Throwback! Classroom Seating Edition

Once upon a time, this was my classroom:

Do you see those low white seats? They are the popular IKEA bookcases, turned on their sides. Very sturdy! They lasted for 10+ years!

I made those cushions. Horrible. Did not last 10+ years. They are simply foam covered with fabric. They slid all over and kids pulled at the fabric, which I hot glued together. It did not work.

Fast forward...well, 10 years!

These are the same bookshelves. The EXACT same bookshelves. You can see there is wear at the bottom, where kid feet rested, but overall, still in amazing shape! Sturdy and functional and cute!

The biggest difference is the cushion. I got plywood, foam filler, batting, and covered all of that with the cute indoor/outdoor fabric. Then, I did not use a hot glue gun, my old best friend. Instead, I used a nail gun. Seriously, these things have held together!!!

Currently, they are in my basement at home, being used regularly by two toddlers, a dog, and a cat. But they were in multiple fourth grade classrooms, a third grade room, and a second grade room. They lasted through more classroom moves than I can count. They were the perfect meeting area for every mini lesson and classroom meeting I ever held. When I had to move classrooms, first I would place my benches for our meeting area, then I would figure out where my classroom library would go, and then everything else just fit in where it could because those two elements were top priority in my mind. 

Whether you are homeschooling, teaching in a classroom, or a mom looking for functional seating in the playroom, I highly recommend using the IKEA hack!

Looking to Kick Your Classroom Management Up a Notch? BRAG TAGS!

I have always focused on the positive side of classroom management - EARN EARN EARN - No taking things away from kiddos, especially if they have already earned it! I also have always tried to give specific feedback, whether it is constructive or just plain old supportive. This is where Brag Tags come in.

I have a dog chain for each student. I print an array of Brag Tags, most of them freebies on TPT, that way I always have them handy. I see a lot of teachers organize them. I did not. I had a big old bin of them to grab from. Nothing fancy. But they were all pre-cut and hole punched each summer so they were ready for the school year.

When kids do amazing things. Or show improvement. Or follow directions. Whatever. I give them a Brag Tag. The front of the Brag Tag is related to the thing they did (ie: 100% on a test, helped a friend, etc.) and the bag is a personalized message from their teacher, explaining why I appreciate them and what they did. 

Now, depending on the class, I might leave the Brag Tag on the student desk and have them add it to their necklace when they have free time. Or I might add it to the necklaces myself and the kids will check them.

The necklaces don't go home. They stay in the room. But kids can wear them every day and just hang them back up at the end of the day. They can take them home at the end of the school year.

This is pretty close to free classroom management. The dog tags and chains were a few bucks on Amazon, but the Brag Tags were freebies I prepped for the year. It's motivating. The feedback to kids is useful. And best of all? The bulletin board does not need to change!!! WIN - WIN - WIN!

BROWNIE POINTS: Part of your classroom management system

Yep, brownie points have been part of my classroom management system for YEARS.

Do I want kids to be intrinsically motivated? YES. But do they need some guidance getting there sometimes? YES.

We heavily rely on Brownie Points in the beginning of the year. Praise, praise, praise. Reward, reward, reward. You're telling your kiddos what your expectations are and when they meet or surpass those expectations, THEY KNOW IT.

I use Brownie Points as a motivator in my classroom. When the ENTIRE class does something (following expectations during Daily Five, serving a role models during an assembly, wowing me on an assignment, etc.) the ENTIRE class earns a brownie point. (We work hard at COLLABORATION and TEAMWORK and COMMUNITY. Kids help each other succeed because they know that is how to get Brownie Points, but eventually we are just helping each other because it is the right and decent thing to do.)

Once we fill in the Brownie Points pan, we earn a mystery reward. Now, there are a lot of mystery rewards in my pocket. I learned very quickly that kids only wanted one. To watch a movie and eat lunch in the classroom. Yep. Something that was FREE FOR ME and did not take away any instructional time. Um, yes, please!

So, if you are feeling stressed and looking for an addition to your classroom management system, these are freebies that I found online! Try Brownie Points today. :)