When I first started teaching and I was split between middle school and high school, I found that there was usually a gap between a few students who worked quickly but still met targets and when the rest of the class finished a project. This is when I decided to create an Early Finishers bin for my classroom. This worked seamlessly in middle school and has evolved for my high school students. 

I have the bin sorted by color into three main categories: Activity, Coloring, Word Games. From there, I added more specific labels for each category. 

Coloring is sorted by topic: requests, Hello Kitty (this was a hit for a while), food, designs, graffiti, shoes, pop art, mental health, cute and detailed, school specific. 

Activities that I currently offer are: origami, blank coloring pages, and drawing prompts. 

Lastly, for word games, I have word searches and cross word puzzles. 

The beauty of this system is you can really tailor it to your students' needs. I love having requests so students can jot down what they'd like to see, leave it on my desk, and come back to it. 

To enrich my high schoolers even further, I have created some centers using Brain Flakes, Fuse Beads, and bracelet making. I have set clear boundaries that these are only for use when a project is complete finished, meaning that it has been peer reviewed and revised before calling it "done". Students love the opportunity for flex time. 

As for the resources, I've collected them online throughout the years. If you'd like something specific, shoot me an email! kellyhinnebusch@gmail.com