Extra Paper Organization

Silly silly me.  Isn't it funny how the best ideas are always the simplest?  And these are also the ones when you kick yourself, saying, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Well that's how I felt recently!  For almost 2 years now, I've been storing my worksheets, handouts, activities, etc. (basically any and all copies), in my hanging file folder rack behind my desk (and, unfortunantley, I must admit, in a few piles, too).  The year ALWAYS starts out SUPER organized, by subject, then by when I'm going to need it (since I like to have copies made in advance).  Over the year, though, it ends up looking like this:

I stuff papers in the files, and shove papers around them!  Extra copies that didn't get used generally get put right back in it, too, so if ever a student needs an extra (after making a mistake) or if ever I need an extra (for "redo"s), I'm left digging through this huge mess, which sometimes can be time consuming and frustrating! 

Well, long story short, I needed an extra copy of a sheet, and I could not find one anywhere!  I also could not find it saved on my computer, either!  So, I called across the hall to my lovely (and organized!) teammate to see if she had one, and she said, "Oh yea, I'll get a kid to grab one out of the "extra paper" bin and bring it to you!" 

Simple as that!  I quickly got a copy and was back in business.  Later that afternoon, I of course stopped by across the hall, to see what all this "extra paper bin" business was about!  (Even though I'm in her room nearly twice a day!!!)  But let me just tell you, it's the best idea EVER!  It's low to the ground, easily accessible to kiddos, and as long as things are stack on top each time, it's kind of in order!

So of course, instead of a sentence strip or desk plate, I had to make a cutesy label for my own!  Click on it below if you want to print yourself a free copy! 

Well needless to say, I totally felt silly for struggling with my "system" all the millions of times I needed an extra paper!  I would like to think, in general, that I'm pretty well organized, but I've learned so many tricks from teammates and from blogs that have come in handy! 

I'd love for you to leave me a comment about any other little organizational "tricks" you use!  I'm sure everyone else would like to read them, too! 

Tinkerin' to get organized (for today, at least!!)