Baby Food Containers in the Classroom

I save everything.

I mean EVERYTHING.

I'm a teacher. Don't we all keep everything? It's not hoarding if you can use it for something else... right? Today I found a bunch of plastic baby food containers in my closet. Keep in mind that my "babies" now 4.5 and 2.5 years old... 

When I brought out the baby food containers, my students' reactions were hilarious!

"Ewwwww!!!" Ummm.... you ate baby food at one point in your life.
"Did you wash those???" No. These are crusty, 2 year old baby food containers {thinking this in my head of course!}

Despite their comments, my kiddos were super excited to help me organize our supplies with the baby food containers. Here's what I did with them:

Math Games

We play a lot of math games in my room to reinforce important math skills in a fun way. But there's nothing fun about trying to collect 67 pieces in order to play a game. So for a few of the games, I made these kits so that when students want to play, they can grab a container, the game board and just PLAY! I labeled each container with masking tape and a Sharpie, but if you wanted to be cute, you could easily make a little label to put on top. 

Math Manipulatives

I was tired of finding loose counters all over my classroom and in the tub where we keep the counters. So instead, I put a handful of counters in each container. The organization of the counters makes it super easy to distribute materials, whether it be to the whole class, small groups, or a single student needing counters for independent work.

If you don't have any babies, I'm sure you can find a friend, coworker, or maybe even a student's family who does. You can get a bunch of them in no time! When my kids were at this stage, they were eating 2-3 containers a day.

What's one wacky thing you have recycled in your classroom that has made your teacher life easier?

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