My Center Storage Style

Try and say that five times fast:)!  Today, I am linking up with The Lesson Plan Diva to share how I store and organize my centers.  I have been a teacher with a classroom for three years.  In that short span of time, I feel like I have tried every way possible to store centers, including baggies, envelopes, baskets, and more!  It wasn't until recently that I came up with a way that I hope will work for me from here on out.

I am sure y'all know those binder pouches that are on sale for super cheap during back to school sales.  These are my new favorite center storage item.  If you buy a unit chock full of awesome centers from a fabulous blog, or download a freebie center, you can store them in one of these babies!  I like to store each individual center in there own pouch and if it is an entire unit, I am attempting to be super organized and store them all in the same color.  Then I add a handy label to the outside, stating what is in the pouch.  I even add a little code to the sticker, as well as to the recording sheets, so I know what is what.  Make sense?  Here's a photo that will help clarify, or at least I hope!

The centers above are from the fabulous ladies at Made For First Grade.

I keep all of my recording sheets in a binder.  The binder above is where all of my Christmas center recording sheets are stored.  In the binder pouch, I have one center and to the right in the binder are the instructions and sheets.  I have one of those binder pouches for each of the centers in the unit.  I know it is very hard to tell, but I coded the sticker on the pouch with HJ2, standing for Holly Jolly center #2, and the instruction page is labeled with the same code.  That way, when I pull out these centers 10 years from now, I know what goes with what. 

I hope that makes some sort of sense.  I love these little pouches and to me they seem to be sturdier than a Ziploc or envelope.  As far as items like board games that are larger than the pouches, I have not came up with a solution that works for me yet!  If you have any questions on my center storage solution or just something to say, please leave me a comment!  And in the photo below is a little preview of the very first center/freebie I created!  Be sure to check back tomorrow to get it!