My students need Gaiam Balance Ball chairs to be able to improve their behaviors and legible word productivity. Students who are able to use ball chairs are able to sit still, focus, and write more words!
I Teach, nay, I am LUCKY to Educate and to myself learn, in an elementary school which sits on a Joint Military Base in South Carolina. My students, who all have Individual learning STRENGTHS as well as needs, are all children of Servicemen and Women who have served or do currently serve our United States of America.
My students are all diverse learners who need that extra "oomph" to get them where they need to be academically; confidence in their individual academic performances are always a bi-product of their time spent in OUR classroom.
I currently work with, (though the numbers do often fluctuate), 24 students; Grades K to 5. Many of my students are Autistic; they possess much energy, and do need to channel these high spirited actions into increased positive learning experiences.
My Project
My students will feel less fidgety and more relaxed when they sit on a bounce ball chair. These chairs will help my charges to channel their physical energy in a positive way, allowing them to focus on their work more completely...and to understand what they are being taught. This will require less redirection from their Teacher; which translates to smooth lesson presentation!
According to the literature," when a child sits on a ball chair, they are able to direct their natural kinesthetic energy and need for movement in a positive way, because the child on a ball chair has to constantly move his body on the chair to maintain his balance."
Quite obviously, many Students with Special Needs require more movement than others. For some kids with a sensory processing disorder or ADHD, being in motion allows their brains to be engaged. Ball chairs foster the students' expending their physical energy in a positive way; which in turn allows them to focus on their work more completely and to more successfully reach their full potential as learners.
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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. MacEachern and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
