My Montessori Journey: Office overhaul near completion

Well, after a few more hours organizing, the office is pretty close to being how I want it. As I looked at the title of this post, I realized that I need to make one thing clear: the previous teacher in this classroom left the cabinets and office VERY well organized. My work over the past several days has been focused on getting things organized MY way. I have a very particular way I like things to be placed and organized that is unique to me. I wanted to make sure no one reading this thinks that the place was a mess, however, because that could not be further from the truth. In fact, I have been the one making the big mess. But......that's how I organize best. So there you have it.

OK........today I bought 2 shelves at WalMart for $16 each. I thought that was a really great deal. I also bought 6 natural canvas bins at WalMart. These come in sets of 2 for under $10, also a great deal. I have several of these at home. When I purchased them, I wasn't sure if I would use them to organize books or thematic units. Once I got up to the school, I decided to use them for my thematic units. Previously, my units had been stored in HUGE ziploc bags and stuffed in those large Rubbermaid tubs. Now they are out of the tubs and bags and on the shelf. I have snapped a photo below of one of the shelves with the 6 canvas bins on it. I am planning to make little labels for each bin (there is a place to slide in a label on the front), and knowing me, I'll probably add ribbons or something to the handles to spruce them up a bit. Right now, one bin is empty. I know I will create more units over the course of the year, so it will be filled soon, I'm sure. There is plenty of room on top of the shelf for more bins, but I am thinking it might bother me to have open-topped bins on top. So.......I may use the top of the shelf for the continent boxes I plan to make. I will probably use those video/photo storage boxes for the continent boxes, as I've noticed several other people have done. These should stack nicely on top of the shelf. I haven't decided what to do with the other shelf. I am probably going to put it out in the waiting area and make a parent resource library on it where parents can check out books. We'll see. So....here are some photos that show what's been happening the past few days.

Here is the $16 shelf and the bins. They actually hold quite a bit. At home, I use these bins to hold books (they hold LOTS and don't tip over), cars, and little toy animals. The units I have in the bins so far are: Birds, Human Body, Plants, Reptiles, and Ocean/Fish. Any of the larger books that go with the units are placed in the magazine organizers, sorted by unit. See the following pictures.

For now, I have 11 black magazine holders that hold the non-fiction books to go with each unit. Today I also added some fiction books that are related to the themes. Books too big to fit are just squeezed in next to the appropriate magazine holder. On the shelf below the book holders, you can see my monthly notebooks that I referred to in a previous post.

Here is a little tool drawer type organized with little stuff like safety pins, brads, etc. Each drawer is labelled and they are in ABC order from left to right. LOVE IT!!

This is one of two 3-drawer organizers that are holding things like pencils, markers, crayons, certificates, stick-on nametags, etc.

This organizer on wheels fits PERFECTLY under my little desk that was without drawers. So......it's not taking up other valuable floorspace AND now my desk has drawers. (BTW: See those lovely bundled colored pencils in the fourth drawer down?)

Finally, here is the close-up of the picture on top of the cubbies. It says, "Every child is a different flower--and together they make this world a garden."

3 Comments

Pls don't think this is dumb.......but could you pls open the drawers with the plain and fancy pencils and take a picture? Would love to see all those pencils!!

Thanks
Misty
p.s pls email me if you do...........thanks!

Posted by: Misty McGregor | August 10, 2010 at 03:32 PM