Whether you're introducing Strawbees into your classroom for the first time or you're a seasoned STEM educator looking to streamline using Strawbees in your lessons, organizing Strawbees for effective cleanup and distribution can make a world of difference.
Keeping straws and connectors neat and accessible means less time managing materials and more time building, prototyping and learning!
We asked educators and teachers keen on Strawbees their favorite storage tips and tricks. Here's how they keep their Strawbees tidy, accessible and classroom-ready.
Individual Independent Kits
"I had plastic pencil/school boxes that I used for individual Strawbees use. That way everyone had their own set of Strawbees and could start off with a specific amount. If students needed more, they could always go to the main storage box and get more," said Sara Hays, Student Enrichment Specialist at Great Rivers Education Service Cooperative in Arkansas.
This method is perfect for classrooms that want to promote student responsibility. Each learner starts with a fixed number of pieces which is ideal for managing supplies in larger classes. It also helps reduce mess and makes cleaning up quicker.
Additional Tip: You can include labels on each box with the student's name or a group number to make distributing and collecting the kits easier.
Rolling Cart
"I utilize a multidraw rolling cart to organize my Strawbees and associated robotic and micro:bit components. I printed a table that I taped to the top that mirrors the layout of the drawers in each cell of the table shows what's in the corresponding drawers. It's not my ideal storage solution, but it's pretty good! Especially since it was zero cost!" said Chris Brown, Media Center Teacher at Utica Community Schools in Michigan.
Chris' method turns a basic rolling cart into a full STEM materials station. By mapping out what's in each drawer with a visual guide taped to the top, students and teachers alike can find what they need fast and return items to their correct place.
This is a flexible and scalable solution, especially for educators who integrate coding and robotics into their Strawbees activities.
Tackle Boxes with Color Coding
"I was looking for something stackable that my students of all ages could easily hand out and clean up as well... I've used fishing tackle boxes before and decided to try this out with a bigger container and Strawbees. I was able to adjust the size of the sections for straw lengths. I added color-coordinated masking tape to help my younger students with clean up," said Nicole Birkbeck, STEAM Teacher at Goodnoe Elementary School in Pennsylvania.
Nicole's solution is perfect for multi-age classrooms. Tackle boxes offer customizable compartments that can grow with your needs, whether you're storing long straws, short straws, or different types of connectors.
By adding color-coded masking tape and labels, she's made it easy for even the youngest builders to find and sort pieces correctly. As a bonus, stackability saves precious self space!
Tips for Strawbees Storage
Here are some basic tips we've gathered from our experienced educators:
- Label everything: Whether you use masking tape, stickers, or printed cards, clear labeling helps everyone know where things go.
- Start with "just enough": Giving students a smaller initial set of materials encourages creative constraint, and they can always build out from there.
- Make it student-friendly: Choose storage options students can manage on their own to boost independence and reduce transition time.
- Go modular: Look for stackable or mobile solutions you can easily tuck away or roll between classrooms.
Your Strawbees Storage Hack?
We'd love to hear from more educators on how they store Strawbees, If you have a brilliant way to organize your Strawbees kits, post a photo of it on social media and tag us! We'd be glad to share it.