Classroom seating is an issue for many teachers. The kids always seem to fight over the "cool spots" to read, especially during Read to Self. When they feel like they are sitting in a sought-after reading location, they are more motivated to do what they are supposed to be doing.
Today, I added some cheap and relatively easy seating to my classroom: crate seats! I recently purchased a really cute teal and white chevron rug to go in my reading corner. After finding matching teal, white, and grey crates, it was clear that my reading corner should have a "teal" theme!
I would recommend taking a crate with you to the hardware store when purchasing the plywood for this project. Lowe's cut each piece of plywood to fit perfectly inside the crates that I bought... for free! Teachers LOVE freebies!
First, I stapled a piece of black fabric to one side of each piece of plywood. This step is not necessary, but I didn't want to risk one of my students getting a splinter.
Then, I cut the foam cushions to size. I used two 1-inch foam cushions for each crate seat: one cut to the size of the plywood and one cut about one inch smaller (both vertically and horizontally) than the plywood. The smaller piece of foam is then sandwiched in between the larger piece of foam and the plywood.
Next, the fabric was cut. I cut each piece of fabric about 7.5 inches larger (both vertically and horizontally) than the plywood. The extra fabric was just enough to staple onto the plywood.
Finally, I folded the fabric up and stapled it to the plywood. This was a much more difficult task than I thought it would be... There is no "right way" to staple the fabric to make it look nice. I tried several methods before I found one that I was happy with. For a finishing touch, I stapled a small piece of ribbon to act as a hook.
Yay for cute crate
seats!
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