Week #2 Clutter-Free Classroom Project

The challenge this week was to come up with our plan of how we will become clutter free.  This plan also has to have rules to help you get clutter free so her are my rules for my self to get and stay clutter free.

 Clutter-Free Classroom Project

1     1.)  I will use up all of the consumables that I have before getting more.

2     2.)  I will limit donated items for creative art projects.

3     3.)  If it is broken, get rid of it.

4     4.)  If I have not used it in a year get rid of it or donate to another teacher.

5     5.)  If it is in the wrong place return it now, instead of later.

I have an over amount of consumables since classrooms were closed down after the budget cutes and they had to put it some where so it is in my classroom storage.  Here is the before pictures.

It is hard to get to one color when there are other colors stacked on top.  Some times I walk in there and just change my plan instead of getting what I came in for.

After Pictures

 I went to the surplus warehouse (shed) and found some discarded shelving and placed the shelving in the storage room.  I stacked two shelves on top of one another and attached the shelving to the wall with L brackets.  The best thing about this organizational project is that it was FREE!

I also found some paper sorting racks in the surplus shed.  I cleared off a shelf in the storage next to the surplus of construction paper and placed the paper sorting racks on the shelf and placed all the opened papers in it.  This way I will use what I have up before getting out more.  

   

So Simple So Sweet Etsy Story

So Simple So Sweet

Story telling can be enriched with the use of props.  Heidi from So Simple So Sweet has been creating some amazing story telling characters that can be used as finger puppets or on a magnetic learning board.  Here characters are a sure way to capture the attention of children during story time lending to the joy of reading and literature.

Here are just a few of her So Simple So Sweet Puppets

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Little Pigs

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

   

Let It Snow

Our classroom is being to look like a winter wonder land with all of the snowmen projects going on.

Paint Snow People at the Easel

 Crating Snowmen Books at Writing Workstation

Building Snowmen with letters

 Making Snowmen in the creative art area

Berry Basket Snowflake Prints

Snowmen out of Salt Clay

 Snowman Shape Color Bingo

Sandmen in the Sensory Table

Five Little Snowmen props

 

Week #1 Clutter-Free Classroom Project

Okay here we go.  Here are my pictures of my classroom before starting the Clutter-Free Classroom Project.  I can not believe that I am going to be showing you all the bad parts of my class, but her we go.

Here are two pictures of my classroom as a hole.  This is showing more of  the children’s areas, but it gives you an ideas of what I am looking at. 

The answer is yes if you are asking yourself that classroom is huge.  Some times I feel like I am teaching on in a football field size classroom.

Ok now for the bad parts.

Teacher Office Area

These pictures are of my teacher area.  This area sits up on the stage area of my classroom which makes it kind of challenging to organize the area, but I am whiling to give it a try.

Circle Area

Right now this area does not look to bad, but that is just because over the winter break we had to empty our classroom so that the carpets and tile could be cleaned for the year.  With that being said, I have not had time to get out all of the items that you would normally see here.  I guess that is a good thing since I should probable purge some items.

Another Teacher Prep Station

Storage Area

Okay so I have two of these areas in my classroom and I did not highlight on all of it.  Let me shed some light on these areas, there are things in this “Caves” as we call them dating back to the sixties.  To say the least it is a little over whelming when you go in them and not to mention FREEZING (that is why we call them the caves).  The center I work for open in 1964 and the classroom that I am in is the original classroom for the child development program for our school district.  Let’s just say there are a whole lot of things that I could get rid of.   

Let the Challenge Begin!!