If you are a teacher and you have not seen a set of these drawers ... well - I have no words. All I can say, is you are missing out!
These drawers are perfect for many classroom activities. We think they make perfect CORE drawers.
Strip your program back to the guts and think about the very BASICS of your Kindergarten instruction. The CORE of it!
'Core Drawers' sit right next to YOU, the teacher, when you implement your lessons and activities from the main teaching area.
The Core Drawers have all the essential items you need for effective instructions, directions and lessons with your students.
Every Kindergarten teacher knows, that when you have the children settled, seated and listening, you DO NOT want to get up from your seat to go get a ten frame or an elastic band!
Have a dedicated drawer for each important part of your CORE and you will be set. We strongly advise that you clean and re-organise your drawers at the end of each day (or at least each week!)
You can place in each drawer, exactly what we have suggested, or add your own items to suit your class program.
Drawer # 1 has 'Pens and Bits'!
We suggest - 2 blue pens, 1 red pen, 1 pencil, 1 marker, 1 whiteboard marker, 5 different coloured highlighters, sticky notes, clips, jumbo clips, elastic bands, a glue stick, scissors, a pointer (or ruler), a bell (for attention) and a few small envelopes (to send messages and notes to other teachers).
Draw #4 is a mathematics drawer. Include numeral cards, subitizing cards, ten frames (2 styles), hundreds chart, 120 chart, number lines and a small counter of counters/chip and 4 standard dice. These are all included in our printable file.
Remember, the Core Drawer is only for some basic equipment. It can help you when you need an essential item to explain something to your students or it can also help you create a whole lesson on a whim (we all need to wing-it at some point!). The equipment in the Core Drawers could get you through a whole day if you needed! But don't be tempted to try to put your whole program in here - just the essentials.
The 5th drawer includes resources that will help you to motivate and grab your students attention. We have included our newly revised "Sit Up Straight and Listen' classroom management resource, but this drawer can be filled with anything else you have to motivate your students.
In the Core Drawers packet, you will notice a photo of the bottom drawer contains some Visual Instruction Cards. I have always used these cards, along with Visual Timetable Cards. I made mine using the Boardmaker program.
I have included in my photo some of Ashley Hughes' cards. I found them a few weeks ago and LOVE them much more than my boring Boardmaker cards.
They are perfect for the bottom drawer of the Core Drawers and can be found at TpT HERE
I will post again about the other drawers in the Core Drawers and also plan to do some posts that have ideas and lessons that you can carry out with the equipment included. So stay tuned! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Go get your drawers ready!