Preparing Your Classroom for Flexible Seating in 4 Easy Steps

After seeing and hearing about Flexible Seating via Facebook and Instagram, I decided it was something I may want to implement and decided to further research it. Considering I was going to be starting the school year at a new school this year I knew I had to speak with my principal about the idea first before I made any decisions. I must admit that I was a little nervous about what my principal would think about the idea because this idea is a little out of the norm. However, when I approached her with the idea, to my surprise she was all for it! Getting her approval made me super excited because I knew that with her support I was on my way to beginning my journey with flexible seating! Here are the 4 steps I took to prepare myself and my classroom for flexible seating. 

Step 1: Decide on Seating Options

After reading blog post after blog post I thought about all of the different seating options I have seen and which ones would provide my students with an option that would fit best for all of my different learners. Each year there are students who are extremely active and need constant movement, there are students who like to stand, and others who like to work on the floor. With this knowledge I decided that in my classroom I wanted to have a standing table, floor pillows, scoop rockers, and wobble stools. (I really wanted to add yoga balls too but didn't want to dish out the extra 100 dollars without knowing if this whole flexible seating thing would work in my classroom.)

Step 2: SHOP 

(This was my favorite step, considering I am a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to my classroom)

Stools for Standing Table

I was lucky enough to be visiting my parents in Orlando this past summer where they have an IKEA 10 minutes away, That was pretty exciting considering living in Knoxville the closest IKEA is in Atlanta which is a solid 3/4 hour drive depending on traffic. At IKEA I was able to grab these stools for ONLY $5 each.  I have also heard that both 5 Below and Dollar General have similar stools. However, I was unable to find them at any of the stores near me. 

Scoop Rockers

After seeing these all over Instagram this summer I was on the hunt for them. I must admit that it took me going to about 5 different Walmarts to actually find them. The awesome part about them is that they were ONLY $4.88 each. I only picked up 4 at the time and am kicking myself just a little considering they no longer carry them in stores. However, you can order them online but they are a little bit more expensive than they were in stores.

Floor Pillows

I was able to snag my floor pillows this summer at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $8.00 each. I also had a coupon for a percentage off so that was an added bonus. If you are looking for floor pillows be sure to check out 5 Below, and the clearance section of  Hobby Lobby, Target and Walmart for great deals. I also snagged super cute round lemon floor pillows for $3.00 at 5 Below. 

KORE Wobble Stools

Now I will admit that these stool as well as the Hokki Stools are a bit pricey, they were $80 each. 

In order for me to get these into my classroom I created a GoFundMe project. These stools were the perfect additon for my very busy students who need to constantly wiggle while they work. If you are looking to add flexible seating options into your classroom that are a bit out of your budget GoFund Me or DonorsChoose are a great way to get others to help you get them into your classroom. 

Floor Mats & Clipboards

These adorable frog mats were actually given to me by a teacher friend. I love having these in my classroom because my students who like to work on the floor are able to pick them up and bring them anywhere in the room to create their own workspace.

I also used a big metal ice bucket from Target to store our clipboards. This storage solution allows my students who are working on the floor to grab a clipboard to complete their work on. 

Desks

Unfortunately I was not able to do away with my desks because at my school there isn't anywhere to store unused furniture.  So this meant that I had to find ways to utilize my desks. After turning desks into station tables and independent work areas I used the remainder of the desks to created two groups of desks. On the first day of school these were the students go to seating option but I really think that was because my students were familiar with traditional desks. Now about 3 weeks into school I do find that the desks seem to be a less popular option among my students, but they are there just incase. 

Step 3: Decide on Organization

Now that students no longer have a desk to store their supplies in it was important for me to figure out how my students would manage their notebooks and folders. In order to manage their books, folders, and notebooks I assigned each student a drawer using my sterilite 3 drawer towers. These towers allow each student to have their own space to keep their necessary supplies. Originally I had all of these drawers stacked in one area of my classroom, however, I realized that when it came to retrieving our supplies it caused a bit of a traffic jam. Because of this I decided to then scatter the 3 drawer containers about my room. This has had made a world of a difference in the amount of time  it takes my students to retrieve and put back their supplies. 

Ever since I began teaching 5 years ago I have always used community supplies so I knew that it would make perfect sense to continue using community supplies. Our community supplies consist of crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, as well as erasers. These supplies are kept at each table in a table caddy (purchased from Target Dollar Spot) for easy access. In order to help my students stay organized I placed picture tags on the caddys to clearly label where each supply is suppose to go. 

Inside each caddy there are cups holding scissors/glue and another holding pencils/erasers. These cups are recycled icing containers that I covered with patterened duct tape. Each table or group of desks has their own caddy with enough supplies for all those working there. For my work areas without a table or desk the students are able to grab a pencil box to bring to their workspace. 

These pencil boxes hold the same supplies found in the table caddys and are kept on a little shelf that I have near our classroom door.

Step 4: Create a Plan 

After purchasing my seating options and setting up my room I knew it was time to come up with a game plan. How was I going to introduce this to my students? Where was I going to have them go when they entered on the first day? I knew I had to have a plan for it all. So I started creating a list of ideas in my notebook and decided that I wanted to jump in and start flexible seating on our first day of school. With that I decided that throughout the first week of school I would assign each student a different seating option. I wanted to ensure that during the first week each student had an opportunity to try all seating options and find which ones worked best for them. 

After deciding on how the first week would go I knew it was time to think about what my procedures and expectations were. I knew that if I was unclear on my expectations and procedures  my students would be too and it would just be chaos. Which is why it was back to my notebook to brainstorm and create another list. I thought very carefully about what my overall rules for flexible seating would be. Then I began thinking about each seating option. What would it look like for them to successfully use that seating option while working? After mapping those expectations out and finalizing them I created my seating expectation posters. These posters were added to a bulletin board so that we could review them as needed and have them as a constant visual reminder.  You can grab these editable flexible seating expectation posters in my TPT store here. 

I hope you found these steps and ideas helpful as you possibly begin your journey with flexible seating. Stay tuned for an update on what the first week of flexible seating looked like in our
First Grade classroom. 

My ROYAL Classroom Reveal!

It's finally here! It's finally here! It's finally here! Today is the day I reveal my ROYAL Castle. Beginning a new year at a new school is always a little bit stressful. However, I was lucky enough to be able to get into my classroom as soon as summer school ended. Which made me one happy teacher because I was determined to make my classroom the best I've had yet. 

Welcome to room 402 where it is filled with magic, laughter, learning, and my royal firsties. 

COME ON IN!

Here is a quick overview of my classroom. 

When you enter my classroom the first thing you see is our reading castle!

I must admit that this is one of my favorite parts of my classroom. 

Here I have 3 black shelves from Target which hold our classroom library books. The white bins are from the Target Dollar Spot 2 years ago. They have held up wonderfully and were only $3.00 each.This is practically a steal if you've seen the book bins at other places. I  seriously wish that I would've bought more back then because I have not been able to find them since. The book bin labels were created by ME and can be found in my TPT store. I wanted to add a  little coffee table  to make this area more homey. I was lucky enough to be visiting my parents in Orlando this summer where there is an Ikea 10 minutes away. Living in Knoxville the closest Ikea is 3.5 hours away... Such a bummer but probably a good thing for my wallet. 

This year I am implementing flexible seating so it was importnat to have a variety of seating for my students. I found these two kid chairs on a garage sale app and spray painted them to match my classroom. Then I of course had to add some ROYAL crowns to match our classroom theme. These crowns were cut from vinyl using my CAMEO. This pouf was my exciting find this summer at Hobby Lobby on clearance for 70% off. I just could not pass it up, it matches perfectly!

On the other side of my library I have a white bench also found at Ikea. My students love to sit on the bench while they are partner reading. Under my bench I house extra library books in my white crate. I use these to switch out my class library books when the students get a little bored. I also have a bucket of froggy floor mats for my students who like to work on the floor. 

(Please don't mind Clifford... It seems as though he was exhausted after a long day in first grade!)

My book buddy bin was my summer project after purchasing my Silhouette Cameo. This bucket was snagged at Target on summer clearance for $5.00. It holds different plush book characters that my students can read to during centers or independent reading time. Most of them I grabbed at Kohls through their Kohls Cares program. The proceeds go to a childrens health initiative and both the book and character are only $5.00 each!!! This month they have Clifford books and characters.

Throughout my time in the classroom, I have noticed that in first grade students LOVE to tattle. So this year my mom found me the perfect solution, a Tattle Toad!! In the beginning of our year we talk about tattling after reading one of my favorite books, The Tattle Tongue. We talk about what it means to be tattling versus reporting and I introduce them to our Tattle Toad. When my firsties feel the need to tattle they can head on over to our Tattle Toad and whisper their tattle to him. Of course the Tattle Toad and I talk at the end of the day and he tells me all the tattles so I can stay in the loop. ;) 

Here is a picture of my Tattle Toad sign:

To the right of my library is my standing table area with stools from Ikea. They were only $5.00 each, I just couldn't pass them up. Students can work standing up at this table and if they get tired of standing they can sit down on a stool. 

We have finally made it over to my guided reading table. I think that this may be my second favorite area of my classroom. If you haven't noticed already, I'm all about maximizing space in my classroom and keeping things organized. So on the side of my metal cabinet I decided to  hang my absent folders using magnetic clips. This will allow my absent manager to grab a folder for any absent student and for me to compile their missed work throughout the day. These absent folders are a freebie from Sailing into Second. You can snag them from TPT by clicking here.

My metal bookshelf also houses my personal materials such as thank you cards, stickers, guided materials, etc... I just love having everything at my fingertips. It eliminates unnecessary time spent looking for things that I need.  

On my guided reading table I placed dry erase circles that I created using my Cameo and dry erase paper from Walmart.  I think I may be becoming a little obsessed with my Cameo. It is seriously an amazing tool for teachers who like to be crafty.

Behind my guided table I have a pink ombre rolling drawer cart from Michaels. I scored this last year for 60% off during a sale they had. and I LOVE it. I use this cart to keep my guided materials organized. The sterilite container on top of my cart has adorably cute Melonheadz labels from Learning in Wonderland. I absolutely love that they go on the outside of the drawers and don't let you see the items inside. It just makes my type A self so happy. These drawers are a great way for me to quickly grab smaller items that I may need. 

Along the other wall behind my guided table I put my tall wooden shelf on its side. This allowed me to house my seasonal books and binders while keeping them sort of hidden away. The black magazine boxes are from Big Lots. When I saw them on Instagram I just knew that I had to have them. They are the perfect storage for holding my seasonal books and weekly lesson plans. 

On top of this bookshelf I keep some of my other teacher supplies. These adorable clear mason jars are from last years Target Dollar Spot. They were the perfect contatiners for my highlighters and finger tracking eyeballs. Guys, I am seriously obsessed with the Target Dollar Spot. Like I think I may need help! Anyone else have this problem? Please tell me I am not the ONLY ONE! 

This is the back wall of my classroom. In January, I was exposed to the topic of growth mindset through ClassDojo's Big Ideas videos and absolutely loved it. After reading more about it this summer through blogs and such I was determined to incorportate it into my classroom. So above my boards in the back of our room I added The Power of Yet! I'm hoping this will be a constant reminder for my studnets that just because they can not do it yet does not mean they won't be able to. I can't wait to teach my students about having a growth mindset this week. 

Here is a closer look at my math board/area. I was lucky enough to find this toy rack a few years back sitting outside my apartment dumpster in excellent condition. I sprayed it with a little black spray paint and added my own buckets from the Dollar Tree and BAM! I now have a place to keep my math manipulatives where they are accessible to my students. Theses manipulative/school supply labels can be found in my TPT store here for just $1.00.

With implementing flexible seating this year I felt it was extremely important to display those expecttions all year long, so I made a bulletin board for those expectations. You can grab these posters in my TPT store by click here. We have just completed week 1 of the year and so far flexible seating has been a huge hit.

Now we've come to my turn in station. Last year my firsties always forgot to write their name and it drove me absolutely crazyyyyyyy. So this year I am trying to save my sanity and have added a visual reminder with some yellow Mr. Sketch  markers. Hopefully this will help them to remember to write their name.

And here is my ROYAL Table. Since I don't use my teacher desk and was unable to get rid of it I turned it into my ROYAL table. This table will be part of my behavior management plan and will allow me to acknowledge students who have reached royal status in our classroom. At this table there are fun supplies that they can use such as scented markers/crayons, colored pencils, fun glue, etc...And it will be their special spot. 

Here you have my cubbies and growth mindset pirate ship. This idea was adapted from the amazing Glyph Girls. Throughout the year as my students exhibit traits of having a growth mindset they will receive a parrot with their name and move it to the sails. I am hoping that this will encourage my students to have a growth mindset and believe in themselves. 

Here is my writing bulletin board as well as classroom rules. These editable rule posters are free in my TPT store. If you'd like them you can grab them here!

Here is the view of the front of my classroom/whole group area. Since I was unable to get rid of extra desks in my classroom I had to get creative. So I decided to add a desk next to my teacher table to make a supply station for my students. 

At this station students can grab any extra supplies they may need. I also used the glue cap labels from the amazing Husky Loving Teacher, in hopes that we will never have a glue stick without a cap. (This may be a high hope but my fingers and toes are crossed!) 

At the back of my carpet is my seasonal book display. Here are some of my favorite back to school books. 

Here is a snap shot of my activ board. My Once Upon a Time... letters were also created using my Cameo. 

Under my easel I keep a basket with my read aloud books for the week. This allows me to keep them all in one spot so I am not scrambling around the morning of. I also used under the board hangers to hold my Dollar Spot baskets. These baskets hold my Mr. Sketch markers, Expos, and my Whose it gonna be? cold call cup. I love that everything I need is right at my finger tips and I'm never searching around for them. 

Above my easel is my student work display board. I used scrapbook paper and glittered clothespins to spruce it up just a bit. I also found these amazing work coming soon signs on Instagram from Teaching in High Heels. And the bulletin banners are from my Black and White Classroom Decor Bundle. 

My tall cabinet was looking a little bland so I decided to spruce it up with some border and make it my Castle Crew display. Here students can find their job for the month and a description of  their responsibilities.All character drawings were inspired from the Glyph Girls and recreated by my amazing mother!

Finally, here is the inside of my door. This summer I found these adorable black adhesive dots at Hobby Lobby and just couldn't pass them up. I had no idea what to do with them so I of course went to Instagram for some inspiration. My amazing punchie friend Laura from Luvmykinders gave me the great idea of having one for each student and using them to write positive messages to eachother. I absolutely loved the idea and decided to create a shout out wall. I'm hoping a little later in the year to have my students write a compliment for their friends and place them onto their circle. We will then read the shout outs at the end of our day. I just can't wait until we start utilizing this board and recognizing our friends for the amazing work they are doing. The white board was created using dry erase pages and is the perfect place for me to write myself daily reminders! We all know that we are given a million things to remember and can't always remember everything. 

I hope that you have enjoyed checking out our ROYAL first grade castle. We loved having you and hope that your year has a happily ever after ending!