Organising Table Supplies - Another Bright Idea

I hope you are loving the Bright Ideas Linky hosted by Shelley Gray. It is such a fun and innovative idea to find a wealth of knowledge and information from REAL teachers using these REAL Bright Ideas in their classrooms. Make sure you click back to the linky to find over 100 more great Bright Ideas from teachers around the world!

My Bright Idea is all about how to organise those table essentials. In Kindergarten we supply everything for the students (and beg for donations of glue sticks along the way). Last year I had everything in cups and found that my kids must have been eating the supplies! Red pencils seemed to disappear into the ether but the purples were breeding. And don't get me started about the accidents....the pencil cups just always seemed to be on the edge of falling over (probably because of all the random pencils in there). AND the fights! I had a group of boys last year whose goal it was to have the most pencils in their cups. Did they want to use them all? No way, just collect them to be the winner.

I really wanted those cute caddies you see from Really Great Stuff or Oriental Trading but shipping to Australia is rather ridiculous. Enter the humble cutlery drainer from the $2 shop (you know, where you put your knife and fork to dry?)

Anyway this is what I started with

The baskets cost me $1.50 each and I bought 1 between 2 kids. I also bought new scissors this year for my class in 4 different colours and these colours are exclusive to each table. Each student gets a glue stick each.

Top view - there are 4 compartments. I use one side for coloured pencils and the other side holds glue in one section and scissors in the other.

See?

Pencils in the other side.

The finished basket.

Here they are on tables in the classroom. The kids have been fantastic and will let me know if they have too many of one colour pencil or there are no scissors  because someone has accidentally returned them to a different basket. Even pencils on the floor usually get returned to their rightful home as we can quickly see which basket is missing that colour.

Trust me...I am not an over-the-top-organised person, but for some reason this has really worked with me and I will definitely be doing it for years to come :)

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An InLinkz Link-up

Planning with Planners!

Last year I dabbled in creating some planners. Simple yet functional was my line of thinking.

But now I am a year wiser, a year more versed in design, a year more immersed in awesome clipart and fonts! My planners have taken on a new look and feel that I hope you like!

Enter The Simple Teacher Planner.

At this stage I have 4 new designs plus I have revamped one older design (I plan to do the other existing designs too and maybe a couple of new ones!)

Here they are!

Chalkboard, Bunting and Birds (I think this is my favourite!!)

  

 Bright Chevron

Soda POP!

Teal Leopard 

Click any of the cover pics to go and see them at TPT. If you purchase one of these, I am more than happy to personalise your cover with whatever you like (well....within reason lol).

Want one?

Comment with your favourite one and why (dont forget your email address!) I will pick 2 random numbers at 7pm tomorrow night (my time) which gives you 25 hours to comment. I would also love if you had any other suggestions or would like something specific.

Edited to add: Here are the random numbers!

Congrats to Kelly (3) and Debbie (11). Ill be emailing you soon :)