Clutter Free Classroom

Since this track out is extra long for me (5 weeks), I've gotten a little addicted to trying to develop things for the classroom, work on school stuff, etc. I've stumbled across the Clutter Free Classroom blog. If you don't follow it, you should! She is challenging herself (and others) to participate in creating a clutter-free classroom. Each Sunday, she will post about the challenge for that week and include freebies. Every Monday-Thursday, she will be posting tips and photos related to that weekly topic. Every Friday, she will have a check-in where everyone can discuss how things went that week related to the challenge. I have already been trying very hard to be more organized in my classroom this year, but I think this could be a great way to try and keep myself held accountable.
The first challenge this week was to take pictures of the areas we want to improve on. Since a) I didn't find this until today and b) I'm tracked out, I'm going to try to begin this next week. I'm going to make it a mission to go in next week and start by taking pictures in my classroom on Monday and kind of tying weeks one and two of the challenge together.
So besides the pictures, her Monday post was to list our top three reasons we would like to be organized. It really didn't take much time to come up with my 3:
1. To set a better example for my students (How can I expect them to keep their belongings organized if I can't?!).
2. To help relieve my little "anxiety attacks" whenever I look at disorganized areas of my room.
3. To try to be an example to others in my school and create a good impression when parents come in for tours and walk around to the classrooms.
Her tip for Tuesday was to get some bins to help separate as I organize (things to donate, keep, give away). Being that it's January (the WORST month money-wise), I really don't have the money to go buy some nice clear plastic bins as she suggests. However, she does make a suggestion of using copy paper boxes if you can't buy bins. I'm definitely going to use that idea...once I get paid at the end of January and have a little extra money from the subbing I'm doing over track out, maybe I'll be able to go buy some clear plastic bins. I'm kind of thinking I'll need 4: "Keep," "Give Away (to friend/colleague)," "Trash," and "Recycle."
On Wednesday, she posted these super cute freebies...some labels she created to pin to your bins as you organize. They're super cute and if I put them on clothespins, as she suggests, I can attach them to various bins and detach them as needed.
Her Thursday post suggests getting smaller bins as well in order to make organizing smaller areas (like the desk) more manageable. I think I'll look at the Dollar Store and see if I can find any cheap small bins there. If not, there's always Target and Walmart.
I can't participate in the Linky Party yet because I don't have my "before" pictures, but once I do, I'll post them!
Thanks for listening to my looonnnggg post about this, but I'm super excited. Again, if you haven't been to her blog, GO!!