That being said, once these amazing resources are created, downloaded, laminated, and cut... the question of "where do I store everything???" begs to be answered. For many of us, storage space in the classroom is limited. Long long ago, I was relying on the good old filing cabinet to store all of my whole group, small group, and center activities. Let me tell you, the space became more and more limited until it disappeared, and by the end of the year, a pile of resources that could rival the Leaning Tower of Pisa parked itself next to the aforementioned filing cabinet. Something had to be done.
Introducing... my two storage saviors!
As I mentioned, I'm a huge fan of theme teaching, and my math and literacy center activities are pretty much always seasonal. These little guys have helped me organize my center activities for the past 5 years.
Here's how!
Whenever I create or download center resources, I print, laminate, cut, and store them in 9''x12'' manila envelopes. I place the cover of the resource on the front of the manila envelope for easy locating. If the resource happens to be a bundle or a set of multiple centers, I'll use a file folder to keep them all together.
 |
A few of my favorite seasonal math centers from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures and The Teacher Talk
|
Otherwise, ALL of my center activities are stored by month in Sterilite drawers. As you can see, I took the wheels off mine. In addition to drawers for each month, I also have a "This Week" drawer that is exactly for what it sounds like it's for. I place all of my center activities I'll be using for the current week in there. To make the front of the drawers look a little bit better, I just used a piece of construction paper (about 6''x12''), taped it on the inside using packing tape, and made some month labels on Powerpoint using good old KG fonts (I used KG What The Teacher Wants). The envelopes containing the center activities, many of which also include cards and a master copy of a recording sheet, fit perfectly in their monthly homes.
 |
| My favorite Christmas themed math/literacy centers from Amy Lemons |
In order to easily locate the resources, I log everything in my seasonal resources binder. I write down the resource name, type (math center, literacy center, etc.), author, and location. It's super helpful when planning to see which themes are coming up over the course of the year, and to know which activities to pair with them.
If this method works for your planning or organization style, simply CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW to grab your own set of manila envelopes and Sterilite drawers to store your resources, and an EDITABLE binder from my TpT shop. You can choose either a "Seasonal" or "Thematic" cover, OR if you're feeling super organize-y, use a cover that'll help you create a binder for each month! Either way, you'll be able to log and locate your resources in a snap.
I'm always eager to learn new tips and tricks when it comes to managing materials. I'd love to hear about your favorite organizational methods!
No comments