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Guess what #10 is!  Yep, VelcroTM..  This is how you know that this list is not in any type of order of importance, because if that were true VelcroTM would be higher on the list!  Did you know they make clear Velcro?  Great for not covering up things in file folder activities, but it doesn’t stick so well.  Yes, we used to run classrooms without Velcro, but it’s hard to remember how.  We used tape and paperclips and all sorts of other things.  But really, nothing beats Velcro.  Don’t you wish you had invented it??

OK, before this turns into a free verse ode to Velcro, which I probably could do, let me share some tips learned over the years–many of which you probably know, but perhaps there are some that are new.

1.  Buy Velcro in bulk.  The more you buy, the cheaper it is.  The cheapest we have found is from a company called Lockfast.  Just be aware that if you want to order from them you will probably have to call them and you will be buying large rolls.  However, they do sell all types of Velcro for any occasion.  I have had districts that found cheaper prices at local office stores, so check around.  Sam’s Club used to be a good bet but I think others have beaten it now.  Because I don’t use as much of it since I don’t have my own classroom, and because I got spoiled in my old job and really like to use Velcro coins as much as possible, I will often order from Amazon.  The only issue I have is that they don’t sell white coins–only beige and black.  But I can order it on Prime and have it in 2 days, so that usually works for me. I’ve also ordered rolls of strips from them but they are somewhat hit or miss.  In any case, the more Velcro you buy, the cheaper it is and it’s worth asking around and making some phone calls to find out prices.

2.  Be standard in your use of Velcro in your classroom and possibly across your school.  We all have our reasons for why we put the rough Velcro on one thing and the soft Velcro on the other.  I personally like “hard on the card, soft on the surface.”  This means the visual itself gets the hard or male Velcro and wall gets the soft.  It started because we had cubicle dividers in the classroom and the rough Velcro allowed us to put visuals directly on the divider.  It stuck around because I could remember it.  The folks that created and market the PECS program do it the opposite because they like the hard Velcro on the PECS book itself so it can be cleaned with a toothbrush when the book gets dirty.  So whatever your reason, just make sure you have a consistent system so you don’t find yourself with a visual that doesn’t stick.

3.  Designate a pair of scissors for cutting Velcro because it will dull them and ruin them.  And you can use acetone, nail polish remover, and Goo Be Gone to clean them, which they will need.  I have been known to write “Velcro” with a Sharpie on the scissors themselves. This keeps people from using other scissors to cut it.

4.  You will almost always run out of hard Velcro before soft Velcro unless you are using the soft for wallpaper–which isn’t always a bad idea.  🙂  However, keep in mind that if you are able to order the types separately, you typically need more hard than soft.

5.  Teach those who help you to use Velcro sparingly.  For some reason I don’t like to cut strips of Velcro, but I will cut coins in half.  I’m strange that way.  A little Velcro can go a long way but you have to find the happy medium of getting it to stick.

So, do you have suggestions of where to buy Velcro? How to use it? Or tips to save it?  Please share and pay it forward to those new folks out there who may not have achieved Velcro Nirvana. OK, maybe the 12 things list is starting to get to me.

Until next time…..

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