My students need exercise balls and bean bag chairs to help them become energetic learners, improve core strength, and improve their attention span.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Prince's classroom raised $477
This project is fully funded
My Students
"Sitting still is overrated. It makes sense for the opera or for meditating, but in most classrooms and child care centers, it's given far more honor than it deserves. Children need to move." ~Tom Hunter, National Association for the Education of Young Children. I like active learners.
My students learn in all different ways.
Many students need more of a kinesthetic approach to learning then they get right now. I believe these balls will increase our overall attention span and allow students be active learners. The idea of using the balls, which require more core strength and balance to sit on than traditional chairs, stems from the well-documented idea that exercise increases brain activity in students. Dr. John J. Ratay said this about the effect of exercise in his book "SPARK: "In addition to priming our state of mind, exercise influences learning directly, at the cellular level, improving the brain's potential to log in and process new information. Research from kinesiologists to epidemiologists shows again and again that the better your fitness level, the better you learn. The balls will increase core strength daily for my students, as well as keep their minds active and alert throughout the day.
My Project
Albert Einstein once said, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid." The same is for the students in my room. Not every child learns the same way. I would like to find a solution for my kinesthetic learners. I would like to encourage my students to learn on the move. I believe collaboration is essential for success, and I would love to get my students involved and engaged through their learning. I believe this will allow autonomy in a students learning, give them liberty, and with that liberty they will learn to manage and be responsible for their learning. These balls will allow students more autonomy in their learning. It will keep them from slouching, keep them awake, help them have good posture, and strengthen their core. I believe this will make them more energetic learners. I believe it will make school more enjoyable.
My students will use the therapy stability balls for two main purposes.
The first purpose it will serve is as a positive behavior reinforcement. Students will earn the privilege of using the stability balls as their chair based on good behavior. The second purpose is to meet the needs of my kinesthetic learners. Students who need additional physical stimulation can use the balance balls. I believe the use of these balls will increase students academic achievement.
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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. Prince and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
