As we approach the end of another school year, your classroom may be meticulously organized, a complete mess, or more than likely somewhere in between. No judgment here; even the best classrooms can get messy! Whatever your situation, it’s important to get your classroom ready for summer, which means preparing before the last day of school. You don’t want to still be lugging boxes around after the final bell rings. Here are some things you can do now to make sure yours is one of the first cars out of the parking lot this summer!
5 Steps to Get Ready for Classroom Clean-Up Before Summer
Start lining up boxes
Get started a few weeks early by scoping out supply rooms, the cafeteria, and anywhere else that receives regular large deliveries. Schoolyard Insider Tip: Ask the yearbook sponsor. The yearbook order is about to come in, leaving this poor person to deal with 20 extra boxes. Show your thanks by offering to help them with the delivery.
Pull out items you’ve tucked away
Whether it’s a small stack of items in a corner or the mystery lurking in the back of the supplies closet, pull out and organize some of the clutter you haven’t touched in a while. Once you’ve accounted for all of your supplies, it will be much easier to get rid of what you don’t need.
Start donating and tossing
Next, identify what you will donate or throw away. It’s much easier if you start this now before your classroom adds another layer leading up to summer break. Pull in a garbage can and then be honest about what can stay and what can go. Show no mercy! If some of the items haven’t been used up or might be useful to someone else, ask around and see if anyone is interested in claiming them before you toss them! Anything useable that’s left can find a home at a local thrift shop or Habitat ReStore.
Start enlisting student help
Perhaps the biggest contributor to your classroom accumulation is student work. Give students a deadline to take their work home or toss it. Establish that deadline clearly before the last day of school. They can also help organize things in preparation for them to be moved out or stored. Make sure you reward them for their help!
Pack with priority in mind.
When you pull all of your tools and supplies out at the start of the next school year, you won’t want to dig around in the bottom of full boxes to find your most important things. Try to keep your packing organized by keeping priority items at the top of the boxes. Or pack the most important things together and label the bins so you know where to start when it’s time to unpack.
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More Inspiration to Get Your Classroom Ready for Summer!
Looking for more tips and advice for getting your classroom space ready for summer? Start by heading over to the End of the Year and Spring Cleaning collections on the Schoolyard Blog. We’ve compiled useful tips, tricks, and ideas to fuel your motivation and end the year on a positive note!
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