I’m not sure how this happened; I’ve never seen it happen before, but this pretty much says it all about how my day went. Of course, it could have been worse. I could have been the poor man I saw get hit by a service van this morning (he was okay. It was definitely his fault. The orange hand means don’t walk, kids).
On a related note, does anyone know where I can get replacement glue caps? Do they even sell replacement glue caps? They should. Or just give them away with every order of glue. Do you know how many glue sticks that would save in my room?
And since I’m here anyway, do they have to make hole punchers so painful? I mean, first off, they break like nobodies business, and second, you always end up having to squeeze them with all your might just to get them to work. Did you know it was possible to bruise the palm of your hand? No? Come over to my classroom and try using my hole punches. You’ll soon find out for yourself.
Art Teachers Hate Glitter 
I will never buy a glue stick again, if the intended user is a child. I put a tiny dollop of glue Ina tiny ass cup, with coffee stirrers as 'brushes' to keep them from pouring shitloads of glue to attach one puny scrap of paper to another. They hate it. “good” I say.
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I have one large industrial 3 hole punch instead of 30 puny ones. They walk Over and use the big handle. They can't break it or lose it and it collects confetti.
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Save extra glue stick caps!
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Get a Crop-a-Dile Big Bite! It's a scrapbooking tool but will punch through pretty much ANYTHING with ease! I have 2 and will NOT let the kids touch it… it's strictly mine! LOL! I also save old glue stick caps before I through away the empty ones.. I put them in an old coffee can for when I need them. I had one of those days today too… the kids are crazy and I'm in survival mode!
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I do not like glue sticks – they just never work for me. The paper always ends up popping off after awhile. And though I've never bruised my palm on the hole punches I have cut myself (more than once) on a glue bottle. The damn dried up glue sliced right through my finger while attempting to open one up.
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I actually save glue stick lids and keep extras in my room.
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I HATE GLUE STICKS!!!!I have been using the same plastic yogurt lids for a few years by putting Elmer's on them and having the little kids (K,1,2)use their fingertip to dip and spread (I call it using Mr. Spreader Finger-kinda sounds dirty, but oh well…….)The big kids just get repeated reminders on how to apply and spread the glue. I tell them they will never make it to one of the many artshows my school participates in or have any of their work on display in the building if I see dried glue on their projects. They don't call me the mean art teacher for nothing! As for hole punchers, never had that problem!
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It sounds like your day was a lot like mine…I think everyone is ready for a break!!!!
I like everyone's idea about saving caps. I guess it could come in handy to save dried marker caps too…maybe to prevent future dried-out markers!
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You should check with the primary classes- those kids go through glue sticks so fast- maybe they can set the empty sticks aside and you can start a reserve of extra caps from their discards. I've had to put the entire stick of glue back into the plastic casing many times- some kids start twisting and just cant stop. ; )
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Thanks for making me laugh. Im an art teacher too. Bet we could be friends and bitch all day but still love our jobs. I have been told by my colleagues that I don't know what it is like because I'm not a real teacher!
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Have you tried the Crayola glue sticks? The caps are so honkin' huge that they rarely get lost, I've found. But I still take the lids off the used up glue sticks before I toss them, and I keep baggies of extra lids for everything.
I like the idea of putting the white glue in the little cups with coffee stirrers. I tried something similar with my tempera paints, which the kids “hated” but it kept them from using too much paint and washing it all down the sink. I put the tempera in those cups with the holes in the lids, and have the kids dab it out onto their own palettes. But I only put the little bitty brushes in the cups, so it takes them “forever” to get too much paint out. Their short attention spans can be useful. 😉
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I, too, save the lids from empty glue sticks. I've ordered Blick's purple mega sized sticks for my little ones… they last longer and if the kids can be convinced to use them right (the purple helps them see if they have enough glue on there), they actually keep stuff stuck on (I, too, hate that glue sticked stuff falls apart constantly- these are the best I've found). For glue bottles, I inherited a bunch of glue with the “tap-caps” which I detest (mostly because I throw in glue as a drawing tool occasionally). I called Elmer's Glue customer service line and they generously sent me a full class worth of regular replacement orange tops! Maybe UHU might be willing to set you up with a few replacement lids till you get a stash going from empties.
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I buy my glue sticks from Costco. They don't last long around here. :p
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No, you must be mistaken – I'm the Mean Old Art Teacher!!! 🙂
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How many parts are there to one glue stick? Brand new and barely out of the package, the young man in Kindergarten took apart the glue stick and layed the pieces out on the table as if they were engine parts to a big V8.
I hate them!!!
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I tell kids that the amount of glue that can be twisted out of the stick should match the amount of white showing at the top of their fingernail. It came to me out of desperation one day but it's been working.
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Pingback: #tbt: Art Supplies Gone Wild | Art Teachers Hate Glitter
A glue and water-soaked sponge works well. Put them on small plastic plates or store in Rubbermaid containers and use the lid. they put the item on the sponge to glue.
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