Covering things in a bookshelf

So, I have two bookshelves next to my teacher's desk. One is for student supplies, and one is strictly teacher supplies (stamps, binders, etc.). Code for- I don't want little hands digging inside of the teacher bookshelf! 🙅What to do... Hmm... I went to Target 💰, since they have everything. I ended up finding a blackout curtain for $12.99, and a black spring rod for $3.99. I put the curtain on the rod and made a small cut at the bottom, and then ripped it the rest of the way. (Do you know this trick for ripping across a seam for a straight cut every time?! 😱) I have quite a bit of the curtain leftover, but for under $20, I am happy with how it turned out. I am considering cutting it down the middle, so I can pull it across to the sides if I want to. Oh, these curtains come in a great variety of colors, too! Also super quick and easy to take down if you want/need to for any reason. 😉

Classroom Organization

Hey there! I know I have been absent from my blog... it's so busy during the school year and I plain forget! Anyway, I wanted to jump on and post a few pictures of my top 5 favorite ways to organize my classroom. You know how busy it gets- you have to be able to find what you need quickly. If you have to dig for something, you lose precious time that you simply do not have. Here are a few things that might make your teacher life a little easier...

#1: Paper storage. When I first started teaching, this was always something that bothered me. I hated those flimsy cardboard things that you could buy at the teacher stores. They never lasted and well... they were unattractive. I searched on Amazon and found these stackable paper sorters. LOVE them!!! The only downfall is that they are on display and people come to "borrow" paper and often never replace. But look at all of that pretty paper! Love! Also, I have extra room at the top and bottom for laminating sheets, Avery labels, and student writing paper. You can stack as many as you like!

Stackable paper sorter

#2 Prep Work Station. I have certain supplies that I like to keep out for my parent helpers. This includes a 3 hole punch; paper cutter; laminating machine; pens; a place for work that needs to be prepped, and a place for the finished work to go. Not to mention other miscellaneous supplies such as paper clips and pens. This is a shelf from Target- in the closet organization section. I believe it was around $13.00. It also stores scrap paper and a place for returned forms/notes for me. This keeps everything nice and tidy, and makes my teacher heart happy!

Parent Prep Work Station

#3 Extra Crayon Organization. My students all have their own box of crayons in their desk. However, you know someone is always missing a color or two...or three... I used to have a bucket of crayons where they could go grab that color. It took quite a while for them to find. So I decided to sort out the crayons by color. I had to mix a couple of like colors together, such as white and grey- but that's ok. Side note- I only use Crayola Twistables. They last forever and don't break. When they're gone, I just throw them away. But honestly, they last a long time. I have used them for years and years. To the left of the crayons are extra Expo markers and erasers. All of these things are extra supplies.

Extra Crayola Twistables

#4 Teacher Toolbox. I would be lost without these! When I am looking for something- even something totally random... I can always find it in one of these boxes. For example, I needed 3 AAA batteries for something the other day. I have a drawer for that. Lucky for me, I had just what I needed! (How often does that happen?!) The toolboxes are from Lowe's, but I am sure you can get them from Amazon or Home Depot as well. I chose to mount mine on the wall, but you certainly don't have to.

Teacher Toolbox

#5 Teacher Self-Inking Stamps. These are from the Etsy shop, Lucky to be in First (Except for top right and bottom right). I belong to her monthly stamp club. As you can see by the picture below, I love using these! The kids love getting a different stamp on their work each day, too! Great quality stamps. The plastic bin is from Target.

Teacher Stamps

Doubles and Doubles Plus One Craftivity

Seeing Doubles! 

I found a cute activity for learning doubles and doubles plus one facts, on Teachers Pay Teachers. (Link below.) Students wrote their doubles fact on the left eye, and the sum on the right eye. I folded each arm of the glasses in an accordion style to give it some flair. Some students wanted to decorate the frames as well. I typed up "Seeing Doubles" as a headline and put it at the top of the bulletin board. The students really liked this activity. We did doubles plus one the week after, and they loved it! Here is a link to the craftivity, created by Emily Education on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Recovering a table

Do you have an unattractive desk, table, wall, or really anything you'd like to cover? I didn't like the color of my kidney shaped table, so I decided to cover it with a new contact paper by Valspar. I got it at Target, and it was around $30.00 for one big roll. It's pretty easy to put on since it is removable. This picture doesn't really do it justice, because it is so real looking! When people come in my room, they go straight to this table and feel it. I just love sitting here now. It matches my room beautifully!

What to do if you do not have a magnetic whiteboard in the classroom

Teacher Created Resources "Clingy Thingies"

The Perils of a Non-Magnetic Whiteboard...

That moment when you move into a new room and put something magnetic on the white board expecting it to stay, only to see it fall. Ugh. Why would they even make these without being magnetic?  Is there a way to magnetize it? What now? These were my thoughts. A friend of mine who teaches first grade with me solved my problem for the most part. They're called...drumroll please...CLINGY THINGIES! They are the solution that I was looking for, since I always utilized my magnetized boards in the past. They are made by Teacher Created Resources. (The burlap pocket charts are from them as well.) Pictured are two pocket charts with Clingy Thingies clips holding them up. They are solid up there- they're not going anywhere! (Yet if you need to reposition- not a problem whatsoever.) I honestly wasn't sure how sturdy these would be but I am Ah-mazed. This is not where the amazingness ends though with these little beauties. They sell a good variety of products with the clinging background, and in different styles as well. How convenient was it for me that these burlap style ones just happened to match my room perfectly?! So...what if you want something to stick on your whiteboard or almost anywhere for that matter- and you don't know what to use? You don't want to necessarily use tape... well guess what? They also make Clingy Thingies individual squares! One side sticks to the surface, and the other will cling to your item. Nearly life changing for a classroom without a magnetic whiteboard. To my friend, Veronica, at school who introduced these to me- thank you! Here is the affiliate link for the Clingy Thingies clips. Click here for a direct link.