Glue sponges are one of my classroom must-haves. I see so many teachers talking about glue sticks and glue bottles and the struggle that comes with the. The solution is definitely GLUE SPONGES! No lost lids. No clogs. Less mess. Less money. Less waste. It’s a win-win for everyone! I created the first glue sponge 14 years ago and have never looked book! And yes, THEY WORK! Here’s the thing about TKS. We don’t share or promote anything that we don’t use and believe in. If glue sponges didn’t work and if they were messy I wouldn’t talk about them all the time.
How To Make Glue Sponges
Glue sponges are simple to make and cheap to make! I spent about $18-20 dollars to make 10-12 glue sponges. They last the entire year with a little maintenance . 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 how much money for glue bottles and glue sticks. We make 1 sponge for every 2 kids.
You need sponges. I got these in a pack of 6 for a couple of bucks at Wal-Mart. They are the O-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.
You can also get sponges in bulk from Amazon!
Pour the entire bottle of glue into the bottom of 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.
Glue Sponges In Use
Glue sponges are simple to use. Teach your students through explicit instruction, modeling, and practice to simply touch their paper to the sponge. They don’t pick up the sponge and they really don’t touch the sponge.
Our first glue sponge lesson is modeling how they work and how we use them. Then each student gets a turn to glue a square onto the paper. Then everyone gets to practice using their glue sponges by gluing squares onto construction paper. I’m watching and guiding and practicing.
Glue sponges work great for larger pieces of paper as well! For larger pieces of paper, the students are taught to glue around the edges!
Glue Sponge Maintenance
To keep your glue sponges moist and germ-free you need to spritz them with a mixture of water and Listerine. The Listerine kills the germs! I use a regular-sized spray bottle filled with water and pour in 1 travel-size bottle of Listerine. Shake it to mix. I spray my sponges every Friday afternoon!
You will need to add glue occasionally. This depends on how much the glue sponges get used.
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 Walmart (found in the office supplies section).
We used these during the pandemic when we couldn’t share supplies. We found these needed much more maintenance so we definitely recommend the larger, shared sponges.
Check out these videos to see how to make glue sponges and see them being used in my classroom by my students!
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