Classroom Set Up Getting Organized

For some people organization comes easily and others have to work at it! It can save you tons of time. So I thought I might share some of our tips for staying organized!

Don’t you wish you had bought some Sterile stock? I love their plastic storage units. These 6 draws hold all of our math materials, not including the manipulatives. We have one for each of our stands. This makes it very easy to find what we are looking for! It also reminds us of all the resources we have. It is really easy for things to get pushed to the back of a closet and forget you even have them.
Our kids love to work on the floor. So the clipboard basket is kept right on the floor where the kids can get a board anytime they need one.
The yellow basket is where our kids put their center work as they finish. No more standing in line waiting for the teacher to check their work! That literally drives me crazy! So they just put it in the basket and I check it when I get a chance. They know to do it right or else they have to redo the work! The highlighters are used to highlight their name. They know to highlight their name when they put their paper in the basket. This is as easy reminder for “Is your name on your paper?”
The two large green plastic baskets keep our MONKEY books. These are the books that our kids carry back and forth from school to home so that we have a way to communicate with our parents.

The tall stack of drawers is kept right by our teaching table. It holds all of the supplies that we think we might use for guided reading.
*Leveled books for the week
*Magna Doodles
*Phonic Phones
*Letter Stamps
*Magnetic Letter Sets
*Word Frames
The shoe rack shelf is on a cabinet by the door. This is where we keep all the stuff for checking in and checking out of the classroom. It keeps the things we want to remember to take with us anytime we leave the room.

On Friday afternoon I fill up the drawers on the left for the next week. I literally put everything I will need for each day in the tub. Any copies, books, manipulatives, supplies, puppets, etc. go in the drawer.
You might ask, “Where is Monday’s drawer?” Well, we don’t need one. Before I leave on Friday, I put out all of the things we will use on Monday WHERE I will be using them. At the end of each day, we put out the things for the next day.
It really relieves the stress to know that I am ready for each day and don’t have to scurry around! Now, sometimes I have to stay really late on Friday. But, I think it is totally worth it being done before I leave for the weekend!
The drawers on the right:
On Monday, I put all the things I need made for the next week in the “To Make” drawer. Whenever anyone comes by and wants to help….here you go! I have parents who will come by a few minutes before dismissal and grab things to make either right then, or to take home and bring back the next day!
Then, when it is done…they put it in the “Ready” drawer. On Friday, I can move the things from this drawer to the correct “day” drawer.
The bottom drawer, “Put Away”, keeps my room clean. As I use things during the day instead of just laying them down when I’m done, I simply toss it in this drawer. Then, at the end of the day I can put everything away all at the same time. Saves tons of time!!
When I do the posts on Workshop, Centers and Carpet Management I will share some more organizational tips with you.