What's the Deal: Creative hacks to keep your classroom tidy

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's not just kids getting ready to head back to school, but teachers too!

For some fun and creative ways to keep classrooms tidy and sprinkled with special touches, the Craftologists at AC Moore have a few easy DIY projects to kick off the new school year.

"We start with organization because that's key, but it can be cute and we have a few different ways to organize," said Craftologist, Kathryn Messinger.

Starting with this basic setup: simple mason jars and chalkboard stickers.

"You can hold pencils crayons craft sticks sharpies, its colorful fun and so easy," said Kathryn.

And here's a trick you want to get a little extra.

"It's just a mix equal parts mod podge and paint. You just stir it around in the mason jar," said Kathryn.

Let it dry overnight, wrap some twine around it and cut some cute, little felt leaves.

For easy to find hall passes, start with a simple wood paddle and get creative.

"They have the bathroom pass, a nurse pass, an office pass, you can paint or add stickers onto them," said Kathryn.

To personalize your classroom, AC Moore says DIY birthday charts are big this year.

Just take a wooden sign and paint on stars - one for each month - and then a chalkboard clip for each special day.

"It's a fun way to not only remember each student's birthday, but a good way for students to plan parties and it's also decorative," said Kathryn.

To encourage class participation, create that Kathryn calls a sharing stool.

"All you need is a basic wooden stool, some stencils and paint," she said. "You have your students come and sit on the sharing stool. It's a great way to get them engaged."

The same goes for flip sticks - each name goes on a popsicle stick that gets flipped after each student has a turn

"So this way, every student gets a turn to answer a question or go up and talk to the class," said Kathryn. "So you get every kid involved in a fair and fun way."

And AC moore always offers teachers 15% off their bill, but through the end of August, they're featuring Teacher Tuesdays where educators get 20 off.

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