Chair Pockets, Toolkits, and Activity Charts

Isn't it a fabulous feeling to implement a simple idea and find that it is truly a time-saver in the classroom?  Or to find an inexpensive product that makes an ingenious organizer?  These are a few of my favorite ideas that are simple and inexpensive to implement, yet they yield great rewards when it comes to keeping things well-managed and well-organized.

First up, chair pockets!  I got this idea from http://www.frugalteacher.com/p/my-classroom.html.  She uses stretchable book covers as pockets on the backs of students' chairs.  Genius!  Gone are the days of loose items floating around in desks!  Learning tools now have a home in the chair pocket!  My students are allowed to keep an independent reading book and their learning "toolkit" (more on that below) in the pocket on the back of their chair.  This has really helped to maintain order inside of the desks by providing an easily accessible place for these extra items.

Toolkit:  Each student's learning toolkit is stored in a quart-sized bag and contains items that we use mainly for math or spelling activities: a dry erase marker, a sock (for an eraser), a box of crayons, a glue stick, a set of the current week's spelling word cards, and a set of alphabet letter tiles (copied on card stock and cut out).  A few more items will be added to the toolkit as we go through the year (multiplication Wrap-Ups, digit cards for math, etc.).  These items come in handy for independent activities, too.  Keep reading . . .

Mini Pocket Charts:  The Target Dollar Spot often has these mini pocket charts.  At first I wondered what I would do with them because as much as I love pocket charts, it's usually the larger ones that I find myself using.  I have found that the mini charts are great for posting the currently available enrichment activities for my students.  I try to swap out the activities fairly often to keep them aligned with our current units of study.  The charts make easy references for the students to know what their daily choices are, and the charts are posted near supply stations for easy access.  The students' toolkits (above) also contain supplies which are often used for independent enrichment activities.

That's all for now!  Thanks for stopping by!

Storage Solution for Centers

This is one of my FAVORITE ideas for storing supplies for centers!  I tried it out last year and it worked so well, I've added more for this year.  I picked up one of those photo storage boxes intended for organizing photos for scrapbooking (available at The Container Store as well as your local craft store).  Each large box holds six smaller boxes--perfect for six sets of word work or math supplies.  The kids know where to find their supplies AND it's super-easy to put everything back where it belongs when they're done.  I started out using these for ink pads and alphabet stamps.  The stamps are from Target's Dollar Spot and then I threw in some ink pads I already had lying around and . . . Voila!  It was cheap and easy to create six sets!

I'm also using this system for multiple sets of Scrabble tiles and a few other word work activities.  I am so pleased with how it is working!

What is YOUR favorite classroom storage solution?

Camping Classroom Tour

Aaaannd the classroom is finished!  I've been doing a camping theme in my classroom for the past couple of years, and I LOVE IT!  It has been such a fun theme that I can add to a little each year.  It's been a busy week getting everything ready, but here is this year's version of Camp Aguirre!  

The entrance:

A close-up of the sign that my husband wood-burned for me:

Some other views around the classroom:

Math area:

Teacher desk:

Reading corner/small group table:

Back bulletin board and word wall:

Students' desks were prepared for open house with a trail guide containing information for the year and a bag of S'mores trail mix (Golden Grahams, mini marshmallows, and mini Hershey kisses).

"Words to use instead of . . . " chart on the left; Camper of the Week banner on the right

Thanks for stopping by!  Do you do a theme in your classroom?  What theme has caught on in your room?

Back to School and Bookshelves

Well, it's that crazy time of year again when the to-do list seems insurmountable as I head back into my classroom to prepare for the start of a new school year.  And what do I decide to do?  Start a new blog, of course!  So here I am on my first blog post, documenting each step of this wild ride!  In hopes of not becoming too overwhelmed by this new commitment, I plan on blogging only on Thursdays (hence, my blog name!) so that MAYBE I can actually keep up with it.  We'll see how it goes.  I look forward to sharing ideas from my classroom as well as things that inspire me along the way in this journey called teaching!

For starters, I've been working on a little bookshelf makeover this summer.  Over the past few years, one of my teaching goals has been to expand my classroom library.  As the number of books has grown, so has the need for more shelf space!  I had been using this very old, very dated, 1970's ugly brown shelf in my classroom for a number of years.  I had always kept it covered with a tablecloth and only used it for storage.  This summer I decided to bring it out of hiding, give it a nice coat of white paint, and give it a new purpose as a bookshelf instead of a storage shelf.  I am so happy with the results!  Here's what I started with:

After painting:

And, finally, in the classroom:

I still need to add some more books and replace a few of the basket tags.  But it's already a HUGE improvement!  While I was at it, I also replaced the rickety backing on another shelf with a piece of beadboard.  I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the new backing:

And here it is with books on it:

I am pleased with the improvements!  I've finished my "bookshelf wall."  Next week I'll tackle the other side of the classroom!