When you walk into your favorite place, do you head for the traditional wooden chair or do you opt for the big comfy seat? How would you describe the space you learn best? Do the words at-home, comfort, inviting, and relaxing come to mind?
My students are active learners that are working on regulating their behavior, emotions, bodies and impulses to persevere on academic tasks.
My students are in kindergarten through fifth grade with a variety of learning needs who attend a public school in an urban area in Pennsylvania. I teach at a Title I school where many of my students participate in the free school lunch program and Backpack Initiative food on the weekends.
Despite so many hardships, my students are eager to learn and do their best. They want to be in school because they want to learn everything they can to be successful in the future.
My Project
Schools need to provide the learning environment that kids need. Today's schools are no different than those from the 1800s! While curriculum, seating arrangements, technology, and discipline may have changed, the sitting requirement of students has not.
Kids in elementary school spend up to 9 hours a day sitting.
Even when we are sitting still our bodies are constantly moving. The students in my room move through a variety of positions: upright, slouched, twisted, tilted, straddling their seats. They stretch out their legs, cross them, sit on them, and bounce on them. They balance on the front of their chair or precariously teeter on the back, tempting gravity – and common sense.
Flexible seating allow students to use up excess energy as well as increases motivation and engagement, creating a better oxygen flow to the brain, and improving core strength and overall posture. The brain learns best when it is engaged in physical activity.
The ball chairs proposed in this project will allow my students to rock and move without tipping over. They will help my students reach their full capabilities in the classroom, especially for those with sensory processing disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or just a strong need to fidget.
Rather than hinder a child’s natural need for movement, ball chairs channel their physical energy in a positive way, allowing them to focus on their work more completely and reach their full potential as learners.
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. Salzmann and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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