Extreme Makeover... the Classroom Edition

Well, maybe the makeover wasn't extreme (unless you check the receipts), but it made this teacher EXTREMEly happy!  I spent until 8pm Tuesday night and 7pm Wednesday night wielding a hammer and screwdriver to put these bad boys together, then organize all the math supplies to put in the canvas totes.  Why is it that when you are organizing, you always end up with a HUGE mess in the middle, and then you just can't stop until it is all put away?  Once I got all that organized, it left a bunch of old storage containers now being empty, so what did that lead to?  More organizing, of course!  Anyway, I love that not only is there so much more room in my classroom and the supplies are now more accessible to me (and the kiddos), but it's just so much cuter!  I've already gotten some compliments, which makes the time and effort worth it, the kids are SO excited, and it just feels good to be organized.  Here are before and after pictures:

Table 1 at the front of the room... old Saxon containers serve to store new math stuff.

Next to table 1 we have more math stuff on wire shelves.

Table 2 with more math manipulatives.

  Originally I had these tables for centers, and then even when I didn't want them anymore, I had to keep them to have somewhere to stash my math stuff.  I hated, hated, hated it that stuff was crammed underneath.  I tried using those red and blue bins you see on top of table 2 to make things more accessible to the kids, but it just looked so cluttered and messy, so then I stashed it all away under the tables again.

Here is the new and improved classroom...

On the left is the podium from our presidential speeches... the back holds math stuff!  This is where table 1 used to be.

Where table 2 used to be...

And a full view!  Love it!

I have to say that being a blogger now has led me into so many classrooms virtually through blogs that I was inspired to fix my problem area.  There are so many great ideas out there for classroom organization and I am so glad I put the time in to make my space more manageable.  After all, I do spend quite a bit of time in my classroom!  I know that no one will enjoy this quite as much as I do, but I hope you enjoy it at least a little. This is where all my time went instead of blogging and grading this week!!!!  I will have to catch up over the weekend. 

Where did the weekend go? Getting organized!

After 8 years of teaching, number 9 has me feeling cluttered.  I remember walking into a big, empty room, opening up all of the cabinets and seeing... nothing!  Ok, one cabinet had a few odds and ends, but that was it!  I spent the first year too proud/nervous to ask to borrow materials (I work with the BEST ladies... don't know why I didn't ask), so I made everything from scratch for centers, along with my partner in crime, Mary Beth.  We cried a lot on those long nights coloring, cutting, and pasting!  Haha!  Memories...

Well, fast forward to today.  My cabinets are busting at the seams, but nothing is worth throwing out!  Now I have to be more clever with how I organize things, deciding what I want the kids to have access to on their own, what I need to be able to grab quickly, you know how this goes!  I've got cabinets of teaching books, cabinets of read aloud books, cabinets of center materials, science materials, and then there's the math materials in tubs under the tables.  Now how are the kids going to get to any of that?!  I tried having stuff out in baskets on the tables last year, but that was a cluttered mess and never was organized.  I couldn't stand looking at it!  I feel bad that it's all tucked away this year, though, because that means the kids aren't using it!

So... I was up till 2:30 am, brainstorming, making lists, making plans, and when I opened my closet to get something, I saw all my nicely organized pants... in this:




Of course, mine is on its side in the closet, and that got me to thinking... why not get rid of the tables at the front of the room?  All they are doing is hiding the stuff underneath and taking up space!  The kids don't really sit at them at all and the space could be used so much better (and look so much cuter).  Well, that settled it, and the next day I was off to Target to get these bad boys!

What am I going to do with them?  Well, I figure these are the perfect way to separate and organize all of the many math manipulatives we have: clocks, geoboards, dominoes, cards, dice, pattern blocks, base 10 blocks, attribute blocks, rulers, tape measures, and the list goes on!  I also have school supplies in the closet that I would love to put out so that kids can get their own glue sticks and erasers when they run out.

So Wednesday night is my organizing party in my room.  Is it sad that I am excited about this?  I don't know if you've read this book:

 If not, you should!  A few years back I completely redid a hideous corner of my room, inspired by this book!  I really wish I had before and after pictures of the transformation, but basically I had so much wasted, cluttered, ugly space, and divided it into a library nook with a bench with storage under it, a cozy rug and lamps, and then the other half was turned into my word work area, with two bookcases back to back serving as a table with storage underneath.  Melamine shelves are attached to the top of the bookcases to make a countertop workspace.

Anyway, back to this year's project.  My room is all decked out in all things Cubs and Wrigley, so I popped into Lowe's and stocked up on these:

 I have never seen these drawers in Cubbie blue, so I was super excited to find these!

Essentially, as if I didn't have enough to do, I have created quite the project for myself. 

1.  Put these together... I bought 3, just in case.  I have a LOT of stuff crammed under those tables.
2. Sort and organize all the math stuff and get it put away in the bins.
3. Label it in a kid-friendly way so they can find it AND put it away.

Prior to this endeavor, I spent my Saturday night organizing all of my word work materials into these:
 
 They are perfect for storing alphabet beads, scrabble letters, and even crayons!  I tried to share pictures of my own handiwork (and my cat helping me), but Sprint isn't cooperating!  After this Saturday night project, hopefully I won't have little Glad/Rubbermaid/Great Value containers spilling all over the place any more!  These have handles that lock over the lid and each box has its own home.  No more stacking containers to make ridiculously high towers that lean like Pisa and crash onto the floor!  My life is complete.  *sigh*  Well, not quite, but hey, it's the little things!  I'd like to thank the academy, Staples, Target, and Lowe's for emptying my wallet and still putting a smile on my face.