I am on the hunt for book boxes so that I can start Daily 5 in the fall. What kind of experiences have you had with book boxes? Plastic? Cardboard? And where did you get them from?
What grade level do you teach? I teach 4th and my students read only chapter books. I LOVE the junior shopping totes by Romanoff. Found them on sale and they should last a very long time. They hold 4-5 books. If your students are a lower grade level you will need larger ones though. The local dollar stores carry large totes that would be good.
And use book boxes from Really Good Stuff. Going on year 2 and no broken ones yet. Before that we used plastic magazine holders. 5 or so broke every year.
I bought plastic totes/baskets from Dollar Tree. The ones with handles. They have lasted for 2 years now. They fit chapter books and some smaller picture books. I also had my students store their reading notebooks (Composition books) in their bins. I write their names on the sides in dry erase and wipe off at the end of the year. My only issue has been storing them in the room. I had to line them along the floor. Some kids chose to keep them at their tables on the floor.
This discussion in on-going in the Peony Room! I have used cardboard magazine holders that you can get at IKEA stores (5 for $2) if you have one in your area. I've also bought plastic (thin) from ABC Distributors or Lakeside Catalog for approximately $1 each plus s & h. many have purchased from Really Good Stuff as well as creatively thought of ice buckets from Walmart. You have to determine what you're willing to spend. Good luck!
I think I have the same ones as Daphne. I also taught first and they have lasted for two years, and I still plan on using the same ones in Sept. I put a piece of velcro on one of the sides that doesn't have a handle. Each year I laminate nametags and stick them to the velcro. They stayed on all year and it makes it easy to reuse the baskets!
We used cereal boxes in my classroom... cut them on a diagonal and let the kids decorate them with stickers and paper! They loved it! We had parents donate and we used some we brought from home!
from Michael's...have used them for over 3 years. I wrote class number on each, and they hung them on one of the hooks in their cubbies, or stood them up in a large plastic crate or milk carton crate.
I've had my Really Good Stuff plastic book boxes for at least 8 years, and they are still good as new! They get kind of top-heavy, so I put small bookends between each box. It works just fine because we use ours for extra storage (folders, dry erase boards, clipboards, etc.) instead of book boxes, so we don't have to take them off the shelf unless we are cleaning them out.
I have had my book boxes from Really Good Stuff for 3 years. I love them. They are in great shape. They cost more but they are worth it because they really last.
We got ours from Romanoff's. We found the site online. You have to order the entire box of 36. Not as cheap as Dollar Tree but they are high quality. We haven't had one tear or break in two years of use. I originally bought the Dollar Tree baskets, but they didn't hold many books and would tip over.
Hi,
I use plastic ice cube boxes that I got from Target a few years ago and they're still going strong! They got a bit dirty this year but I found I can clean them pretty easily with the Magic Sponge. They were a great purchase. Good luck with whatever you decide. There are a lot of options.
Book boxes! I think about these every summer and how to improve! I am finally asking for donations on donors choose so i can buy some good ones from Lakeshore learning. I've tried a lot of different things but they don't seem to hold up for more than one year. Wish everyone could post pics of your book boxes because I always like to get ideas on how teachers set these up,store them, and book box options!
I have numbered them - have a double stack (20 drawers in all) and another bunch of 10 drawers, so I'm ready for any number of kids. The rest of the unused drawers hold paper, etc.
Last year I bought mine at Target. They were sturdy plastic and cost $2.50 each. Kinda pricey when your're buying many but these will last!!!! I'm hoping they have them again this year
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07-04-2012, 09:35 AM
