Hi lovely teacher friend!
I’m so very excited to use this cute 3-tier cart. There are literally endless possibilities of how to use this bad boy to create a more organized space! I’ve seen some used to store diaper supplies in nurseries, for displaying living room decor, and even holding toiletries in the bathroom. I’m going to give you some ideas of how to use this cart to organize classroom supplies, for both at-home distance teaching and in your classroom! It’s such a great organization unit to shelve all of your regular go-to items- functional and cute!
My awesome MIL bought this unit for me last Christmas and I am so excited to start using it to house my go-to teacher supplies (definitely about to read some snacks in the cart ideas ahead). The Lexington 3-Tier Rolling Cart by Recollections is $30 from Michael’s Craft Supply Store are metal with 3 metal mesh bottomed trays. Michael’s has been the most affordable place to find these carts, but you can also find super similar units at the Container Store, on Amazon, and at Target. The entire unit is roughly 2 1/2 ft tall, with each of the trays being about 3 inches deep, 11 inches wide and 15 inches long. Assembly was super easy, it only took about 5 minutes and felt very sturdy once all together. Now, on to the organization ideas!
Here is a list of what to put on each of your tiers while teaching from your home office (aka bed):
- The Office Essentials- Top: pencils, pens, push pins, paper clips, scissors. Middle: Post-It’s, teacher planner. Bottom: laptop with laptop charger.
- Distance Learning Survival- Top: bag of fave candy/snack, blue light glasses + case, hair ties, tissues. Middle: notepad with a pen, white board with dry erase marker, read aloud books. Bottom: power strip, extra printer paper/colored paper.
- Tech Savvy- Top: ring light, headphones/airpods, pens, tablet stylus. Middle: charging station, tablet, power strip. Bottom: personal laminator, thermal laminating sheets (various sizes).
- Hygge At-Home Teacher- Top: full tea cup/coffee mug, simple soy candle, small indoor plant, warm baked goods. Middle: fuzzy socks, favorite novels/magazines in a small woven basket. Bottom: chunky knit blanket. (+ wrap soft twinkle lights around your cart).
- “Always Running late” Distance Teacher- Top: coffee (probably in a Starbucks mug), phone, wireless charger, scrunchies/cute headband to hide bed head hair. Middle:
Here are some ideas on how to store the endless supplies in your classroom:
- The Foodie— top: electric mug warmer, cute mug, utensil holder, Yeti+reusable straw. Middle: assorted snack bags (chips, pretzels, popcorn), mint jar, hard candy jar. Bottom: water bottles, fave sport drinks/soft drinks.
- Rainbow Classroom— top: Red Vines, red Swingline stapler, orange highlighters in a tin, orange Post-It Notes. Middle: yellow #2 pencils in a container, yellow file sorter, green file folders, small fake green plants. Bottom: blue multi shaped hole punches, blue and purple assorted paper clips, push pins, and binder clips, Elmer’s purple glue.
- The Art Cart- top: watercolor paints, paint brushes in a cup, small sponges. Middle: scissors, markers, colored pencils, crayons. Bottom: heavy paper, construction paper, rulers. *Bonus: hang a magnetic hook on the side of the cart for smock storage!
- Math Manipulative Station— top: rulers, protractors, pattern block bin. Middle: base 10 blocks, unifix cubes, fraction tiles. Bottom: dominoes, two-color counters, dice.
- Library on Wheels– top: sign-in/sign-out library sheet, laminated book marks, list of genres and books to help students make decisions. Middle & Bottom: assorted books based on teacher organization preference (books clearly labeled on spine what genre they are).
Bonus Ideas: use these magnetic spice holders to expand your cart storage! Put paperclips, push pins, and more in these and store them on the side of your cart.
Even MORE ideas: the Container Store has tons of carts and accessories to expand your storage here!
I hope you enjoyed these ideas for your three-tier cart and that they come in handy in your classroom! If you use any, please let me know how you have and how it’s helped you keep your home and school classroom organized! xx Allison
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