Bargain Bins!

I wanted to blog today about something that I was so pleased with last year. My bargain community supply bins. My first year of teaching my students all had their own supply boxes that they kept in their desks. I loved and hated it all at the same time. I loved that they could grab art supplies as they needed, but I hated how dirty they became. So, this past school year I tried community bins. I adored them (for a number of reasons that I've felt the need to list below).

1. Students kept themselves more accountable for keeping them clean because they were "on display".

2. The kids held each other responsible for making sure the bins were well taken care of.
3. Having bins kept all of those nasty little crayon pieces out of their desks. Seriously- EW.

4. (Perhaps my favorite reason) When I asked the class to clean up, it took HALF the time for them to do it. You didn't have those 5 or 6 kids who kept working because they had the convenience of cleaning up at their own pace. Community bins kept 'em movin'!

 I made the CHEAPEST bins last year. Not kidding... they cost about $1.50 each. The best part? They were able to withstand the back and forth - pulling and tugging of 18 second graders for 182 days. That's a win in my book.

Recipe for cheapy bargain bins to last the whole year through.

Shoe Box Size Bins (I got mine from the dollar tree!)

 Brightly Colored "solo" Cups.
Hot Glue Gun

Labels for Cups (I made mine on PPT)

I used book tape to label each cup, then hot glued the cup to the bottom of the bin.
They were seriously so great. You can personalize the labels so the cups can hold whatever your students use most! 

On a side note. Want a peek at my "mobile" classroom? I have been wondering why I have had to fill my gas tank so often this summer. Then it dawned on me... half of my previous classroom is crammed in my trunk.

The other half is slammed in my closet. I finally get to unpack and settle into my new room next week. Phew.

Happy Monday!