Monthly Organization

Having survived another Valentine's day... I was wondering, how does one keep organized the holidays and events that take place during the year? As a teacher, we are constantly decorating to fit the season or holiday so as to keep the kids interested and excited. Or perhaps it is to match their current interests while dragging .... er ... um ... propelling them into the next unit.

I was on Pinterest the other day avoiding my homework (shhh! No one tell that to my professor!) and ran across this most exciting photo:

Isn't it beautiful?? This is from Mrs. Bond's Fantastic First Grade. The organizing magic of this teacher is astounding. She must of spent hundreds of dollars on containers for her classroom but she has taken the time not only to take photos but to explain what is in each box! I have found this so very extremely helpful as now I can better gauge what I need to save up for. In this picture, you will notice she has a box for each month of the school year and then 3 extra boxes for other supplies. For this teacher, all activities, books, project, and bulletin board items fit into the drawer.

After falling thoroughly in love with the above idea, I ran across and equally interesting and impressive way to manage the holiday clutter. This idea comes from Mrs. Terhune's First Grade Site.

This teacher keeps things in several different places in her room but after reading through her blog post, I see how it makes sense and it fits nicely into her overall organizational plan. Let's see if I can do it justice to explain the method. Each unit has its own 3-ringer binder which holds copies of lesson plans, ideas, worksheets, activity instructions, etc... Then she has these magazine/book holders for the books that tie into the unit. The boxes above hold any pieces that she may need for centers etc. Lastly (not shown) all the bulletin board pieces are kept in plastic bags in a cabinet. Each item is then placed in order for the year. The holidays are just another "unit" in her organization.

I am debating which method I prefer. I LOATHE file cabinets. For some reason, I file things and they are forever lost never to return again. If I put worksheets or activities in a file, the likelihood that they will be used is slim to none. I am loving the idea of the binders as I can quickly access everything and I really like how each unit is its own book. Its a simple easy filing method but then look at all those binders! I am almost overwhelmed at the thought of putting something like that together. And just think what would happen if you ever switch grade levels. Sigh...

I really love the "toss in a drawer" method but then I am worried about things getting beaten up inside the drawer (thinking books here). Or digging out files underneath it all to make copies. Can I even fit all of the decorations for the class in one of those drawers or would I have to store other items in other places?

Perhaps I will utilize a combination of these ideas for my room. This is what happens when one roams around on Pinterest and finds too many good ideas!