One of my biggest pet peeves at work is when I can't find something that I need in order to provide preparation or engage in distraction. I don't like grabbing a lot of materials from the clean utility closets because to me in a way it feels like stealing... which isn't really true, but still. In order to combat this issue I try to keep preparation boxes neat and organized. When the entire department shares the tools though it is definitely a challenge to keep things that way! The following are the tricks we use to organize and keep the peace.
Plastic bins with secure closures are a prep kit's best friend. Not only are they relatively cheap if they need to be replaced, but they also come in SO many different sizes. Which means, you can get bigger ones if you like to add a lot of stuff to your kits, or you can get small ones if you're a minimalist.
It is also really helpful to label your kits. Even if you don't share amongst the rest of the child life team it's nice for someone filling in for you to be able to easily locate what they need! My team members decided to label what each kit was for and then also have a list on each kit that describes what is supposed to be in each kit. This is helpful so that any person can replace missing items, but also so miscellaneous extras don't end up in the the kits taking up space.
Another thing that I love is itemizing the storage space that prep kits go in. This helps me in so many ways. All of the prep kits are on one shelf, extra teaching supplies are on a separate shelf, distraction items have their own shelf too, and so on until there's no more room. What are some of your favorite ways to keep things organized and in check?
-K
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