Bright Ideas Hop: Making Use of Unused Spaces

March 9, 2014
Posted by clbartlett on
Thanks for hopping over to visit me on this amazing blog hop! I’m joining you today to bring you some ways that you can use that unused space in your classroom.
If you are like me, I don’t have much wall space in your classroom but I really wanted to find a way to hang up my anchor charts. I love Command Hooks and I decided to use them.
 I punched holes on the tops of each anchor chart and placed them on rings. It’s easy to flip a new chart to the front when I want it featured and a great way to store those charts that I’m not using at the moment.
Don’t have enough bulletin board space? Yeah, me neither. I needed to find a way to hang up my weekly vocabulary words but I have room for a pocket chart. 
 
This has worked really well for me this year. It’s easy to change out the words and they stand out to the kids.
 Don’t you just hate all those things you need in your classroom but you just don’t have a place to put them? I use Command Hooks to keep these things off the counters and floor and out of my way. I love that I can hang my little broom and dust pan up and the kids know where to find it. I also hang my lunch box up so it is out of the way.
 Okay, yes, I am using Command hooks again. I am an addict. I love using the small ones on the sides of my students desks to hang those all important word cards and flash cards that they need to work on. This way, they never get lost in their messy desks and they know exactly where to put them back.
 Are your students always using their log-in cards? If your students are like my students, they have multiple log-ins and not all of them are the same. I give each of them log-in cards that always seem to get lost so I hang a class set on the side of a bookshelf. I also hang a bag of materials for a student with special needs so she knows where to find everything. 
My favorite thing that I have done this year is keep my timer in the same place. Before, I could never find my timer when I needed it and that was quite often.  This year, I put extra strength Velcro on the back and on the bookshelf. Viola! Easy to find when I need it.
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I love using clear Post-it Pockets to hang up my emergency information near the door. That way, I  can grab it as I head out for a fire drill or any other emergency. It is also easy for subs to see when they are in my room.
 
For my last tip, you will need some locker pockets (not really sure what they are called.) I got these at Target during back to school time. I attached these to my bulletin board frames and to the wall using extra strength Velcro and hung them around the room. I have my sunglasses near the door so I can grab them on the way out to the playground or car riders. I also have one for my projector remote and other technology items.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I would love it if you would become a follower here or on Facebook if you enjoyed my post. 

Your next stop on the blog hop is Gladys’ fabulous post on vocabulary instruction.

Teaching in High Heels

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10 Comments on “Bright Ideas Hop: Making Use of Unused Spaces”

  4. I'm a huge fan of 3M hooks and clothespins in the classroom. I've had visiting teachers (strangers) stop to ask me about a few of the ways I've been using them… but I still found some new ideas here today. Thank you! Is it bad that the idea I'm most excited about is for getting my sunglasses off my desk? 😉

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