What Is Flexible Seating?
To answer this question, think about your
home. Do you have only one seat you
sit on each time you sit down? No, you sit on the couch or comfy chair to watch
television, read, and more. You sit at
the table to eat. You sit on an office
chair when sitting at your desk. You
might even sit on your bed or use a pillow for sitting on the floor.
Flexible seating in the classroom strives
to do the same. Teachers dread professional development (for more reasons than one), but sitting on a hard
chair for even just a small amount of time is at the top of the list. Now, stop and think about how much you dread
those chairs. Think about how tired your
back and other body parts feel after sitting on those chairs. Think about if you had to sit on that same
chair every day all day long. You would
be twisting and turning also.
Flexible seating offers different types of
seating in your classroom for your students far beyond the hard plastic
chair. Multiple types of seating are
available in the classroom. How to
implement that seating is up to each individual teacher.
Deciding to Make the Leap
I had wanted to go to flexible seating for several years, although I didn't even realize there was an actual name for it. First, I didn't do it because I moved from 2nd grade to 4th grade a few years ago. Then, I didn't do it because we were departmentalized, and I wasn't sure how to make it work with so many students coming in and out of my room. At the end of this past year, we found out that we would go back to having our homeroom students all day. I was so excited. The time felt right to finally do this.
How Do I Obtain Seating Options?
The great news is that it does not have
to be expensive to change the seating in your classroom. The main thing to remember is that it is still
YOUR classroom. Changing it up as much
or as little as you want is entirely up to you and doesn’t have to break the
bank. In fact, it doesn’t even have to
cost you a penny.
Look at your classroom with a critical
eye. What would you like to keep? What would you like to get rid of? I had wanted to get rid of most of my tables/desks
for several years before I did. A few years ago, I began
by bringing a LOT of comfy pillows into the classroom, as well as bath towels,
beach towels, blankets, and clipboards. For
years, I allowed my students to grab clipboards and get comfy anywhere they wanted on the
floor...as long as they did their work.
#1 - What's in my classroom?
The first thing I did was make a list of all of the furniture options in
my room. I decided I wanted to
change my entire classroom. I already
had a large rug on one side of my room.
I had six large tables with twenty-four chairs. I decided to keep only one table and four
chairs for traditional seating. I also
had two standing lamps and four table lamps.
I had two small tables that would work well for only two students
sitting together. For one of these
tables, I wanted to add wiggle
stools, but
when I saw the price, I knew I couldn’t justify that cost. I quickly emailed my principal to let her know what I was planning for my classroom and asked if she had it in her
budget to order two of these stools for me. She agreed to purchase two. She also agreed to purchase two stability
balls for
the other table.
# 2 - What's in my home?
I started looking for more seating options. I looked around my house and found two small rugs, a couple of pillows, a lamp, a small table, and two camping chairs that would work. It's amazing what you can discover that you already have when you are looking with a critical eye.
#3 - What do I need to purchase?
Online yard sales through Facebook are the
BEST idea someone has ever thought of. I am
a member of several, so I diligently checked them daily and found several
items. Each person sold them to me for even less after finding out that I wanted them for my classroom.
Also, check out your local thrift and consignment stores. I got this $60 leather couch for $40.
#4 - Ask your family and friends.
Ask your friends and family members if they have any items they will give you or sell for cheap! I had a friend who was taking bar stools to the thrift store, so she gave those to me for free. I had a couple more friends who sold me some furniture super cheap!
#5 - Purchase any odds and ends to complete your room.
I bought these scoop rockers from Walmart
and four desk trays from Hobby Lobby.
This gave some students a different option from clipboards.
I really wanted a beanbag chair. DANG, they are expensive! I found one on
sale during Amazon’s Prime Day. Normally
$42, it was on sale for $26. It was just what I
wanted, so I made the splurge.
#6 - Finance your room.
Consider having a yard sale or selling some items you no longer need online. I sold several items that helped pay for the items for my classroom. Plus, it helped declutter my house.
There's still time to make the change before the new school year. I encourage you to make the leap if you have been considering this type of classroom.
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