Whatcha Workin With? Top 5 Essentials for a High Intensity Classroom

Whatcha workin with?  We all know being a Special Education teacher comes with a lot of extra material needs for your classroom.  Stocking your classroom is pretty much essential for any high intensity classroom.  Check out these 5 essential items for any high intensity classroom.

**Note: This post includes affiliate links.  This means I will get a small percentage if you purchase any of these items, but I am only recommending them because I know how simply amazing they can be!**

A laminator is an absolute essential for an high intensity classroom.  It allows you to create PECS, task box materials, and super durable materials.  Our students are rough on materials and a laminator is amazing because I don’t have to remake the same tasks over and over.  Make it once, and it’s done!

If you have a laminator, laminating sheets are a necessity!  I have found some great, budget friendly laminating sheets through Amazon and I’m thrilled to share them with you.  These laminating sheets are inexpensive and when I use them to create items for my classroom they feel like the expensive stuff!  The laminating feels durable and it has lasted up to everyday use in my classroom. And for around $9 for 100 sheets?!  I’m sold!
you’re probably going to need some

Now that you have literally laminated all the things you’re going to need to cut literally all the things!  My friend Christine from Autism Classroom News recommended spring loaded scissors to me a while ago and all I could associate them with were the scissors my students use when learning to cut.  Oh boy was I wrong!  These scissors have become a staple in my classroom.  And my house.  And I might even have a pair in the trunk of my car for an emergency.  Seriously, I love these things!

Lets face it.  We don’t want to cut everything by hand.  That’s just way too much work.  My other trusty side kick is my paper cutter.  Now I may also have one of those at school and at home, but that’s because this piece of equipment is amazing.  No more carpel tunnel from cutting for hours on end!  Want to cut through a few pieces of paper at once?  No problem!  My paper cutter has made my prep life so much more easier.  I love this thing.

If you’re in the Special Education field, you know you have a love hate relationship with velcro.  I love how easy it makes everything in my classroom.  I hate when I come home with velcro pieces stuck to my sweaters.  Love it or hate it, our students need it to make high quality materials for their use in everyday activities in our classrooms.  I am a fan of the velcro dots (less cutting!!).  It makes it easy to prepare work box tasks.  If you’ve got an icon, put a dot on the back and now it can be a schedule icon or a PEC.  Velcro dots do make me secretly happy.

I know there are so many more awesome essentials for the classroom that I skipped over during this roundup.  What are some of your essential items for your classroom?