We get lots of questions about our classroom design and classroom organization. Specifically, the how and why of each classroom area. Today, we’re going to show you our student materials areas and give you the specifics on why we set them up the way we do and how they work.
Classroom Organization: Student Materials
This area is where we keep our community supplies. Everything students need are here: pencils, clipboards, crayon boxes, glue sponges, socks (for erasing dry erase boards), and more!
We use community supplies to promote sharing and responsibility. Everything that the students need to do their work is located right here on these shelves. No hunting for stuff. Nothing to pass out. They grab what they need when they need it. And by forcing them to share, we have fewer issues with supplies being lost or broken.
I won’t get into details of everything here since most of it is self-explanatory. But let’s address a few things:
- Frisbees-these make GREAT dry erase boards. We have regular dry erase boards too. So when we want to make a lesson more fun, we use Frisbees. CLICK HERE TO GET THEM ON AMAZON!
- Socks-ya’ll, don’t spend money on erasers for your dry-erase boards. Just use old socks. I have students bring them. I use our old socks. Neighbors donate them. We wash them, and they make great erasers for dry-erase boards. TRUE STORY!
- Crayon boxes-1 box for every 2-3 kids. Each box contains 3 packages of crayons
- Pens-my students can use pens to do their center work, write the room, etc.
- Dice cages-because dice rolling all over is one of the most irritating sounds ever. These are just baskets from Dollar Tree lined with felt. Students roll dice in here. No noise. Trust me. You want these.
- Chalkboards-my mom made these for me 15 years ago. We use these for encoding/dictation activity, letter formation, etc.
Classroom Organization: Student Take-Home Materials
We don’t have desks or tables, and we don’t use take-home folders. I don’t want the stress of putting stuff in them daily, and it just takes up minutes for no reason. So we use mailboxes. Not really. Their black book bins. This is where students put their finished work. I put notes/fliers, etc., that need to go home. During pack up, students empty their mailboxes and put them in their backpacks to take home! You also notice we don’t have cubbies but we have lockers for coats and backpacks! Not my choice. This is how schools are built!
Classroom Organization: Stem Bins/Morning Bins
We do morning bins each morning. These are stored on this shelf. I use shoebox containers from Container Store to store the toys and materials!
