Dice Boxes

There are some things that are a constant nemesis in my elementary classroom; the pencil sharpener . . . glue . . . dice . . . to name a few.  If you are a teacher, you know what I'm talking about - those things that the kids consistently abuse and misbehave with.  I have solved one of those problems!  One of my teaching neighbors recently had a baby.  She came back for a visit and brought with her lots and lots of small plastic boxes that once contained baby food.  I took some, not knowing what I would do with them.  But being a teacher, I knew they would come in handy at some point.  I now use them for dice!  And they are amazing!!

I use dice a lot!  They are great for practicing math facts, and since I teach first grade, we practice math facts every day.  The boxes solve the problem of dice flying around the room.  They solve the noise problem that all those dice hitting desks creates.  And they have turned math fact practice time into a much calmer activity than it was previously. The boxes are from Gerber brand baby food.  You can buy a two-pack at War-Mart for $1.12.  I will occasionally buy the applesauce and eat it with my lunch (mmm . . . tasty?), but better yet, reach out to that person you know who recently had a baby and get them to save some for you.

They come in two sizes.  The taller ones are perfect, but the shorter ones work as well.  My foam dice work better in the taller boxes because they need more room to rotate within the box.  Hard plastic dice work well in the shorter ones.

They also hold up fairly well.  I have been using them for three years now, and have not had much breakage.  The lids are harder plastic and will sometimes crack.  The lower portion is softer and the corners of the boxes occasionally squish in if the kids bang them too hard on the table.

If you are also frustrated by misuse and abuse of dice, I would highly recommend this method of managing them.  It has cut-down on my dice-stress, and made my teaching life easier!