Fresh Start for 2016: Organizing for Indoor Recess

Hi everyone! I hope you have been getting back into the swing of things in 2016 and we've given you a few great tips to get you organized this new year.

My topic is going to be indoor recess. I don't know about where you live but here in Atlanta, it's getting cold. I grew up in Florida and to me....it's FREEZING! So, we have to stay inside when it gets below a certain temp or if the wind chill makes it just downright unbearable.

I have to have two classes in my room during recess, so the key is to be ready! Here's an idea I have to make it easy and organized, plus fun for the students.

I love to do movement activities like Go Noodle or Adventures to Fitness but with two classes having enough area to move is hard. And honestly, my kids just want to play. There, I said it PLAY! They need time to talk and hang out with their friends a little and play games.

So my solution was this amazing cart from IKEA:

I don't know about you but I do not have a shelf for keeping games because all my shelves are taken up by books or Literacy/Math Centers so this was what I came up with and it works so well.

I collected games from my own kids at home, got some to be donated, and bought a few things.
Here is a list of what I have in my cart: (disclaimer: When I went to IKEA they were all out of that adorable blue so I had to settle for plain old cream color, I plan on painting it soon.)

Card games:
WAR
UNO
Old Maid
Go Fish
Crazy 8's
playing cards

Games:
Scrabble
Boggle
Apples to Apples
Life
Connect Four
Mancala


One thing I did to keep things together is put all the card games in plastic containers from the Dollar Store. I made labels for you to help you out with your recess cart. Just click the picture:

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