We've found it helpful to have an independent activity for early arrivals, as described in our original post here. After moving into our new building, we updated and revamped all of our worksheets and storage methods. We changed the size from 11x17 paper to 8.5x11 cardstock for easier storage and used a puzzle book from our resource room for most of the worksheets. I also wanted to categorize and color code them by topic for easier organization:

To encourage our students to independently verify their answers, we've implemented a simple system. Each worksheet has two stickers on the back: one for teacher inventory (topic/number) and another labeled "Answer Key #___."  A duplicate worksheet with the same labels is placed in a protective sleeve within an ANSWER KEY notebook, arranged numerically. This streamlined approach allows students to easily locate the corresponding answer key. As we expand our collection of worksheets, this system remains adaptable and efficient.

At a recent workshop, we discovered a fantastic pre-class activity idea. We enlarged various activity sheets onto 11x17 colored tagboard, laminated them for durability, and now use them as engaging review exercises for previous Bible stories. This keeps students occupied while teachers interact with children or welcome visitors before class begins. To make the worksheets reusable, we use vis-à-vis pens and wipe them clean with a damp cloth. Our 3rd graders love this activity! We'll share our answer key setup in a future post. Be on the lookout for that!