Summer time! The perfect time to spend far too much time & money surfing around amazon swooning after all the things. Just finishing up my tenth year teaching myself, I have spent the last decade of my life finding all the things during these beautiful summer months. Some of the purchases I’ve made from my teacher amazon wishlist were totally worth the hype. And others… not so much. So in this blog post I will walk you through some of my can’t live withouts and those I probably didn’t need.
Flexible Seats on your Teacher Amazon Wishlist
Years ago, I transitioned to flexible seating in the classroom. Flexible seating completely changed my classroom management and my classroom environment. My instagram page is full of saved highlights about how I roll out flexible seating with a large number of 3rd graders (3 classes of 29!) so be sure to check out the details on a successful implementation.
Once you decide to go flexible seating, the amount of “things” you think you need in your room dramatically increases. I have spent more on seating in my classroom than I would like to admit; however throughout all that purchasing I have definitely seen seats that have been worth the investment and seats that have not.
Worth it: Wobble Stools
First flexible seating option on my worth it list is my wobble stools. I feel like wobble stools are one of the most common types of seats I see across other people’s classrooms via social media. They are a perfect seat to try if you are brand new to flexible seating. They fit perfectly at a regular desk where you would normally have a chair. Plus they’re super easy to swap in and out as need be.
I personally sprung for these more expensive wobble stools because of their tops. There are all plastic versions for a lower price point. The all plastic ones, in my opinion, are not as comfortable and as high as a quality. However, with that being said, the tops of my expensive wobble stools overtime has taken quite a beating from pencils and little fingers. This is going on year 6 of these wobble stools and they are looking like it.
Worth it: 6 Square (Round) Seat Cushions
Another worth it flexible seating option from amazon are these floor cushions. They come in both circles and rectangles as well as rainbow colors or a mixed blue set. I got these cushions to sit at my floor seats.
To create a floor seat, I simply took out the desk legs of student tables I already had. Originally I had cushions from $5 below at this seated floor spot but when covid hit, I needed something that could be cleaned more regularly. I love these because they can be wiped down after each use with a clorax wipe. They also make great options for floor spots around the room.
Not worth it: Yoga balls
A student favorite, but not my favorite, are the yoga balls. While I start every school year with some yoga balls, because they are a top choice for so many students, I have had horrible luck with them popping. Even after much practice around the proper use of the yoga balls, they just have not lasted with the wear and tear of classroom life. This could be caused due to a dramatic amounts of use. I have 3 classes of 29 each day. Perhaps, if I was self contained, they might be a little easier to manage and keep safe. But every year all my yoga balls pop. My classroom rule is usually once they pop, they pop, and I don’t replace them until the following year because it’s simply too much money to continually buy.
That being said, I usually do spring for some cheap yoga balls from a place like 5 Below. I have a much easier time swallowing $5 when a yoga ball pops than a $25 one from Amazon.
Worth it: Kick-bands
These kick-bands, or fidget bands, are another great option if you are new to flexible seating. I love that 10 come in a pack. I usually only put about 4 kick-bands on chairs at a time and save the rest of the box for when they inevitably break throughout the year.
They are another great option if you are just starting out with flexible seating because they will work with the furniture you already have.
Not worth it: Wobble Cushions
Another incredibly popular choice I see in many other classrooms, which ultimately influence me to purchase mine, are these wobble cushions. While they have been very durable and hold up well, my students just genuinely don’t seem to use them. Many find them uncomfortable and that they don’t fit very well with their desks.
Sadly, I usually spent more time picking them up off the floor than a student does actually utilizing them. I don’t regret my purchase, however, I also won’t be buying any more.
Worth it: S Desks (Surf Desks)
Gifted one Christmas with an amazon gift card from a generous family, I purchased 2 surf desks that I had on my teacher amazon wishlist for quite some time. They were an immediate hit. My students love being able to take these to different places in the room. It also provides that desk type feeling while still allowing them to choose a space within the room they want to be in.
They do take some management in terms of teaching students how to properly use them, especially if you will allow computers or technology, because things can slide right off the top. But with some modeling and practice, they have been a very worth it investment.
Worth it: Scoop rockers
The final worth it purchase for flexible seats was a set of scoop rockers. My students adore these seats. Just like the surf desks, students can grab a scoop rocker and take it to a spot in the room that works for them. It also provides a confined space in which gives them privacy to read or complete whatever assignment they might be working on.
I have 4 scoop rockers and they are all usually occupied throughout the entire day. And with a price of $40 for a pack of 4, $10 for a very durable seat that will not break is an good investment in my book.
Teacher Organization on your Teacher Amazon Wishlist
Teacher amazon wishlists are always full of teacher organizational tools. And with good reason. Finding organization that works for you is an absolute must to maintain any sort of classroom sanity. Here are some of my worth it and not so worth it purchases.
Worth it: Teacher toolkit
One of the very first purchases I made on amazon as an educator was a teacher toolkit. I purchased and made one my very first year teaching and have now been using it for 10 years. It holds up beautifully over the years and can hold literally anything you want it to. My teacher toolkit sits behind my guided reading table and is mostly for my use. However, my students also know exactly where it is and can access it for a supply they might need such as a paperclip or some whiteout.
These toolboxes come in a variety of sizes with different drawer options to whatever needs you might have. There are also hundreds of adorable labels available on tpt to spice up the toolbox and really make it a center piece of your classroom. I cannot recommend getting one of these enough!
Not worth it: Whiteboard organizers
So this one might be an unpopular opinion but for me these whiteboard organizers turned it out not to be worth it. I was influenced one year by all the beautiful pictures on teachergram with these beautifully organized whiteboards. And while they do look pretty enough for a picture, for our room they just ended up not being used.
I constantly have students at the board using markers and writing words. Putting the markers in and out of the holder always seemed to turn into more trouble than it’s worth. So while my whiteboard markers sitting on the ledge might not be insta worthy, it’s just what seems to work for our classroom.
Worth it: Black & White Cardboard Bookboxes
A huge challenge of being departmentalized in the 3rd grade as the reading teacher is what to do with all the things. While I love the plastic bookboxes that Walmart and Target sell every year, the price and the size keep me from being able to invest in 89 book boxes. Amazon came through in a pinch last year when Ikea randomly stopped carrying the disposable book boxes I had been using for years. While the price of these book boxes is slightly more than Ikea, they still got the job done.
Random Odds and ends on your Teacher Amazon Wishlist
Worth it: Shades of Me Construction Paper
Creating classroom community at the beginning of the year is key for any successful school year. A must do activity for our room is creating our handprints using this Shades of Me Construction paper.
I pair this activity with a read aloud called The Skin You Live In. Check out this blog post 5 Back to School Read Alouds to Build Classroom Community for more ideas on how I set this up.
Worth it: Creative Kids Brain Flakes
Incorporating morning choice into our classroom routine was a complete transformation for many of my kids in how they started the day. When I started morning choice, I used mostly manipulatives I already had around the classroom like dominos, base ten blocks, and pattern blocks. But I did invest in a handful of things on Amazon. Brain flakes was one of those and I am so glad I did. It turned out to be a class favorite. I was able to use one set of brain flakes across 3 pencil boxes.
Not Worth it: Privacy Shields
These privacy shields can be inviting to help with those wandering eyes. I also love the concept to help create a quiet space for students to work. But for $50 for a set of 12, these are way too pricey for a teachers checkbook.
A much more affordable option to create this same idea is to use 2 paper folders. I love keeping an eye out for a sale at Walmart, Target, or any grocery stores when paper folders drop down to 10 cents! I then stock up on a bunch. Then I take 2 paper folders, staple them together, and boom- you’ve got privacy folders for a much more affordable price.
Worth it: Any Sticker Pack
Last year I began a sticker store for some reward incentives in my classroom, and I could not have predicted how well it went over with the students. They were sticker obsessed. Amazon was my number one go to for sticker packs because of the quantity, price, and variety. I could easily get 100-500 stickers at a time for a minimal amount. I also could find stickers that fit a variety of interests from animals to superheroes to among us.
Looking at all these recommendations, it is clear that so much of what I have purchased on my teacher amazon wishlist has been well worth it! In fact, I had to really dig deep for some items that I did not love so much. Most of the products that have come have been high quality and affordable for my teacher budget. What’s on your teacher amazon wishlist? What do you find worth it… and not so worth it!?
