My students need materials like Kinetic Sand and Bubber to help develop strength and flexibility in fingers and hands. Pounding Board and a cash register are also beneficial.
What would you do if you couldn't write or use your fingers to text? Walk at the same pace as everyone else? Use utensils to eat? Take care of your own bathroom needs? My students struggle with the varying levels of fine motor control needed for these tasks.
I teach in a self contained classroom for students with special needs.
The children in my room have a variety of disabilities, from autism to Primordial Dwarfism and a multitude of disabilities in between. This year we have Pre-K though 6th grade students. We are a Title One school, with a diverse population of white, black, Native American, and Hispanic students.
My class is a happy bunch that loves school and learning and they take joy and a sense of pride in every small success. They celebrate each other and our classroom has become a place where it's OK to make mistakes as long as you keep trying. The majority of my students stay with me every year as they are not able to progress in the regular classroom. I feel very fortunate to be able to keep my students from year to year. This gives me the opportunity to watch them grow from Pre-K to sixth grade and it's an amazing experience.
My Project
Play-Doh and lacing cards are only interesting for so long before students get bored. While my students do have the benefit of an occupational therapist, true progress in motor skills comes from doing a variety of activities every day to help develop strength, dexterity, muscle memory and stamina. The items in our list have been chosen because they provide variety of options for students to practice fine motor skills every day.
Sand and Bubber help develop strength and tactile sensation. Whiteboard activities encourage the use of both fine motor dexterity in manipulating the board and gross motor movement in using the whole arm. Snapping together alphabet letters and using the cash register gets them using fingers while also reinforcing academics.
Because most of my students stay with me throughout their elementary school journey, they become very familiar with our manipulatives and activities.
Between donations and my own money I try to provide new and interesting activities each year but it is Donor's Choose and those who support our projects that make the real difference. With the generosity of donors we are able to provide new and interesting activities that help develop life skills while also encouraging academic engagement.
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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 Ms. Griffen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.