Put It There! And A FREEBIE!!!
One of my readers, Tracy, recently contacted me about where I put all my center activities when they aren’t in use. I get this question quite a bit, and I guess it’s interesting to find out how other people solve the problem of having ‘all that stuff.’
Yes, having all those resources on hand is a great problem to have, and the fact that you now have them printed, laminated and cut is fabulous, but where can you keep them so that next year this time, you can just grab and go? I don’t claim that what I do will work for everyone, but in my small room and with the storage and shelves I currently have, this is the best system for me.
Depending on the type of activity I need to store, I either use a simple rubber band or, the old stand-by, a ziplocbag. I like to use rubber bands because they are easier and flatter…
especially for larger flat items like these.
But when there are smaller pieces . . .
. . . a ziplocdoes the trick.
I also always make sure that I have the student ‘I can’ sheet with the activity to remind me how the game or activity is played.
These file storage bins are the perfect sized for my shelves. And for my lifestyle, I like the fact that I can grab them and take them home if I need to go through them after the boys are in bed and I’m doing some planning late at night.
I have probably around 25-30 of them in my room. Each labeled either by theme, or, for those items that are not dependent on theme, by skill.
See . . . Nothing really earth shattering, but a simple way that keeps me organized and my station activities readily available. The only thing I would change is to have them all the same kind and color . . . it is really bugging me that they don’t match but what can you do?.
UPDATE: For all you that absolutely HAD to have these labels. I went ahead and made up a freebie so that you can also get these. There are some made up labels and then an EDITABLE version as well. So go ahead and click the picture below to download your copy. And if you’re interested in the totes, they are available from Amazon by clicking HERE!
Hope this helps you guys get a glimpse at what works for me.
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Marsha Moffit McGuire
With more than 20 years of teaching experience, it is my pleasure to bring you my most favorite ideas and activities to keep young learners engaged and loving learning.
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