Happy New Year!
I am loving my return to second grade this year after Mr. Brian, Daisy, Duke, and I moved to Utah and I accepted a position at South Weber Elementary School!
I am still planning on posting TONS of kinder ideas and I will even be presenting in Virginia, Alabama, and Texas this school year to spread my love of all things kinder!
One goal I have for my blog is to post topics that apply to all levels of early childhood - PreK to 2nd grade - as well as super fun second grade activities!
Flexible seating is one of those mulit-level trends that are research based to help students engage in their learning better. I could yap and yap about it, but let's see what the experts say:
...and you know I love that brain research! Stretch those brains everyday!
So here are some of my current classroom flex seating choices for my sensational second graders:
The table trays and Big Joe chairs are from Walmart.
Amazon supplied our yellow cushion chairs, white low table, and our book bikes.
Ikea has our awesome cube stools (with storage inside) and our blue low table.
In my classroom I choose to call flexible seating "Smart Spots" and found this AmAzInG resource on TPT from Polka Dots Please. It includes a book to introduce Smart Spots that helps young students learn the rules of caring for Smart Spots.
After reading the book, I gave my kiddos a scavenger hunt to find some of our Smart Spots. I kept our square pillows hidden so they never actually finished, but kept looking.
I also created this Adobe Spark video to showcase our Smart Spots.
(click below)
Here are some fun pics of us using our Smart Spots!
Click below to check out my tweet of our Smart Spots on video during Daily 5 stamina building.
Along with learning about our Smart Spots during the first week of school, I also let my busy bees decorate a personal clipboard to keep forever so they always have a hard surface to complete work. Take a look at this kiddo working against her chair with a square pillow cushion while using her clipboard.
Just a few other fun pics of physical learning....
Our trampoline is coming out next week to bounce as we respond to questions I am asking to check for understanding.
My teacher chair transforms into a ladder for students to take the stage when they have brilliant thinking to share.
Here are some pics of my Pete the Cat kindergarten classroom last year and the flex seating I used:
I got these through Donor's Choose. I LOVE bouncy seats and I am trying to get more!
Laundry baskets and scoop rockers are the PERFECT size for kinders and firsties!
My little yellow table was a great size for kindergarten as well.
Wobble stools are a great addition, too!
I hope this little post inspired you to try some flex seating this year!