School teacher supplies can be a challenge to store in a crowded classroom with limited storage space. Empty tennis ball containers which are clear can store office supplies such as paper clips, paper brads, pens, pencils, erasers, etc. These containers can be stored in a cabinet or stacked in a plastic bin. Clorox wipes containers can store supplies; a picture of the item(s) inside the container can be made and put on the outside of the container for identification of the contents. Baby wipe containers can hold crayons, markers, etc. The small containers that "Healthy Choice" deli meats are packaged in can be used for holding crayons, small pair of scissors and a small glue stick and placed in a student's chair bag; a label with the student's name on it can be attached to the top and side of the container.
Teachers recycle! If you have container that a teacher might use in the classroom, take it to your local school. Teachers will thank you!
Yes, we teachers do recycle like crazy. A lot of containers can be used for arts and crafts as well. I used a lot of ice cream pails at school for storage. I kept a box of lids in my room for the students to use to draw large circles -- especially good for primary grades who do not have geometry sets. I also used the lids as trays on the desks to hold counting chips or other math manipulatives or to roll dice into. Believe me, when you have twenty some kids rolling dice onto wooden desks, it can get noisy, and the dice always roll off the desk onto the floor!!! Ice cream lids cut down on the noise and kept the dice under control.
Babyfood jars are invaluable in schools for crafts and storage. The measuring scoops that you get with detergent or iced tea can be used for many things. I used a lot of them in my senior science lab instead of purchasing beakers or small containers.
My mother in law was in the nursing home for a few years. The medication was dispensed in small plastic cups that were thrown out after one use. These were not dirty nor contaminated, as they were used for pill distribution, and sometimes the pills were something an ordinary as tylenol. I had her save these for me, and have found a ton of uses for these -- as disposable mini-beakers in the lab, to hold tiny beads or pins for crafts in art class, and so on.
One of my favorite containers for paperclips, pins, and such was the General foods international coffee tins. They were small, with a plastic lid, and because they were rectangular, they stacked nicely on a shelf or in a drawer.
The cardboard "cans" that iced tea or cocoa come in were another favorite item. I used these to store art supplies such as jiffy markers, paint brushes, clay tools, drawing pencils, etc. When you rip the paper off, the can is either a nice earthy brown or silver. Easy to label these for the appropriate item. If you do not need the lids for storage, you can use them as paint pallets for craft paint.
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