Supplies...

Figuring out how the kids will access and store their supplies can seem simple, but with kindergartners it can actually turn into a bit of a logistical nightmare (not an understatement!). Getting out, fighting over, losing, playing with, and putting away supplies can take up a large part of a kindergartner's day if you're not organized. Here is what has worked best for me (after trying many different approaches!)...

Have each student store his or her supplies in a pouch that hangs over the back of their chair. These can be purchased online, but I was lucky enough to have my mother make some super cute ones. I used to have the kids store their supplies in a shared box that was kept on their table, but I found that this became a pretty big distraction to the kids. The would constantly touch, play with, and even lick (I'm not kidding) the box. It really is best to have the tables completely clear of distraction.

In thier pouch, each student has: a pair of scissors, a gluestick, an eraser, pencils, and crayons. Each of these supplies is labeled with the student's name (or number) so that supplies don't get mixed up. This also allows us to see which student is not caring for his/her belongings when things are left out.

Pencils used to present a pretty big challenge. When a student's pencil needed to be sharpened, we used to have them come up and place it in the "sad pencil jar" and replace it with one from "the happy pencil jar". We even used the whole straw despenser trick for awhile (I swear I invented that, but saw it on Pinterest after using it for years). With these methods, though, we found that students were very frequently getting out of their seats to get a new pencil and taking LONG amounts of time picking the perfect pencil to return to their seats with. Now, we make sure each student starts the day with three sharp pencils labeled with their number in their pouch. When a pencil needs to be sharpened, they simply place it back in their pouch and get a different pencil from their pouch. No getting out of their seat required. At the end of each day, my aide goes around and makes sure that all of the pencils are sharpened so that the student will start the day with three fresh pencils. This has worked wonderfully for us and I wish I had started with this method sooner.

In the large pouch pocket, the kids have a folder that they use for work they do not finish during class time. They are able to complete this work at certain times during the day or if they finish another activity early. I also have an "I'm Done Shelf" where I place work for early finishers who don't have anything in their folders.

#photo