Spring Cleaning

Returning from our week-long vacation I felt two things..."Oh my goodness I missed you kids!" and "Oh my goodness, this place is messy!" So this week I have tackled one messy area at a time in our classroom. Maybe this is the point of Spring cleaning, that our spaces become so cluttered during summer, fall, and winter that we just have to purge and organize.

I have yet to undertake such a project at home but here are a few photos...sparkling clean.


Our writing center, a popular place for everyone and a prime culprit of disorder. Even with labels on the cubby spaces, the sheer number of places to put things seems to invite disorder. With prompting and guidance today everything was returned to the correct space, success.


While on vacation I visited the City and Country school and had the chance to observe in their 5's classroom for a morning. One of the tips for the environment I picked up was storing paint in baby jars. I love that this is organized, sorted by color, and easy for children to access and use on their own. Today a small group of boys and girls labeled each metal tin, phonetically writing the color names: blak, prpl, etc. I didn't take a photo of that - but perhaps I will.


Our art shelf has was becoming overwhelming, somehow the number of crayons, markers, and beautiful junk were taking over the shelf. I removed the excess and it all seems much more accessible now.

Now...for the pile of boxes and bags under the sink!