IKEA Teacher Hacks

IKEA is a magical place. If you’ve never been I recommend going, and don’t plan ANYTHING else for that day, because you’ll want and need as much time as possible to peruse the store. I find that IKEA’s strong suit is coming up with inexpensive organizational systems. I want to share a few things I have purchased from there that I use in the classroom.

First, the RÅSKOG cart. My absolute favorite thing in the store. You could literally use one for every room in your house. But I’ll focus my pitch on an educational setting usage☺. I have a pretty terrible classroom setup- let me explain: The cords to hook up my computer to the smartboard as well as the projector are at the back of the room. My smartboard is at the front of my room. I was trying to come up with a better solution than running back and forth from the back to the front every time I wanted to do something on my computer for the students to see. While I was getting lots of steps in, I was also wasting valuable class time. So I ordered a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard from amazon and purchased the cart from IKEA.

I transformed it into a makeshift podium/portable teacher desk. I saw on Pinterest that a person had decided to flip the top shelf on the cart upside down to provide a flat surface. It was super easy!! I even purchased the hanging cups for around the edges to hold things I wanted readily accessible such as hall passes, the smartboard remote, and pens/pencils. I LOVE IT! It has saved me tons of time, and the lower shelves are great for holding my teacher textbook or other documents I want to refer to during a lesson. Small, compact, inexpensive organization at its finest. Used podiums can run you anywhere from $100-$200, this cart is only $30. Honestly, I’d still buy it for twice the price. It only took me about 15 minutes to assemble!

My next IKEA purchase for the classroom is a small metal shelf. I wasn’t able to find it on the website, but I’m fairly certain that IKEA still sells it. I remember it was super cheap- like $20 or something. It only came in black and silver, which was not my taste, so I spray painted it turquoise.

I have used it different ways over the years. I used it to hold magazines and as a hub for student supplies. This year I am using it behind my teacher desk to maximize my desk space. I have picture frames, a phone, albums, and a small supply caddy on it for now. It’s very light and compact, and the uses are endless!

IKEA has tons of drawer organizers for the kitchen, bathroom and office. I found this one for I believe $4(estimate). I like that the compartments are wider than traditional drawer organizers. I’m not entirely sure if it was meant for desks rather than kitchen or bathroom drawers, but hey, it works great for me!

I also LOVE my IKEA teacher desk lamp. I’ve considered personalizing the lamp shade, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.