Wii Travel!

My Students: My students have a wide range of physical and special educational needs, and they have one thing in common: they do not understand how their bodies move and how to coordinate...

My Project: I am requesting funds for a Nintendo Wii system as well as a Wii Fit Plus. While these systems are used for leisure in the home, in a school setting they are very useful for ... more»

My Students: My students have a wide range of physical and special educational needs, and they have one thing in common: they do not understand how their bodies move and how to coordinate their movements to accomplish what they want to do. They do not learn in traditional ways with traditional techniques.

My students range in age from 3 to 21. With their special needs, they have trouble understanding traditional exercises, especially if verbal directions are hard to follow, and they are easily frustrated when things are too hard. My students are considered "clumsy" and lack balance and coordination. Getting them to want to try new things is difficult and motivation is always a struggle. These movement struggles impact their ability to learn as well as their social skills and opportunities to interact with other children. Using a Wii gives them a visual connection to what we are trying to learn. They are able to learn how to use their movements to succeed at fun activities and it doesn't even seem like work!

My Project: I am requesting funds for a Nintendo Wii system as well as a Wii Fit Plus. While these systems are used for leisure in the home, in a school setting they are very useful for learning about movement and how to use your body to achieve goals. The virtual environment is motivating and holds the interest of most children very well. This system is beneficial in learning eye-hand and large body coordination, rhythm, balance, weight shifting, and motor planning.

This proposal is for a "traveling Wii". All of my school districts are small but have multiple buildings. The funding is not available to provide Wii systems in each building, so I would take the Wii to the students.

The donation of this Wii system will benefit students in 4 school districts. It will give them a better chance at learning about their own bodies and ability to coordinate their movements. hide»