My "Mama's Got a Meeting" Box

     Whew! Do you ever have an unexpected meeting or one that runs longer than you thought it would? I am sure that you have! It is on days when that happens to me that I am so grateful for my "Mama's Got a Meeting Box!" Fortunately, my kids are with me in my classroom after school. Little Man attends my school and the school district graciously buses the children of staff members from campus to campus. So, Sweet Girl arrives not long after I am done with students. Even if your kids are not with you at school each day, they might come along with you on weekend trips to school or summer set up times. You may not want them rifling through all of your manipulatives and centers! You might benefit from a "Mama's Got a Meeting Box", too!

Reasons Why I LOVE This Box!
1. It saves me from being pulled out of my meeting or getting those, "Hey Mom, We're hungry!" texts during the meeting.
2. It is portable. The kids can bring it to wherever my meeting is being held and play quietly (or hopefully silently) in the hallway.
3. It is airtight. I keep everything in a Rubbermaid container with a lock down lid to keep any little closet creepies from getting inside. Eeew!

Here is a peek inside this week's box!

So, what's inside you ask? I always have a snack of the week. This week's feature: Minion Honey Maid Crackers!  Big HIT with the kiddos! Who doesn't love minions!?! The coin purse is full of quarters so that they can go grab a drink from the vending machine down the hall if their water bottles are empty. I change out the activities in the box on a regular basis. This week there is an I Spy book, How to Draw 101 Animals, blank paper, and art supplies. Sometimes I put a bag of Legos inside the box or THIS AMAZING SET ......

I bought this one from Amazon years ago. They still have them. I have used this set in my classroom during indoor recess days, too! We had to develop a system for who got to play with it or there would be WAR I tell you! I ended up drawing student numbers out of the jar  to decide who got to play with it. It was UNCANNY how often the lucky student winners were the ones who needed to work on their fine motor skills. (Okay, okay, so I may have peeked! Don't judge me! Hee Hee!) I mentioned in an earlier post that Little Man could talk the hind leg off a mule as my Granny would say, but when he is playing with this, there is blissful silence in my room! You might want to check it out.

So, do your kids hang out in your classroom?  Got any suggestions for next week's "Mama's Got a Meeting Box" because right now my calendar is clear, but that could change any second!