My students need a wide array of sensory products, such as puzzles, putty and blocks, to help them integrate stimuli input. This wish list will go a long way to maximizing my classroom for my students.
"All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses." -- Nietzsche
Taking Mr. Nietzsche a step farther, I add that information pertinent to our place in time and space arrives through the senses. Our students need practice receiving sensory stimuli.
The names are all changed, because that's how we roll in Mr. M's room.
But sidle up to the dry erase board and survey the room; you'll see the Who's Who of the K-2 SPED set. Over there is Miranda, the face of an angel and the voice of Tallulah Bankhead. She is having a tug-of-war with Darryl, who can bust some mean dance moves when the chips are down. Emmeline, Dijia and Cora all huddle over a Curious George book: Dijia is the teacher, you see. Emmeline -- never so rapt for her actual teacher -- wouldn't dare miss a word of Dijia's lecture on the Man with the Yellow Hat. Dina smiles beatifically at Antony as he ties her shoes.
I am blessed to be a part of this scene every working day of my life. And I feel a strong sense of responsibility to make the most of my time with these students to give them every possible advantage as they progress through their education and life.
My Project
I teach in a large urban public school district in New York. My students are 5- to 7-years old, and all have a diagnosis of cognitive disabilities. All are intentionally communicative in some way, and all are ambulatory -- VERY ambulatory!
One area all of these students need therapeutic interventions for is sensory integration. The nature of their delay/disability makes it difficult for them to properly use all the input from their senses. Concentrating on seeing something sometimes prevents them from holding a pencil properly, for example.
The products I've listed in this proposal are mostly used for occupational therapy, which concentrates on the development of fine motor skills. Finding new and fun ways to keep their hands working and growing is an important component of their daily activities! I am lucky to work with a talented and dedicated occupational therapist who consulted with me on developing this list. Our goal is for them to develop grip strength and digital dexterity.
You can easily see why these are so important to success in daily life.
Try buttoning your shirt with 1/4 of your full finger strength, you'll see what I mean. Writing, self-care in dressing and toileting, playing with puzzles, turning the pages of a book, enjoying games with friends... These are all activities that my students need a foundation of hand strength and skill in order to be successful at.
Your help is crucial as we help our students help themselves.
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