If you’re a specialist who has to move from classroom to classroom, you already know how a great cart can get you where you’re going and keep all your supplies handy along the way. After all, your well-being depends on having a home base you can wheel around your school. Keep on rolling along!
If you’re a regular classroom teacher, you might be surprised at how an art cart can help keep your classroom organized. Most classrooms don’t have enough storage space to hold everything you need, especially if you’ve collected years of materials and curriculum supplies. Even if you’re lucky enough to work in a school with many built-in shelves and a closet, these storage systems are designed to hold large items like books and reams of paper. Little things like paint brushes, crayons, and pencil top erasers can easily get lost in the shuffle.
A dedicated art cart can work wonders to keep your art supplies neat and accessible. A good one has trays for paper and small compartments to organize markers, colored pencils, and other small supplies. Best of all, those wheels let you easily move your supplies around, so you can set up an art area for work in centers or even head outside when the weather warms up in the spring.
Seriously, you need an art cart.
Ready-Made Art Carts
The easiest way to get an art center in your classroom is to buy a ready-made art cart. There are lots of designs available, so here are a few features to look for:
- Sturdy construction. Wood or steel are good choices.
- Flexible storage. A great art cart has a variety of shelves and differently sized nooks to hold lots of different supplies.
DIY Art Carts
You can try making one yourself if you can’t get funding to purchase a new art cart. The easiest thing to do is to find an old A/V cart languishing in your school’s basement. Customize it by adding inexpensive storage bins, pencil cups, and paper trays to create a moveable feast of art supplies for your room. If you’re handy, try building your cart from scratch out of PVC pipes.
Looking for inspiration and ideas to get your students started on a new art project? Check out our detailed art lesson plans from art educators and try something new.
