Managing Your Turn-In Tray Using Clothespins

Hi everybody! It's Jamie from 2nd Grade Stuff.  Today I am hosting a Throwback Thursday post from my own personal blog.  It's a fun, easy, and useful way to use an everyday item in your classroom - clothespins!  See the Throwback Thursday post below!

2nd Grade Stuff
For the next few weeks we are showing you fun and easy ways to use everyday items in your classroom!  We hope you'll stop back by and link up some of your own ideas!  Come join in the fun and Show Us How You Use It!  :)
Do you ever feel like you are constantly checking to see who has turned in work, who is still missing work, or who the no-name paper belongs to?  As a teacher, I think we all find ourselves dealing with the Turn-In Tray Mess!  I came up with an easy solution that saves me time and best of all, it's cheap and easy!

At the beginning of the year, I give each student a number.  It is their number to remember all year long.  It's their cubbie number, desk number, clip chart number, and best of all....their turn-in tray number!  For the turn-in tray, I put their numbers on clothespins.  Let me say, yes, I could have used Washi tape or dye or paint or cute little numbers for the clothespins, but I was going for FAST and EASY, my friends!  This is what my turn-in tray looks like before student work is turned in:


When the students go to turn in their work, they have to find their clothespin, clip it to the top of their paper, and place it in the tray.  This is what it looks like after work has been turned in:


This serves two purposes.  1) If you find a no-name paper, you can quickly figure out who the paper belongs to because their student number is attached and 2) You can easily see who hasn't turned in their paper!  Check it out below:


Don't forget to join the rest of the girls from Owl-ways Be Inspired for more useful ways to use clothespins in the classroom.  Browse through the links below or link up a fun idea of your own and Show Us How You Use It!  :)



5 comments

  1. I love that idea of using a clothes pin as they turn in work - so easy to tell who has missing work. Thanks!
    -Lisa
    Grade 4 Buzz

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  2. I love this idea! I use a clip chart in my classroom for hot and cold lunch. It is a quick and easy way to know how many lunches to order and who is absent.

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  3. Love it! Can others post their clothespins ideas here too?

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  4. Do you think this would work with multiple papers?

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  5. How do you structure this? So do kids get out of there seat alot to turn in their work? Do you have another tray for science, social studies, and math?

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