I just love a bargain, especially if I am buying things for my classroom! Yes, it is kinda sad that so many of us teachers actually pour our hard earned money back into our classroom, but we do it because we care about our students and want them to have the best. Sometimes if we're lucky, our department budget can cover these expenditures, but we still want a good deal, right?! (Especially with the state school budgets are in these days - don't get me started...!)
UK teachers are still somewhat lacking in the bloggersphere right now, so I end up reading a lot of U.S. teacher blogs instead. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard about U.S. teachers buying these amazing products from the dollar store, and I am always stunned at how they can find such quality goodies there! In my experience, pound shops in the UK rarely seem to ever have such fantastic storage items... *sad face*.
UK teachers are still somewhat lacking in the bloggersphere right now, so I end up reading a lot of U.S. teacher blogs instead. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard about U.S. teachers buying these amazing products from the dollar store, and I am always stunned at how they can find such quality goodies there! In my experience, pound shops in the UK rarely seem to ever have such fantastic storage items... *sad face*.
Well, fear not fellow UK teachers - I've got you covered. I've been scouring the net for some £1 classroom bargains just for us! Our pound shops might not always have the best things in store, but there's always online! (Well, Poundland is online at least). So without further ado, here are some fantastic classroom storage items that you can pick up for just £1!
1) Large Bright Storage Boxes:
I just love these 7 litre boxes and can't believe they are only £1 (those school magazines charge a fortune for these!). They are the perfect size for exercise books, textbooks, mini/whiteboards etc. and are easily stackable. They come in different colours and you can colour code these for different classes / subjects! They can be written on with whiteboard pen, but I'm a bit of a neat freak so I usually make up nice labels for mine!
I just love these 7 litre boxes and can't believe they are only £1 (those school magazines charge a fortune for these!). They are the perfect size for exercise books, textbooks, mini/whiteboards etc. and are easily stackable. They come in different colours and you can colour code these for different classes / subjects! They can be written on with whiteboard pen, but I'm a bit of a neat freak so I usually make up nice labels for mine!
2) 3 Drawer Storage Box:
I believe this set of draws is mini size which would be great for storing tiny stationery bits like rubbers (erm, those are 'erasers' for my U.S. colleagues, just thought I'd better clear that up....!) sharpeners or paperclips etc. You could even stack them and fill them with colouring pencils to help keep the colours separate (a pet peeve of mine...)
I believe this set of draws is mini size which would be great for storing tiny stationery bits like rubbers (erm, those are 'erasers' for my U.S. colleagues, just thought I'd better clear that up....!) sharpeners or paperclips etc. You could even stack them and fill them with colouring pencils to help keep the colours separate (a pet peeve of mine...)
3) Plastic Baskets:
Baskets are always handy items to have in the classroom! These are plastic so they are waterproof which makes them ideal for storing glue (especially anything runny like PVA) or paint for easy cleaning. You could also store pencil pots or other stationery kits for individual desks or use them for crafts. If you feed some ribbon through the holes, it helps keep the rolls neat too!
Baskets are always handy items to have in the classroom! These are plastic so they are waterproof which makes them ideal for storing glue (especially anything runny like PVA) or paint for easy cleaning. You could also store pencil pots or other stationery kits for individual desks or use them for crafts. If you feed some ribbon through the holes, it helps keep the rolls neat too!
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4) Plastic Clippy Boxes:
These boxes are bigger than they probably look and are the perfect size for colouring pencils, glue sticks or task cards etc. You can store these in the large bright storage boxes we looked at earlier too (and for you super organised types, they come in the same colours so you can match them up!).
These boxes are bigger than they probably look and are the perfect size for colouring pencils, glue sticks or task cards etc. You can store these in the large bright storage boxes we looked at earlier too (and for you super organised types, they come in the same colours so you can match them up!).
5) Large Storage Box:
These huge boxes have so many uses for the classroom. I use these for keeping larger student folders / projects in, but they are large enough to store most things! You can also stack them for neat storage in your classroom / cupboard. OK, so they only come in black, but if you're handy with a bit of washy tape I'm sure you can brighten them up nicely - if you care about that sort of thing!
These huge boxes have so many uses for the classroom. I use these for keeping larger student folders / projects in, but they are large enough to store most things! You can also stack them for neat storage in your classroom / cupboard. OK, so they only come in black, but if you're handy with a bit of washy tape I'm sure you can brighten them up nicely - if you care about that sort of thing!
So there you have it UK teacher friends, we do have some decent storage treasures in our pound shops after all, just in case you're like me and you never find anything good in there! You just might need to hop online to get them depending on where you live, but if you buy in bulk it's worth the extra shipping.
In these hard times with budgets being squeezed tighter than ever in our schools, we really do need to do what we can do stretch our finances as far as possible - it's not fair that our students have to go without. I hope this has helped inspire you to stretch your pound a little further, and if you know of any bargains we can get in the UK, please drop us a comment below!
In these hard times with budgets being squeezed tighter than ever in our schools, we really do need to do what we can do stretch our finances as far as possible - it's not fair that our students have to go without. I hope this has helped inspire you to stretch your pound a little further, and if you know of any bargains we can get in the UK, please drop us a comment below!
