Most school furniture is functional and should not be a distraction to students. Quality furniture should look good and last year after year. The less distractions in a classroom the better, however, you can make your classroom look really nice by providing attractive wood desks, cubbies, storage and room separators.
Young Children perform better with designated areas of the room. There should be an area for teacher instruction, an area for independent seat work, an area for group play, an area for writing, and story time. Having an assigned place in your room for your daily activities is essential to keep children focused on their work.
Good classroom furniture is durable and designed to last for a long time. It is common for kids to spill or mark up desks and tables. The goal is to find desks and furniture that last for a long time and can withstand several different students sitting at them throughout the day putting wear and tear on them. Durability means sturdy, which also means you definitely don t want something made of particle board or cheap wood. You want good constructed furniture that is going to last for a long time for many years. Don t choose something that when it gets wet repeatedly it changes the color of the wood and begins to destroy the integrity of the wood. Longevity is important because schools can’t afford to make repeated purchases of the same items. Furniture with multiple coats of varnish and made of superior wood like maple is an expensive but great choice.
Good classroom furniture needs to be comfortable to prevent fidgeting. If you choose something with a unique design and looks pretty cool it may not be comfortable for students to sit at it. Keep in mind that students will be sitting at the desk for hours and they need to be comfortable. It is distracting to students if they are not comfortable, which will means it will be tough for them to concentrate. However, you don t want the furniture to be too comfortable because then you might provide a cozy atmosphere where everyone wants to relax and sleep. You must find a happy medium.
Desks and furniture in a classroom need to have plenty of workspace for students. Some desks have hardly any workspace and they are impossible to have a book on them and a notebook to take notes. The last thing you want is a student trying to maneuver their books and notebook to figure out how they are going to work. Eventually they will give up on taking notes and doing anything but sit there and it will all be due to a desk without enough work space. Be sure there is plenty of space on the desk for a book, notebook and arm rest. This will allow for a student to work comfortably without it being awkward.
Cubbies are another asset when it comes to classroom organization. Cubbies allow students to have their own area of the room in which their items belong. Most kindergarten classrooms use tables rather than desks. It can be difficult to keep student items separate at a table. By dividing the student materials and having them placed in a cubby, children can be more self dependent when it comes to locating and obtaining their items. This saves the teacher time on handing out materials. Label each cubby with a student name. The cubbies can hold backpacks, snacks, resting mats, coats, and more.
Choosing school furniture takes time, research and money. Many educators have very little of these three but since furnishing classrooms is something that shouldn’t have to be done too often, its’ important that this task be taken seriously.
Author Resource:
SensoryEdge is your source for school furniture that will last for years and providing long term value for budget constrained educational systems. At http://www.sensoryedge.com you'll find trusted manufacturers including Virco, Jonti Craft, Wood Designs, and For Kidz Only.
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