I was in the classroom for 7 years and I had to pack up my entire classroom and move everything out at the end of every year.
I got to be a freaking PRO at packing up my classroom and (entirely too many) teacher possessions, and then moving back in 2 months later.
If you also need to completely evacuate your classroom, here are some ideas for how to pack up your classroom for summer and make it easy!
Get rid of anything you haven't used in the past year.
Do you have posters that you don’t even put up because your walls are already covered? Donate them.Give them to a newer teacher who still has blank space.
Do you have an interesting activity hidden away in the depths of your closet that you’ve been meaning to use, but you already have 17 other interesting activities you use every year? Donate it.
Condense, condense, condense.
The less crap you have, the less crap you have to move. Either donate to another teacher or an organization.
Or “donate” it to the trash can.
Large ziplock bags, crates, and bins are your friends.
I used to have 2039480349 pictures (that’s an approximate number) for teaching vocabulary. I stored them flat in ginormous ziploc bags. (Search Amazon or your favorite retail store for giant, jumbo, or mega bags - you want like 10-20 gallons.)
Bags this size are helpful for organizing (all items from the same unit go together) and for keeping papers flat.
Throw small stuff into bags and the large stuff into crates or bins. It’s easy to carry, easy to transport, and easy to store.
✨ Bonus points if they stack.
You can write directly on ziploc bags with a sharpie and tape post-its to bins. You won’t wonder where you put all your (insert item here) when unpacking. In literally 2 months. 🥴
If you roll them up, you can lay them out flat on a table at home and stack books on each corner to re-flatten them.
Also, it’s the very end of the school year. You’re not seriously still teaching, are you?
Bags this size are helpful for organizing (all items from the same unit go together) and for keeping papers flat.
Throw small stuff into bags and the large stuff into crates or bins. It’s easy to carry, easy to transport, and easy to store.
✨ Bonus points if they stack.
Label everything
Label everything so that unpacking in the fall is easy.You can write directly on ziploc bags with a sharpie and tape post-its to bins. You won’t wonder where you put all your (insert item here) when unpacking. In literally 2 months. 🥴
If you can keep posters flat, then congrats. You're better than me.
They’re easier to store rolled up and rubberbanded, but that does not make them easier to put back up on the wall in the fall.If you roll them up, you can lay them out flat on a table at home and stack books on each corner to re-flatten them.
Put students to work
They’re eager to help if you give them specific instructions.Also, it’s the very end of the school year. You’re not seriously still teaching, are you?
I bought the tall plastic box used for storing wrapping paper to store my posters.
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