[LM_NET] HIT: Elem. Beanbag chairs (long)

[Barbara Fritz <fritzlibrary@YAHOO.COM>]

Thanks to all. I had the full range to advice. It
seems the biggest thing is to have rules set up before
the students ever sit on the beanbags.  I’m going to
get some and perhaps some real chairs, too. Students
must have a book signed out during class to sit in
either one. If I need one, I will have a bi-weekly
list of whose turn it is to sit on the chairs or
beanbags. I will keep after the jumping. That will be
a big no-no that results in no more sitting on a bag
or special chair.


My original post:

Do you have beanbag chairs in your library? I'm
thinking about getting ten of them for next year. I
want to get really good ones so they last and are
tough, but they cost about $50.00 each. Any advice?
Any problems you've had with them?

****************

Just consider that they have to be re-stuffed once a
year... I would put mine out for adoption over the
summer and have them come back full again. Those
little beanies get squished.

****************


I have some from Demco.  The students LOVE them.  I
established a few rules to keep them nice:

        1.  Sit on them -- don't jump or plop on them.
        2.  Only one person per beanbag

My biggest problem is that kids fight over them.  When
more money becomes available, I'll definitely order
more!

****************

I am a high school librarian, but we got the really
good ones from Demco and they have lasted very well. 
Probably worth spending the $$ on them.

********************

One of my elem. libraries has 3 of them, so far so
good.  The librarian has pretty strict rules about
them, only one person at a time, and absolutely no
jumping on them.  They are VERY popular with the kids
and they are pretty respectful with them.  She keeps
them at the back of her area rug (kids are on the
floor) and she keeps an excel spreadsheet with class
names for who can use it.  She just opens the
spreadsheet when the class arrives, and tells the
class who the 3 are who can use them for classtime.

*************

I have 4 beanbag chairs in my k-6 library. I have had
them for 3 years now. I just bought them at Wal-Mart
so they are not the best, but they are holding up very
well. My 3-6th graders really like using them after
book selection is done and they have time to relax and
read.

***********

I have had great luck with Kmart.  I have found nice
big beanbags on sale for about $20.  They only seem to
have them for the back-to-school season, but it’s
worth checking to see when they come in and if you
could buy the number you need.  They are a heavy vinyl
and are very durable.

***************

I have one--have had it for over 10 years.  Sorry--no
recommendations since I made it myself to avoid the
issues of split seams, leaking beans etc.  Mine is
actually 2 bags--an inner one of twill or something
and then an outer cover of upholstery so the outer
cover can be removed and washed.  With double zippers,
we don't have a change of leaking through the zipper.

*************

I have some bean bags in my library and actually, I
would not recommend them unless you are sure that they
are double-lined with an outside zipped cover so that
it's easy to wash. It’s a real pain when the little
beans start coming out and you are constantly having
to pick up the Styrofoam balls, etc., etc. And if you
don't get the double lined kind (which are probably
more than $50), then they are impossible to wash
(unless you get vinyl or leather ones) because you
can't take the cover off if the beans are all
inside... 

So, in short, I might reconsider and get a different
kind of cushion.

***************

This is my first year in an elementary library but I
inherited 8 beanbags.  They look like those that
Scholastic sells (primary colors).  I suspect they
were ordered with book fair profit. Anyway, I use them
as incentives for good behavior.  Those students who
quietly checkout books/read during checkout time are
picked to sit in them.  It works really well since
they all want to sit on them.  Just an idea.

******************

I don't have seating with cushions b/c of the whole
lice issue.  You might want to consider this when
purchasing beanbag chairs.

******************

(from the Philippines)

OK--I am an K-8 teacher who has beanbag chairs and
huge 
pillows... 

I use the beanbags for the middle school kids over in
their area and up and for the younger ones I have made
huge pillows out of fabric and stuffing that I found
at a local mattress store. I found some great Dr.
Seuss, Beatrix Potter, Clifford...all at a local
fabric store there in the States. They are much softer
and more flexible for the little ones to lie in and
relax with a book. Plus--they are much cheaper than
the beanbags and while they may not last as long, in
the long run I find them worth it. Of course, we are
also in a warmer climate where the kids have a
tendency to stick in leather beanbags no matter how
high the air conditioning is set here in the library.
         
This does mean that I occasionally have to take them
apart to wash them up and that may not be worth your
time and effort, but that would have to be your
decision.

*****************

I have a son who is asthmatic.  Beanbag chairs could
be a real problem for students with allergies and
respiratory illnesses.  The filling would need to be
allergy-free.  The outer cover would ideally need to
be leather, or at least vinyl.  No cloth as it holds
dust mites and has lent fiber and dust issues as well.
 
There is also the concern about cleanliness.  Lots of
body oils transfer to this type of furniture.  You
would need to arrange with cleaning the coverings. 
Add that to your budget plans.

**************

We have them in the school colors and kids love them. 
I put them in corners for quiet reading.  The main
problem is jumping on them and seams bursting, but if
students have to get off, they only have to be told
once.  It really helps make the library inviting.

***************

I am an itinerant media specialist in 4 elementary
schools.  In one of my schools the librarian has 6
vinyl beanbag chairs.  During book selection she
chooses students who are reading quietly at their
tables.  The only stipulation is the chosen students
must have remembered to return or renew their books --
forgetters are not allowed to sit in the beanbags.
She has had the same beanbags for 1-1/2 years with no
problems.

***************

I like the idea of beanbag chairs in the elementary
library, but am also curious about peoples' experience
with them. I don't know what the cost difference would
be, but I've wondered if it would be feasible to tap
the local high school home ec dept. to see if they
might be able to make beanbags as one of their
projects.  It could be community service and class
credit if you get them on-board with the idea.  

****************

(If they work here they should work anywhere!)

I have invested in the highest quality beanbags I
could find at www.beanbagcity.com and it has paid off.
 I work with a range of ages in NYC's juvenile
detention centers and these chairs are almost always
an incentive for kids who are otherwise distraught, on
edge, jumpy etc. to find a good book and enjoy reading
in our school library inside a jail.  The biggest
problem I encountered was initially ordering beanbags
that correlated with gang colors.  The second problem
was when I permitted a student to write a poem in a
notebook while sitting on a beanbag and the pencil
somehow ended up poking a hole in the beanbag.  Now we
have a "no writing implements may be in use by people
sitting on bean bags) and that works pretty well. The
third problem is that over time the beanbag filler has
become compressed.  We re-filled them as recommended
by the company, but that process was a little more
difficult and less successful than they promised.  
The last problem has been a fear of theft because SO
many people say they love the bean bags so much they
are going to sneak one home.  We addressed our fear of
this joke becoming reality by having the beanbags
embroidered with out school library's name.

 They are holding up like you wouldn't believe and
helping build a culture of reading where there wasn't
one before, so I can't say enough good things about
them.

******************

I did have beanbags in my elementary library.  Kids
LOVED them!  Get the vinyl kind you can wipe down. 
Also the beans get crushed after 2 years and you'll
have to rebean them.  I thought they were worth the
money though.

****************

We used to have beanbags, and unfortunately found they
were a disaster. No matter how sturdy they were, the
kids would jump on them, and seams would split, and
the little electrostatic polystyrene beads would go
everywhere! 
Or, older kids seemed to have a fascination with
poking holes in the bags with pencils, and then the
little beads were everywhere.  Since the bags were
vinyl, they cannot be stitched or repaired.  I love
bean bags, but 
I have to say our experience with them in the library
was not good.  I would try one or two to begin with,
and see how it goes in your environment, before
investing in ten of them.

**************

I think they would work in a school where the kids
were a bit more "mellow".  The kids loved them and
they added a wonderful note of color.



"Librarian. Genetically predisposed to answer questions and correct misconceptions 
- whether asked or not." 2 01 2007  blf

Barbara Fritz
Elementary Librarian
Bloomsburg Area School District
Bloomsburg PA
fritzlibrary@yahoo.com

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