Be Kind to Your Erasers!

The poor, abused eraser. :(

There was a BIG problem with respecting supplies in my classroom this year, especially the erasers.  I have supply baskets at each table and started off with  or 4 brand new, big pink erasers at each.  Lots of erasers "disappeared" (I finally put out new ones but said I would not replace anymore if they were going to keep "disappearing") and the ones that stayed were not in good shape.  It drives me crazy when I see students drawing on, stabbing, and/or cutting the shared erasers.  If they want to destroy their own supplies, fine by me.  But when it's the supplies that are shared by all the students, we have a problem.  I finally remembered the Fugleflick, "Be Kind to Your Erasers" by Art teacher, Tricia Fuglestad and made a poster inspired by the video.  (I could not show it at the time but have since worked out my video issues at school.)

The students were intrigued by the poster and I think humanizing the erasers on the poster helped.  It seems like when the students can imagine the art supplies as people, they remember to take better care of them.  Example: I have students who talk about Mr.Brush every time we paint, even before I can point to the poster!

I used pencil, markers, watercolors, and magazine pages to make my poster.