Greetings LM_NETers!
My apologies for taking so long to post a HIT regarding my questions
regarding back jack chairs. Thanks to all of you who took some of your
valuable time to contribute your thoughts and comments. I have decided to
buy a few to check them out, but will probably end up buying enough to seat
a whole class during library time.
Here's my original post:
I have a rather small elementary library that needs more comfortable
seating. We have tables and chairs but the chairs are wood and just not
conducive to relaxed reading. We have one sofa (seats 3) and two old but
comfyish chairs. I would like some seating that is portable (can be moved to
a quiet library spot), doesn't take up too much room, and potentially could
also be used in such a way as to keep children who are on the floor for
storytime from moving from place to place, sitting down right in front of
someone else, etc. I have been considering the "Back Jack" style seats that
are in Demco and other catalogs. The archived messages from three years ago
said that these seats don't hold up. Any more recent comments? I have
thought about bean bags but we have extremely limited storage, and I think
they might rustle during story time, and are rather prone to misuse. Am I
wrong?
Here are the responses I received:
When I was an elementary librarian, I had about ten that kids could lean on
during storytime. It is very important that the kids not plop down hard
enough to burst the seams and cause leakage. The very first person who
plopped down heavily got banned from using them -- From then on, no problems
because everyone would rather sit or lean on a bean bag than on the hard
floor! Mine weren't stored, just stacked on top of each other by the story
area.
How about those fold up chairs which are basically a seat cushion with a
back that a lot of people use for camping and summer concerts? I'm not sure
if those are what DEMCO sells. They sit right on the ground, fold up flat,
aren't very expensive, and they're usually made of that heavy duty nylon
which holds up pretty well.
I have had back jack chairs for the same reason you want them. My students
fussed over who got to sit in them, and then I had to make a list to keep
track. I also thought they got unsanitary. Sometimes the little ones had an
accident, or had wet pants, and the seat covers and cushions got wet. So
then you have to wash the covers. I ended up giving them away. Others might
have had more positive expereinces, though.
We had the Back Jack chairs and they didn't last. The metal frames rubbed
through the cloth covers in about one year. The kids also didn't find them
to be very comfortable. We have switched to pillows and bed rests. The bed
rests are those pillows shaped with arms to sit up in bed with. The kids can
lean them up against the walls or bookcases and read then.
I have some back jacks and though they are not comfortable For me the kids
love them and they are highly portable. I haven't had mine long enough to
see if they hold up. Please Let me know if you get some feedback on that. I
WOULD NOT recommend bean bags. The kids LOVE Them, and they LOVE to jump on
them, then the guts come Flying out in the form of static-ky foam pellets.
Messy! They also take up quite a bit of space. I'm waiting til they
Completely give out so I don't feel guilty throwing them Away!!!! Another
thing you might consider that I do have is pillows. I'm not sure who I
ordered them from (some library jobber) They are vinyl, so you don't have to
worry about cooties, Wipe clean, and stack nicely in a big colorful tub I
got at Wallie world.
Make sure that whatever you buy has the flame retardant tag still attached.
The Fire Department may make you throw them out if it is not displayed. We
recently had this issue happen with some chairs in our classrooms that are
used specifically for reading.
If you have elementary students, floor cushions? They have those pillows
that are 18" square, they are sold for sofas, etc. Could somebody build you
a "cushion corral" It would be a wood bin (the local high school shop
class?) It could be wood boards/ slats to make it lighter to move instead of
plywood and would look like an oversized vegetable or recycling bin - three
high sides with one lower side. If this is impossible, talk with a local
store that sells appliances about a cardboard box that stoves come in. cut
one side of the box lower so your younger patrons can reach the pillows. If
you are really crunched for space and there is no wall space to fit such a
box, do you have a counter or table it could be shoved under? It could be
pulled away from the table when you need the cushions and shoved under when
you need the space.
My sister has the best box she got from work, TV camera lenses were shipped
in it (she works for a TV station) it is long and narrow (but big) and has
rope handles on both ends. A box like that would be perfect for cushions
lined up, standing up like books.
What about a section of floor covered by a piece of carpet? A local store
might donate something. Most kids don't mind sitting on the floor and this
could be marked off as a "special" area by a different carpeting - a magic
carpet of reading!
I have had both back jack chairs and bean bags. I think the kids prefer the
bean bags for comfort, but when they start to leak, what a mess. Also they
do take up more room. I prefer the chairs for storage and space. In my
elementary library they both held up pretty much the same, and kids aren't
tempted to jump into the chairs like they are with the beanbags.
I have the back jacks ... and within the first ten months they had to be
repaired for rips. But after the repairs, they are holding up just fine. I
think you might avoid the tears by having a Mom who sews reinforce the seams
with iron on patches.... they all ripped in the same spot. And now they are
a savings for me ... I don't have enough seating and these work fine.
I used book fair $$$ and bought back jack chairs. Kids loved them & they
were a big deal - While the kids used them for free reading on an individual
basis - as a class we used them for special movies, storytimes, or library
guests. Little kids loved to sit in what they called airplane rows while
watching a movie.....;-) Because they were expensive to purchase and I
wanted them to last I as long as possible, I went over the "rules" for their
use as part of the library lesson - no leaning back, no feet, no wiping your
nose on 'em - yeah, kids did do that - those that mistreated them - they DO
bend - had their chair priviledge revoked for that day. OK, I was strict
about their use. I had them for 7 years and when I left the school they were
in fair shape. I feel it was a worthwhile investment and kids treated them
well. I would have them again if budgets were not tight here.
If they are the ones that are "L" shaped with a cushion, I had them for many
many years. My kids LOVED them. There is a heavy canvas that covers the
metal frame and the canvas can wear after a few years. The metal frames last
for ever. I have thought of recovering them, but the price is right to just
replace. When the canvas absolutely fell apart was when I replaced them.
They can remain ratty looking for years. An advantage they have over bean
bags is that you can stack them up and 20 chairs take up the space of 2. My
students found many creative ways to sit in them and even built tunnels and
barricades. Get a couple and try them out.
Get a rug. They can be irresistible. We have had a 8'4" x 11'8" Childcraft
rug for many years. It is beloved, and changes the entire look of the
library. I still have 8th graders, who graduated years ago, who spot it and
say "oh! the rug! it's still here!". That comfortable, beautiful rug is a
place where the kids sit or lie down and read, and then stick. The kids
liked it so much that (for two years now) I have worked to find and order
another. It turned out to be another Childcraft rug, same size. Now there is
room for more kids to get comfortable reading, and it anchors another
section of the library. The first rug was in the Easy section (kids sit
there to hear stories, too). The second is in the Fiction section, so I had
to choose it carefully (so 4/5s wouldn't think it too young). The rugs are
my favorite piece of library "furniture", and I think every kid in the
school would agree. :)
We got back jack chairs from Demco about 3 years ago. They are holding up
pretty well. I have noticed a few small tears in the fabric at the "joints"
of a couple of chairs but nothing that needs replacing yet. The chairs have
a metal frame that has 2 pieces that go inside of each other and if the kids
"rock" in the chair, those pieces come apart sometimes. They are easy to put
back together though. I think the main thing you can do to make these last
for you is to stress proper care of them. The kids in our library know that
if they don't take care of them/follow the rules, they lose the privilege of
using the chair. My main rules are: no rocking back and forth or side to
side and legs need to be down as that puts pressure on the chairs when they
have their knees up. The chairs stack up nicely and take up very little
room. The kids enjoy having them mostly because it's nice to have something
for their back. The cushion is minimal but the part that is for the back is
nice when they're sitting on the floor.
Thanks again to all who responded!
Anne Paulson
Teacher Librarian
Lake Placid Elementary School
Lake Placid, NY 12946
apaulson@mail.lakeplacidcsd.net
paulsonap@hotmail.com
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