Sunday, August 14, 2011

Back to School Organization - 2

As I get ready for a new school year, I tend to collect ideas to be used at various times during the year. Many times I file them in my computer and then forget about them. This year I decided to take it one step further. I printed the best of the ideas and started a binder with my long term plans. I always create the plans, but don't collect the idea pages, student worksheets... ahead of time. This year, they will all be in the same place!

I pulled out a binder, adding ideas in sections. The pages to be copied for students I have stuck in page protectors so I wouldn't have to worry about holes being punched through text. Apparently office supply stores don't carry as many office supplies as they used to. I went to 3 different stores/brands and could not find the binder tabs made for use with the page protectors. They are slightly wider so that the tab is visable past the protectors.

What to do? Make my own of course. I found fun cardstock and cut to 11.25" x 8.75". Then I cut tabs, using From My Kitchen cart, at 3". I adhered the tabs to the side of my cardstock using an ATG.

Then to make them even sturdier, I pulled out my YourStory and laminated the binder tabs using Legal sized laminating pouches. I trimmed the excess length to use for small classroom items later. I used a few of the trimmed pieces to layer inside the larger pouch around the tabs.

Though the pouch was big enough I wanted just a bit more plastic around the edges. Adding the little piece of laminating plastic on either side of the tab allowed me to move the page over just a bit and give a good 1/2" along the hole punch side. (added width of page)


After they cooled, I trimmed around the tab to make it rounded and similar to the rest of the page.

Lastly, I used some leftover clear tab labels from a set I purchased last year for something, to label the tabs with subjects, etc.


I just got my Imagine and have been playing with it for the past 24 hours. I think I may have to design some spine labels for the binders next.

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