I Have a Wonderful Dad

Two years ago, I decided that I wanted storage benches in my classroom. I had seen lots of these on Pinterest that were bought from a store or made out of shelves turned on their sides. I proposed the idea to my dad and of course he took it a step further than simply turning a shelf on it's side. He built them himself out of wood, cushion, and fire proof material. They are a favorite in my classroom. Teachers come by and comment on them, the students love working on them, and I love the way they provide seating and organization. I just had to brag a little about the wonderful father I have. I've got a few projects thought up that require his help this summer. I'll post them once they are complete.

 



 

This bench was used at my writing center. The blue bins were being temporarily stored there as I set things up. Eventually, paper and dictionaries were stored beneath the benches so that they were nearby at all times.

 

 

This is the back corner of my room last year during set up. You can see how I arranged the benches to create a reading center for my students. The bins of books were stored below them. I don't have a good shot of my fourth bench - it has a flat top instead of a cushion and fits perfectly under my Smart Board. I use it to hold additional station materials for our Station Hops time. I'll post more about how I organized my reading workshop time in a different post. It'll be good for me to reflect on the Station Hops I used in second grade Iand figure out how to adjust them for this year in first grade.

What is your favorite piece of classroom furniture?