Do you have a teacher toolbox yet? These little drawers are really the unsung heroes of classroom organization in my room! Before I had a teacher toolbox, I had paperclips, rubber bands, and other little school supplies EVERYWHERE. All over my desk, in my desk drawers, and random containers all over my room.
I’ll be answering all the questions I’ve heard from teachers about my teacher toolbox in this blog post.
What is a teacher toolbox?
A teacher toolbox is a cabinet of little drawers usually used for nuts, bolts and screws in a workshop or small craft supplies. You can find them at hardware stores or craft stores. One day a teacher looked at these drawers and got the genius idea to use them for classroom organization.
Is a teacher toolbox worth it?
In my opinion, yes! A teacher toolbox really is worth it. Let me tell you why. All of your supplies are so easy to access and easy to find. You will spend less time searching through cluttered desk drawers trying to find that cute set of sticky notes or your favorite flair pen.
You can customize the drawers to hold what you use most often and arrange them to your liking. I put the drawers that I allow students to access in the top row so it’s easy for them to find.
Your students will love having a little more independence when it comes to getting supplies! And it will save you time when they’re able to meet a few more of their needs themselves.
Sunflower Classroom Decor Theme Ideas
What can I put in my teacher toolbox?
Here are some ideas for the large drawers: hot glue sticks, command strips and hooks, index cards, sharpies, a few dry erase markers or highlighters, dice, staple removers, hole punch, note pads and sticky notes, batteries, big pink erasers, pencil top erasers, washi tape, tape dispenser refills, box tops, stickers, a few glue sticks, band aids, push pins, and binder rings, binder clips, clothes pins. Note: full length pencils are too long to fit in these drawers.
Organize these supplies in the small drawers: extra staples, white out tape, liquid white out bottles, rubber bands, large and small paper clips, safety pins, super glue, flash drives, velcro strips, extra mechanical pencil lead, brads, chap stick, glue dots, sticky tack, file tabs or sticky note flags, pencil grips, a few hot glue sticks, a few batteries, change for vending machines when you just need a snack, nail clippers, and stamps.
How do I make a teacher toolbox?
First, you’ll need to get a set of drawers. You can find them on Amazon, at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Mendards, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. I’ve even found some sets at auctions and garage sales! (If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I love thrifting!)
Next, spray paint! (or leave them the original color) I painted this set gold. Make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies! Next time I use this spray paint I will put a clear coat over it. After some use, it really started showing fingerprints.
Then, decide what you’ll keep in the drawers. Count how many large and small drawers you have. Each brand of cabinet seems to be different.
On your template, type in a supply name on each drawer label. Or print out some premade teacher toolbox labels. With this set, I decided not to have the large drawers labeled because I really liked the design.
Now you’re ready to put labels on your teacher toolbox!
How do you put labels on a teacher toolbox?
I laminated my teacher toolbox labels to help them hold up longer. It also makes them easier to tape on the drawers since they’re not as flimsy. I put the labels on the inside of the drawer. You might need to trim them down a bit. I’ve noticed that the corners on the inside of the drawers are pretty rounded. I get them to fit better by cutting off the points on the bottom corners of the labels.
You can also put the labels on the outside of the drawers, but you might need to trim the top of the label to fit under the little handle.
I loved my teacher toolbox so much, I got a second one for my classroom. I have one for students to use, then one behind my desk for my supplies. Then… I found one at a yard sale. So now I have one next to my computer at my house! If you love the feeling of being organized, you’ll love having a teacher toolbox!
