QUICK UPDATE: Before we get to the post, I'd like to ask you to do a quick favor for me. I recently decided to take the plunge and put this blog on Facebook and Twitter...which is completely nerve racking for a social media novice like myself (my Facebook-addicted husband was so proud though, you guys!). If you could take just a moment and like my page or follow my twitter account, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
Now back to our regularly scheduled program...
Today, I want to share a product with you that I love. No, not just love..
Lurve. I lurve it! In a this-changed-my-life-(or-at-least-my-classroom) kinda way!
What, you ask, is this fantastical product that is so life-changing?
Yup, the same stuff they use on gym floors. This stuff is AWESOME! It sticks to almost anything and doesn't leave a sticky residue behind when you take it up.
How I used floor tape in my classroom:
- Color-coded binders, desks, hooks, lockers, you name it!
- I marked the floors where the desks go. Desks always seemed to 'migrate' throughout the day from students pushing on them. At the end of the day, I'd say 'Straighten the Desks!' and in 5 seconds, they desks were right back were they were supposed to be. (Note: When I had a classroom that had carpeted floors, I used colored duct tape to do this and it worked like a charm.)
- Used it to label ANYTHING- you can write the label in permanent marker and use nail polish remover to remove the writing if you need to change it out year-to-year.
- I marked off charts on the board (homework charts, lunch count, bathroom breaks, etc). It didn't leave any residue behind.
Have you used floor tape in your room before? Did you love it? Hate it?
UPDATE: Check out the comments below. Many of you have been kind enough to share some more great ideas on how to use floor tape in your room!
UPDATE: Check out the comments below. Many of you have been kind enough to share some more great ideas on how to use floor tape in your room!
Here's some more posts on YTA you might love:
I have used floor tape to create boxes on my floor that we used for sooo many activities from place value in math to sight word races in reading. Absolutely no residue when pulled up. Left it the cleanest, freshly waxed looking area in the room!
ReplyDeleteIt is a great classroom management. I teach Preschoolers who move around constantly. So if there is tape on the rug they know exactly where they should be. When its time to line up, again there is no question where their little feet go!! I even have songs that help them remember!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you could put a long strip in the front of the classroom and use it as assessment.
ReplyDelete"Step on the line if you remember the name of the character from our story"
Got this idea from Freedom Writers!
As a high school French and AVID teacher, I've adopted using Cornell Notes in my classes, which really helps the kiddos keep their notes organized and forces them to write a summary each day.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I use tape to make Cornell notes on my white board so the notes I take match the notes they need to take on their own paper. Suzie
love this idea!
DeleteGuess what will remove a permanent marker and is a whole lot cheaper than nail polish remover? Rubbing Alcohol. I know it works for Sharpies every time.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! Thanks for sharing- I love anything that will save me a few pennies ;)
Deleteguess what's cheaper and easier than that? white board/ dry erase marker... just color over the permanent marker than wipe clean with a tissue or wipe. :-)
DeleteMagic eraser (even the walmart brand/version) will remove markers from anything. My kids (at home) get into my sharpie stash all the time!!
DeleteJust don't use Magic Erasers on a SMART Board! They are actually pretty scratchy!
DeleteI've found that the rubbing alcohol has to be 90% or higher for it to take the sharpie off effectively.
DeleteCheap hairspray is a trick I learned sometime ago.works very well.
DeleteHand sanitizer works too
DeleteI've heard rubbing a dry erase marker over the sharpie and erasing works.... but I haven't tried it personally.
DeleteAll of those other things work: white board markers, hand sanitizer, hairspray- because they all have rubbing alcohol in them!
DeleteI use different colors to mark spots to line up on and then can send kids to variuos colors to seperate them. Also-keeps our lines straight and not too long! I also use it to mark table spaces where pencil boxes need to stay and to mark "personal space" on desks and the floor for kids who need to see that line.
ReplyDeleteI have used floor tape to practice carroll diagrams. Tape up the shape then name the criteria on show me boards and the children move in to the appropriate area for your question eg chocolate or strawberry ice cream sprinkles or sauce, You can do this throughout the year to keep their understanding sharp M
ReplyDeleteI use masking tape to draw an outline of a house on my mat area. the chn are asked to sit inside if I want a group, or outside if I want a circle, stops those ch who like to lean against the wall or hug a table leg! I use edges of the 'house' to order number lines, sequence stories etc. Masking tape didn't leave a mark but was easy for chn to pick at so I will try with the coloured plastic tape.
ReplyDeleteWow- those are some great ideas! I love how versatile the 'house' idea is. Another good option for using tape on rugs is to use colored duct tape. That's what I used when I had carpet in my room. It didn't leave any residue and the kids couldn't pick it apart. Bonus- there are tons of funky designs out now that could add some fun to your room. :) Thanks for sharing!
DeletePlease forgive my ignorance...but what is "floor tape"? I have seen colored masking tape, but I've never heard of "floor tape." What is it, where does one buy it, and how costly is it?
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!
Floor tape is the kind of tape the PE teacher uses on the gym floors. It is made to withstand lots of feet running on it and it comes up with little to no residue left behind. It's pretty much the bigger version of electrical tape- made out of the same stretchy material, just wider. You can order them from almost any educational supplies catalog, under the PE section (with the rubber balls, jump ropes, etc) or on Amazon (I've included a link in the post if you want to check it out). I hope this helps!
DeleteThanks for this information! I had no idea what floor tape was either.
DeleteI find mine at the Home Depot, hardware store. Can't remember the cost, but it was very reasonable. They don't label it as floor tape, but you find it where ever the tape supplies are. It is very easy to work with.
DeleteHave you heard of "painter's tape"? It's pretty much the same thing as floor tape! LOVE it!!!
DeleteI have used painter's tape in the past. It will not withstand much floor traffic and shreds when you pull it up after several weeks or months. I do NOT recommend using painter's tape on the floor.
DeleteMy classroom has carpeted floors. In the past we have only been allowed to use velcro on our floors to mark lines and such. It is a pain because the students pick at it and move it. Will the floor tape leave a residue on the floor? Even our gym floor is carpet. It sure would be nice to be able to mark the carpets with something other than velcro.
ReplyDeleteOne classroom I was in at one point had carpet. Floor tape didn't stick to it very well at all, but duct tape did. I used it each year and it stuck for the entire year and came off without any residue. I would probably recommend that you try that out if your school allows it. You can get fun colors and prints now that can really dress up your room :)
DeleteIf your school is strict, I wouldn't use any tape. I have done duct tape and masking tape on my classroom floors. Some years it came off without a mark and other years it left a glue stain. I don't know if it was the brand, temperature, cleaning products, etc. Personally, I couldn't live without it so I'm just glad no one has said anything about it.
DeleteI use blue painter's tape on my carpet at school and it doesn't leave any residue!
DeleteCan you suggest some brands? I just did a quick search and what I'm finding is heavy duty stuff at about $85/roll. I'm guessing this can't be what you are using. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEww! You're right- there is NO way I'd pay that much for a roll of tape! :) If you click the link in the post above, it will take you to the Gamecraft brand of tape at Amazon and the cost seems to run $5-8 a roll. I haven't done a lot of research to know if this is the cheapest option out there, so you may find something cheaper in your school supply catalog. I purchased a set of 5 rolls and they lasted a good 3-4 years (and I used quite a bit each year).
DeleteDollar Tree sells floor tape for, well, $1. I find it periodically in several colors and have found it at several locations. It works nice on the floor, sticks well, and doesn't leave a residue.
DeleteMark 4 chambers on the floor to represent the heart. Let the kids walk through the heart to the lungs for oxygen exchange then back to the heart to pump through to the organs. They get it with a tape-on-the-floor model. (Even exchange blue cards for red ones to show oxygenated blood.) Fun.
ReplyDeleteIs there any way to keep it from chipping? I used it last year, but my students' chairs made a mess of it. Peeling THAT off the floor was no fun :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I never had an issue with chipping. It WOULD peel up in the higher traffic areas after a little while and I'd have to replace it 1-2 times throughout the year, but it usually stayed intact. I wonder if any of my readers might be able to answer your question. Does anybody know how to solve the chipping problem?
DeleteNot to add more cost to your room but I am a huge fan of chair sox. Basically they are tennis balls that you put on all the legs of your chair. This helps the chair glide out and removes that horrible awful noise of the chair being pulled across the floor. You can either by the chair sox pre cut to fit on chairs, make your own (can be tricky to cut the tennis balls yourself) with old/dead tennis balls (maybe see if your YMCA or tennis club area will donate the dead balls to you), or go for the "low tech" cheap version of using felt and rubber bands to basically do the same thing. This should also relieve the chipping of the floor tape
DeleteI had parents help me cut big felt squares. The felt square is folded twice, and tied tight around the foot of the chair with a heavy duty rubber band. Last the whole year, cheaper than the tennis balls. I got black ones, so you don't really see them get dirty. I found that idea from male teacher on pinterest, look into it.
DeleteFrom Sherry (Shared in the Rafflecopter Giveaway)....
ReplyDelete"Ohh, I lurve floor tape too! I use it show kidlings WHERE line-up starts (I have an oddly shaped classroom and we can't line up at the door!) I also use for on-the-floor math games!"
I love the idea of using tape....except on the floors. As the person who has to clean the school at the end of the school year, dried tape on the floors, carpets, windows, etc. is like trying to remove cement. It dries and hardens. I have had floors that still had residue after lots of scrubbing using very strong chemicals. So, the next time you wish to put tape on the floors for an extended period, remember the person who has to remove it at the end of the school year.
ReplyDeleteYou need to get the teachers to switch to the PE Floor tape. It does NOT leave residue and peels off as needed yet magically sticks for months. So sorry part of your job is cleaning the floors but if the teachers are using the correct tape, you will have no problem cleaning up at the end of the year.
DeleteI have found that if you cannot use floor tape and you have carpeted floors the alternative is velcro. a little more expensive but it makes your custodians very happy!
DeleteMy floor tape never leaves a residue on the floor. It peels right off when we are done using it at the end of the year. We used it on the carpet in the hallway for lining up without touching each other. The tape on the carpet did peel so I think I will try the duct tape out there next.
DeleteThere is an industrial Goo Gone that works on carpet. I used it when my duct tape left sticky residue. you simply squirt sit for a minute and dab off. Works great!
DeleteWhere can you buy the floor tape? Also, can it only be used on hard/tiled floors (not carpet)? I know duct tape would work great on carpet, but it does leave a sticky residue. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI used to buy my floor tape from school supply catalogs, in the P.E. supplies section. You can also purchase it at Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062TOYM8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0062TOYM8&linkCode=as2&tag=youteasaid-20
DeleteI found that it only worked well on hard surfaces. It's pretty much a wider version of electrical tape, if that gives you an idea of the 'stickiness' of it. If you're looking for something for carpet, the only thing I've tried is duct tape. I loved it and it never left a sticky residue for me, but that may have just been my experience. Thanks for sharing!
I use floor tape to write positive messages and reminders on my third graders' desks. Like "I will double check for careless mistakes, I will think before I call out, I will write my name on my paper." Works like a charm and leaves no sticky residue on the desk! :)
DeleteI inherited tons of floor tape from a friend who found it in their office...so I've used it for just about everything....last year I put the green for go tape in a line to direct my smarties out the door for breakfast, lunch and PE...forgot to pull it up at the end and the custodial staff waxed and buffed over it. Oh well...it still looks good. I love that stuff!
DeleteI have just discovered floor tapes and it is awesome! I became addicted cause it made me feel artistic! WHERE CAN I GET MORE?!?! lol! I got my supplies from http://floortapecentral.com
ReplyDeleteI use floor tape on my music classroom tile floors. I use black tape to mark spots to line up when we leave (centered in each floor tile). I have red tape going around the classroom forming a large rectangle ("circle") for walking and playing instruments. Inside the red "circle" I have a row of black, a row of green, a row of blue, and a row of yellow for seating. Kids know exactly where to come in and sit down each class period. Also helps me with names. I have a seating chart that I created to write their names, set up by the number of tapes in each row. I only put down about a 2-3" piece of tape in each place. As tape gets curled up (sometimes little ones like to pick at it) and not looking pretty, I will let a few kids at a time pull up tape as I replace it. They love to help. I never try to do it all in one class period. But I usually pick a date such as right before the holiday break, or Parent/Teacher night to freshen up the room. I have about 600 K-1st kiddos and I want to say I've only done it once this semester, so far. Love my floor tape!!
ReplyDeleteAt my school we put it in the center of the halls to make kiddos walk on the right. We have silent halls around the office and library with 3 lanes. Kids on the right. Teachers in the middle. It lasts ALL year and comes up with no problem for summer cleaning.
ReplyDeleteAlso called vinyl tape. Love the stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou can use a product called "Gaffer's Tape" on carpeted floors. It does not leave any sticky residue. It is used in the movie/theater industry.
ReplyDeleteI use duct tape also on my carpeted floors and I mark the line up for the door line in glow in the dark duct tape. It IS more expensive than other colors BUT in the event of an emergency or a need to quiet some noisy kiddos, it works like a CHARM!
ReplyDeleteYeah for floor tape. Did you know that High Schoolers feel an entitlement to everything, even your personal belongings, your chair, bing next to you, sitting at your desk and getting into your desk? So at the beginning of the year I create boundries with the floor tape. As the year wears on, so does the tape wear off due to normal approved foot traffic. By the end of the year , everyone knows their boundries. If they don't there are peer pressures that remind them of their boundries. Interesting but funny thing is that I accidently put the refrigerator on the outside of the tape and just like home, they open the door to see what they can find. And just like home, there is nothing that interests them. Yes Floor tape is valuable---Boundries!
ReplyDeleteI'll confess I did not read all of the comments, so if someone already said this, just ignore it. I have used floor tape to make large ten frames. The students become the counters to make numbers. One, when I was trying to get my students to be creative, I made a door on the floor with the tape. I asked them what would they see if I opened the door.
ReplyDeleteI started using this tape 2 years ago and love it. On the floor I use it with geometry and coordinate planes. I use it on my whiteboard to outline a huge calendar and lunch choice section. That is on my side board. Up front, I have sectioned off to panels, one on each end, to help with my objective statements and organizing note to my classes.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone recommend a good tape to use at the sections of my word wall on my white board?
ReplyDeleteDesiree- I didn't have a word wall, but I used floor tape on my board to section off a homework board, a lunch choice chart, etc. so I know that floor tape is one option that will work on a white board. It always peeled right off at the end of the year without leaving any residue.
DeleteI just did a blog post on this! I have used it in many ways, but this is the best one...
ReplyDeleteRote Skills Made Fun and Easy
I use Floor Tape for everything, I tape four desks together so they don't migrate (I tape them by the legs), I have a line on the floor next to the SMART board so I don't get a gaggle of kids pushing in when we play team games on it. I used it to create squares on the carpet before I got my big puzzle carpet, I used it to tape folders and write on them, tape desks and write names on them, and tape the white board to create sections for the schedule, date, morning work, homework and other assignments. :)
ReplyDeleteCan I use them tape on a rug/carpet? I teach prek and my new classroom has a solid blue rug. I'd like to use some sort of tape to mark out spaces for the kids to sit on.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, floor tape didn't work on my carpets.... but colored duct tape did. It didn't leave any residue for me, even after being on for an entire year (I did have to replace them halfway through the year just from wear and tear).
DeleteThe teacher before me used duct tape on the carpet, and it left a nasty sticky residue that took months to remove. If you have carpet, I recommend Velcro instead. It can be moved as needed, and can be vacuumed over easily.
ReplyDeleteThe elem school I was at last year burned down (no one was hurt!) and we had to move temporarily to a church, and then shared space in the high school... My "office" was a students desk in the high school hallway! Anyway, we used colored tape for everything .... Lines in the hall for changing classes, 'no go' areas off limits to high schoolers, mark spaces around desks where younger students were allowed to get up and wiggle, mark off danger zones where our school materials were stored (inside each classroom until the new school was built), new fire drill routes in an unfamiliar school, and so on. We taught the. Looks used - red for stop - unsafe; green for go - safe; etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm a special ed teacher & I used duct tape on my classroom carpet (I never had any issue with sticky residue) along with on tile in my classroom and on the hallway tile outside my room for geometry lessons on 2-D geometric shape characteristics (lower grades) and perimeter & area for the older grades. I think every school should create a permanent section of the floor tile that is created with the shapes within the tiles.
ReplyDeleteThe shapes created on the carpet also served as placement for partner activities. When I was pairing groups I'd choose which shape that pair would work in. I'd say, group 1 meets inside the rectangle, Group 2 meets inside the triangle, etc. Also, the students had to keep all parts, pieces, etc of the activity inside the shape.
The shapes created on the tile allowed for students to actually WALK the perimeter and STEP into the individual square tiles INSIDE the shape outlines. It made all the difference for my students.
I have used colored duct tape or painter's tape for where students are to line up to identifying their color group tape to the spine of composition notebook to making a ten frame or a number line on the floor. It's a first I heard of a floor tape. That I will look into during the summer.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for an idea for my rug in preschool. Packing tape and velcro carpet spots didnt stay.
ReplyDeleteOn my hard floors I laminate numbers or whatever I want to use and put clear contact paper over to stick it down. It lasts a long time and doesnt leave any residue! My custodians were very impressed.
I've used paint to paint a 4 quadrant plane over my entire classroom floor when the carpet was getting very old. My principal knew it was going to be ripped up within a year or two. Now that the new tile is down, I'm going to get the floor tape so I can replace the lost quadrants. It also works great for latitude and longitude.
ReplyDelete