Paper Storage & Writing Center Ideas

Happy Monday to you! I have seen some already going back to work and some still enjoying there summer! I still have until August 25th to get my new kiddies! Now, I know that many days will be spent preparing my classroom and lots of hours will be used doing that! For now, I create and prepare at home while I watch reality TV. Which brings me to show you my newest Monday Made Its! I am linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made it for yet another week of projects! Here we go!

If you read my post for Five For Friday, I mentioned how I would be making something with Post Office boxes. This was such a fun project because it was essentially FREE! I went to the Post Office and picked up these free boxes, used paint I already had on hand, and WAA LA!  Free Paper Storage for your classroom that is completely customized! :)

Here is the first step. What I found most easy is to fold only 3 flaps on each side and leave the 4th flap up, creating one full panel you can cut off. Doing it this way saves cutting time. )I taped the box temporarily for it to stay down.

The next step is to cut the entire panel that is not folded on each side until it leaves an open side of the box.

Your box should look like this when your panel has been completely cut off from the box. Like I said, I used tape temporarily because I could not find my hot glue gun at the time. I would recommend using a hot glue gun and glueing the box from the inside so you do not have any bubbles on the outside of the box.  I repeated this step with 3 separate boxes and attached them with tape. If I were doing this again, I would definitely look harder for my glue gun since it will allow you to create a more "clean" look on the outside of your box. 

The last step is to paint your box any pattern that you like! Of course I had to go with bright colored chevron:) Like I mentioned before, there is a little bubble with the tape I used because I couldn't find my glue gun, but if you use a glue gun, it will look much better! I am still working on the inside of the box, but you get the idea! Add paint or fun scrapbook paper on the inside of the box and you have yourself a free paper storage space, cubbies, or whatever you want to use it for! P.s-These are Large Flat Rate Boxes from the Post Office, if you want your compartments thinner, use Medium Flat Rate Boxes. My Post Office was out of the Mediums but I thought this would do for now:)

This week, I also made my BIGGEST TpT product yet! a whopping 30-some pages of writing center joy! Last year, I wished I had an example of each type of writing that students could do posted up on the wall to remind students their writing choices at their writing centers. I also was looking for different writing templates that would correlate with the examples! So what else to do but to make it!

This Writing Center bundle is equipped with 11 wall posters for your students to see an example of what they can produce at the writing center. Posters include:

1.) List
2.) Poem
3.) Recipe
4.) Post Card
5.) Story
6.) Book
7.) Joke
8.) Song
9.) Letter
10.) Card
11.) How To

In addition to the example posters, this bundle includes the 11 headers that go with each poster.

Writing Center Title, "I can write a..", and "writers…" posters are also included!

This kit incorporates some writing templates that match the example posters. Templates included are: 
1.) One half sheet writing template with the top blank for drawing and bottom with lined paper
2.) 4 letter templates (one boy, one girl, one without dotted lines, and one shortened letter template)
3.) A Card Template
4.) A Post Card Template
5.) A How-To Graphic Organizer
6.) A List Template

I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I am very pleased with how this turned out! It is exactly what I was looking for to incorporate into my classroom! Stop by my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and check it out! (Store Name: Kayla Coutouzis) More importantly, follow me for more freebies and products such as this:) I think I am up to 9 followers? Whoop Whoop! Show my lonely store some love! 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Stay tuned for my next Monday Made Its, I've got my ideas churning:) Check out what other teachers have been making back at the link up and have a great week:)