If you have been on Pinterest lately, you will see a flood of classroom organization ideas for everything under the sun…EXCEPT science classroom organization! Why is that? Is it because us science teachers are so disorganized that we can’t be helped? I think NOT, and I want to share with you -my fellow Science Teacher besties- how we can get our classrooms organized with all the science things AND have it be cute!
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What makes High School Science Classroom Organization Different?
As high school science teachers, our organization has to be taken a step further. We have many lab materials, chemicals, dissection supplies, etc. that have to oftentimes be stored in our classroom due to lack of space. I am fortunate enough to have a small workroom off my classrooms, but it has other things stored in there from other classrooms, so I don’t really have much space. That means most of my supplies must be kept in my room. Other subjects do not have the quantity of materials they must keep in their rooms, giving science teachers a bit of an organization challenge.
ONE | Organizing Lab Materials
I am a sucker for organization and storage, so it make me so happy to have all of my lab and station activities stored in a nice neat location. I use Mesh Zipper Bags to put handouts in along with any lab or station materials that I want to keep together. I cannot tell you how much time and effort this system has saved me in trying to hunt down all of the materials I need to efficiently run station or labs. I keep all of the mesh bags in a crate labeled with the title. I have one crate for Biology and one for Anatomy that I tuck away under a table by my desk.
TWO | Organizing Lab Kits
I have lots of cabinet storage in my room and I take full advantage of this space. I store my lab kits in these cupboards and label them for easy access. If I did not havethese cabinets to store my lab materials in, I would try to fit a bookshelf into my room or use a filing cabinet to store them In. Any type of space that you can fit these into will work. I am referring to thelab kits you get from Carolina Biological or Ward’s Science. These typically are nice boxes that lay flat and are easy to stack.
THREE | Organizing Dissection Materials and Supplies
If you teach a class with dissections, this add an even further layer or materials and supplies to keep organized. I keep all of my dissection materials on the shelves in the back of my classroom. The specimen pails are labeled soI can easily access the organs I need. I have dissection pans, scalpals, scissors, and all cleaning supplies for the dissections kept all together. I organize the materials for students prior to the dissection and have strict protocols for cleaning and re-organizing the materials. The main safety concern is to keep the specimens tightly closed when not in use and the sharp objects away from normal daily student activity.
If you’re looking for more details on organizing your science classroom, then sign up for the FREE Declutter My Science Classroom – 15-Day Challenge.
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