Things You'll Need:
- telephone/computer access
- access to local library
- current newspaper
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Step 1
You need books! The more the better and the cheaper the better. A good place to start is your local library. Start in early summer and hit your local library for the children's book section. Many books get donated by patrons as well as retired teachers. Often you can get books as good as new for a quarter.
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Step 2
Register with SCHOLASTIC or visit www.scholastic.com. Ask around and refer a teacher from your school who already has an account. This way they get 100 bonus points and you now have yourself a new friend on campus.
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Step 3
Look in the newspaper for ads from retired teachers holding garage sales. Most teachers retire at the end of the school year and hold AMAZING sales! Big Books that cost $15-$25 can be found for a buck or two, REALLY!
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Step 4
Check online for semi-used childrens books. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders all have discount used book pages and the deals that are SPECTACULAR!
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Step 5
Ask your own school librarian if he or she has any outdated or discontinued books that are being discarded.
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Step 6
See my article: How to Organize a Classroom Library
Comments
sarahlynnknows said
on 12/20/2008 Great ideas! One thing I do is ask the students/parents to donate a new or used book to the class on their birthday. We have a special "ceremony" each time a book is donated and give the student a certificate of thanks. That's 25-30 additional books each year!
CBPope said
on 11/15/2008 In Detroit, The Kiwanis Club gives away new books to organizations. Check to see if there is a Kiwanis book program in your area.
harrietcat said
on 11/2/2008 I get a lot of my books at thrift shops for about .25 each.
Susanh said
on 9/8/2008 Bookshelves in our house are overflowing, but I just can't turn down a great book! 5*****
vallain said
on 7/14/2008 Excellent tips. I think you might want to expand the first one so people understand that the books are in the public library's bookstore or sale shelf. They can't have the ones from the regular shelves.
Also you can ask the public library to loan you rotating batches of books for the classroom. Numbers of books and length of time vary from library to library.