Are you looking for ways to get your classroom organized? After you’ve had a few weeks of downtime, summer is a great time to get in there and take care of these organizational tasks. It will be worth it when the school year starts and everything is in its place.
But wow! Summer is flying by so quickly! It’s the middle of July and my district goes back to school August 9. Of course, my mind has been busily thinking and planning for going back. This will be our first time face to face with students since March of 2020. As much as I love summer break, I’m so excited to get back into the swing of things.
During the pandemic, we had to go into our classrooms and get rid of anything that didn’t fit in a cabinet. 🙁 They took all our extra furniture (including book shelves and cubbies) to make room to space out desks in case we’d be able to go back. We still don’t know if they’re going to let us have the furniture back. So, while I’m excited to get back in and start setting up for the new year, I’m not sure what to expect.
With that being said, one thing I can do to move forward while waiting for the unknown is to start organizing all the stuff that I hastily shoved into cabinets. All of the items listed below have been ordered, so I’m excited to get into my classroom and get some organization back.
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Are you ready to get your classroom organized?
36 Plastic Zip envelopes
Think Zip-Loc bags but stronger. These are great for storing all those center pieces, writing utensils, take-home books and so much more. They come in 11 different colors, so you can use them to sort items. They’re 13.5 x 9 inches, so they’re big enough to put full size papers in them. I’m going to use them this year to send home a reading book for them to practice each night. They also have a spot for you to label the contents to keep your classroom supplies organized and at your fingertips.
Teacher Desk Organization
Spinning Desktop Stationary Organizer
Keep this spinner on your teacher desk with all your favorite writing utensils and some scissors. You’ll always have a pen or pencil handy and you’ll be able to keep your desk neat because it will be so simple to put everything back where it goes. There are four handy sections. I like to keep my flair pens or Bic Intensity pens in one, regular pens in one, pencils in another and the last one I keep my Sharpie markers in. This is one of my favorite purchases because it looks great on my desk and will keep my classroom organized.
File Sorter
Keep the most important papers in this file sorter near your desk. I keep mine right behind my desk so I can get to it easily. I do like to keep most handouts in my digital plan book, but sometimes I feel like I need to keep a paper copy of something. Some of the files I like to keep handy are files to keep parent notes, staff meeting information, handouts from the principal (special schedules, adjunct duty information, library schedule, etc,). If you have a paper plan book and grade book, you can keep them in the file sorter when not using them. That way you always know where they are and again will keep your classroom organized.
Desk Drawer Organizer
Get your desk drawers organized with these organizer trays. I bought two for my desk’s two side drawers. Once you get your drawer organized, everything will have a place and it will be so much easier to keep it organized. The tray has up to 9 compartments, but you can remove some of the dividers so you can make sections that will fit your particular needs. Again, this is a must have to keep your classroom organized.
10 Ft Power Strip Surge Protector Tower
Do you feel like you have tangled wires all over your classroom? I used to. Now I keep one of these towers near my desk to keep my laptop, ipad, and phone charge. I also keep one on my projector cart to keep all of those electronics charged without a million different wires getting tangled. I love that it has 8 grounded outlets and 5 USB charging ports. Wires have always been an issue in the classroom with so many different technology items. Having them all in one place will keep your classroom organized.
Around the Classroom Organization
Book Bins
These book bins are a little pricey, but they’re worth it. I put one book bin in the middle of each of my table groups so they can all reach the books. The thing I love the most about these book bins is that they don’t fall over. I had some of the taller thin book bins, but the kids always knocked them over and books fell out everywhere. We spent a lot of time cleaning up after them. You can also use the sections to put different level books in. For example, I might put the easy readers in the front, on level readers in the middle, and challenge books in the back. This way students can choose what level book they want to read. I tend to rotate these book bins once or twice a week.
Magnetic Spice Racks
Don’t let the title fool you! These magnetic spice racks are perfect in the classroom. I hang mine on my whiteboard and I use one of them to display a book of the day or book of the week. In the past, I would leave books on the ledge and they would get messed up from not having support behind them or the whiteboard moving and smashing them. I use the other shelf to display a small plant and I also keep two jars in it. One of the jars holds popsicle sticks with the students names on them. The other jar holds my whiteboard markers. I love that it looks decorative but also serves a purpose.
3 Tier Rolling Utility cart
There are so many different ways you can use this cart in your classroom. My favorite is for guided reading groups. We use a lot of different supplies and I can keep them neat and organized with this cart. I can also move the cart around the room if I need to meet with groups in a different spot. The sections at the top have dividers that can be moved around and changed. There are also hooks on the side that you can hang things. This cart is so versatile.
Cabinet Organization
6 Quart Clear Sterlite containers
I love these containers to store supplies in my cabinets. The clear containers allow me to see inside without labeling. It’s simple to switch things around as different needs arise. I keep things like markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, regular pencils, scissors, post it notes, and erasers. If you buy the set of 12 and have extra, they stack so they won’t take up too much space until you’re ready to fill them. Considering they’re so versatile, you’ll probably find a use for all of them right away. Another great way to keep your classroom organized.
Colorful Bins
These colorful containers are perfect for storing supplies around the classroom. They look great stacked together and can be used for a variety of items. I used them for some of our STEM supplies and they fit perfectly on my bookshelf. Students can get them and put them back on their own.
Extra Amazon Finds You’ll Love
Here are a couple bonus items that I love. They have nothing to do with classroom organization, but I had to share these awesome finds.
Wireless Presenter Remote– I use this little clicker almost daily for presentations. It is so easy to set up and use! Just plug in the USB receiver and it will be ready to go. No more getting stuck sitting next to your computer while presenting. You’ll be able to move around the classroom freely.
Bic Intensity Fineliner Marker Pen– For years, I have used Flair pens but I find they have such a short lifespan. At first, they don’t write nicely until you break them in. Then when you finally have it the way you want it, the ink runs out. Well, that won’t be a problem with these. They write smoothly and they’re bright. They make me happy to write with them. If you have to grade papers, you might as well grade them with a fun pen.
Adjustable Tablet Stand Holder– Since I have switched from a paper planner to a digital planner, I like to keep my ipad handy. No more losing it when I put it on my desk. I love this stand. It’s the perfect place to keep the ipad so when I need to check my lesson plans or jot down some grades, it’s handy. I also love the beatiful gold color. If you want more information about why I switched from paper planner to digital, you can read more here.
Mini Dry Erase Erasers- If you teach elementary, these are a must have. I have tried all different kinds of dry erase erasers, but these are the best. I love that they’re small and can fit in their school boxes on their desks. They’re also relatively inexpensive for 48 fo them. You can add their name or number to them so if you find them around the classroom, you’ll know who they belong to. They’re also magnetic so they will stick to the boards if your whiteboards are magnetic.
Swig Travel Coffee Cup– I love this coffee cup! It keeps my coffee hot for hours. When I’m done drinking coffee, I can rinse it out and it will keep my water cold the rest of the day. It fits perfectly into my car cup holder and doesn’t leak. There are lots of different color options, but this leopard print is my favorite.
Well, that concludes my list of must-have Amazon finds. Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite and if you end up ordering anything. I hope you all have a wonderful school year!
PS If you’re struggling to come up with ideas on how to start the year smoothly, read about how you can teach routines and procedures so your classroom will run smoothly from the very beginning. If you’re looking for ideas for the first day of school, you can find that here.
