Howdy ya’ll! Wanna know what people ask us about the most?! GLUE SPONGES! WHAT!? You don’t know about the glue sponges? Wait, you aren’t using them??? People…you have to switch to the sponge. Trust me. Your life will be much better. No lost lids. Clogs…nope. Less mess. Less money. It’s a win-win for everyone!
These are simple to make. Very effective. Easy for students to use. And cheap. I spent about $18-20 dollars to make 8-10 glue sponges. They last the entire year. At the end of the year, I throw them out and then I make new ones for the new school year. $18-20 dollars compared to hundreds on glue bottles and glue sticks. Yeah. I know…
You need sponges. I got these in a pack of 6 for a couple of bucks at Wal-Mart. They are the Cello brand and I use them because they’re slightly moist already! Sandwich containers with snap-on lids and glue. About 2 bottles per sponge. We have learned that Wal-Mart brand containers work best.
Pour about 3/4 of the glue in the container.
Put 1 complete sponge in your container. Then, cut another sponge in half or 1/3 to fit (varies depending on your container!). Push them down in the glue.
Pour the remaining glue on top of the sponges.
Place the lid on and let the sponges absorb the glue. These take a few days to soak up the glue and be ready for use.
BAM! Glue sponges.
Glue Sponges Tips:
Spritz the sponges with a mixture of water and Listerine once a week to keep them moist and germ-free. I mix in a travel size bottle of Listerine in a regular spray bottle!
Add more glue every week or two depending on how much they dry out and how much they get used! For larger pieces of paper, teach your students to glue around the edges!
Make sure the lids are on tight!
Making Individual Glue Sponges
If you’re wanting to make individual glue sponges, here’s what we recommend:
Crayon Boxes from Wal-Mart (found in the office supplies section).
You can click on the link below to see my How-To Video on YouTube on how to make the sponges!
Here is a Glue Sponge In Use In My Classroom
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6 comments
You make this look sooo easy. Honestly…when I was packing my room I tried to make some for a teacher friend and myself and it DID NOT WORK. The sponges did not soak in the glue. IT HAD TO BE THE SPONGES AND I WILL TRY AGAIN!
Thank you.
Such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing! Looks like you had a fabulous trip to Vegas 🙂
Amber
Mrs. Masters’ Kinder Love
I love the sponges! My school insists on supply lists that include 6 glue sticks per kid-SIX?! A whole six! They are gone by December. Guess what's going on my parent wish list this year! Thanks a heap!!! Oh also – dollar tree has packs of variety mustache erasers. Either 3 or 4 for a buck. Thought of you of course!!
That's a good idea! I would not have thought to make glue sponges ever!
Rambling About Reading
Listerine – brilliant!!! What a great idea, thanks!