Teachers Love Ikea { Part 2 }

I absolutely LOVE IKEA and even though the closest one to me is about 3 hours away, I always make a point to go a couple of times a year.  A few years ago, I did a post on items from IKEA that teachers can use in their classrooms.  You can check out that post HERE (most of those things are still available!).  Below are some of my finds from my most recent trip...


There are tons of alternative seating options at IKEA.  Most of the office type chairs are sold in two parts... the seat and then the base.  The seat part is a great floor seat.. similar to the rocker chairs people are using.  Here are just a couple of the options that I thought looked the most comfortable and affordable...

If you need some basic stools for your students to sit on while they work...

IKEA has some awesome cheap rugs.  The rugs I bought for less than $5 over 5 years ago are still holding up and look great (even after 180 days of use a year by primary students).  I use rugs for silent reading but also for my low table where students sit on the ground.  These are a few of the rug options...

I grabbed up two of these larger circle rugs... my kiddos will love them!  Two students can fit on them for partner reading.

I loved this green dot rug.. look at the price!  You can't really tell the size but this would be a great rug in a small area where 3 or 4 kiddos could sit and play a game together.  This would be a great addition to any classroom.  IKEA has tons of deals like this!

They also have a TON of chair pads.. the ones with the strings that you tie to the back of the chair. these would also be great for your floor kiddos.  I picked up these round versions that go on stools... they have rubbery grippers on the back that will prevent them from sliding on hard floors.

If you are looking for "spots" to keep your students in one place while sitting on the rug these could be an option... they are actually placemats!  They have a rubbery backing so they won't slip on laminate flooring and are just the right size for primary kiddos.

This is a longer cushion pad... two kiddos would fit perfect on this for partner read!  I wish I had about 12 of these!

If you want to go kind of big and you are looking for a couch, this is so cute.  I almost grabbed this up but couldn't decide on a color...  It comes in yellow or a dark gray.

These stools are so cute... they would be great at a tall table.  The don't wobble and are sturdy.

They have a ton of other stool options.  I love stools because they can be stacked or pushed under tables so easily!  Here are some lower stool options.  They will work on regular height tables.

If you are brave enough for pillows (I always tell my kids no heads on the pillows....if you get my drift) they have a ton of cheap options.  

This dish rack would be perfect for organizing tablets!  Just slide the tablets into the slots and place any iPods into the silverware holder portion.

I purchased this shelving unit (in white) to transform my fluency station...

These picture frames are perfect for displaying learning objectives at small groups....

If you can screw into walls and cabinets these would be perfect for so many purposes... displaying student work, displaying pics from the year or I think they would be great for hanging headphones.  Just slip the headphone over the wire and you are good to go!

This is my dream item at IKEA...I would love to have two of these to hold my differentiated tubs for literacy and math rotations.  It holds 12 drawers (3 drawers for each group) that can hold different leveled materials.  

If you want to whimsically figure up your data this calculator is super cute...I would love for my principal to come in while I am punching in numbers on this ridiculous thing...

I have never seen this section in IKEA before (maybe it's new or I am just blind) but they have cute party favor type decor.  I often use the tissue balls in my classroom.  I love these options!  

This section also had these number paperclips and quotation paper clips.  These would be a fun little teacher gift!

I also grabbed up this cheap tub to store rugs and pillows.

Finally what my kiddos will be most excited about BEADS (for fun friday).  These are super cheap!   IKEA also has these rolls of paper (should have grabbed a dozen for my artsy kiddos!) for super cheap!

What items do you use from IKEA in your classroom?  If you have any questions make sure to leave them in the comment section!

Teachers Love Ikea

Teachers at my school love IKEA.  It's no secret that teachers love to hoard containers, love to be organized, and love to find deals... IKEA is the place to find all of those!   So on my shopping trip to IKEA last week I made sure to find all the great products that you can use in your classroom!  

So here are some of the products that you can use in your classroom from IKEA without breaking the bank!

1.  Hanging containers~  I already have a couple of these in my classroom.  They were super easy to screw onto the back of some old wooden furniture we have in our classrooms.  I keep markers, pencils, and supplies in the buckets which gives the students more room to work on the tables.  The hooks are great for hanging a ring of writing prompts, fluency fast phrases, or word cards!

2.  Table-  These tables are super cheap and are the perfect size for a listening center.  They hold just what you need for a comfy Listening Center... listening device, clipboard, books, and a lamp!  Place a comfy seat next to it and you are ready to go!  I grabbed this green one up for $9.99.  They have tons of other colors!  I need about 2 more of these in teal!

3.  Magnetic containers.  These are great for storing odds and ends.  I wish I owned 100 of these things.  They don't open super easily so you don't have to worry about them popping open and spilling everywhere.  I also use one for my "Secret Student" container. 

4.  Stools- These stools are great because they slide all the way under the table. They are light enough for students to lift them up on top of the table for cleaning at the end of the day! 

5.  Metal Board-  This can be used for so many purposes in the classroom... a morning attendance/lunch count board or hanging low and horizontal it can be used at a word work station for working with magnetic letters!  I divided mine off into sections for lunch count using tape.

6.  These cute containers are perfect for task cards.  You can store cards in them or place one set of cards inside with some manipulatives.  They also stack perfectly!

7.  Magazine Holders-  These make great book boxes that you can send home with the kids at the end of the year.  They can decorate them to match their own style!  Plus, you can't beat the price... 5 for $1.49!

8.  Drying Rack~ Sure these are made to dry your small laundry items, but they are great for hanging up craft projects that need to dry!  They are better than drying racks because they fold up for storage when you aren't using them and they are under $5!

9.  Rugs~  These rugs are the PERFECT size for reading spots!  I grabbed mine up for $1.99 a couple of years ago and they have lasted through 3 years of kiddos!  One of my teacher friends uses them for her math station spots.  Kids just grab them and place them where they are supposed to be.  Plus, they are easy to fold and store!

10.  Timers-  This year I found some digital timers for less than $3.  These are great for fluency centers or any stations where students need to time themselves or their partners!  So happy I found these because they are less than half the price than any similar timers I found in teacher catalogs! 

11.  Rolling Containers-   I plan on using them for table containers.  They will roll right under the tables and contain things like journals, white boards, student boxes, markers etc.  When I need to "hide" them, they will stack easily and roll into a corner!

There are TONS of more products that you can use in your classroom!  These were just some that I picked up last week and that I already had in my classroom!

Happy Shopping
Stephany