Welcome back! Have you decided that flexible seating in middle-school is for you? If so, awesome! I’m SO excited for you.
If you missed Part 1 of the Blog Series, Flexible Seating in Middle-School, make sure you check it out first. In Part 1, I go over the 5 steps to getting started with flexible seating in your middle-school classroom and provide you with a guide to help with the process.
In Part 2 of the Flexible Seating Blog Series, I’m bringing you my tips and tricks for getting flexible furniture for your classroom and what kind of furniture I recommend.
If you have a large classroom budget or grants for which you can apply, then I highly recommend buying new materials from places like Ikea, Wayfair, Walmart, etc. Here’s another great website: https://www.worthingtondirect.com/chairs/active-seating.htm
BUT, for the majority of us, that is definitely not an option, so let’s get creative!
Let’s start with what kind of furniture to look for.
Soft Surface:
- Leather chair – Single seater that isn’t too wide
- Leather couch – 2/3 person seater (can fit up to 4 kids)
- Faux-leather chair – Single seater that isn’t too wide
- Faux-leather couch – /3 person seater (can fit up to 4 kids)
- Exercise ball – Varying sizes. Can get ones with frame to keep from moving around.
- Bean bags – I suggest leather although they are more expensive. Don’t go cheap on these otherwise you’ll end up with a leak really quickly.
- Round floor cushions – I mostly found that these came from outdoor cushions if looking for used.
- Rugs – Low-pile as it’s easier to vacuum at the end of the week.
- Tire seats – You may have seem these on Pinterest. Definitely a fun project.
Hard Surface (often found within the school):
- Dining/kitchen room table/chairs
- High table
- Stools
- Large group table
- Hex table
- Picnic table
- Desks
These are all the ideas that I’ve found work the best. I highly recommend having as much variety as possible to allow for maximum choice.
The first year that I did flexible seating in a middle-school classroom I included 2 rugs because I wanted to encourage my students to sit on the floor but let me tell you, they were NOT popular!
After a few months I did a survey to see which areas my students liked and what areas they didn’t and almost immediately I removed the rugs and added more single chair (coffee house style) seating. Just because my students didn’t like sitting on the floor, that doesn’t mean yours won’t so maybe give it a try!
So, now you know what to get, but where to get it?
I live in Canada so my suggestions are specific to Canadian retail options so if you aren’t from Canada, you may have to Google your own equivalents.
Where will you find your furniture?
New (if you’re feeling rich lol):
- Ikea
- Walmart
- Wayfair
- Scholars Choice
- Home Sense
Used:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Kijiji
- Garage/Yard sales
- Friends/family
- Buy/Sell Facebook groups in your area
- Value Village
- Goodwill
- WINS
- Salvation Army
- Craigslist
What time is it now? It’s shopping time!
Now that you know what to look for and where to look, you can really get started on gathering furniture to start flexible seating in a middle-school classroom.
Check back next week for suggestions on how to create a classroom contract for the flexible seating set-up in your room.
If you missed last week’s post Flexible Seating in Middle-School, check it out here to see where to start and to download the planning guide!