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Archive : 2006 : July : 24

Tables
By MsPropel

I've used tables for three years in K, 1, and 2. I've really struggled with storage. I've had them stack everything in the middle of the table but that was a nightmare when it would topple over. Our school did a trial
of the Seat Sacks that you can buy. They did it for a fourth grade class, they were destroyed by January. Someone made them for my Kindergarten class but made them incorrectly so they didn't stay on the chairs (even when they were empty). I had to tape them onto the chairs with packing tape, which worked until the kids picked at the tape. I felt like all I did was tape seat sacks. That

too, was a nightmare. This year, I found under the shelf baskets at Wal-Mart. These worked well for a while, but the kids would knock them off with their knees. This was less of a mess because their crayons and things weren't in there, but after a while the wire became weak and would break. I held onto them even though they broke and talked to my principal about having the custodian mount them under the table. I'm going to have him do this before the kids come back. The only down side is that they have to go on the short sides of the tables so you can only have the kids sitting across from each other on the long sides of the table. I had the two kids sitting across from each other share one.

As far as their supplies, I've always given each child a cup where they kept their crayons and pencils and their cups were in a basket in the middle of the table. As I mentioned earlier, this is where the mess would come in if it got knocked over. I'm going to collect all of the crayons, markers, and colored pencils this year and put them in pencil boxes and put them on a shelf. That way, they kids can go get them when they need them as I found we didn't use them often enough to always have them at their table. There will be one box of each supply per two students. I'm going to put a long, skinny basket (the ones for writing instruments in desk drawers) in the middle of their table to keep pencils in and that is all that will be on their tables this year.

I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you don't understand. Here is a picture of the under the shelf baskets. Remember, I got them at Wal-Mart for $1.97.

http://www.spacesavers.com/unshelbas.html