed where they belong with the lid on properly.

The uses for these boxes are limitless.

Contact Paper- Yeah Buddy!

I have recently discovered the multi- useable Contact Paper!

How can this stuff be used in the classroom?  Wow, I am just going to start listing them with minimal instructions just to get you started!

• Quick Laminating- use the clear stuff!
• laminate stuff on the students desk like quick references, name tags, abc's etc.
• laminate folders
• cover books- great for paperbacks used in the classroom, makes them a bit more durable
• cubby hole name tags
• and so much more
• cut out designs to stick on the block walls like center lables, math shapes, etc.  Its a cut, peel and stick kinda thing
• use it to cover that nasty and scratched up teacher desk, table, book case, or even the file cabinet.  
• make book marks
• use to cover the front page of the books that the student make
• great for glitter page projects like birthday cards, and etc.  It will contain the glitter!
• Sensory projects like string art-  tape a sheet of contact paper town sticky side up, let students use string to decorate.  If they mess up, they can just peel it off and try again.  Once finished rub on a sheet of paper to cover the sticky side of the contact paper and sting- BOOM!  Instant wall decor!

So many possibilities!  Tons of colors, patterns, and etc. 

End of this year, Looking towards next year

This year is wrapping up to a close.  I have been anticipating the end of this semester.  It has truly marked a new beginning for me.  Once I have been officially accepted into the College of Education,  I will begin my true teaching classes.  This past semester has been a whirlwind to say the least.  I have made many presentations for speech class, fumbled my way through English and American Literature classes, and somehow floated through Geology.  I begin my Reading Literacy class, final math class, and my first of many days in a actual class room watching and assisting a actual teacher at her best.  I look forward to what 2013 bring to me in the form of Learning and Education.  I hope to post alot of my ideas and creations on here along the way in hope that I not only document my ideas for the classroom, but also in hopes that I may help someone else in the teaching field.  Please follow me on Pinterest.  I am constantly checking it and pinning new (and old) ideas for the classroom including organization tools and ideas.  Follow me on Pinterest

Roman Numeral Game

Here is a super easy way for children to learn their Roman Numerals.  Please feel free to print it out.   I had a blast making this.

Organized classroom starts with the papers on the teachers desk

As a substitute, and a student once, one thing that irked me more than any was a cluttered classroom.  I cannot stand to walk into a classroom and not know where the teacher teaches from, or where the students are to turn in their work.  No, I am not saying that the teacher has to have one specific spot that they have to stand in to teach from, or that there is a only one place for papers to be turned in throughout the class, but there needs to be some clearly defined organization in the classroom.

A clearly organized classroom, in my opinion, starts with the teachers desk.  If the teachers desk is well organized, clean, and everything neatly labeled, then the remaining of the room should follow suit easily. 
First thing is first... every paper that will sit on the teachers desk should have a clearly labeled home.  There are tons of paper organizers out on the market that will work.  It all depends if you want wire or plastic, what color you want, or even, you can make your own.  Some organizers let paper lay flat, on their edges, or even at a slant.  You can also choose if you want them to have 2 slots, or more.  After you have found which paper organizer you want to use, then you need to figure out how you are going to label it, or even not label; however be the case, I suggest that the slots on the organizer need to be labeled.  Some organizers come with a place for a label. If there is no place for a label, you can use folders that sit in the slots and the folders, then, have the labels on them.  This is a good choice for those who use the stand-up organizers.  Using the folders  help keep the papers neatly bundled without using paper clips, rubber bands, staples, etc. as they stand up on their ends, while helping prevent curving, rolling, bending, crumpling, etc.

Once you have figured out what files or bundles of paper need sitting on top of your desk, then you can develop a game plan for emptying the folders.  I suggest that you have the following files readily on top of your desk at all times: Planner, Attendance Record, Emergency Plans Folder, Substitute Folder, Office Folder, Urgent Folder, Incoming Mail Folder, and even a Student Notes To and From Home.  Since you do not teach from your desk (or at least you shouldn't)  I would suggest that you have another paper organizer somewhere else in the room readily accessible to all students for the students homework and one for the lesson plans for the week.  I will later blog about those.

Please keep in mind that I am just putting these blogs on here as a way for me to write and share my ideas and findings about things in the classroom.  I am also going to blog along with this information about advertisers.  This will be a form of income for me and my husband as I continue through school.  Feel free to comment, add things, and critique what I say.  I am by no means a educator, however I am learning to be one.  Advice, corrections, and additions will always be welcomed as long as they are presented to me in a respectful, honest form.  Thank you for reading my second blog. 

Hello,

As I am new to this whole blogging experience,  I would like to say "Welcome to my blog".  I am currently a stay-at-home mom who is attending college full time to complete my degree in Elemetary Education.  I often find myself looking for great classroom ideas.  More-so, I am looking for a way to write down my ideas and share them with others.  What better way for me to do this than blogging? 

In this whole blogging experience, I am looking for great advice and classroom management, cleaning, and organizing, not to mention the extra cashflow from the advertisers.  I look to blog about anything that pertains to the classroom, and while doing so, I look forward to reading comments from my readers. 

As I said previously, I am new at all of this so hang in there and let me get all of this figured out.