Imagine a store full of school supplies, art materials, toys, books,DVD’s, computers, printers and more. Now imagine that everything inside that store was FREE!
Well guess how lucky I feel every August when I shop in that very store! We are so very blessed, that in Cincinnati we have a teacher free store called Crayons to Computers. Where literally everything from crayons to computers are FREE! How amazing is the person/people who started this place? They recognized the fact that many of our students are needy and can’t afford the basic supplies we ask them to bring. As well as the fact, that we as teachers spend thousands each year on our classrooms.
So many schools in Cincinnati qualify to shop monthly due to the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. My school doesn’t qualify, but you can earn a shopping trip by volunteering for 3 hours. Therefore, my sweet teacher friends and I went today and did a little volunteering!
My adorable friend and former student teacher Maggie.
So lucky to work with this girl.
She was slaving away with some stickers today!
How cute are the girls I work with? Ms. Jen volunteering her heart out. Love her!
Also my super sweet teaching partner Becky with her coupon to shop after our 3 hours of chatting and working and chatting some more!
(The poor guy working with us, seriously had earphones on and a ipod going to tune us out.)
Apparently, there are 42 other stores modeled after Crayons to Computers in the U.S. The amazing part is this store is run entirely with donations from our community! People are so generous. Below are more pictures of the store and my awesome team! So get ready for picture overload. I can’t wait to shop. I was seriously drooling!
(Please don’t mind my horrible hair. It’s long overdue for a cut and color. Yes, I’m the only non-blonde.)
Love my teacher friends!
How fun is this section?
Brand new books!
Glue, tape, ribbon, band aides, and the best magnets you have ever used in your life!
Everything from paint and cardstock to musical greeting cards!
Art supplies? Yes please.
Scrapbook supplies a plenty!
They have every cut out you could ever imagine! An entire wall!
Shape books for every season.
The best thing that ever happened to me!
New chair pockets every year!
How lovely are these?
(Little fact: Guess who sew these? Actually…inmates. It’s part of a rehabilitation program called Crafts with Conviction)
DVD’s
Containers
We know how I love containers!
Got Glue? Now you do.
Does anyone remember that show Shop Til You Drop?
That is seriously what it will be like on August 1st when I go. Also I just have to remember my classroom is only so big. In addition, I’ve gotten better at not going overboard, if you consider filling just half of a Tahoe instead of all, not bad.
Thank you Crayons to Computers.
We {HEART} You x’s 100!
51 thoughts on “Teacher Heaven on Earth!”
Oh-Em-Gee!
That is the craziest thing I've ever seen. How do they limit people?
❤Jodi from…
★★The Clutter-Free Classroom★★
Helping Teachers Get Organized
Certain items do have limit and others are unlimited. It's seriously paradise!
You do have a checklist and you just write down how many of each you took. Then you check out and they kind of eyeball that you were honest. It's UH-Mazing!
OH MY GOODNESS – I'm so flipping excited! I checked and there is an affliate in my town! Out of all of CA- in my little never heard of city- there is one! I squeeled when I saw it!! I'm so excited!!
❀ Christine
{heart} to Reed
WOW! My jaw was on my keyboard as I was looking at the pictures! What a wonderful place to have in your community! I bet volunteering is even fun!
Thanks for sharing!
OMG! Amazing. I was dying just looking at your beautiful pictures!!
Marvelous Multiagers!
WHAT??!?!!??! This has got to be the coolest thing I've EVER seen!! What a great idea! Love people helping others! I hope you share what you get on Aug 2nd! lol!
Hadar
Miss Kindergarten
This is amazing!!!!! I am so stinkin' jealous! I wish we had something like this! But I am glad you get to take advantage of it! We do spend so much so that is awesome that something like this is available for you to help save!
Elisabeth
http://www.missdelk.blogspot.com
In Orange County Florida they have a store like this called A Gift for Teaching. For the past two years I worked in a Title 1 school where 85% of the students were on free or reduced lunch and I got to every month to the store. It was great because my students didn't come with any supplies at all! They also had crafts for conviction and I love those seat covers. We were limited to what we could get and didn't have near as much but it is still a wonderful organization! Good for you for volunteering! I wish I could but they want full time volunteers.
Oh my!! Aren't you the LuCkiEsT teachers…ever!! That is a dream. It's beautiful.
✩Alicia
First Grade Factory
That is an incredible place! I think it is great that there is something like that for schools. Enjoy your time to shop!!!!
That just makes me happy. I would volunteer all summer just to be able to shop in there.
http://teacherblogstalker.blogspot.com/
What an amazing store! I have a little teacher envy since you have one so close to you. We are not that fortunate here in MS!
Natalie
http://www.natkatinthehat.blogspot.com
WOW!!!! That looks amazing! Thank you for posting this..I never knew a place like this existed and sooo close to me!!(Charlotte)
-Heather http://my1stclass.blogspot.com/
This is INSANE!!!! WOW. I just blogged about this on my blog and linked up to yours- http://coffeypartyof3.blogspot.com/
How cool. Thanks for sharing!
Megan @ coffeyhouse
Oh My!
Heaven for sure!!!!
You lucky girl.. and totally worth 3 hours of volunteer work!
Kacey
Doodle Bugs Teaching
Doodle Bugs Paper
I get to go this year and I AM PUMPED!!!!!!! Ah! Seeing this post made me so excited!!!!
This makes me want to drive to Cincinnati!
What an amazing place!! Did someone say ROAD TRIP?
http://quenchyourfirst.blogspot.com
Thanks for posting this… I am so excited that I even found an independent store in my state. Woo Hoo! After I finished reading your post, I had to email my colleagues to tell them about it. Of course many of them are not even thinking about school right now but maybe this will change their minds. I love all your pictures too (drool), who knew a store like that really existed in Teacher Land.:)
Wow! That is amazing. Wish we had something like that in Arizona. It is encouraging that people are starting to realize how much of our own money we spend every year…
That is so wonderful! We need one in Denver!
http://teachthemlove.blogspot.com
Seriously?? Teacher overloaddddd!!!!! I'm sooo jealous…how wonderful that they have a program like that! I'm with Hadar, I hope you share what you get on Aug. 2nd! 😉
Erin
http://eberhartsexplorers.blogspot.com/
Oh my gosh! This place sounds and looks amazing! As I was looking through your pictures I kept saying, "I want that…oooo! I want that too!" (insert kind of a whiney tone) I'm thinking a couple of road trips are in my near future…one to volunteer and one to shop! 🙂
Have fun!
Jenn
http://pirateslifeforus.blogspot.com/
This is amazing!! Talk about heaven 🙂
oh how I wish there was a location in Columbus!
i'm so J.E.A.L.O.U.S!!!! 🙂
Thank you SO much for posting this! I checked the link and there's an affiliate in ATL… aaaand my new school is on the list of who can shop! Now it seems that I just have to wait for the principal to send them our teacher roster so that I can make an appointment!
OMG Jealous! I teach in an inner city myself, and know how hard it is for many of our families to purchase basic back to school supplies. I buy A LOT out of my own pocket every year. This store is seriously a blessing. Did I say I was jealous? I am! But, I'm happy for other dedicated teachers who are fortunate to have access to this wonderful resource.
☺ Tanya
First Grade is Fantabulous!
WOW! That is AWESOME!!! I'm so jealous that I want to fly to Cincinnati just to go!! That's a great program and seriously should be everywhere! Thanks for sharing this!
Stacee
This is just amazing! I have never in my life seen such. Our system attempts to do this, but it is nothing like this. This is better than the big stores or teacher supply stores. Count your blessings!!!!!
Are you kidding me? I want to fly there… I bet it would still be cheaper than buying all that cool stuff myself! Wow… amazing!
Empowering Kinders and Other Kids Too
Empowering Little Learners!
I just can't even comprehend a post like this! littlemisskindergarten.blogspot.com
Seriously. I'm sinning because I'm super jealous of you right now. Wow. They need to expand!
My heart just started to flutter! One word…envious!!! WOW!
Hope King
http://www.shenanigansinsecond.blogspot.com
That is so awesome! What a wonderful thing they do for those kids…and teachers! I am SO jealous! The money I spend on those extras for my classroom. We SO need something like that around here. I'm only 4 hours from Cincy!
Sarah
Kindergarten Korner
I wish there was one by me! I moved to Florida, but did my internship at Struble Elementary which is on that list of schools. Wish I would have known about that back then!
WOW!
So I'm going to a wedding in Cinci in October…how the heck can I get into that store? Can you go for a discounted price if you're not on the list or something? If so I', bringing an extra suitcase just for school supplies!
-Rachel
edlink123.blogspot.com
That is absolutely amazing. I wish there was a store like that in Texas…
Wow, what an amazing program! I'm impressed with the selection they carry 🙂
Amazing, I am glad that the need is being met. I'm just a little green with envy. None near me.
wow! i am unbelievably JEALOUS!!!!!! it makes me want to move there 😉
I just looked it up, and we have a place like that here in Nashville. However, it is only for the Metro school teachers- BUT they have a program where you can volunteer and earn a shopping trip. Guess who just signed up to volunteer? Meeeeeee! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration!
+Teaching Happily Ever After
~Creative Teaching with a Technology Twist~
Wow, that is truly awesome! I wish we had a place like that in Austin! You guys are lucky!
Katie
http://teachthentell.blogspot.com/
I follow all 12 blogs! Wish we had a place like this for our teachers!
I follow all 12 blogs! We have a place like this in NYC but it is not just teaching supplies it is a mixture! I WISH WE HAD THIS!
That is SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!! What a wonderful community you have to show kids and teachers that kind of support! The variety is incredible – I wouldn't even be able to PURCHASE that many different items where I live. Awesome!
This is such a WONDERFUL way for communities to show their support for educators! Fantastic idea. Thank you so much for sharing this. Will look into sites near me.
Robin (Bigbird)
http://www.firsttoremember.blogspot.com
I am literally pinching myself, is this fiction or non fiction? Why isn't there one in every city? Can't wait to see what you grab on your well-deserved shopping trip!
Krissy
Mrs.Miner’s Monkey Business
This is just unreal! It looks like you took pictures in a Walmart! What a HUGE blessing for you! We spend soooo much of our own money on all this stuff! I'm wondering how to go about starting a place like this?
OMG. SO SO SO SO SO SO AMAZING!!!!
Wow! That is incredible. There are two here in Texas–one in Dallas (an hour and a half from me). It's actually with World Vision. But I'm unclear about whether or not you have to teach in a low-income school in Dallas. That's seriously amazing for y'all, though! :o)
This is SO neat! Too bad the nearest one is way too far from me. I'd love to have those chair pocket covers among other things!