We get lots of questions about our flexible seating student work areas and about our classroom design. Specifically, how and why of each area of the classroom. This post is to show you our student work areas and explain why we set up our student work areas the way we do and how they work. We actually have 4 areas to show you today: three seating/work areas and the classroom library!
Flexible Seating: Student Work Areas
In our classroom, we utilize flexible seating. Our flexible seating started before flexible seating was a thing. 12 years ago, we decided (because we had a W-shaped room with no space for kids!) to get rid of all of our tables and desks. Now we do everything on the floor. However, flexible seating is about choice, so we do have some options for students to use during independent work time. And that choice is why we have these areas. It gives the kids a voice and choice in where and how they work.
- Round table—I purchased this round table on Amazon. I chose it because it’s on wheels, which means you can easily move it when you need more space. This table sits in the back of the room and is a popular workplace spot for students.
- Classroom stages- we have two stages in our room, and students love to sit on them to work and read!
- Trampoline-this is for the boss of the day to sit on. The only person who can work on the trampoline each day is the boss of the day.
- We’ve also used a big comfy chair and a high-top table, which the kids loved, but they are not in our current classroom!
The seating for the round table are these stools from Amazon. I love that they slide under the table and they’re on wheels so we can move them out of the way if we need to!
Classroom Design: Student Work Areas-Classroom Library
Our classroom library is open to the kids all the time. They are free to read any book in that library. I keep all of our books there, even the read-alouds that I use for lessons.
- The book bins are ice bins from Wal-Mart. $1.50 each.
- The library is organized by author/topic/theme. Each bin is numbered. Every book in the bins is numbered. This means the KIDS keep the library organized. The number system allows them to return the books to the right bin. And I can pretty much tell you what each bin is. When someone asks me for a book I can say “Check bin 34.”
- The shelves are custom built by a local non-profit. They build the furniture with high school shop classes. You just pay for materials.
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