SmockTip #2- Head to the drive-thru!

Have a tight budget for ordering supplies? Do you envy teachers who have lots of supply caddies to organize their classroom? Have you been shocked at how expensive those supply caddies are?  If you are like me then your answer is "Yes" to all of these questions.  

This SmockTip provides a simple solution.  Save the cardboard drink trays that you get from a fast food drive-thru.  Chances are that you also have some old paint cups laying around that fit perfectly into each drink space.  

I use these recycled supply caddies in multiple ways.  I often set them up with a different supply in each cup space, whatever my students happen to need that day, and put the drink trays directly on student tables. This is very handy on days when I have back-to-back classes and sections of each grade level at various times throughout the day, because I can set aside the supply caddies and bring them back out when needed later on.

I also use the trays to store cups of supplies on my classroom shelves. When I am prepping for a class and each table group needs scissors, I simply pick up the drink tray and walk around the room delivering a cup of supplies to each table like a waitress. If I only had roller skates like the waitresses at the drive-ins of my childhood, imagine how efficient I could be!