Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits

Teaching with Heart and Creativity

A Trip to IKEA

Don’t you just LOVE Summer…I mean a blog post devoted to shopping at IKEA?!?! It’s just too much fun!  I try to blog when I actually have something helpful for the classroom.  I am not sure if this will qualify, but it’s fun and well that’s all I have for an intro.

So it was an hour and a half drive for us and we have to get through Austin traffic which makes it feel just a bit out of reach for an everyday trip. 

Do you hear the angels and harps playing too when you see this?!

I tried to be all cute and take a selfie with the sign.
 #fail  #EYEkea  #thatsabigsign  #ineedhighlights

 So here’s what I saw that I thought would work for a classroom.  This rolling cart is TOO cute.  I got it in gray.  I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet.  #irrelevant 

This is the box type that I am going to use for my paperwork nightare  organizational overhaul.  I am not going to use the highlighter yellow.  I got them in black.   They are very large.  I got 18 of these!!!  I justified this purchase because it will be my one major purchase for my room this year.  {Try and forget that I just posted a rolling cart above}  I am not sure what the box is doing on a chair and faux rug.  Those are not mine.  The plan is to file this year by standard rather than month or theme.  I really wanted it that way last year and had to go searching for skills because I needed them in a different month than the theme organization allowed. 
  

I loved the idea of having a magnet board for objectives or a class schedule etc.  I didn’t buy this because I know I can find what I need and customize it near my house.  

These little paper organizer shelves were awesome but I didn’t get them.  I loved that the drawers slid in and out.  

I did get one rack and 4 black hanging cups!  This will be near my writing center!

My daughter found these adorable wall speech bubbles and I fell head over heels for them!  I plan to put titles and headings on them for bulletin boards etc.  

Each speech bubble came with a black arrow too!  I have cute ideas for these but I am not going to tell ya yet!!  

 Here I am sporting my cheesy grin due to my shopping high.

Although I didn’t need any fabric, I stood and stared at it for a little too long.  

I do have a thing for rugs and I loved the look of this one SO MUCH!  I didn’t get it.  It was about as soft as sandpaper and I had visions of rug burns and blood on it so I walked away.  

 These are the cutest little frames EVER.  A teacher from my school got them last year and made adorable table number signs out of them.  I really wanted them in brights or black and they didn’t have them in any of my colors.  #devastated

So my classroom purchases were a rolling cart, black boxes for sorting by standards, speech bubbles and arrows….and a few things for the home!   

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    5. You got and also looked at a couple of things that I have in my room! I love my teal cart. I use it to hold supplies for myself and for guided reading. On the top shelf I have pencils, pens, highlighters, etc in cans. In the middle I have dry erase boards, expo markers, & trays with magnetic letters. The bottom shelf has misc. things that I use.

      I also have the magnet board. I put a map of the school, how my kids get home on it, and pictures of my kiddos. It is right by the door.

      I have two of the paper organizing shelves for my writing center. Love them.

      Got some great stuff! Can't wait to see how you use them in your room! 🙂

      Reply

    6. Isn't IKEA the best?! Its items are both functional and affordable…every teacher's dream combination =) I was looking for a rug for my classroom last year and didn't want to pay the $50-$75 most places cost, and then I found a cute orange one for $20 at IKEA! It looks like you found some good stuff today to make it worth the drive.

      -Amanda
      Kindergarten Teacher at the Wheel

      Reply

    8. I LOVE Ikea! In fact, I live only 10 minutes from one and it is dangerous! I have been eye-balling that cart since it came out and I need a REALLY good reason to buy it! Please come up with the 'absolute can't live without' use of this cart so I can justify buying it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your trip! Love the speech bubble too….

      emma

      Reply

    10. I buy the Tolsby frames (from eBay since there are no IKEA stores anywhere near me) and spray paint them whatever color I like! Super easy! Spray paint and duct tape are my HEROES! LOL!

      Angela

      Reply

    12. I'm very curious about the black boxes you bought. What size are they and how much does IKEA charge? It's a 3 hour drive for me to the closest IKEA, but lots of fun stuff to do over there. If I know it's worth the trip I'd convince my husband we need to make a day trip.

      I got lots of stuff at IKEA last year — their rolls of paper are great for anchor charts and art projects. That black rug with the white dots was perfect decor. Some of their pillows are in my reading corner. I use their lamps to light up the corners of my room when we have the overhead lights off for the projector. I'm sure there's more I forgot about, too! LOVE IKEA!! Can't wait to see what you do with some of that!

      Heather Q
      My Clever Endeavors

      Reply

    16. Another reason I LOVE your blog….I ran out of rooms at home to IKEA'ize so did classroom and then at end of year got moved out of it ….so had to find new homes for all of it…Does that stop me from going back ….the one closest to me 1 1/2 hours away…..btw a friend got the frames and sprayed them the colors she wanted 🙂

      Reply

    17. I have been drooling over that cart since the first time I saw it. I want it so badly, but I don't know what I would use it for! The minute I come up with a reason, though- that baby is MINE!

      Erica
      Blooming In First

      Reply

    19. Loved your post. I live in Australia and there are constant complaints about IKEA marking up their products in Australia. I compared the price of the paper organiser with the pull out shelves as it looked really neat. Thanks to your pic I could see the USA price of $19.99. In Australia, the same item is $35.99. Even taking the exchange rate, that is a BIG markup. You guys are lucky.

      Reply

    20. My daughter who is a senior at UF is getting ready to do a semester abroad in Stockholm, Sweden. One of their first Orientation activities is a trip to IKEA! LOL!

      Reply

    22. I LOVE IKEA!! I was there recently, too. I recognize many of the items you posted from the store. I looked at some of the same things. By the way, the picture of your cart at the end of your shopping spree cracks me up! We seem to be 2 IKEA peas in a pod. 😉

      Reply

    24. I'm kind of jealous! I've never been to an Ikea! I would have to drive 1hr 30+ to get to one too! Maybe one day this summer we'll make the adventure. I do have a few items I'd love to have! You scored some great things!

      Erin
      Creating & Teaching

      Reply

    25. I guess I'm not the only one who has been eyeing that rolling cart for more than a year. I have tried to talk my husband into buying one several times. I can't wait to see what you do with the cart and those black arrows. I may go and purchase a couple of those arrows just in case your idea is something I can't live without doing.
      The Traveling Teacher

      Reply

    27. We take 35 to get to my DH's family (and back) and every time we pass the IKEA in Round Rock, I try to convince him to stop. It's sort of become a joke now that he WON'T stop…which just means we have to take a special trip back once every quarter. 🙂

      Reply

    28. I bought the towel rod and black cups two years ago at the Roundrock Ikea. I keep it at the front of my room for all my supplies, I love that system. It keeps glue sticks, sharpened pencils, extra scissors, etc. It is such a time saver, my kids just show me the supply sign with their fingers and go get what they need. Perfect. I think I want to add cute labels this summer.
      Those speech bubbles are adorable, I may have to go get some, can't wait to see how you use them.

      Reply

    29. A trip to IKEA is definitely post-worthy. We're all teachers. We get it! 😉 Love that rolling cart. I may have to get one. We are lucky they built an IKEA in our city. Before that it was an 8 hour trip to the closest one! Eeek! Now it's only 40 minutes for me. Love it! 🙂

      Amanda
      First Grade Garden

      Reply

    32. I love Ikea!! My daughter and I are going today…in just a little while! She will be a freshman at Baylor (Sic 'em!) and we are looking for dorm room things. I am moving from 5th to 2nd and looking for classroom goodies! Love the rolling cart and also looking for boxes, maybe magazine holders, for my Daily 5 book boxes. It's gonna be so fun shopping!!!

      Reply

    33. I teach 4th grade and bought the frames for each pair of desks. The students write questions and answers (on the opposite side) and quiz each other throughout the unit. They can also be used for math equivalents, etc. Periodically, the signs are rotated so students see "new" signs. Great (and inexpensive) investment!

      Reply

    34. Love all your great finds! Really like the rod with black cups for the supplies in the writing center. The nearest IKEA to me is 3+ hours, but I have been dying to go! This post just made me want to jump in the car right now. Thanks for sharing!

      ~Laura
      Luv My Kinders

      Reply

    35. What finds! I still find that the public still has no clue that we actually spend a ton of our own hard-earned money on the classroom.

      Reply

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