Classroom Organization

Organization 101

So it's finally October and I finally have a few minutes to breath and share the awesome things I made this summer for my classroom.  Every year, I have the best of intentions and try to get sooooooo much done during the summer months, but I find myself scrambling the first month of school because you never know what may happen.........hence the life of a special ed teacher!  I'm sure that my fellow colleagues can relate to this!  Your plan for the day may be out the window by 8:05, but here are a few things I did to help organize my room a little more.....and demonstrate what I preach to my students, "Stay Organized"!

READ BOX

One of my favorite things in my classroom is my "Read Box" posted on two of my cabinet doors.  The cabinetry definitely shows its age and battle wounds.  I thought this would be a great way to cover those scars up.  I used some of our red roller paper and used poster putty to secure it to the door.  I used black borders to shape the sides and my Cricut Machine to cut the letters.  Lastly, I found images of book jackets, enlarged them, and laminated them.  Most of the books on this wall are books that the students will read at some point in high school and some are just for fun.  Voila, an eye catching piece that promotes that books are just as good as DVD and most of the time the book is way better!

Plastic Bag Storage

I wanted to make a decorative but yet functional way to store my spare plastic bag, instead of stuffing them in a closet.  I love, absolutely love, Lysol Wipes (especially the lemon scented ones)!  Working in a school has made me a certified germ freak and I am constantly wiping tables and chairs down.  So to promote even more recycling, I took a used Lysol canister and wrapped it with leftover shelf paper I bought (I'll go into more detail about shelf paper later!).  Shove your old plastic bags into the canister and you have a functioning and pretty way to house your stash of plastic bags.  I highly advise using the really big canisters......I used a small one at first and realized my mistake!

Classroom Library

I tried using a "normal method" (lining them up in rows) to house all the books in my classroom library.   I ended up with a mess every time the kids touched the bookshelf.  To help organize this a little better, I bought these really cheap (and cute) baskets at Fleet Farm for $1.48 each.  I separated the books based on genre and filled the baskets up.  Mess gone!

Missing Work

I love Thirty-One products!  Just what I need, another brand to fuel my shopping addiction.  I bought a hang-up organizer and had it embroidered with "Missing Work".  I hung it using "3M Command Hooks" and put folders in the five pockets with the day of the week.  I put extra copies of materials into the pockets of the organizer, with the students name on it.  When students are back, they check the folder for their work.........promoting responsibility.

Bling for the Walls

I had to, just had to, do some crafting for my walls.  The theme colors of my classrooms are blues and greens and I especially love glitter......other than it is the venereal disease of the crafting world.  I bought blank white letters at Hobby Lobby, some paint, glitter, spray adhesive, spray sealant, and a 4 pack of cork boards.  See my craft project page for directions.  I hung the letters using 3M Hooks and used adhesive strips to hang the cork boards.  I painted the cork boards in a Moroccan print and owls........I love owls!  I use this part of my classroom to hang announcements, lunch menu, important reminders, and anything else I want my students to READ! 

Bulletin Board 

Instead of using paper from the giant reams in the copy room, I decided to go with fabric this year.  Why you may ask?  1.  I hate all of the holes left in the paper from pushpins and staples. 2.  I can reuse it next year.  3.  I can pick out a really cute pattern to compliment the room.  You may think this room is overly girly and too cutesy, but I work with three male special ed teachers.  This is my happy balance to their sports posters and memorabilia on their walls.  This is a haven for the girls!

Refinished Bookshelves

Another set of objects that show their battle scars are my set of bookshelves.  To pretty them up, I bought a couple of rolls of shelf paper at Target and spent a few hours trying to perfectly coat the shelves with the pretty paper.  I'm not going to lie, this process was a pain in the a$$, trying to get the paper to lie smooth and get the air bubbles out......but completely worth it! 

Supply Buckets

To prevent students from getting up to wander around the classroom in search of supplies or offering a reason WHY they CANNOT do a task,  I put together table supply buckets.  I got these great little metal buckets at Hobby Lobby on super summer clearance ($1.10) and filled them with a pack of markers, a pack of color pencils, glue, gluesticks, highlighters, pens, and pencils.  

Storage for EVERYTHING!!!

Last but not least, is my all time favorite thing to use for storage.  On another trip to Menards, following my other half around, I found myself staring at an aisle of organizers meant for hardware and other manly things.  I took one look and magically there were two in the cart with seconds.  I used scrapbook paper to coat the inside of each drawer.  Using my label maker, I made labels for all the supplies I need in the classroom......staples, pens, erasers, glue sticks, pushpins, rubber bands....you get the picture.  I've also used one of these to store all the pictures used on my visual schedules.  I know where to find everything and my students know where to locate things.....a practical strategy to utilize reading skills for everyday life for struggling readers.