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Glue Sponges…they are worth the HYPE!

by Angie Olson 40 Comments

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Glue sponges...they are worth the hype
 Missing glue tops, piles of drippy glue on desks, worksheets stuck together…can you relate?   I want to share with you about something that I have been using in my classroom that has been a huge lifesaver for me (and my patience)!  🙂  Introducing…GLUE SPONGES!

I use my interactive notebooks in my classroom for math and once my kids started using these glue sponges, we no longer had the mess of drippy glue puddles and stuck together pages!  It’s amazing!  Here’s how to assemble the tubs…

First, you need some plastic containers with lids that snap on to keep the glue from drying out.  I use one sponge for each container.  These are just the dish sponges that you can pick up in the soap/detergent/cleaning aisle of Target/Walmart/K Mart/etc.

Next, pour a bottle of Elmer’s “drippy” glue onto the sponges and let it sit for 24 hours to allow the sponges to soak up the glue.  Make sure the lids are snapped on.

That’s it, they’re ready to go!  They will last you the entire year!  You may need to add more glue, depending on how often your students use them.  You may also need to spray them with water a couple of times to prevent them from drying out.  When the kids need glue on a piece of paper that is being applied to a project or worksheet, all they do is take that piece and rub it on the sponge.  Then they stick it on their worksheet or project.  Super simple, right?

Feel free to use the image below to pin to your Pinterest board for future reference!

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Comments

  1. Cathy Hoffart says

    September 8, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    How does the glue get on the paper? Do they rub their pieces to be glued on the sponge?

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      September 9, 2014 at 12:11 am

      Yes, they rub that piece on the sponge. The sponge soaks up the glue so it's not so wet and drippy. I added this explanation to the blog post. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Amber O. says

    September 8, 2014 at 11:42 pm

    I'm with Cathy…how do your students apply the glue from the sponges to their paper? I haven't seen these yet, and now I'm gonna have to do a Pinterest/Google search; I'm intrigued!

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      September 9, 2014 at 12:12 am

      Did you do a Pinterest/Google search? The piece that you want to glue gets rubbed onto the sponge and then applied. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. Debbie K says

    September 9, 2014 at 1:32 pm

    I pinned this idea about a year ago and didn't use it, but I'm determined to do it this year! Thanks for the reminder and step-by step instructions.
    Always Primary

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      September 13, 2014 at 1:39 pm

      You are very welcome Debbie! I hope you find success with these in your classroom this year!!!

      Reply
  4. Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd says

    September 13, 2014 at 10:57 am

    OMG your grandfather is the cutest thing ever and HOW SWEET that he's your biggest fan?!?! (I HAVE to be your 2nd biggest. period :)) Thanks for the shoutout, girl!! You are the best!

    Ashley
    Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      September 13, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      Isn't he sweet? And yes, you are the next on the list! 😉 I'm getting excited for that giveaway of yours! I just have a feeling that it's going to be AMAZING!

      Reply
  5. Trisha says

    October 27, 2014 at 3:36 am

    Do you wet the sponges first? Someone on Facebook said not to.

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      March 3, 2015 at 3:25 am

      I did not have to wet the sponges at all. I would say that they were a little damp coming out of the package but I did not need to add any additional water. Thanks for your question!

      Reply
    • Buena says

      July 14, 2016 at 11:03 pm

      I did wet mine first…then squeezed as much water out as I could. I then put the sponges in the containers and added glue. The next day I turned the sponges over and they were good to go! As someone else pointed out, you will need to spray the sponges with water occasionally and “reload” them with glue. I also turn my sponges over every now and then.

      Reply
  6. Tara Murray says

    March 13, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Oh My Word!!! I have been using glue sticks this whole time and have going through them like water!!! I am so glad I found this post! Thank you thank you! I am RUNNING to the store right now!

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      April 1, 2015 at 12:32 am

      Yay Tara! That is exactly how I felt when I discovered these for the first time too! I can't believe how much glue this has saved me this year. Not to mention how much of a mess that I am no longer dealing with! I'm glad you found my page and post!

      Reply
  7. Fleur says

    March 27, 2015 at 6:06 am

    This looks fantastic! Would PVA glue be similar to Elmer's 'drippy' glue?

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      April 1, 2015 at 12:32 am

      What is PVA glue? I guess I'm not familiar with this.

      Reply
    • Sandy H says

      December 13, 2015 at 11:22 pm

      Yes, PVA glue is the same as Elmer's 'drippy' glue.

      Reply
  8. Mariam Zaman says

    May 16, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Wow ,nice angie….This sure will make the art activities easy for the children.can we rub our finger on the sponge and glue it on paper

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      May 29, 2015 at 1:41 am

      Yes, exactly Mariam! No more sticky fingers and a mile long line at the sink to wash the mess off!

      Reply
  9. Jen Young says

    May 28, 2015 at 11:53 pm

    I would like to try these next year. Quick question. Has any of your kids ever dropped one on the floor? I was just wondering if all of the glue was absorbed into the sponge /and or /how big the mess is if someone accidentally pushes it off the table? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      May 29, 2015 at 1:43 am

      Hey Jen! Yes, I have had them dropped on the floor and as far as the mess goes, it all depends on how much glue is in the container. If it is dropped on the floor, tipped over, and sits there for awhile (with quite a bit of extra glue in the container), then yes, you will end up with some glue on the floor. The sponge sticks to the container pretty well and there really isn't too much of a need to have that much extra glue outside of what the sponge soaks up. I hope that makes sense. I think that they are far less messy than glue bottles!

      Reply
  10. Norma Singleterry says

    June 19, 2015 at 2:34 am

    Hi I love the glue sponges. Do you make new ones very year or can you use them again for another year. I'm trying to decide what to do with all the ones I have. I'm not sure if they would still be good for next year. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 2, 2016 at 4:48 pm

      I want to know this too!

      Reply
  11. kindergeek says

    June 24, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Would love to see images of the sponges with the glue soaked in and the kids using them. The creation of the sponges is easy to picture in my mind even without your excellent step by step images, but the utility of glue sponges is hard to imagine.

    Reply
  12. Unknown says

    June 27, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    I'm interested in this. I almost always use the regular Elmer's glue and try to teach the kids about "baby" dots, but inevitably, some kids drip big blobs clear until the end of school. I didn't see where it said how much glue to use? 4 oz, 8 oz? Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Christie Millar says

    September 21, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Thank you so much for the detailed description. I'm thinking about hot gluing the sponges to the bottom of the container. I'm also curious if you can use them year after year! Does mold ever start to grow? The glue I have in my classroom has caps that really don't seal, so the glue always dries. I find myself soaking another couple of glue caps every single day! I'm hoping this will work for my students and me. Thanks again!

    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    February 18, 2016 at 1:29 am

    Glue sponges are life changing!!! This is my first year using them, and they are amazing! (Especially for kindergarten!)

    Reply
  15. Sci5Techr says

    March 28, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    This 5th grade teacher thinks you Kinder teachers ROCK! Thanks for the glue sponge idea.

    Reply
  16. Sci5Techr says

    March 28, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    This 5th grade teacher thinks you Kinder teachers ROCK! Thanks for the glue sponge idea.

    Reply
  17. Alyssa says

    April 14, 2016 at 4:30 am

    I've had the same set of glue sponges all year. No mold problems at all. I take those almost-empty glue bottles, add a little water, and use that solution to recharge them when they start to dry out. So much less waste.

    Reply
  18. Alyssa says

    April 14, 2016 at 4:30 am

    I've had the same set of glue sponges all year. No mold problems at all. I take those almost-empty glue bottles, add a little water, and use that solution to recharge them when they start to dry out. So much less waste.

    Reply
  19. Leslie says

    July 13, 2016 at 2:45 am

    Does each student get one or do you have a glue station?

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      July 14, 2016 at 4:45 am

      Hi Leslie. I have enough glue sponges for each pair of kids to share one glue sponge container. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  20. Linda says

    July 13, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    you could cut up the sponge and use smaller pieces for little jobs and little hands.

    Reply
  21. Deb Jacobe says

    July 14, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    Which size Elmer’s Glue bottle do you use? Thanks! Preschool is looking less messy now!

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      July 24, 2016 at 8:56 pm

      Hi Deb. I actually purchased a large bulk container of Elmer’s glue and reload the glue sponges with that as needed. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  22. Tina says

    July 14, 2016 at 10:34 pm

    What if they have a large piece of paper they have to glue?

    Reply
    • Angie Olson says

      July 24, 2016 at 8:55 pm

      Hi Tina. The large pieces of paper we still use a glue stick or bottle of drippy glue.

      Reply
    • Laurie says

      August 7, 2017 at 3:28 pm

      Hi, Tina, My little firsties are clever. For the larger pieces of paper, they just invert the container so the sponge is on the lid, and gently press the paper to the sponge, lift it, move it, and press again. (I had considered teaching this, but one of the kids figured it out and shared with the others first!) I don’t have lots of extra glue in the bottom of my containers because, well, they’re kids, and I can just see the messes happening. So I spray/reload frequently. This will be my third year with the same sponges. (I have had some get a little mold, so I toss those, but to help combat that, I spray the sponges with Listerine. That seems to help and it leaves a nice scent!)

      Reply
  23. Lori says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    In the words (word) of my 2nd graders, this is EPIC! I am making some of these for my groups. Now can you help speed up the cutting process? 🙂

    Reply
  24. Theresa says

    August 8, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    I saw this post last year but never implemented the idea. This year I found some great containers at the Dollar Tree and I’m going to get brave and do it. We do a lot of gluing in First Grade and this year I hope to add a Math Interactive Notebook to our Grammar Interactive Notebook.

    Reply

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Welcome, I’m Angie!

Hello there! I'm Angie Olson- a teacher, curriculum developer, educational blogger and owner of Lucky Little Learners.

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