Do you have a "kids desk" for your dc? Are you concerned about their posture if not?

[Happy2BaMom]

I currently hs my 7-yr-old ds in our office. He sits in an adjustable office chair placed at the U-shaped desk extension. It works well for me for direct instruction. However, the chair for him is too big and too high off the floor and if I lower it the desk is too high. His posture is terrible, as he is either hunched over or straining.

 

I've looked into getting him a student-sized desk or table, but I seem to only be able to find tot-sized ones.

 

What do other members of the hive do? Do you have special desks, or make other adaptations for size?

 

:bigear:

[Amy in KS]

I do have student desks (former school desks). You can usually find them inexpensively on craigslist. I paid $5 each for all of mine (bought at different times). I like them, but don't love them because it crowds our space. I prefer sitting at the table and using phonebooks to get them to a better height. How about a height adjustable chair for your child (like a low bar chair)?

[Hockey Mom]

I found desks on eBay (with chairs) for $30 total. That included shipping. They aren't the prettiest looking desks (or chairs), but they are perfect for the boys when they are doing worksheets.

 

We also opted for a plain old counter top (sold at Lowes/Home Depot) for their computer desk. Dh cut holes on each end so the cords could go underneath the 'desk'. We bought cheap desk chairs from Target, and placed the counter top on the wall based on how tall the boys are.

 

You can see pics of our classroom from earlier this year here. I've changed some things up a bit, but the basic layout is still the same.

[TKDmom]

Nope. My kids are usually on their knees in the chair if they're at the table. But they do as little work at the table as possible. They'd rather be reading on the couch or kneeling at our coffee table. Hmm, I guess my kids don't like to sit properly...:glare:

[monalisa]

No, we don't have a child's desk, and yes I'm concerned about dd7's posture. I won't let her write etc. sitting improperly (she's so short that in a normal chair her chin is close to the table top!). I have a terrible time with correct posture (and back pain) which probably began as a child, so I can't stand letting her sit in awkward positions to work.

 

I have a Stokke Tripp-Trapp chair that is adjustable and has a foot rest, so she is sitting at the right height & her feet aren't dangling. We have a normal height table in our school room that she works at. I have had the Stokke since she was 1 yrs old (it had a removable seatbelt) and it was at our dining table, but now I just have chair pads on a regular dining chair to make her higher when eating. I think it is really hard for kids to develop proper writing habits without sitting at the right height. We also tried an adjustable desk chair from Ikea (sized for a kid) which was OK, but her feet were dangling, and she swiveled in it constantly. There is a whole rationale on Stokke if you go to their website; they're expensive, but I've used this one now for 6 years, and it will eventually be a desk chair (it converts all the way to adult size). I got it on sale at a baby store that was going out of business. http://www.stokke.com/en-us/

[Allearia]

Get a foot rest?

[stripe]

I have a kids-sized table but my younger child usually has it all covered with puzzles, clay, papers, and/or various projects so my older child was ending up balancing things, which led to papers slipping and a great difficulty writing! So we found a desk. I am studying how it's working out, but it seems better.

[Mandy in TN]

No, we do not own a desk at all- not even an adult size one.

 

Our 7yo does most of his work while

sprawling all over the floor,

lounging on the couch next to me,

hopping on one foot, or

 

my personal favorite :rolleyes:

racing back and forth.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Happy2BaMom]

my personal favorite :rolleyes:

racing back and forth.

 

I laughed out loud at this...this is so my son when he is not writing!

 

I appreciate all the input, as I always do with this board.

 

The footstool would help with the dangling legs, but he still would have no back or arm support (the lack of which led to my back problems when I was working, so I'm aware of the importance of having it).

 

After reading all the replies, I will check out craigslist, ebay, and the supplied link to see if I can find a desk for him.

[elise1mds]

We have a school desk that I purchased from CL. We technically use it for writing work but, as others have said, it doesn't always get used in the manner for which it was intended. Half the time he's on his knees, crouching in it, sitting sideways, or just not using it at all. I imagine it'll come in handy as he gets a bit older and has to do more writing, though, so I'm keeping it.

[Julie in MN]

I do have student desks (former school desks). You can usually find them inexpensively on craigslist. I paid $5 each for all of mine (bought at different times). I like them, but don't love them because it crowds our space. I prefer sitting at the table and using phonebooks to get them to a better height. How about a height adjustable chair for your child (like a low bar chair)?

 

We did this.

 

I do think the correct height of writing surface is important to at least have available (even if my ds has always done the majority of his work using a clipboard on the floor).

 

Julie

[Satori]

We use our Stokke Chair which has grown with my daughter for 5 years and counting. She uses that at her desk with the computer.

http://www.stokke-highchair.com/en-us/tripp-trapp-highchair/for-you-and-your-child.aspx

 

For drawing on a small table, we use a kid-sized table and chair that I got at Lakeshore Learning last week. The table I got used from them at 40% off (yay) and the chair is very sturdy and ergonomical for her little body.

[Happy2BaMom]

IKEA is a great idea too. We don't have one close to us, so I think I will peruse CL and ebay and if I don't find it there, I'll try IKEA.

[Aoife]

We use a height adjustable folding table we got at Sam's club for 25 dollars. It can easily sit several kiddos and the best part is it will grow with them as it starts at "toddler" height and then adjusts all the way up to full adult table height. It's light, folds in half and has a built in handle so we can easily move it around or take it with us somewhere. It may not be the prettiest thing but hey it does it's job better than anything else I could find and it's cheap!

[nono]

We just recently got an adjustable height 5' long table and two stackable kiddy chairs from http://www.schoolroomfurniture.com/.

 

I wanted to wait for awhile to see how our schooling actually was working before investing in anything. Now, the schoolroom is set up to match how we actually function as a family schooling. The adjustable height table will grow with them, and is easily stored during Christmas when the school room turns into the Christmas room...

[yvonne]

I second (fourth?) the Stokke.

 

I had the same problem with posture and discomfort w/ dangling legs. I tried several things... We have student desks (like in schools) for the kids (easily found at school surplus sales or craigslist) and we have height adjustable children's tables w/ various sized Virco children's chairs (http://www.DiscountSchoolSupply.com).

 

Then I inherited a Stokke when I was taking care of my baby niece. After a couple weeks using that, I started haunting craigslist for used ones until I had one for each of my children. I wish I'd gone with Stokke from the beginning. They're so much easier, grow with the kids, and can be used with any table. My boys are 9, but small for their age, and the Stokkes are still great.

[MamaSheep]

We have a little "table" like these for each of the kids (different brand, and slightly different construction, but the same general idea). We call them their desks. The height of the legs are adjustable, and the top can tilt or be flat.

 

They each have a little work area with the "desk" and a 10-drawer rolling cart (like this, but I found them for much less at a local shop) that serves as our workboxes. The cart has a bin on top with a pencil box (with scissors, pencils, erasers, glue pen etc.) as well as crayons, pocket dictionary, ruler, and other useful items. On the wall above each desk is a magnet board where each child can hang a times table, handwriting chart, U.S. map, science lab report grading rubric, or other reference material he or she wants to have handy, as well as any work of which he or she is particularly proud. Dd also has leaves, dried flowers, pine cones, and an assortment of other fun things she has found stuck on there. At the bottom of each magnet board is a velcro strip where I stick numbered tags corresponding to the drawer numbers that contain the assignments each child is expected to complete each day. That way they can sit down at their desks, check the tag list, and pull whatever the assignment is out of the drawer to work on it, all without getting up. Pencils, tape, crayons, scissors, etc. are all handy as well. They enjoy having their designated work areas with tables set to their own personal size. Dd especially likes to work at her desk because she is small and more comfortable sitting there than at the big table.

 

The work areas are in a big empty corner of our kitchen, and I put a little area rug over there and put some school-ish decorations on the wall to kind of define the school area. Between their two desks (because they need a little separation) is a bookshelf containing teacher manuals and books and supplies that will be used this school year so I don't have to go in the other room and hunt through the regular shelves every time we need a book. There's also a narrow folding table nearby that holds a three hole punch, paper cutter, canister with extra pencils and pens, a fun set of colored pens, and a rack of fun scrapbooky 'edging' type scissors for fun projects. Under it is a two drawer file cabinet in which I keep "centers" folders and other small items.

 

We do a lot of our 'together' work at the kitchen table, and when they need Mom's input they bring it to the table, but when they are doing independent work they can choose to work wherever they'd like. Sometimes they work at the table, sometimes sprawl on the floor or flop on the family room couch, (the kitchen and family room are separated only by a spot on the floor where the vinyl flooring turns to carpet so the couch is kind of on the other side of the dining table), or even take it up to their rooms if there's too much distraction downstairs. Sometimes they work at the computer desk, which is on the far side of the couch. But both of them prefer to sit at their desks for written work. Dd looks quite prim over there with her short table and child-sized chair. Ds often sits with his feet up on the desk, which looks horribly uncomfortable to me, but he works well that way. I do find myself wondering what will happen if he ever tries to sit that way in an office cubicle someday while his boss is walking by...

 

At any rate, I do find that it works well for each of the kids to have their own little work space, even if they don't do all their work there. It keeps them organized and gives them sort of a base of operations. And the little folding tables were not expensive, are adjustable, don't take up a lot of space, and can fold up if we have company and need the space.

Edited February 4, 2010 by MamaSheep

[Happy2BaMom]

Thanks for the many, many great suggestions! I have a lot more to consider now.

 

I live in a rural area and there doesn't seem to be much activity on CL for student desks. I checked ebay and found a beautiful student desk but they only come unfinished...not sure I want that.

 

I'll check some of the other links above.

 

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's had this issue.

 

Thanks, ladies!

[Amber in AUS]

We have 'high' chairs from Ikea. Similar concept to the Stokke but they look different and are so_much_cheaper! They are awesome and my kids are at just the right height to write at the kitchen table.

[courtney.byrum]

We have 'high' chairs from Ikea. Similar concept to the Stokke but they look different and are so_much_cheaper! They are awesome and my kids are at just the right height to write at the kitchen table.

 

We also have 'high' chairs from Ikea! The kids love them and they are the perfect height to write at the table :)

[Spy Car]

We've got a wonderful old antique school desk that's perfect for now.

 

School days, school days

Dear old Golden Rule days

'Reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic

Taught to the tune of the hickory stick

 

Bill (just slightly out of step with his time :tongue_smilie:)

[s.z.ichigo]

I discovered a very easy solution for the same problem. The office chair my daughter uses doesn't stay in its raised position, so it's much too low for her when she's using the full sized writing desk. Since she turned 8 she doesn't require a booster seat in the car anymore, so we're using that. works perfectly.

http://www.carboosterseatsonline.com/images/BoosterSeat.jpg

[3and3]

I was able to go to one of the local christian schools and get an old childsized desk and chair. They were just going to trash it anyway so it was free. If I were you I'd check at some of your local schools first. In our county the PS has an auction to sell old desks and things so you might want to check there as well.

Jen in MD

[crl]

We use a coffee table bought at WalMart with kid sized chairs. THe table was $30 so I don't mind using it for crafts and playdough. Then table is the right height for my two kids right now. Though we also have an old booster seat that is in our dining room in case we do any work in there. The booster is small enough that it allows some room on the regular chair for her feet to rest. Though it's not the perfect design for her my son seems to fit it perfectly.

[GnomeyNewt]

Has anybody see or used these before:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Keekaroo-Adjustable-Height-Right-Chair/dp/B000V82RE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1265326321&sr=1-1

http://www.keekaroo.com/herihich.html

 

These seem affordable over the other ones I've been looking at. Reading this thread has got me thinking about getting proper seating for our kids while at the table. We just do everything at the dinner table, but with an adjustable chair I can see us staying at the table but have the correct position etc. Also be helpful at the computer too.

[monalisa]

Has anybody see or used these before:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Keekaroo-Adjustable-Height-Right-Chair/dp/B000V82RE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1265326321&sr=1-1

http://www.keekaroo.com/herihich.html

 

These seem affordable over the other ones I've been looking at. Reading this thread has got me thinking about getting proper seating for our kids while at the table. We just do everything at the dinner table, but with an adjustable chair I can see us staying at the table but have the correct position etc. Also be helpful at the computer too.

 

That looks so much like a Stokke, with a little modification so they're not infringing on their design. For the price, I'd give it a try (I have a Stokke, and I'd try one like this if I was getting another one). Looks like it has pretty good reviews.

[FO4UR]

We have one adjustable school desk (for free:D) and an adjustable folding table ($40 at Kmart)

 

We have a few 11.5 inch chairs, but we are in the market for some adjustable chairs....these kids just keep growing and the current chairs are too small for my 7yo. He has been schooling at the kitchen table and his penmanship is NOTICEABLY suffering from not having a desk/chair the correct height.

 

Gotta find a chair...how does one find out about a school getting rid of their desks and chairs???

[Mama2Three]

Has anybody see or used these before:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Keekaroo-Adjustable-Height-Right-Chair/dp/B000V82RE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1265326321&sr=1-1

http://www.keekaroo.com/herihich.html

 

These seem affordable over the other ones I've been looking at. Reading this thread has got me thinking about getting proper seating for our kids while at the table. We just do everything at the dinner table, but with an adjustable chair I can see us staying at the table but have the correct position etc. Also be helpful at the computer too.

 

I bought a Keekaroo chair for my DS when he was about 5 yo, then promptly bought 2 more for my other DC. LOVE THEM! They are solidly made, and the weight limit is higher now than when I purchased mine so can be used by adults, too. Very easy to use -- I actually like them better than the Stokke chairs I looked at, and at a fraction of the price. One of the best purchases that we've made for our DC.

 

One caveat -- the fabric cushions are not very well made and can't be washed. We use round hard foam seat pads from Ikea -- they cushion little bottoms and help keep my wiggly older DS from sliding on his seat -- and they cost about $3.

[GnomeyNewt]

Thanks Lisa and Amy!

 

Yes, the cushions are kinda overpriced -- they have some new ones that I think are wipeable (made out of some kind of latex or rubber --) but they are priced at $70 for the back and bottom part! I figured I would just make some with some scrap stuff I have around here if they are bothered that much by the hard seat, but we have no cushions now and they don't complain. I will check out the ikea coushions too!

 

Glad this thread came up, I personally never did think about this before -- which is strange because I do have wrist issues from using my mouse/keyboard too much and did buy adjustable computer workstations and chairs for that purpose. We do have kid chair/table -- but the surface area is not big enough for my DD to do school. She likes everything all spread out so hopefully we've found a solution for this.

[MariannNOVA]

I have three student desks that I found on craigslist -- they were gratis as a local private school was getting new desks for the entire school and these were 'come and get it.'

 

My kids LOVE them. I would prefer to have us around a table with nearby space that each could go to if necessary, BUT they love these desks!

 

I should add that my kids need homeschool to 'look, smell, sound, and feel' like the private school they formerly attended.

[birchbark]

Has anybody see or used these before:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Keekaroo-Adjustable-Height-Right-Chair/dp/B000V82RE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1265326321&sr=1-1

http://www.keekaroo.com/herihich.html

 

These seem affordable over the other ones I've been looking at. Reading this thread has got me thinking about getting proper seating for our kids while at the table. We just do everything at the dinner table, but with an adjustable chair I can see us staying at the table but have the correct position etc. Also be helpful at the computer too.

 

We just got a Keekaroo for our 2yo. LOVE IT. Very good quality. Now I'm looking around here for something to sell so I can buy another one for school. :)

[nukeswife]

I have three student desks that I found on craigslist -- they were gratis as a local private school was getting new desks for the entire school and these were 'come and get it.'

My kids LOVE them. I would prefer to have us around a table with nearby space that each could go to if necessary, BUT they love these desks!

 

I should add that my kids need homeschool to 'look, smell, sound, and feel' like the private school they formerly attended.

 

My kids are similar. Only my oldest was in PS, but all three of them want to have a school room and want 'school at home'.

 

I paid $20 each for my student desks (like the open front ones used in schools) but was more than willing to pay it since they were coming from another homeschool family that had graduated many kids already. I took the tops off and painted the metal bottoms in their favorite colors and they love them. I do think it helps with their penmanship as well.

[Blossom'sGirl]

I have been considering using one of my old Kmart farmhouse tables and cutting the wooden legs down. My only hesitation is that I will not be able to sit at it also.