Sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference in your daily routine, and your sanity. I found that out this year.
I have a shelf of activities we call “table centers”. My students use them when they are finished with their morning work and for a few minutes at the end of the day, before we pack our backpacks. The flash cards, story cards, small puzzles, magnetic paper dolls, plastic alpha letters, and other small things were stored in zippered plastic bags. These were in plastic tubs. Some larger puzzle pieces or games were in plastic storage boxes. I hated the chaos of that shelf. Clean-up time was a disaster. Students kept leaving bags open and losing pieces, or tearing the bags, or putting the wrong bag in the wrong tub. So I looked around for better storage and I found these nifty little boxes at WalMart. They are a good size and open /close easily. They stack. There are three sizes, although I only bought two. The third option was a little too deep for my shelf. The small one is $1 and the larger one is $2. I purchased twenty-five small ones and four large ones. I’ll probably buy five more small ones and six large ones before they are gone. (You know WalMart- if you like something they stop selling it!)
The children love these little boxes! One said it was so much nicer to be able to “see inside”. Even my youngest child can open and close them. And cleanup is a breeze now. I also found that this new system allows me to have five extra centers on the shelf because they take up less space than the tubs!
A little thing, but a HUGE difference!
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