Resource Area For Teaching

Better known as RAFT — this place has everything for teachers!
It has the basics well stocked — things like pens, pencils, markers, ruled paper, paint, scissors, glue, and paste.
They have a great resource room with tons of die cuts that doesn’t cost anything to use. It has a computer with Internet access, a copy machine, a lamination machine, a book binding machine, and construction paper of every color in the rainbow!
They also carry a line of Nasco products, which teachers love (but are expensive), and all of which can be ordered, and then picked at RAFT without having to pay shipping (or you can drive all the way to Meteca, which is where the Nasco store is).
Aside from these great things — their kits are fantastic. They use recycled materials that have been donated by corporations and teach in a hands-​on method by allowing kids to create their own learning object. Each kit is based on a RAFT Idea Sheet, which are all tied to CA state standards — there are about 50 kits (which contain all the materials to put together an item based on the Idea Sheet requirements), the most expensive of which is $ 3 and serves 10 students — that’s 30 cents each! Amazing!
Aside from the 50 kits that contain Idea Sheets, there are over 600 Idea Sheets that that are free to download online. The store is also filled with materials that a teachers mind can utilize in the classroom on the cheap — stickers for 25 cents a sheet, and a whole paper room.
They have this promo day at RAFT called First Saturday where there are teachers there that do demos, there are refreshments and free coffee, and the best part — they open their warehouse where there are even better deals to be had. Tons of furniture, super cheap, and with friendly staff and volunteers to help load it into your car. And if you’re not prepared, they’ll arrange a time when you can come and pick up whatever large item you’ve purchased — super accommodating!
RAFT is also a non-​profit. It’s here for teachers, and as long as dedicated teachers are going to be spending their own money, they should spend it supporting an organization that exists to support them in their teaching endeavors.