I was hoping someone here would know if there are any websites where teachers or schools trade/donate used classroom supplies and decorations. Also, if any of you know of a great way to locate donations besides asking the local schools and posting on Craigs List that would be very helpful. I am starting a PreK School since I have not been able to find a new teaching job. All my savings are going to building rent. I am making a lot of my own things but there is only so much that I can do. Are there websites for this? It seems like there should be.
I have a site called SproutClassrooms.com. We sell used classroom materials. While not free, they are about 50-90% off retail prices. I'm listing new items every day-we still have thousands of items to get listed in the next few months. I purchase from local retiring teachers, and all items are in great condition. Happy hunting! www.sproutclassrooms.com
Aw, thanks, FourSquare!! We just had a two-school pick-up on Friday and the items are BEAUTIFUL! And brand new. I can't WAIT to get them listed. And then get them into your classrooms!
Our local teacher organization holds a new teacher "Flea Market" during the summer. They ask for donations from businesses and get things from retiring teachers. New teachers can come and take what they want. You might want to check with your local group and see if they have anything similar.
Check public libraries for used book sales. You can often find gently used books for just a few dollars per BAGFUL...and pay NO SHIPPING!
I like the library book sales and yard sales for books. Craigslist gives me a good heads up on the yard sales that will have good teacher schwag (Is that a word?). I have found that a lot of people will give the stuff if is school oriented if they know I am a teacher, and sometimes they advertise to that effect. Lots of teachers around here have used Craigslist and yard sales to purge their stuff when they retire.
It's SWAG...for 'stuff we all get' originally meant the freebies that celebrities and the hoi polloi get at social functions...:yawn:
Thanks! Thank you for all of your ideas. It's nice to see so many helpful people. We live in a farming community so it is hard to get local donations but I have been scouring e-bay just about every day and may have come across a few good deals. I am sure that once I get my PreK up and running it will be a lot easier to find parents looking for a way to clear out some space in their closets.
Schwag shows up in the Urban Dictionary. The spelling <schwag> could represent a fairly plausible repronunciation Germanized or Yiddishized repronunciation, but the word swag itself appears in Oliver Twist in the sense of 'ill-gotten gains', so I'd bet against any of the 20th-century "backronym" sources for it.
