Organizing Your Classroom with these 4 IKEA shelves

I think every teacher can relate to the ongoing battle for organization. When we have to manage so much STUFF for so many little people, it can quickly get overwhelming! IKEA has some great furniture for your classroom that is durable and will keep you more organized. Here are some of my favorites worth investing in: 

1. Trofast bins

I ditched student desks awhile ago, and I'm never going back! Getting kids to keep their desks clean is a nightmare! They just don't do it. And no matter how many times we took the morning to clean out our desks and have visits from the desk fairy, there were always some kids that had a rat's nest and weird things growing in their desks.  So now the kids use tables and Trofast bins instead. They each have a drawer where they keep folders and notebooks, and it is at the front of my room. They are big enough that they can hold those important things but small enough that it's easy to keep organized. By having it at the front of the room, they can't have their hands in there all the time, and we have routines for getting supplies that give them a chance to get up and move periodically throughout the day. It's a win-win! They also have chair pockets where they keep a bag with a pencil, highlighter, expo marker, dry erase board, and their reading books for easy access. Trofast bins for the whole class can get a little pricey when you have a drawer for each student, but I could not teach without them now that I've done it this way! I've been using these bins for 4 or 5 years now, and I have not had to replace any. They're as good as new (maybe a bit dirtier, but otherwise in great shape!). Trofast bins are probably my #1 favorite teacher hack from IKEA.

2. Kallax Bookcase Shelving 

I use the Kallax Bookcase Shelving in my classroom library. I put pillows on the top and the kids use them as couches to sit and read, and I also have baskets of books underneath, so they do double duty as book shelves too! I use 3 as couches in my classroom library. Based on your available space, you can put them end to end or separate them. I have been using these shelves for 4 or 5 years as well, and they look almost as good as new. They are very sturdy, and the perfect height for my 2nd graders to sit on.

3. LACK Wall Shelf 

The Lack Wall Shelf makes a great book display! I put this at the front of the room near my teacher reading chair, and I rotate books that we are reading throughout the year. The kids get excited to see what is coming when I display books for a new learning theme. It's nice if you can mount this shelf to the wall for safety, but the current school I'm at wouldn't let me put holes in the wall, and I've never had a problem with it tipping in 3 years. It still looks new and it is sturdy.

4. Kallax Cube

I also ditched my teacher desk many, many years ago. Even though I don't sit at a big, bulky teacher desk, I still need a place to put stuff so it doesn't pile up. Several years ago I started using Kallax Cubes as my teacher area. You can leave the cube open (which I do on top), or use the fabric bins that fit inside to hold things (which I do on the bottom). They take up a minimal amount of room, but they still hold a lot of stuff in order to keep me organized. I've been using these Kallax cubes for at least 6 years, and they are still sturdy and look great. 

As teachers, we use so much of our own money to make things organized, efficient, and pretty in our classrooms. So if we're going to fork over the money, we need to make sure it's worth the investment. These 4 shelves have proved their stamina for me, an they're still going strong. They are classroom approved! And not only are they functional, but they're pretty. Several pictures from my classroom were featured in an article on We Are Teachers called 41 IKEA Classroom Supplies for Your Next Shopping Trip. Check it out! I'm the teacher Emily from Parker, CO. 

Good luck organizing your classroom!