Storing Supplies and a Freebie

Hi there, friends! Today I’ve decided to share with you the way that I collect and store my students’ supplies. It is the best method that I have found to work with my 3rd graders. Many years ago I USED to collect all of my students’ supplies and we would divy them up into adorable bins labeled scissors, red pens, pencils, glue, etc… {They looked ADORABLE all organized and labeled!} Then whenever someone in the class needed a supply we would simply take it from the “class supply” bins. That was a HUGE MISTAKE on my part! I soon realized that this was a bad idea… I’ll never forget the day one of my students was leaving our school and the parent requested that I return the supplies that they have given their child at the beginning of the year. {They wanted the specific highlighter, pen etc… that they had bought their child.} Uh ohhhh!!!!! On repeated occasions I also had to deal with students wanting a certain red pen or highlighter that their parent had bought them. {I can understand their attachment to certain supplies, especially since I’m quite picky myself about the pens AND pencils that I use.} But I knew that my students could NOT keep all of their extra supplies in their desk. So what was my solution? This fabulous rolling basket from Target {I have 2, a blue and a pink one} and these expanding Ziploc bags have been my life savers… Basically, I give every child a Ziploc bag that has a label with their name on it. If necessary, I give them 2 baggies. On the board I then write a list of supplies that they must keep in their zipper pouch at their desk. All extras get dumped into their personal baggy. What I love about these baggies is that since they have an expandable bottom, they store quite a bit. After the baggies have been filled with extra supplies, my students come up and place their bags in either the blue or pink cart. These colored carts also make it soooo much easier for the kids to find their bags. Most importantly, we have a few rules that go along with the bins. If a student needs a certain supply, they know that they are only allowed to access the bins in the morning (They have about 30 min. in the morning to get settled in) or at the end of the day. If by any chance all 5 of their pencil points are broken, and their sharpener is not working, then I DO have a set of sharpened emergency pencils that they may borrow. The best part about these carts is that they have wheels so the students can easily roll them in and out from underneath the sink… Then with a quick close of the curtains, our classroom supplies are stored safe and soundly out of sight. For the past 2 years, this system has been my salvation. If a child ever leaves my class or the school, all I have to do is find the baggy with his name on it. Simple, simple, simple! And now for another simple solution! If you’ve been planning your parent conferences or searching for a form to document your meetings, here is a FREEBIE to make your life easier. (Simply click on either picture) BTW- It is EDITABLE! Happy teaching,