Most schools are pretty standard. They’re filled with desks, lockers, computers, hallways and other things to help students learn. But some schools think out of the box.
Some schools go out of their way to make sure their students are supported and comfortable. Or just having fun. And these are the things that we’ll always remember about our schools.
Some schools have slides instead of stairs or vending machines that dispense violin strings. You might have even seen nap rooms or puppy therapy services. If you don’t have these kinds of things at your school, you’ll wish you did!
Here are 75 brilliant ideas you wish you had at your school:
Technical University Munich put some slides in their building. But you have to have some guts to ride them because they’re pretty steep. They bring a lot of whimsy to this institutional looking building.
2) Cell Phone Charging Station
This is a cell phone charging station in Sioux County High School. The teachers must have got sick of the kids starting to fight over outlets in classroom. So, they came up with this idea.
This is a door to a classroom. Can you guess which clasroom? Math… it’s a math classroom.
4) Science Classroom Clock
This is one clever clock. It’s got a lot of science stuff on it. That’s because it’s in a science classroom.
This barcode came on a piece of homework. It takes you to an instructional video posted by the teacher when you scan it. Parents are probably very grateful for it when they have to help their kids with Common Core math.
Out of school supplies? Don’t let it interupt your day, stop at the vending machine. This vending machine is inside an elementary school.
Some people are visual learners. That’s why this is super cool. It’s a Periodic Table that gives actual examples of the elements.
Anti-sitting spike are usually a not very nice thing. But this school put them up so students wouldn’t sit here and fall down. So, it’s not a bad idea in this case.
9) Kindergarten in a Tree
This kindergarten is in a tree. The structure is a ring around a
Zelkova tree. This is amazing.
10) Library Ear Plug Dispenser
Everyone knows that the library is a quiet place. But sometimes people need complete silence. That’s why this library has an ear plug dispenser.
This is a cell phone charger holder. But it looks like Whoopi Goldberg’s hair. Hilarious.
These are the steps at a university’s mathematics building. All the prime numbers are in red. It could also be in the athletics building for those who want to keep track of the amount of steps you’re walking each day.
13) Rainwater is Play Water
This is an amazing idea. It’s the Dai-Ochi Yochien preschool in Kumamoto City, Japan. The building collects rainwater into a giant clean puddle kids can play in.
You won’t see chains of children holding hands on this school campus. This is how they transport the little kids at this school. With giant strollers.
15) University Stress Relief
Exams can get pretty stressful. That’s why this university has their students covered. This is how they handle stress.
This school is serious about their classes not being disrupted. That’s why this school has peepholes on their doors. Look before you enter!
17) Student See, Student Do
Sometimes it’s all about technique. So you really have to watch what your teacher is doing closely. That’s why this school has mirrors on the ceiling.
Most vending machines you see in schools have food. But this vending machine has books. It’s from the Hayward Public Library.
19) Rape Drug Testing Coaster
These coasters at a university test for GHB, known as the “Date Rape Drug.” These should be available everywhere. Just knowing they are around would probably deter a lot of people from trying to drug others.
This school wants to remind students of how many calories they are burning when they are taking the stairs for some reason. I think this only counts for when you go up the stairs though. Their hashtag is #makeeverystepcount.
I just LOVE this idea. The lockers in this school are painted to look like book spines. I also love how they used modern books that kids are actually reading.
22) Spy With The Shimmering Cloak
This area of this elementary school is called the “Spy With The Shimmering Cloak” area. It teaches kids about how periscopes work. It also teaches them about the color spectrum and complimentary colors.
This is a solar charging table. It’s an outdoor table that allows students to charge their phones. It also gives them a nice place to take a rest.
There’s a lot of things to remember in math. So this math department gave their students some reminders. And they put those reminders on the steps.
Don’t want to get stuck behind slow people on the stairs? Use these stairs. There’s a lane for everyone.
This university has moving dividers beetween their learning spaces. But you can also write on these walls. That’s because they are dry erase boards.
This school is serious about playtime. They don’t want to waste time walking down steps to get to the playground. So they build a slide that shoots you right out onto the playground.
28) Movie Theater Classed
This university has classes in a movie theater. There’s even cupholders. They also have pieces that fit into the cupholders that work as a desk.
Sitting can get really boring. Especially for kids. That’s why this first grade class put pedals on their desk so kids can have some movement while they sit and learn.
It looks like a clock. But it’s not just any clock. It’s a clock in a chemistry classroom. It tells time using the elements on the periodic table.
We’ve seen a lot of school that incorporate the Periodic Table. But this university takes the cake. They have actual Periodic Tables.
Looks like a real pharmacy right? It’s not. It’s used to train students in a university’s pharmacy building.
This might be the greatest school of them all. They also have support for stressed out students. They have therapy dogs on standby.
We’ve seen classrooms with mirrors so students can watch teachers. But this is the reverse. These mirrors allow teachers to see the students’ monitors.
We’ve all seen schools with bike racks. But this school is way cooler. They have skateboard parking.
This is a great way to help student memorize their multiplication tables. They see these steps everyday so it will become ingrained in their brain. I mean, you can’t miss them.
This is a really cool subtle touch. This is a chair in the university’s math lab. It has binary code on it.
This college has everyone’s safety in mind. This is a chair that helps people who need to stay seated get down the steps during an evacuation. It allows the person to stay seated.
39) Supply Vending Machine
This vending machine has just about anything you need for school. It’s packed with all sorts of supplies. There are even calculators and tape in this thing.
This school has a supermarket. If that wasn’t cool enough, students can upvote and downvote products. That way they know what to keep stocked.
This school has an extra cool bike stand. It allow syou to fix your bike. It also has instructions and tools for common bike problems.
This is another math room. Check out their cool door mat. It’s a protractor.
This is a clock that tells the time. But in order to tell what time it is, you have to do math. Hope you know your math or your clocks.
These desks are pretty rad. You can move them around. There is also a place for you to hide your stuff under the chair.
This was found in a school’s gym. It’s a sunscreen dispenser. It makes sure students are protected when they go outside.
Sometimes you just need to work things out on a large space. That’s why this college has white board tables. You can write on them and then wipe what you wrote away.
This school is serious about theft. That’s why they glue their calculators to planks of wood. No one is going to get away with stealing those calculators.
48) Solar Powered Picnic Tables
You don’t have to be stuck inside all day to get work done at this school. They have solar powered tables. Just plug your computers and phones right in.
There a pretty good chance that a stapler would be stolen if it was just lying around in a university classroom. So, this classroom decided to mount one right outside the classroom door. No one is going to steal this stapler.
This isn’t a room where they keep all the triangles. It’s an all gender restroom. Everyone is free to use it.
This is almost as good as a therapy dog play area for students. Actually, it might be better. The University of Waterloo has a nap room.
This school likes to give their students perspective. That way they can make better choices. Would you rather vape or eat Chipolte?
Here we have another machine putting people out of jobs. In this case, shushing librians. It’s a sound detector to let you know if you’re being too loud in the library.
54) Massive Skateboard Parking
This campus really wants to encourage their students to be green. Instead of driving cars, they prefer to see their students on wheels. In this case, skateboard wheels.
This Israeli school built clasrooms for ADHD teens. It includes distraction-free décor and walled off work stations. The desks are also on wheels and have bouncy chairs.
This classroom has an alternative to stairs. And it’s not an escalator. It’s this cool twisty slide.
This classroom has no windows. But it has the illusion of windows. These are plastic cloud covers that go over the florescent lights.
This is a charging station you don’t have to sit in front of while your phone charges. It allows you to lock your phone while it charges. That way you don’t have to worry about your phone being stolen.
59) Dry Erase Board Walls
This study room has walls made of dry erase boards. It’s great for working out problems in a group. These walls need washing though.
60) Music School Vending Machines
Did you break a violin string? No worries! This school has a vending machine for different instruments.
This looks like just a pretty school skylight. With some unique architectural accents. But its actually a Fibonacci Spiral in the math department.
Nope, this isn’t the school gym. It’s the library. It has a treadmill with a computer attached to it.
This is a fun way to encourage recycling. These recycling bins are painted like funny charaters. The signs above let you know what goes where.
This chemistry teacher went all out. He redesigned his whole classroom. He installed semi-touch screen computers, Mac mini’s, Wii remotes and projectors right into the desks.
This university puts QR codes on their trees. That way students can identify them. Pretty cool!
This looks like a windowless building. But it’s not. The blinds are just made to look like bricks so they blend in.
Here we have a German university welcoming their students. Each students gets a welcome kit. It includes a bottle of beer.
This college really knows their students. They know students eat a lot of pizza. That’s why that have recycling bins just for pizza boxes.
This university named some of their lockers. But they are named with fantasy locations and cities. Where the hell is Hogwarts?
This university put a map of the campus on their water bottles. It also shows where students can fill up their bottles. So they can find their way around campus and stay hydrated.
This library has a water element. It’s a river of rocks. It flows nicely through the library.
You have to take your own seat at this university library. That’s because the seats are inside the wall. Pretty cool.
This is incredibly brilliant. These urinals have a foot operated flush system. Now you don’t have to touch it with your hands.
The University of Centeral Florida likes to help remind their players of home. Each of the football team’s helmets have their hometown area codes on them. They get to rep their hometown while on the field.
This school cares about their students’ sexual health. So they offer condom delivery. They’ll send lube, condoms, and oral dams right to you door.