Clutter Free--Step 1

Well we went back to school today. Roads were rough, but we made it!  On my day off, I spent my time reading blogs and finding ways to better my teaching.  I discovered:

I could not do step 1 since I was at home, but I did do Step 2.  I made a list of rules for when I sort through my stuff the steps I must follow.

So here we are with step number one.  Before photos.  

Oh boy, I have clutter.  Now, I know I work in a play based classroom so there are toys out for students and there isn't supposed to be a lot of areas in which the students don't touch--the room should be accessible to the students.  Sometimes the area just stresses me out though!

Take a look at my messy desk!  This picture was taken between classes on my lunch.  ugh. Cringe.

When sitting at my desk and looking to my left (towards the door) you can see under the stairs to the treehouse.  Somewhat organized, but a lot of mess.

This is under my desk.  I have a lot of bags.  I have a lot of mess.  I have stuff taped to my heater.  Ugh.

This is behind my desk.  I have lots of drawers and I am attempting to organize, but at the same time, its just not there.

This is the view of the wall my desk, tree house, and sensory table

are on.  This is the wall to the right of the door.

This is the view of the sensory table.  Above the sensory table, I have a list of describing words.  To the right, the five senses posters.  To the left: The check in pocket chart, we wish you well board, and friends and family board. 

This is the bin of literacy bags (on the floor), library return box (purple crate) and set of drawers with the AM nap cards, uh-oh you left it out bucket, and book hospital.  On top of that is their folder drop off area.  I need it all and it needs to be accessible, but not out....hmmmm.

This is the front of my room.  This is looking at the door.  This includes my white board, morning circle area, and puzzles and games center.  

This is where I  run my  morning circle time.  The milk crate  (literally, a crate that once delivered milk to our school from a local dairy distributer).  It  was all I had at the time to hold the books I use for circle time.  

This right here, makes me cringe.  This is the puzzle and games center.  Students have free choice play time, they have the use of this area, and clean up at the end of the 15-20 minute play time.  They have a lot of work to do.

The art center is to the right of the circle time area.  The shelf with the bins faces the art center.  This center is doing better, but not quite there.

This is the back wall, to the right of the art center.  To the left is the art center.  In the middle is the small white table is the writing center table, and behind that is the discovery center table.  to the right of that is the home living center, currently an igloo.


The discovery center is where they do math and science activities. These materials often get dumped, but when it comes to putting back they aren't always the greatest.  That being said, I think this is the way it is because I work with 4 year olds....


The homeliving center. Kids love it, I hate the mess.  I love hearing their imagination and all they can come up with, I hate the mess.  I just want to have a more clean fun.  More labels maybe?

See what I mean?!?  Mess!

This is the back wall.  To the left is the homeliving.  To the middle, the block center, and to the right we are back at my desk again.  Block center does clean well, they do put the things away...it just takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

This brings me to those big brown doors you saw with the word wall and the discovery center.  

My closets.  My storage.  My collection of mess you couldn't see.  My only area the kids don't touch.  We are going left to right.

Top shelf: all that kleenex and disinfectant wipes that came in on the first day of school as school supplies....and  a pirate ship that is to tall to fit anywhere else.

Second: puzzles.  All of them are puzzles.  So many puzzles.

Third: Left Games that I change out on the puzzles and games shelves.  To the right, all the snack items.  Students bring in snack for the whole class for a week.  We also need 5 oz cups for the milk and napkins to put snack on.  It has to live somewhere....

Bottom: Sensory table items, bins, and letter puzzle pieces...this shelf frustrates me.


The middle set is dramatic play and blocks.
Top Shelf:  boxes are my HUGE paper boxes I got (my father-in-law works in a paper mill).  I put seasonal items from posters, decorations, manners, and more in each box by season.

Second: Blocks, trains, dump trucks

Third: Lincoln Logs, cars, house, blocks

Bottom: Dramatic play clothes, homeliving dishes and clothes, rescue heroes.

The right set is my books and thematic materials.


Top Shelf, more of the seasonal boxes.

Second & Third: Thematic units in chronological order.  Back to school through graduation/kindergarten.

Fourth: units that can be sorted out, brought in in rotation.  Pets, dinosaurs, pirates, farm, zoo, etc.

Bottom: Class favorites and storys with morals: behavior problems, sharing, handling emotions, respect, etc.  The right side is a continuation of the rotated in themes.

There are labeled bins with games for particular themes and the book box of book pertaining to that theme are resting on top.   This closet is my favorite.

Furthest on the right.    The supply closet.

Top shelf:  Left-index cards center, various types of paper, right- bins of coloring books.

Second Shelf:  large paper.  Rolled up, folded, etc.

Third Shelf: baskets of smaller types of paper.  Left to right getting larger types of paper.

Fourth Shelf: bins of supplies-crayons, pencils, colored pencils, dry erase markers.

Fifth shelf: paint , markers, junk

Sixth: Glue, Glue Sticks, extra supplies/random

Very bottom: Big books and books on tape crate.  These are used by the whole early childhood program and need to be stored in this location as there are no other locations in the school.  

Desk Drawers. Eww.

Middle Drawer: right now it is all my writing utensils, stapler, paper, punch, tape (apparently 2), etc.

Top Right Drawer: right now, cough drops, lights for under the tree house that never went up, water flavoring, and beans for science...what a combo! 

Bottom Right Drawer: paper towels, ziplock bags, tampons, extra electronic parts that were in a box when I got here, and snacks for my low blood sugar or late nights at school. Yeah, my desk is a hot mess.

Top left Drawer: velcro, cut up contact paper, tape rolls, labels, stickers.

Middle Left Drawer: notepad, my markers/crayons/colored pencils, random birthday supplies donated by a parent, and notecards.

Bottom Left Drawer: page protectors, card stock, roll of paper, roll of contact paper, Stationary.

File Cabinet Drawers

Bottom Drawer: 

Individual student files, extra sweater (our school gets cold!), borders rolled up, random calendar numbers left by the previous teacher.

Middle drawer: 

• Front files are word cards purchased from Kindergarten Smiles.  TpT Link to word file folder.  
• Letter of the week files: all the originals for coloring book page, bubble letter decorated with something of that letter, ___ is for ____ hand print page, and the Cricut cut letters for the wall.
• Back: Thematic units: big hanging folders are labeled for each season.  The file for each theme is in the correct hanging folder.  Bags are materials such as bingo games, left over whole punches (those were a beast to make, I will save all I can!), and like materials.

Top Drawer: 

Curriculum, lesson plan fillers for subs, literacy ideas and training  information, Parent letters  and orientation information, and  other ideas for concepts such as writing, number sense, etc.

So, I have a start but not there yet.  I have ideas, but some things I feel I am stuck on. I am hoping this process will help me to grow and feel more in control of my space.