I teach an amazing group of 2nd grade students. Although many of my kids come to school with more burdens then a 7 year old should have to carry, they rise above those obstacles and prove themselves daily.
They are hard workers who desire to be successful in life.
They know education is the key to this success. I love that they are curious and have interest in learning about the world around them. I am proud to be at a school where students and teachers have high expectation of themselves.
My Project
The goal of this project is to meet the sensory needs of the children in our second grade classroom with wobble stools and a lap desk. The chairs are meant to let children work off energy while still attending to any instructional subject such as math, financial literacy and reading. Recent studies in the May 2013 NAEYC Journal have published findings that report young children have "neurological processes that help them organize information and respond to their environment. The way in which each child responds to this sensory information is related to sensory integration. " (Lynch and Simpson 2004) I will use these chairs in my small group areas and also whole group so that students can wiggle a little without disturbing the other children in the group and classroom.
Over the 20 years that I have been teaching, students in my district are getting less activity outside and more screen time.
I blend instruction with frequent brain breaks and use movement to stimulate their minds and bodies. However, students still need to stimulate their senses during lessons and the Wobble Chairs would help with that because the chairs need to stay balanced. Integrating these sensory tools into the classroom will make a big difference in their daily learning activities. The lap desk will give the students flexibility in their choice of seating.
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. Holmes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.