Okay, I just reached into my stash of construction paper and have decided I need a storage solution! Do you have full sheets, big pieces, little pieces, and teeny tiny scraps all stored together? I do. The colors are all mixed together too… (tiny sigh) How do you avoid construction paper chaos in your classroom?
Super curious,
Diane
PS: In case you’re wondering, I’m testing a project for an upcoming issue of The Mailbox magazine. I love my job!
I use a portable plastic file folder container with locking sides and a handle. I have the paper arranged by the rainbow in their own file folder the other colors towards the back. It works well. It is easy to carry and store. I can also see when I am running low on a color!!
am lucky i do have nice storage cabs. so one shelve all construction paper . once they start to get loose i have added a few mag. holder to help the chaos. As for scraps these go 1. large go made into cutting strips . 2. small pieces go into ziplock bag for art projects .
I am currently student teaching and my cooperating teacher from my first placement had a great system! She had a large, upright cabinet and inside she had designated one shelf to construction paper. She had taken what I call magazine or desk top file holders and separated the construction paper out by color. Each color had its own file holder! She had tiny scraps in ziploc bags that she kept inside a generic plastic storage container with the mixture of big and little pieces. The best thing was that it was color coded, so if I had something in mind, I could open the cabinet right up and grab what I needed without having to think about it. It is DEFINITELY a trick that I plan to use in my own classroom!
Hi, Diane… sounds like you peeked into my classroom closet(!)BEFORE I did the following:
1. Sort all full sheets by color. If possible, get students to help: preschoolers especially love to help in this, and get to practice all types of motor and cognitive skills, from color recognition to numeration to sequencing (a brief review of rainbow colors order ROYGBIV).
2. Use inexpensive (but sturdy) stacking letter boxes to keep sorted sheets in order and easily accessible.
3. Put all remaining pieces in some type of container (see-through is better) to be used for collages and other art projects. (Also useful for practicing cutting skills when scissors are still very difficult to manage.)
Hope this helps.
Mrs. C
I have a construction paper sorter from one of the school supply companies. I wish I had thought of it earlier or I would have used the large plastic stackable drawers that will fit a 9×13 piece of paper. You should be able to fit at least 200 sheets of each color and with clear drawers it is easy to see the colors and quantity.
Sadly we have little space for anything. I store all my paper by color standing in a cabinet. I can grab what I need at a glance.
But I do keep the scraps in one drawer so it doesnt look messy
I keep my 9×12 pieces sorted by color in a regular stacking crate. Then I can move it around the room to project spaces as needed. I have a scrap box for the irregular smaller pieces. Anything that isn’t used for other projects/free time activities is given to the art teacher or recycled after a couple of weeks.
This will sound strange but it works for me… I went to the kitchen storage aisle of Walmart and found a plate sorter. I splurged on the sturdier one, which, was still only a couple of bucks. I purchased two of them because they only take up 10 to 12 inches a piece. It has allowed me to store my paper vertically and almost every color gets its own spot. I was able to create a slot in between my two plate sorters and I had to put a couple of less used colors together just because I ran out of slots. I can store several packages of construction paper in each slot and pull one out easily. I especially love that it doesn’t take up much space!
Just a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed some single silverware trays that are interlocking (about 3 inches wide by 15 inches long). I connected several of them to store smaller bits of paper. So far it is a much better system than what I had previously – a small box stacked full of scraps. Good luck with what ever system you decide on!
Gee, I did this a couple years ago. I purchased a nice sorter with 5 different shelves. It holds the regular size construction paper. Anyway, I have 2 of these-one for my cardstock/color paper and for my construction paper. I keep it in my large cabinet and it is makes life so much easier to actually see what all I do have! Hope your share all the suggestions you get! Someone might have something I haven’t thought of yet!
Y’all have inspired me! I’m ready to tackle my mess! Now I just have to decide which of your great ideas to implement! Thanks soooooooooooo much for sharing. 🙂
Hmmmmmmmmmm! I don’t even know where to start with my assortment of construction paper sheets and scraps!! Wish I could snap my fingers and get it organized! Ha!
I use office dividers and stand the paper on it’s side. I keep them sorted in each slot by color. I also have office dividers for other kinds of paper. All of these take up one shelf in my tall cabinet. I have used several different kinds of organization techniques and this is the one that works the best for me.
rainbow colors are really nice, my favorite color is blue and red.,
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