My students need flexible seating options so that they can feel comfortable and be focused while learning. The wobble chairs, wobble pads, and balance balls give them the option to be active, yet still engaged.
Kindergarten is a special year for children. It is their very first year in a school with big kids, as well as a year of tremendous growth, both cognitively, socially and physically! For many children, it is the year they begin to read entire books all on their own! I love teaching Kindergarten because I know what a profound impact I have on my students during this crucial year of their lives, and that they will have memories from Kindergarten forever!
My students are so fortunate to be surrounded by diversity.
They live in a very diverse neighborhood in Chicago. Some of my students' families have roots that reach back to the Plymouth Rock while some recently emigrated from countries in the Middle East and Central America just this year. In my classroom alone students speak Arabic, Spanish, French, Polish, and Bosnian. They also come from very diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, but the beauty of my school is that those differences don't exist within the classrooms.
My Project
Flexible seating seems to be the educational buzz words these days, but with good reason! Young children have very diverse physical needs and capabilities. What works for one child will not work for all.
In my many years of teaching I have focused a lot on meeting the different learning needs of my students, but am only recently realizing how much their physical needs impact their learning.
If a child is not physically comfortable, chances are he or she is also not very focused. Sitting in hard chairs or on the hard floor all day is not helping them learn. With all the new seating options I am requesting through this project, students will be able to choose to work in ways that are most comfortable to them so that they can really focus on their learning. For example, a lot of my students have a lot of energy and are constantly moving their bodies. It can be very distracting for them and for the students around them. But by giving them the option to sit on a wobble chair or pad, or on an exercise ball, they can continue to move in a more controlled way, but also still stay focused on their work. The wobble chairs/pads and exercise balls are meeting their physical needs, and allowing them to direct their mental energy towards their work rather than thinking about how uncomfortable they always are. Many of my students also like to sit on the floor with partners to get their work done, and the soft seats will allow them to do that in a more comfortable way.
My students know what their bodies need best, and I want to be able to give them flexible seating choices to meet their needs so they can focus on learning.
Active Kids Chair - Active Chairs for Toddlers, Pre-Schoolers & Children Who Can’t Sit Still - Great 14" Wobble Chair for Kids with ADD / ADHD - Corrects Posture | Blue
• Amazon Business
$42.99
3
$128.97
DD370X - Soft Seats - Set of 6
• Lakeshore Learning Materials
$56.99
1
$56.99
Gaiam Kids Stay-N-Play Children's Balance Ball - Flexible School Chair, Active Classroom Desk Seating with Stay-Put Stability Legs, Includes Air Pump, Blue, 52cm
• Amazon Business
$16.98
2
$33.96
Yes4All Exercise Balance Disc / Stability Disc with Hand Pump – Air Stability Wobble Cushion (Purple, 13 inch)
• Amazon Business
$6.29
3
$18.87
Materials cost
$238.79
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$3.58
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$272.37
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$48.07
Total project goal
$320.44
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$320.44
7 Donors
-$320.44
Donations toward project cost
-$272.37
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Mrs. Kim and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
