Find out how this creative teacher uses Ruggish in her classroom to create an inviting space for students to curl up with a good book!

Remember the cool teacher — the one everyone hoped they’d get, who made learning fun and whose classroom was always alive with activity? That’s Jillian Shafer.

Step inside Jill’s colorful classroom — or visit her website, Hello Fifth — and you’ll enter an organized and beautifully engaging space that’s designed to foster a love of learning in her young pupils. 

“I LOVE the space I share with my students, and I’m constantly searching for ways to make it work even better for us,” Jill says. “With thirty students, I love to carve out spaces that promote flexible seating, student choice, and comfortable work areas.”

Like many educators, Jill has made significant personal investments in her classroom, from supplies to decorations to furniture — so when she shops for school, she wants her purchases to last.

“Anything that I purchase and bring into our space has to stand the test of time (or, in my case, ten- and eleven-year-olds!” she says.

One look at Jill’s gorgeous signage and decorations (some of which she sells as printables in her online store) and it’s clear she’s got an eye for kid-friendly design. She keeps her rainbow-colored classroom decor from becoming overwhelming by setting it against a more muted palette.

“As much as I love bright pops of color, I want to pair it with a neutral background,” Jill says. “I love whites and grays, which, even in a classroom of fifth graders, seem fresh and clean! When I look for products to add to our room, I’m looking for things that encourage that type of cleanliness, as well as durability.”

One of the best-loved features in Jill’s classroom is her considerable library, which she has been building up throughout her years as a teacher. The Ruggish™ Cali Play Rug has a place of honor in that area of her classroom… although it’s also been known to get around!

“I had originally placed it right back in our classroom library, but students also love to move it around, such as against the side wall,” she says. “They’ll drag some pillows over and truly get lost in their books! It is a gentle invitation that they just love.”

Also a mom of three, Jill says her Ruggish play rug hits the trifecta of fun, functional, and beautiful.

“The rug is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before; even my colleagues come in to check it out,” she says. “I think you just need to add a pillow and a good book for a comfortable reading spot!”

See more of Jill’s gorgeous classroom, get tips for motivating students, and find freebies and resources at HelloFifth.com, or follow her on Instagram @Hello_Fifth.

This clean beauty blogger is raising three beautiful boys in the heart of Wine Country.

Take a glance at Natassja Ward’s Instagram feed and you’ll quickly see that she loves a clean, modern aesthetic. It’s in how she styles her photos, how she decorates her home — and when she became a parent, she found that it played a big role in how she shopped for her boys.

“I would say I am very drawn to a minimal but practical home when it comes to the kid products we own,” Natassja said. “I like very modern-looking kid gear, as well as timeless wooden toys.”

Natassja lives in Sonoma, California with her husband and their sons Dehz (5), Kian (3) and Zayn (2). A stay-at-home mom with a passion for clean beauty and minimizing waste, she shares her “sustainable-ish” finds and favorites on her blog, Purely Natassja. 

Minimalism is part of Natassja’s design aesthetic, but it’s also something of a necessity, since her family of five lives in a small house with one shared living space. As her brood of boys started to grow, she realized she had a need for home items that could do double duty — safe and durable enough for her little ones to play on without sacrificing the stylish aesthetic of her living space. Non-toxic material was also an important consideration for this clean beauty blogger, especially since her then-baby would be spending time on it.

“I found Ruggish in my search of finding a modern, neutral-style play mat,” Natassja said. “I needed something that was wipeable, would not get ruined right away and had to last with three kids under three at the time.”

Natassja chose the Romy play rug to anchor a kid-friendly area in her family’s shared living/playroom.

“I loved this pattern because it fit in well with our living room rug, and when it’s turned over to the play rug, it does not throw off the aesthetic of the modern living space we have,” Natassja said. 

Check out more of Natassja’s favorite products for kids on her blog, and follow her on Instagram @purelynatassja for daily clean beauty inspiration!

Did you know that October was Down Syndrome Awareness Month?

Each year, about 6,000 babies in the U.S. are born with this common chromosomal condition. Welcoming a baby with Down syndrome into the family can feel overwhelming, but in reality, parents of children with Down syndrome face many of the same challenges all new parents encounter — including how to make a home that’s comfortable and safe for their children without sacrificing style!

For Michelle Coleman’s family of four (plus one rambunctious dog), Ruggish provides a defined play area in the living room where the family spends much of their time together.

“It’s where both my kids did tummy time, where they learned to roll, and where my older one now roughhouses with his dad (and dog),” said Michelle. “I host playdates at the house where the kids have a picnic lunch on the Ruggish — I would NOT allow that on a regular rug.”

Since the birth of Michelle’s second son earlier this year, Ruggish has also provided a safe and comfortable space for his weekly physical and occupational therapy sessions.

“Our son Patrick has one extra chromosome (or are we all missing one?), so he was diagnosed with Down syndrome three days after he was born,” said Michelle, who shares snaps from Patrick’s life on Instagram. “Since Patrick was a month old, we’ve been using it on a weekly basis as an inviting space to have the physical therapist sit comfortably and work with Pat.” 

Like Michelle, Krista Robbins has two sons, and her almost-three-year-old, Easton, has Down syndrome. She tells her family’s story on her blog and on Instagram, where she and Michelle connected.

“I share so much of our life because I want people to get used to differences so they can see they aren’t scary,” Krista says. 

Being a mom of two small boys doesn’t mean Krista has lost her sense of style. When she’s shopping for the family home, she leans toward neutral colors and tones, so Ruggish is a great fit.

“I love how beautiful and simple the design is,” Krista says. “It would fit basically in every room in my home.”