Elementary age kids are always on the go--whether they should be or not! Why not give them an appropriate outlet for some of that energy AND help them to focus on learning? Help my kids to 'bounce' into learning!
We are asking elementary kids to sit still, in their hard, metal, seats, for periods of up to 2 hours at a time so it is no wonder why they worm and squirm and fidget in their seats.
Young, growing students need to be able to move, but in this day and age of high-stakes testing and rigorous academic standards, recess is becoming a thing of the past. My students only get recess once per day, and it doesn't fill their need to be able to move, squirm, wiggle, and jiggle. The students I serve are kind, caring, and in need of a means to get the wiggles out so that they can best be able learn.
My Project
My students truly do try to release the energy and anxiety they feel while sitting at their desks for long periods of time, however, some of the ways they expend the energy is less than productive. For example, imagine trying to concentrate in a room full of pencil-tapping people. It wouldn't be long before your lost your focus and your attention drifted off-topic. This is what's happening in my classroom. Bouncy Bands will take the (annoying!) place of pencil tapping and replace it with quiet leg-bouncing. With Bouncy Bands attached to my students chairs, they will be able to have gross motor at-seat movement that is quiet and will allow them to release energy all while attending to what's most important: learning.
Providing my learners with Bouncy Bands for chairs will alleviate a lot of the tension that elementary students experience from sitting for long periods of time.
They will be able to focus on learning, and be better prepared to pass demanding high-stakes testing because of the movement that Bouncy Bands affords them.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Ms. Jacobson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.