Look at our newest addition to our classroom! Yep a restaurant booth. I am so in LOVE!!!!
I read this article about alternative classroom seating in a 21st Century classroom by Kayla Delzer. She talks about how classrooms should be like Starbucks with different seating for different learners. I would love to get rid of my desks and only have a few for those students that need or want a desk. Then have low tables with stools, tall tables / book shelves for standing and other types of seating. So I went on a mission to find a table for students to sit at like the one in Erin Klein's classroom check it out HERE. I love to go to resale type stores and my recent favorite to find furniture is Habitat for Humanity. I did not find the "breakfast nook" but I did find a restaurant booth. SWOON, but whoa the price tag was more then I want to shell out....$100.00! My hubby works in the restaurant biz so I put him on a mission and within 24 hours I got my restaurant booth! For free!!!!
I named it "Cafe Read-A-Latte" and put an opening soon sign up for the kids to see when they came in on Monday. I even added "ropes" to block off the seating so no one could sit in it before it was the grand opening. Then I slowly started to introduce the booth, First I met with students to conference with them individually before parent teacher conferences on their 2nd quarter reading goals. Then I give stickers for good behavior so for 10 stickers the students can pick to eat lunch with me and a buddy at "Cafe Read-A-Latte." Then I added to the sticker rewards that they could sit in the booth all day for 20 stickers! One girl was the envy of the entire class when she sat all day in Cafe Read-A-Latte!!! Then last Friday I walked around looking for the BEST independent readers during "Flashlight Friday" and picked four students sit in the book for "Flashlight Friday." Talk about getting their act together during independent reading! Look at these four boys!
Do you have alternative seating in your classroom? I would love to hear about it and how it works for you and your students. My mind is already spinning with some more additional seating. Check back to see what I have in mind.
