Random Classroom Storage

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I don't know what it's like teaching upper grades, but I feel as K-teacher in a Title 1 school we have a lot of stuff. (Don't get me wrong... it's AWESOME to have all the materials that we do... but where in the world are we supposed to store all these materials?!!!!)

Well just so happens I have been working on my room this week doing some spring cleaning so I can focus on teaching my kids, rather than trying to remember where I put everything! And last night I got A LOT done!!! So enjoy a few pictures of my clean classroom, that will probably be a mess again by this time next week. ;)

The following picture if a bucket of stickers I use daily for homework/behavior calendars and completed center work.

This is how the kids know what special we have each day. The frog clip I made (just hot glued on a clothespin) tells us!

We were allowed to paint our rooms this year... so I painted it this pretty blue with some clouds and of course a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom theme! (Hince the blog name! hehe) I hope to touch it up this summer b/c I was in such a hurry to paint this in 2 days last summer....

Each student's hook has a number on an apple. (Which matches the number on their nametags on their desk.) This way I don't have to change the names on the hooks every year! (Gotta love time savers!) I plan on doing the same with their cubbies next year!

We don't have our own aids... we actually share an aid between our 6 kindergarten teachers and 6 first grade teachers (we keep her busy!) She only helps in the inclusion classes, so the only thing she has time to help me do is make copies/laminate/put papers in the kids' cubbies and a few other things we may ask her to help with from time to time. So I got these drawers to help her know what needs done each day without having to interrupt class. (She LOVES it!) It has been working great! 

Random pic of the inside of my easel... if you noticed a few posts back it was a disaster and I finally have it cleaned out! I use markers and expo markers DAILY so that's pretty much the only thing I keep in her every week. I place our big books and trade books we read each week back here AND chart paper when I'm not using it. I love my easel!

 (The drawers underneath are ANOTHER story.... I need to work on those soon!)

Our school district was blessed enough to get a model classroom in EVERY class in the district. So I have 2 remotes to keep track of... 1 for the VCR/DVD player and our projector. I was losing them ALL the time before I got these adorable little bins from the Dollar Store. (There were 3 in a pack last summer... blue, green and pink!) *note my adorable scentsy burner--- I had to get the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star one for my desk! The kids LOVE it too!

 Another random idea... to keep my stamp pad and stamps handy, I place them in a little bucket too on my desk. (Notice my adorable post its? I can't say it enough- I LOVE TARGET'S $1 SECTION!)

I don't know why this picture looks all funny- but I don't have an actual DESK. We have these teacher stations (that I LOVE) but they were so hard to keep organized. So I used some bins I got from the dollar tree that fit perfect to organize things and keep the inside looking clean! hahah and notice the toy car and action figure? yes, I'm one of those teachers that take toys they bring and put them in my desk... lol It makes me think of A Christmas Story every time.. hehehe

This is the bottom portion of the teacher station... it has a little surface you can pull out to use as a desk if you need to sit down... I just keep my desk calendar on there... I don't sit down much! haha
I keep all my printer paper at the bottom.

Here is where I store posters and such- in my wonderful flat file! Then I keep all my teacher manuals an resources on the shelf above. 

I did this at the end of last year b/c I was sick of how cluttered my desk was and not being able to find anything.... Now I know where EVERYTHING IS! It's beautiful! (I got them from Walmart.)

Glue gun storage- CHECK!

These were hand me downs from another teacher... I thought I would use them, but I don't like them much. I want to get the clear pockets so I can actually SEE what's in them... I will label them too when I get new ones.

I put all my craft supplies in the drawers.... These will get labels soon also.

I LOVE MY CONSTRUCTION PAPER STORAGE! I plan on ordering another one for the small paper next year! It's worth it!

That's pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed my pictures and look forward to seeing everyone else's classrooms! I love getting new ideas! Thanks Mrs. Patton for putting this linky party together this week!!!!

You know you're a Kindergarten Teacher when...

• You come home with some sort of marker or paint on your hands and clothes every night.
• You get bummed when it rains because you can't go outside for recess and let the kids get their wiggles out!
• You own more children books than you do your own personal books to read at home.
• You get excited when you get a gift card to a book store.
• 3 words: Target. Dollar. Section.
• 2 more words: Dollar. Tree.
• You buy the Dora the Explorer and Spiderman band-aids b/c they just make the booboos feel better!
• Love to see your students "kiss your brain!"
• You have to repeat yourself 10485920404 times a day...
• You have to remind your students to close the door when they are using the bathroom.
• You have to remind your students to pull up their pants BEFORE coming out of the bathroom.
• You know the meaning of bubbles and duck-tales.
• You have mastered the art of walking backwards in the hallway.
• You know that Criss-cross applesauce is the new way of sitting "indian style".
• You would have the magical powers to fix "listening ears" when they seem to be broken.
• You have no shame when it comes to dancing and singing to jams like "Tooty-ta" and other fun songs
• You receive at least 5 hugs per child and several "I love you's" throughout the day!!! 
• You know that you are the coolest human alive when the words "It's time for recess!" comes out of your mouth.
• You know several versions of the clean up song.
• You have to teach your students about good tattles and bad tattles.
• You are referred to the "best teacher ever!!!" every time the kids get to do something they WANT to do. (Even though for most, you're their only teacher they have ever had... haha! But it still makes me smile!) 
• You smile when you get called "mom" because it's the biggest compliment you could ever receive. =)
• You can never have enough crayons and glue sticks.
• You know what "a dab will do ya!" means....
• Your definition of a "whisper voice" is clearly not the same as your student's..

Update on my organized classroom!!! =)

A view of my desk when it's NOT covered in a pile of papers! =)

It might have been a good idea to take this AFTER I cleaned up the recess toy shelves, haha!

Check out my small group organization!!!! I just realized I had that large green 3 drawer thing that empty... so I'm storing all my small group things in there now! YAY!

Whole group area

Some positive reinforcement... when a table is following directions- they earn a monkey on their table sign! =) If they earn 5 by the end of the day, everyone at that table gets a prize from the treasure box!

They were SO close today!

My stations rotation chart! The animals match the animals on our literacy center tubs and math tubs! 

The pink tubs are for literacy and the green are for math!

Just an idea for indoor recess.... I use this to assign kids centers at the beginning of the year and for my subs to use if needed--- I have been letting them choose lately b/c they are pretty good about cleaning up and such now! =)

Looks so much better now! I even organized my CDS today! =)

Taylor Mali

This man is AMAZING! He makes me want to be a poet! =)
For all my fellow teachers out there trying to make a difference, this is a MUST SEE!!!!