Top Ten Things to Look for in a Classroom Rug
Shapes and colors capture a child’s imagination; ask a rug. If they could, they’d agree. Rugs are home to the activities of students all day long. What shape and size your school rug is going to be is something you must think about. Your choice of brand new rug affects the students. Will it be larger and spread wide? Will it be a small meditation or mid-sized reading rug?
The rug you choose for the classroom is a big decision, a vital one. Think about evaluating the room itself. Imagine workspaces, retail spaces and restaurants, where work is done and large groups gather. The classroom needs to have the same flow and organization as any room to remain appropriate to its task.
Classroom rugs are available in so many educational formats that you’re sure to find one that perfectly fits your classroom. Alphabet rugs, numbers & shapes rugs, animals & nature rugs, faith-based rugs and geography make these classroom aids a teachers best friend. You know you need a classroom rug and here are some things to look for to aid you in your purchase the most:
1) What will your room be used for? To begin, the furniture should fit the children. Nothing should be cumbersome; everything should be in good condition. Clean and tidy classrooms are best for learning; if it’s disorganized it can confuse children. Now think of where the rugs need to go to support the routines of the classroom. Is there a space where clothes, knapsacks and hats are left? Many parts of the room benefit with added rugs. Additional cubbyholes and other areas to retrieve games and books may need rugs. Often a room can have two uses. Most computer areas are also dedicated to break time or rewards stations and need certain rugs: easy to clean, durable, withstanding the movement of furniture.
2) Where is your rug going? How a rug is going to be utilized expresses plenty about the teaching philosophy of the school. Everyone needs to follow the same classroom rules. Rugs help organize the time and place for learning events. Successful rooms have areas dedicated to enhancing the goals of the learning activity. Open-circle transitions to closed-circles, or positioning into a story time area, children need to take breaks or time-outs on rugs, places away from their desks and any particular over-stimulation. Place rugs in transition spots to avoid injury and help maintain stability, creating a well-known (and defined) area to be relied upon by students.
3) What is the benefit of the rug? In places that display artwork, math problems or grammar, the accommodation for all types of students is necessary. A rug makes a place where everyone is joining together on the same learning team. Rugs help children, benefit them, by serving as an even playing field, a place where the teaching standard shines and learning process begins. Fright can come from a teacher changing her style and so can constant different surroundings. Pick what you want to accomplish for the classroom and tailor your rug choices to those goals. For example, promoting fairness in situations where classmates may have vastly different skill levels, a rug is the place for mediation, comfort and fairness.
4) How will this rug help? Fairness is always an issue in school; motivation and function depend heavily upon the insistence of fair play. Rugs can aid in reinforcing confidence and a standard; if that standard is fair play–then the learning can be open to all. Plus, many students do not learn in standard ways or have difficulty with linear systems. Rugs are a subtle way to present the concept of stability with no need of explanation. A rug can always be there in the same spot. Some teachers make small rules, “No yelling on the Science rug.” Certain physical exercise can be confined to certain areas, where on that rug kids know the rules, “light jumping is okay.”
5) A Rug must be versatile and long lasting. The best rug you can choose for your classroom is the one that lasts long and can go anywhere. Possibly you have decided that your classroom needs a rug that moves around or has extra longevity. Some classes would like to be held outside, but many students are squeamish about dirt or ants, even on a lovely day. If added movement is a must, pick out a rug that is easy to shake clean and move short distances. Small rugs are now available for individual sitting, while transferable, group, or permanent outdoor rugs can be made of sturdy wools and synthetics, able to withstand outdoor situations. And what is smarter than picking out a rug that’ll last a long time?
6) Get the highest functioning rug advantage. The advantage of learning fairness and feeling comfort is something all children enjoy, something to think about when picking out a classroom rug. Once you know what kind of rug your classroom needs, where it is going, and it’s benefit, you’ll see how it will help. If you have a good idea of its life expectancy, it’ll help your budget too. Now it is time to put all your goals and expectations together and figure out the function: a main function of your rug, in addition to those already mentioned, is, basically, to serve and protect. The placement of the rug to avoid injury and provide comfort is maybe not the first thing to think about before you purchase a rug, but it is the first thing to think about before you install your new classroom rug. Students have less problems with environment, do better, when the sound and noise is reduced by a properly positioned rug.
7) Pick out the best material for your classroom. Wool makes the perfect utilitarian weave, suited for high-density traffic patterns. Their design can employ rows of animals or pictorials, sharp, attractive color, pleasing to the eye, soft to the touch and strong to the end of many school years. Combinations of wool multi-blends combine the best of certain materials to fit class type to classroom activity. If the room expects only sporadic traffic, or is intended for very specific gentle games, some designers incorporate softer materials with stronger under weaves to give maximum comfort and retain longevity. If you need a strong long-lasting rug, most synthetic combination rugs have proven durable.
8) Pick out the best design and color rug for your classroom. The patterns and colors are limitless for rugs. No matter what the materials, it can be synthetic-wool, cotton, and rayon. Whether it is designed by special order or manufactured in a workshop, rugs that have involved student or teacher input, the people who use them, have a tendency to be cared for and respected. Students and teachers when involved with the design of their rug tend to cherish it more. The extremely young student becomes comfortable on “their own” rug. Like a stuffed animal or pet, great is the comfort of a stylish, well-made rug.
9) Pick a rug that’s fun. Classroom games can even involve the rug. We already know modern print possibilities make any color, scene or lettering possible. And large pod-like schoolrooms have noted the advantages. Time and again, separating different classes and activities with color schemes in lieu of expensive and confining walls, has saved money and kept learning areas open and spacious. Positive uses range from having the alphabet printed on the rug where reading is taught to having the mathematics area’s rug displaying numbers or scenes depicting science. Rugs excite and inform young students like nothing else can. Open space creates new possibilities for amusement, competition and fitness.
10) Think ahead. Rugs come from a traditional, authentic craft that takes forethought, gathering materials and supplies. Rugs are all made with specific dimension for specific purposes. The quality, number of rugs purchased, and placement in the schoolroom are brand new things to think about. It is important. Right now, there are areas of the classroom that need a rug. A rug will create an atmosphere of fairness, fun and safety. A good quality rug will have some amount of stain protectorate. It will be strong. It will be the right design and style. Right now, the demands of safety in the schoolroom are high. A brand new rug, keeping in mind the things to look for, will make your classroom the best place for learning, a gathering place for students who need fairness, fun and familiarity.
