Help me give my students a variety of equipment such as hula hoops, jump ropes, and sensory anti-stress toys for structured in class mental breaks designed to reduce anxiety and promote focus.
I teach AP environmental science students who work extremely hard not just in my class, but in everything they do. These juniors and seniors tend to be involved in a lot of pursuits, including other honors and AP level classes, after school sports, extracurricular activities like robotics, orchestra or speech and debate, etc., with little to no time for recreation or leisure.
My AP students are often stretched a bit too far and are under a great deal of pressure to perform at high levels in everything they do.
Nevertheless, they are an enthusiastic, respectful, highly motivated group that come to class ready to learn and give their best effort.
The past two years, our school has focused on trauma informed care as a mechanism to address the needs of our higher performing students as well as our lower achieving students, all of whom deal with stress and anxiety regularly. This professional development work gave me the idea for my project.
My Project
My high achieving advanced placement environmental science students push themselves hard and often experience burn-out and mental fatigue which leads to increased stress and anxiety. It is difficult to learn complex concepts and perform science at high levels when students are feeling stressed and tired.
I am assembling a class set of equipment like jump ropes, hula hoops, yo yo's, anti-stress balls, and the like, designed to give my students structured movement breaks and opportunities to relax their minds, move their bodies, laugh, play, and take a mental break from the rigors of academia that dominate their lives.
I have experimented with giving my students 5 minute breaks in the middle of a 90 minute block lesson and observed that it helps them get energized and refocused for the rest of class. Albert Einstein once said "play is the highest form of research". A few minutes of play and a good mental break reduces my students anxiety and increases their creativity and motivation to learn. This equipment will help me formalize structured play breaks in my class and promote healthy living and learning.
US Games Standard Hoops, 36-Inch (Pack of 12)
• Amazon Business
$38.48
1
$38.48
Adecco LLC 9 LED Glow in Dark Flashlights, 4 Pack Rubber Coated Flashlights with Straps, Portable Handy Lights for Camping, Hiking, Indoor, Assorted Colors
• Amazon Business
$10.98
3
$32.94
Adjustable Soft Skipping Rope with Skin-friendly Foam Handles for Kids, Children, Students and Adults - Orange & Green-Adjustable Soft Skipping Rope with Skin-friendly Foam Handles for Kids, Children,
• Amazon Business
$14.99
2
$29.98
Duncan BUTTERFLY YO-YO (colors may vary)
• Amazon Business
$5.52
4
$22.08
Homder 12 Pack Colorful Sensory Fidget Stretch Toys Helps Reduce Fidgeting Due to Stress and Anxiety for ADD, ADHD, Autism(6 Colors)
• Amazon Business
$9.99
2
$19.98
TEDCO Tedcotoys Kids Activity 50-foot Solar Balloon
• Amazon Business
$17.58
1
$17.58
We pay your sales tax Set of 6 Dancing Flowers~ 2 Roses / 2 Smiley Sunflowers / 2 Lily in Assorted Color Pots Solar Toy Flower Great Holiday Car Dashboard Office Desk Home Decor
• Amazon Business
$14.99
1
$14.99
Just Jump It 16' Foot Single Jump Rope - Active Outdoor Youth Fitness - Double Dutch Length - Turquoise
• Amazon Business
$14.99
1
$14.99
Just Jump It 16' Foot Single Jump Rope - Active Outdoor Youth Fitness - Double Dutch Length - Blue Confetti
• Amazon Business
$14.99
1
$14.99
Squishy Stress Relief Sensory Toys Fidget Spiky Ball 5 - Pcs Set – Eco-Friendly Squeezy Antistress Toy Balls for Men, Women, Adults, Teens & Children –Ideal for People with OCD, ADHD, ADD & Autism
• Amazon Business
$10.95
1
$10.95
Bignc 12 Pack Multicolor Wooden Spinning Top Toy - Wood Handmade Spinning Learning Toys for Boys Girls
• Amazon Business
$8.35
1
$8.35
Darice upc 1021-13 Miracle Bubbles Solution Refill, 64-Ounce Bottle Colors May Vary
• Amazon Business
$8.30
1
$8.30
Duncan Imperial Yo Yo Green
• Amazon Business
$5.87
1
$5.87
Duncan Imperial Yo Yo , Assorted colors, Pack of 1
• Amazon Business
$5.25
1
$5.25
Materials cost
$244.73
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$22.39
3rd party payment processing fee
$3.67
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$300.79
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$53.08
Total project goal
$353.87
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$353.87
1 Donor
-$353.87
Donations toward project cost
-$300.79
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 Ms. McCabe and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
