Sometimes the smallest change can make a HUGE difference.

Since the start of the year the class has been going through pencils at an astonishing rate. They had a basket to pick up pencils if they couldn't find theirs and another basket to put broken pencils but both were inevitably empty each day at 3pm.

Just where do all those pencils go? Honestly, if I didn't know better, I would think that they were secretly eating them or something! Or perhaps they were running off to live with the socks that disappear in my laundry each week?

After sharpening and putting out the very last of our pencil supply FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR, I decided that something had to be done.

I saw an idea on pinterest (where else?) and decided to give it a go.

And, so, the Pencil Hospital was born!

Check it out.

The idea is that sharp pencils are in the top drawer and "hurt" (or unsharpened pencils) go in the bottom hospital drawer.

Some of the students decided to sort the pencils and use the top part of the unit as well. So, now the Pencil Hospital looks like this:

 

And, lo and behold,I took this photo on Friday afternoon after fixing up all those "hurt" pencils and the spaces are filled with pencils.  Yippee!!!

 

We have now decided that the buckets that hold extra scissors and glue are going to be "hotels" and the supplies need to be there each afternoon so that they can get a good rest in their "hotel rooms."

 

It is such a small, silly thing to rename the baskets with "hospital" or "hotel" but it seems to spark something in the students' imaginations and suddenly they buy in to the idea of putting things away. Will wonders never cease?

 

Ms. Hughes