After reading "Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement", I see some benefits as well as a number of concerns.  First is the benefit of allowing access to different options for students to be comfortable in the classroom.  The blog states that children's grades go up, chances for collaboration and communication is also increase and helps with critical thinking.  I feel that making seating options from crates in your backyard is dangerous as it can very well end up with the teacher being sued or facing disciplinary action in today's litigious scholastic environment if the seat/bench that is created fails and hurts a student.  We should make sure that we know the answers to the following questions prior to any purchases.  What do we do with the desks/tables and chairs that are being replaced?  Is there enough storage space available at the school to hold the discarded tables/desk and chairs?  Are my principal and school district on board with changing the classroom seating styles?
     With any new idea, we should also look to the law of unintended consequences to make sure that actions (such as making your own classroom chairs or bench) are not going to hurt more than they help.  I want to give my students the best environment I can and will use my funds or donation sites like DonorChoose first before going to parents who are supporting their families.  I would like to see the school district become more involved with updating the classroom by petitioning the district and the union to look into tax free shelter's for monies teachers plan on investing into the classroom.