My students need kinetic sand (with animals from our curriculum) and thinking putty to support self-regulation in the classroom. These hands on tools will do the trick!
When you are feel "off", what do you do to get yourself back on track and focused? My students are discovering new tools or fidgets that help them self-regulate back into a zone that best supports their ability to focus and learn. I am building their toolbox for focused, self-regulated learning.
I have an energetic, 2nd grade classroom that supports learners of all types.
My students come from diverse backgrounds, languages, and cultures. They are eager learners who come to school with a variety of challenges.
My class is benefiting from learning how to self-regulate when frustrated, tired, over-excited, or angry in order to get back on track for learning. Each child is developing his or her own toolkit for self-regulation.
My Project
These tools will support individual learners throughout the day. We have many tools that perk us up, but fewer that calm and center. My class likes to create with their hands which the thinking putty and kinetic sand support. The kinetic sand has been an amazing tool for taking a break to calm down. I have seen it center many students. The plastic creatures will support some students as part of the calming process. The ones chosen match the interests of my class and our curriculum. The thinking putty will be used at tables and at a station as a self-regulation tool and fidget. I have seen students use it in one hand while reading, writing or participating in small group. Benefits are that neither item dries out and both move in interesting ways. As part of a station in the room, individual students can take short breaks from learning to refocus attention and self-regulate. Students will come back to a group or individual task better able to continue the hard work of learning.
These materials will help teach my students important life skills in how to self-regulate.
Students will continue to build their individual toolkits of fidget and self-regulation supports. We will grow lifelong learners and strong adults with your support.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Ladopoulos and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
