My Bright Idea - Solving the "MY GLUE WON'T COME OUT, TEACHER!" Dilemma



Hello Friends!


I KNOW that I am one of MILLIONS of early education teachers who dream that their students will someday grow up to invent a glue bottle that does not clog! Ugh! We do tons of projects in my classroom that involve glue BUT if I think they can pull it off with a glue STICK, then that is what I give them to use. I just do not have the time to unclog 16 white glue bottles........




So......... this summer, as I was perusing the clearance aisle at Walmart, I came across plastic mustard, ketchup, and mayo bottles. I had no idea what I would use them for when I purchased them, but knew SOMETHING would hit me, so I stored them in my classroom.

Several weeks ago, I was having one of those AWFUL, frustrating days and dealing with clogged glue bottles was NOT something that I had the time for! Well...... it was my AH-HA day because those mustard and ketchup bottles came rising to the top of my brain. I took them down from the shelf, filled them with the glue from the clogged bottles, and put them out for my kiddos to use. Wow! What a nice and easy day I had! The bottles worked perfectly!

BUT....... the experiment was not over after the bottles were used that first day. Now, I was left with ooey, gooey ketchup and mustard bottles! What was I going to do with them NOW?? Well, this definitely was my AH-HA day! I cut craft stems in half and stuck them into the holes in the nozzles - not all the way; half way. I put the glue bottles away that day and we did not get them out until the following week.



Because I did not look at them for a week, I had no idea what I would find....Would the craft stem  be glued to the top or would the glue be dried out? Well...... I was THRILLED when I took them out! They worked wonderfully!!! Hurray! AND the best part of this is that my kiddos can pull the craft stem out by themselves and also replace it independently! Two kids can share one bottle, so the expense is small.



I needed some place to store the bottles......... so, I covered a cardboard drink carrier with colored duck tape and THIS worked perfectly, too! The kids can pick up the carrier and take it to their tables and then return it back to the shelf! And the best part....... No more "My glue won't come out, Teacher!" Yay!



And that, my friends, is my BRIGHT IDEA!

Next up is my friend, Nicole, from Mrs. Rios Teaches. She is sharing fun ways to recycle old calendars! Click the image below to take you there OR you can continue on the hop in your own way by clicking on the images in the linky below! Enjoy!

http://mrsriosteachessecondgrade.blogspot.com/2014/03/bright-ideas-blog-hop-2.html
 Until next time!

Blessings,




7 comments

  1. That is so clever! I hated unclogging glue bottles, too. What an easy and cute way to solve that problem!

    Buzzing with Ms. B

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    1. I cannot tell how many times I have told my students that when they grow up, I want them to invent a glue bottle that does not clog! LOL!

      Thanks for the comment!!

      Blessings,
      Cindy

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  2. What a smart idea! I am going to have to try to find some of those bottles - I bet they go on sale around 4th of July for everyone's backyard bbqs! Thanks for the idea!

    Jennifer @ Herding Kats in Kindergarten

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    1. Yep! That's about when I bought them last summer! BUT, I also purchased a few more this fall at Wal-mart. I needed enough so that 2 kids could share one bottle. So, you can buy them out of season; just not as cheaply!

      Thanks for commenting!!!

      Blessings,
      Cindy

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  3. Absolute genius! Thank you so much for this amazing idea! I will be sure to start looking for them now that the warm weather has come out of hiding down south!
    Mrs. Spriggs’ Kindergarten Pond

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    1. Yes , now would be a good time to find them! I used them again today after a week and they worked perfectly!

      Thanks for commenting!

      Blessings,
      Cindy

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