It’s that time of year when the classroom centers and decorations say goodbye for yet another summer. One of the most challenging things about packing up your classroom can be organizing it before you begin. While it is tempting to just start putting things in boxes, by taking the time to organize beforehand, the start of the new school year will be much smoother. The classroom library is a perfect example of a center that needs attention before you put it away. Use the tips below to make packing up the classroom library a snap.
Closing Up the Classroom Library
Fixer-Uppers
Before tossing all of your class books into boxes, it is important to organize what you have. As you pull each book from the shelf, check it for damage and writing. Make a pile of books that need to be repaired and give them to a parent helper to fix during the last week of school. With fresh new spines, your books will be ready for packing.
Like With Like
When it comes to actually putting the books together, you have a few different options. The easiest way to pack them is going to be how you use them in the classroom. For example, if you sort your books by reading level, pack them the same way. If you separate them by genre, go that route. By packing them how you use them, you can easily unpack them come fall.
In the Box
Have you ever thought about keeping your books right in their color coded baskets when you put them in the storage boxes? Try stacking the books flat in the baskets and putting a layer of heavy cardboard between the layers of baskets if needed. By keeping the books in their baskets, unpacking your classroom library will take no time at all. If your storage boxes are just not big enough to accommodate the baskets and the books, keep them separate. If you can fit more than one level or genre in a box, use a strip of cardboard to keep the them in different sections. Try packing the books flat so that their spines and pages do not become weak during storage all summer.
Label Them
The books are repaired, sorted, and in the box. The only thing left to do is label the box with what’s inside. Use blank mailing labels or a permanent marker to write the contents on the outside of the box. Be sure not to abbreviate so much that you don’t remember what the abbreviation stands for once you go to unpack your supplies. “Level 1 Rdrs & Readers’ Theatre” is going to be a lot easier to understand for anyone who helps you set up your classroom than “L1 Rdrs & RT”.
Taking the time to pack up your classroom library in a way that makes sense for how you use your books, will make unpacking a lot easier. It will also be one less thing you have to worry about during the summer months. Do you have a trick for packing up your library? Share it with us below! We would love to hear your ideas.
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It is nice to color code if you teach more than one subject. I always label one or two plastic totes beginning of the year start up. That way no matter what, I have starting materials to begin. In that box I have Beginning of the year files that remind me what to do for parent night, first day of school, and activities to copy. In addition I have a stapler, tape, paperclips, staple remover…