A couple of weeks ago, I started using flexible seating in my classroom. I have been teaching for 30 years and fall into the "Old Dog, New Tricks" category, so I'm always a bit skeptical when new things come down the pike, but one of my parents put a bug in my ear about decreasing the amount of time our students spent sitting, so I decided to take the plunge. I was planning to try it next year, but decided to "beta test" it for the last 6 weeks of school this year to see if it was something the kids could handle and to work the kinks out the new system. Well, it has been 6 weeks and I love iThe kids love it and their parents like it too!
Here is what my room looks like now...
I took the legs off of 6 desks to lower them and put rubber chair stops so the floor wouldn't get scratched up. I bought chair cushions at Walmart for $5.00 a piece. The kiddos kneel on the cushions more than they sit. My little divas tend to camp out here.
I have 4 stability balls at desks. They were around $7.00-$8.00 a piece at Walmart. I used the Gold's Gym brand. I think one of them has a slow leak because I have to put some air in it every few days, but I think I can patch it easily. The rest are holding up well. Next year I will add 2 more desks with stability balls because they are quite popular. The stability balls required a mini-lesson spelling out EXACTLY how the balls will and will NOT be used. I also needed a stand for each ball so I could put them on the tables at night and the janitor could sweep. The ones on Amazon were $7.00-$16.00 A PIECE, but I got 4 plastic picnic plates for $1.00 at Dollar Tree and they work just fine. I keep the plates in the desk during the day, and when we are cleaning up for the day, the kiddos just pull out the plates and put the stability balls on the plates.
I raised 6 desks up as high as they will go for standing desks. The kids usually work here for short periods of time because they get tired of standing after 10-15 minutes. Next year, I will probably have only 4 standing desks because they are not used as often.
Four desks have stools to sit on, and the kiddos enjoy these, but like to lean forward on 2 legs, and the stools tend to slide out from under the kids. A mini lesson took care of this. I will probably buy some rubber chair stops from Walmart to reduce the sliding. The stools were $5.00 a piece at Ikea. This is a favorite working space for my little dudes when they have a group project.
I also have a desk with a chair for students who either want to work alone, or need to work alone for a while. I have one little artist who likes to sit there when he is working on a project, and one little dude who just needs a break from human interaction for a while.
I also have a desk with a chair for students who either want to work alone, or need to work alone for a while. I have one little artist who likes to sit there when he is working on a project, and one little dude who just needs a break from human interaction for a while.
There are 2 barstools at a counter. I already had the counter and bought the barstools from Amazon for $35.00 a piece a few years ago. I can't explain it, but this is my quietest part of the room.
I already had 4 bean bags and the kiddos can drag those and sit anywhere they like. I just have to duct tape the seams when they split a little and buy new styrofoam beads when the bean bags get flat. I allow no more that 2 kids on a bean bag. The bean bags are by far the most popular, so I will buy a couple more bean bags this summer. I got them at Walmart and Target for between $20.00 and $30.00 a piece.
I also had 2 big pillows from last year. Being the survivor of many lice epidemics, I know I am playing with fire here and avoid pillows when possible, so may re-home the pillows when I get more bean bags!
On a whim, I bought 4 soft bath mats from Walmart for $7.00-$9.00 a piece. I didn't think the kids would use them much, but when 2 or 3 kids want to work it a quiet corner with a friend, they grab a rug and find a place to sit. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of that. Just imagine kids sitting on a bathmat! Ha!
I already had clipboards for each child because in first grade we do a lot of group work on the carpet with the promethean board, document camera, and clip boards.
Here's how it works..
After a lesson on the carpet, I draw their name out of the name cup and allow them to find a spot to work one or two at a time. This keeps the kids from all rushing and fighting to get to the spot they want. It only takes about 1-2 minutes for everyone to get settled. The students must quickly find a spot and are not allowed to save seats for other friends. They are allowed to take the bean bags or bath mats wherever they like in the room, as long as they are WORKING QUIETLY. Working quietly is a relative term, because my students are a very loud, chatty bunch, but they are no louder than when they sat at desks.
If the student is not working quietly, I tell them "That is not a good spot for you. Choose a new spot". The student has to move to a new spot, which does not make them happy. If they continue to be off task, I choose a spot for them to sit. They really hate that! So now I have an additional very effective behavior management tool at my disposal.
The students can pick a different spot each time we finish with a lesson together, so they have 5-6 opportunities to pick different spots. I know some teachers let the students pick their spot for the day, but the little guys do just fine picking a new spot every time. Knowing that they will have 5-6 turns at picking a seat reduces the arguing and grumbling over choice spots. Older children may be able to pick one spot for the day with less wailing and gnashing of teeth. I guess it just depends on your class.
When our class started the flexible seating, we had a discussion about taking care of our new classroom setting and being proactive and responsible, especially with the stability balls. They do need occasional reminders to sit, not bounce on the balls and not to leap into the bean bags, but they have taken good care of our room. The kids help me put all the stools, pillows, cushions and bean bags on the desks at the end of the day so that the janitor can sweep, but when the kiddos arrive every morning, they go around and put everything in place.
I'm really glad I implemented this now, because there were some kinks that had to be worked out.
1. Where do the students keep their materials?
I will need to find a shelf or cubby for student boxes for next year. This year, they kept them on the shelf up by the promethean board and it worked ok. Notebooks and spirals were kept in their lockers, but I will need a better plan for next year.
2. I didn't realize how much I depended on each student having a designated spot with their name tag on it! We needed a new procedure for passing out materials and collecting materials. I now set out the materials and the students pick up their materials on their way to find their spot.
3. Testing- I used privacy folders before and the kids are used to using them, but now the kids pick up a privacy folder and a clip board if they are not sitting at a desk. They have to sit away from other students on the floor during a test. The students are actually more spread out than they were before, so "borrowing" answers from a friend is harder.
4. Bathroom passes- I don't let the kids take the bathroom pass with them to the bathroom (ick!) so they put their pass on their desk while they are gone, so I can look and see who is in the bathroom. Now they hang the pass on their locker handle. I may put some small hooks on the lockers next year.
5. Having a reset spot- Sometimes when the class is getting a little out of control and I needed them to sit, breathe and reset, I had them sit at their desks and put their heads down for a minute or two. Now each student has an assigned spot on the carpet. If I need a class reset, they return to their spot on the carpet. It actually works better because I have taught them some relaxing yoga poses, and that seems to center them as well or better than putting their heads down on their desk.
6. Friends wanting to work together- Yes they do, but if they are not being productive and quiet (again quiet is a relative term in my room), they have to give up the spot they chose and move, and they really don't like that. I do have some students who always want to sit by each other and that is fine as long as they work. Getting to sit by a friend can be a motivation for productivity. However, I have noticed that quite often kids who would never normally work together end up picking a spot by each other and strike up a friendship or a very productive working relationship.
Overall, it has been a very good change for my class. The kids are more relaxed and happy, and I have to take very few brain breaks each day because the kids can move more and sit less. I am anxious to see how it will work starting out the year with the flexible seating and what it will look like with a new class. I hope this has been helpful to you.
