Organizing Your STEM Classroom With 5 Easy Tips

Organizing your STEM classroom doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a few tips and organizational tools, you will be on your way to getting your STEM classroom or makerspace set up and ready to go for you and your students this year. Here are some of my favorite ways to organize my STEM classroom that has really helped over the years

1. A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

I’m all about saving money, especially as a teacher! So, I use my local discount store for storage bins for all of our cool STEM and makerspace supplies.

I can usually find all types of bins at the dollar store. From little basket type bins to organizer desk caddies. And, the best part is they are super inexpensive which allows me to purchase everything I need all the while keeping me within my teacher budget for the year.

I also use my bins year after year! That means at the end of the school year, I can easily store our STEM/makerspace supplies for the summer.

That saves me a lot of time and work when I’m cleaning out my classroom. And, it makes set up for the new school year as simple as getting the bins out from storage.

2. When Organizing your STEM classroom- Label it!

If you have been a teacher for any amount of time, you know how important it is to be able to find your supplies quickly. It also helps when you students are able to independently grab the supplies they need for STEM projects.

Because of this, I use Makerspace STEM Labels with words and pictures to help me and my students quickly find what we need for our fun activities.

Some helpful labels I use in my STEM classroom include:

• Gears
• Lego
• Pattern blocks
• Keva planks
• Makedo tools
• Magnet Builders
• Interlox
• Paper plates
• Pencils
• Unit cubes
• and more!

In addition to using labels for bins, I also love to use labels for tables numbers and paper types. It’s an easy way to help with organizing your STEM classroom or makerspace.

If you would like to use these fantastic EDITABLE labels in your classroom this year, you can grab the Makerspace Labels Bundle in the Miss Tech Queen TPT store.

3. Double Duty Classroom Decor

Classroom decor can be both cute and functional! Organizing your STEM classroom or makerspace by category can help all of your lessons and activities run smoothly.

When I’m setting up my STEM classroom for the year, I think about what areas would be best for specific types of learning I want my students to participate in. Then, it’s as easy as using classroom decor with labels to mark the dedicated space.

If, for example, you are lucky enough to have a printer in your room, you can make a dedicated space with a bulletin board featuring reminders for students. Be sure to grab the complete Computer Lab Decor Kit in the Miss Tech Queen TPT store.

For more info on great ways to use bulletin boards in your STEM classroom or makerspace check out my STEM Bulletin Boards blog post.

4. Use Your Wall Space When Organizing Your STEM Classroom or Makerspace

In addition to using decor to keep your STEM classroom or makerspace organized, you can also use that wall space to hold supplies.

With a hanging pocket organizer you can easily store your STEM task cards. It’s a great way to give your students more independence as well.

Instead of you having to pass out each of the task cards, it can be as easy as sending students over to the “task card wall” to get their task cards and get to work.

You can quickly change out the task cards depending on the season or change them once a week or month depending on your preference.

5. Learn from Others

If you are new to the world of STEM or STEAM, don’t feel like you need to reinvent the wheel. There is so much you can learn from those that have gone before you. I love helping STEM teachers, its one of the main reasons I started Miss Tech Queen. But I’m not the only one! Reach out to colleagues in your district and tap into STEM focused organizations for support and ideas.

I have been a STEM teacher for a while now and I can tell you it didn’t all come to me at once. It took lots of trial and error, but that’s an important part of what we are trying to teach our students right?

I love helping new STEM teachers find just the right lessons and activities. That’s why I created the Miss Tech Queen Toolbox. It has everything you need in one place!

I love helping teachers as they start their STEM journey and will be with you all the way!

Pin it!

Save these 5 tips for organizing your STEM classroom or makerspace to your favorite teacher pinterest board so you can come back anytime for great organization tips any time!