As a teacher in an at-risk Preschool Classroom, my students often come from homes where they have had few experiences outside of the home. Many of my students come from low income homes, parents who had learning disabilities, domestic violence, drug abuse, etc. Therefore, coming to school is an amazing experience for them. They love coming to explore and learn. Building my classroom with educational toys and learning tools has become a mission of mine in order to give them every opportunity possible. I often find myself purchasing things with my own money to fulfill these ideas and on a teacher's salary that can be a struggle at times. Thanks for your consideration to my wonderful at-risk classroom.
My Project
This project is called "Rough and Tumble Play" because we are finding that children are craving this sort of play more due to physical sensory needs. Children today are often outside far less at home and when given the opportunity at school, the play often turns physical because children are wanting the sensory input. This type of play can often get misunderstood and not allowed because it looks dangerous. Often times, we see children chasing and tackling one another. It is often mutual play, but can lead to someone getting hurt. We want to provide the proper materials in order for our students to have safe "Rough and Tumble Play". We would love to have a thick crash mat that children can run and "crash" into in order to gain the deep pressure sensory that they are craving in a safe way, rather than crashing into a friend. We currently are using a mat (see photo) that was handed down from my daughter gymnastics days but it is too hard. A crash mat is designed for this exact type of play. The large exercise balls, bouncy toys, crawling tunnel, power bag, bilibo and jump and launch toys will also allow children to get a deeper sensory play while spinning, bouncing and rocking. This rough and tumble type of play holds value for young children as it benefits their physical, social, and educational development.
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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. Anderson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
