organizingtips

(MY E-MAIL FOR SHARING YOUR IDEAS: stormie@preschoolbystormie.com)

ORGANIZATIONAL TIPS AND OTHER WAYS TO MAKE OUR TEACHING LIVES EASIER

From Stormie:
* Sponge Painting Handles:
1. To make sponges easier for the children to hold for sponge painting, you can sometimes clip a snap clothespin to the top center of the sponge.
2. You can also glue the sponge shape (or thin wood shape, etc) to the outside of a tiny film cansiter lid. Then, when you place the lid back on the canister, the canister itself becomes the handle for the child to hold onto while painting with the shape on the lid end.
*Here's my favorite way to store large charts: Hang them on slack/skirt hangers (you know--the ones with clips on them), then just hang your charts in a closet.
* Need a file box: If you buy your laundry detergent in a box as I do, simply wipe it out when empty and you can stack lots of papers in them. And what's more, you can place several of them on a shelf. You can remove the lids or leave them. Children can decorate them for storing small shelf toys too.
*Cubbies: Next time you're at Wal-Mart or a hardware store, take notice of just how many "cubby hole" type boxes you see along the aisles--we seldom notice these. Sometimes, if the stores don't plan to use them again, they'll give them to you.
*Newspapers: Always save your newspapers. This may seem obvious to most of us but believe it or not, I've been in classrooms where newspaper wasn't put down, so each day paint or glue was used, the poor teacher spent long minutes scrubbing her table. I'm always in favor of making my job easier, aren't you? I can't imagine my classroom without a huge stack of newspapers.

*Stencils: I once needed a pattern of a pear to draw around for a project. I found it where I never expected to -- from a puzzle piece. Look at your puzzles as the pieces can sometimes serve as patterns.
*Child Decorators: This is a subject of some controversy but as always, I'm simply sharing "how I was taught" -- doesn't mean my way is "THE RIGHT" way! I was taught that classrooms with a sea of room decorations are over-stimulating, not to mention lots of never-ending work for the teacher. I was taught that decor should be mostly the children's work and posted at their eye level. Over the years, I've appreciated this so much, and as much as possible, I've kept decor to a minimum. But, when I have worked in places requiring a continual change of store-bought decorations (ugh!), I incorporated it into the children's day by letting them choose something to post from the collection, choose where to post it, and even post it themselves. (They love manipulating the "playdoh-like" Ticky Tack).
*Here's a small tip I picked up from my first job years ago that's stuck with me: At the beginning of the school year, make several copies of your class list of names. Then, each time you do an activity requiring you to keep track of who has done the project and who hasn't, pull one of these lists from your cabinet and just cross off names as the children take their turns. This may seem insignificant, but when you're looking around the room trying to remember who did or didn't do something, it can be frustrating. But this handy list takes away the guesswork and saves time.
*Are you the one who, in addition to all your other duties, also cleans your classroom? Well, these two tips are quick easy ways to do daily minor touch-ups:
1. For cleaning the sink: Keep a big towel handy. At the end of your day, standing directly in front of the sink, simply grab one corner of the towel in one hand and the other corner in the other hand and begin wiping, dampening the towel if needed as you go. You can cover a larger area using both hands.
2. For dusting: Put on a pair of cloth garden gloves and then just run your hands across dusty areas. Again, you can use both hands at once.
E-mail me with your ideas for posting below:

From Lauren Mulready, Special Needs Preschool Teacher, Attleboro, MA:
I have the children find their names from the list of 15 names (2 columns) when they sit down to do a project. They cross off their name using a marker or crayon in the same color as our color of the month. This way they are not only finding their name from a field of 15, but they are also becoming familiar with the names of the other children in the class. I make 5-6 versions of this list so that their name is not always in the same place and I also use it to make notes on what I observe as the children do their work. Are they crossing midline, bilateral hand use, etc.? Can they identify colors/shapes, etc.? Are they able to ask for materials from teacher/peers, and so on. I save these pages in a notebook. Then, at the end of the year, I have a complete record of what we've accomplished, the children's approaches to different tasks, and it shows their growth throughout the year. Very helpful at progress time!!

From MJ, in Texas:
Folders: In my classroom, my fellow teachers call me the "folder lady." If we have a form that needs to be returned, it goes in a folder on our desk.

From a preschool teacher in Richmond, BC:
Time Saver With Paints: Purchase a box of 100 baggies at a $1.00 store. Before filling paint or glue containers, line them with a baggie and securing it by putting on the lid with the hole in it for the brush. When finished with the color at the end of the week, just remove the baggie and toss it. This cuts down tremendously on cleaning time and water.

From Rita, in Nebraska:
Cubbie/Name Tags: We laminate our name tags and/or cubbie tags, then use "wash off" markers to write the names on top of them. At the end of the year, just wipe them off with a damp cloth, and they're ready for next year. This saves time, and if children leave during the school year, you can replace the name with that of a new child very easily.

From Kathryn R.
I keep all patterns, special books, samples of activities, small manipulatives, flannel pieces etc... all things for one theme in a labeled large pizza box. I have everything I need for the week in one place. Another friend tried it and now she has a large collection too!

From Staci Proctor, in Danville, Alabama:
Our preschool classes all have folders sent home each day. All of the paper work, notes home, and notes to the teachers go in that folder. If I send home a note, the parents know where to look, and each day, I know where the children's "homework" will be. I also have stapled a small ziploc bag on the top of one side of the folder. That's where parents can put notes and checks or whatever they need to send to me. This folder is our lifeline to each other. It is so wonderful!!

From Sheryl Bauer: At the child care center where I just began working, I've discovered a couple "new to me" things that I really like: Carpeting half way up the wall cuts down on noise. Putting velcro on posters, etc works wonderfully when hanging something.

From Julie Lord, Pre-School Teacher in Danville Georgia:
Sponge Painting Tip: Hey Stormie, for my pre-k class, we hot-glued unifix cubes to sponges for handles. In case someone out there has an excess of these or similar toys (like we did), this is a great way to cut down on the messiness of sponge painting.

From Laural:
Since I had a baby, I had accumulated so many empty formula cans I didn't know what to do with them. But I discovered they are great for storing maniupulatives, scraps, and all sorts of stuff because they have lids. They stack nicely too. (Place a double-layer of masking tape around the cut edges though.)

From Amye, Busy Bee Playschool, Oklahoma:
To avoid having to worry about "sharp edges" on cans, teachers can now invest in a can opener that leaves no sharp edge ( the kind they used to advertise on TV as the "Safe can opener"). They can be purchased at most discount stores for very little cost. I put veggie and fruit cans in the Play Kitchen -- no sharp edges and the can lids fit back on so it looks just like what mom would buy in the store.

From Kim Kosa, Kindergarten teacher at Peebles Elementary, Killeen, Texas:
I store my bulletin board borders in tin cans. Just roll them up, put rubber bands around them and put them inside. Label the outside of the can so you can easily find the right one later. Works great!
Related idea from Susan:
Use the pre-made frosting containers to store borders. They are plastic and have a lid too. Just roll up the border and put it into the container. I cut a small piece of it off the end and tape it onto the lid so I can quickly to see what the pattern of the border is inside. These also stack nicely and keep everything looking neat.
From Lisa, in Baltimore, Maryland:
The little Kool-Aide canisters (plastic ones w/ screw-on lids) would also work for storage of bulletin board borders -- in case you've got some around and hadn't thought of using them.

From Cynthia Hernandez:
1. Applesauce Cups: If you buy those separated servings of applesauce, save the little cups. They can be used for many things: small snacks, collage items like beans, beads, etc., paint, water for water coloring, glue, and so on. You can then just throw them away when no longer of any use.

2. Baskets: I bought plastic carry-all baskets with different sections in them from the Dollar Store. I put all the art stuff in them (glue, colored chalk, paint brushes, glue sticks, scissors, etc). It's so convenient for when I do projects with the children. So they won't fall through the holes in some baskets, I place items such as pencils, brushes, and markers into their own separate yogurt cups, then sit the cups into the baskets.
Note from Stormie: I love this idea from Cynthia because it creates a sorting activity for the children at the same time as they must place pencils in the pencil cup, markers in the marker cup, etc.

3. Storage Cans: I use Slim-Fast powdered mix cans. The best part is that the edges are not sharp, so there's no need to cover them up. They are the perfect size for storing playdoh. To make them more attractive, I stencil the word "Play-Doh" onto construction paper labels that correspond with the color of playdoh in the can.

From Teresa:
Marker Storage: Here's a great idea I've seen in a magazine! I am looking forward to utilizing it this year as I have found so many wasted markers with the tops missing which caused them to dry out! Buy a cheap shallow plastic bowl (fish-shaped candy bowl, for example, from a dollar store). Mix Plaster of Paris in the bowl, then place your marker tops in it upside-down (the opening facing up). When it hardens, they will stay permanently. Children can remove a marker from its top that stays in place, then return it to its top when finished.
From Tatra McCay, in Tacoma, Washington:
I mix the Plaster of Paris with water then add dry tempera paint to it to give it color before pouring it into a plain old pie tin.

From Nicole Carson, EC4 teacher, Pinellas Park, Florida:
Cleaning Tables: Want an easy and fun-for-your-kids way to clean classroom tables? Use shaving cream! I have the children "clean" the tables by fingerpainting on them with shaving cream. Not only does this remove marker, paint and Kool-Aid stains, it's fine/gross motor fun for the kids. You can simply run a damp cloth over the shaving cream once the children are finished. Your tables will be clean, and your room will smell great!!!!

From Patty:
Storage Containers: I buy empty video tape cases at garage sales/dollar stores as they are wonderful for storing flannel board pieces, lotto cards, finger puppets etc. I just label the sides, and they stack nicely on any book shelf. I can find what I need in a snap and they are especially helpful to grab when I need a quick activity.

From Samantha Turner, Dalton, Georgia:
Storage and Learning At the Same Time: I use empty canisters (with lids) to store crayons upright. I place one color of crayons in each container and then wrap the cans in the same color construction paper, and then I print the color word on the outside of each can. This helps the children sort crayons by color, recognize color words, and it's easy access when you need a number of crayons the same color! Plus, you have a lid for storage.
Note from Stormie: Someone (who didn't leave a name) sent me an e-mail to remind us that we shouldn't use nut canisters as some children may be so allergic to nuts that even touching any leftover residue could be harmful.

From Debby, Alachua, Florida:
Clean-Smelling Room: I like to plan my shaving cream projects with the children just before winter break and spring break as it makes the room smell really good!

From Lorann Henderson, Hallsville, Texas:
Cubby Organizer: Stormie, maybe this will help others who have this problem in the classroom. I always had a problem with parents leaving their children's treasures and personal items (blankets, lunch kits, etc.) on Fridays. One day I decided to try something new: I placed children's cubby items into brown paper bags and stapled them closed (with the children's names on them). This way each child had their own bag that could be easily picked up and carried home. The children usually carried their "special bags" home themselves. Sometimes I would put treats (stickers, pencils, etc) in the bags. (I had no problem getting bags as I asked parents to donate them or I asked the local super market.)

Great ideas from Liz G., Head Start Teacher in Greenfield, Massachusetts:
1. Stencil Storage: Hi Stormie, I used to store all of my stencils and templates in a very large shoe box. The only problem was I was always digging through the whole box to find what I was looking for. Well, I separated everything out into categories like Transportation, Farm Animals, Water Life, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, etc. I then placed each specific theme into a one gallon ziper bag and wrote the theme on the white strip with a Sharpie. Now when I'm looking for stencils for a specific theme...I know right where to find them. Oh, I also alphebetized the bags within the shoe box. I hope this is helpful to someone else.
2. Margarine Cups: I've found that small, plastic margarine or cream cheese tubs work wonderfully as paint cups. First of all, they have a snap on lid, so when the kids are done at the easel, just snap on the cover and it keeps the paint from drying out. Also, if you tend to make different colors with your paints, like pastels, these containers make great paint mixing bowls.
3. Border Storage: Ever try finding an easy way to store your bulletin board borders without them getting curled or ripped? I've found that using binder clips to hang the borders on a wall or the inside of a closet door is so easy, because the binder clips have almost a built in hook to hang it on a nail or a push pin. Now all my borders are right where I can find them and out of the way at the same time.
4. Curriculum Bucket: Where I teach, a lot of our materials are stored out of the classroom. So, we have something called a "Curriculum Bucket." What we do is, every Friday, when we plan our curriculum, we pull all the materials together that we'll need for that next week and put them all into that bucket. That way, we're not searching for a certain puzzle, book, etc.
5. Squeegee Clean: We use a squeegee to clean off our playground slides after it has rained. It works much better than a towel and the slides dry alot sooner.
Note from Stormie: I wish I'd had this idea when I used to go out and wipe the humid morning dew off the playground equipment here in Florida. :-)

From Jennifer Harris, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada:
Theme Bins: I keep everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) for each theme in its own large labeled Rubbermaid bin. To date, I have 36 bins (36 themes). Yes, they do take space but it's sure easier now to prepare, and I always know where everything is. I just pull out a bin and start setting up.

From Liz G., Head Start Lead Teacher, Greenfield, Massachusetts:
Stackable Containers: Hi Stormie, you know those plastic containers of pre-packaged meats from Hillshire Farms (I think they're actually Gladware with pink lids)? Well anyway, I wash them out and save them to put all those annoying art supplies in that come in those little plastic bags that can't be resealed after opening. They work great because they're clear plastic, so I can see what's in them and don't have to spend time labeling everything. Plus, they stack very well in my supply cabinet.

From Carol S.:
Labels: For making notes, I use address labels! I just write the note on the address label, peel it off and stick it where it needs to go. I can't begin to tell you how much time this has saved me.

From Poppy Tardy, Amarillo, Texas:
Good Cleaner: My fellow teachers and I discovered that Lysol disinfectant (and some other brands) takes off permanent Sharpie marker from laminated items. This saves lots of money because we don't have to throw certain personalized items away. We just cleaned them and they are good as new. Just make sure to clean in a well ventilated area.
From Katie Boldt, Appleton Area School District, Appleton, Wisconsin:
Another Good Cleaner: You can also use nail polish remover to take Sharpie printing off of laminated items.

From Elly Lampner:
Storage: When I took down my fall window gel decorations I realized I'd thrown out the paper packaging they came in, so I was trying to figure out how to store them, when I came up with the perfect solution - clear plastic page protectors (the kind that open from the top). I could neatly place each piece into the plastic sleeve so they were not in a bunch. The whole set could be stored together and easily visible and easily stored in a ring binder because the sheet protector is prepunched to fit.

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