My students need multiple sensory items to include textured balls, sensory sound tubes, bean bags, a sand and water table, water wigglers and a cd player.
"Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn." O. Fred Donaldson
My special education classroom consists of nine inquisitive 1st-5th grade students who are motivated to learn.
Each of my students have sensory processing difficulties that can cause them to react differently to sensory input. My students frequently find the demands of the everyday classroom distracting, anxiety provoking, and sometimes completely overwhelming. These sensory difficulties can make learning challenging in the school environment.
My Project
Most of these sensory materials will be used in our school's "Sensory Room". The "Sensory Room" is an area for the students to retreat, so as to reorganize their nervous systems and return to the classroom in a "ready to learn" state. It is a calm and relaxing place where a student can go, one on one with a staff member, and take a necessary break. Teachers and service providers will monitor the student's arousal levels and select appropriate sensory tools to maintain optimal levels of arousal and attention within the classroom. The student will have bean bags to relax on, a CD player playing calming music and the array of sensory products/toys at the student's disposal. Sensory balls, sensory noise tubes and water jigglers are all sensory toys that a student can use to reach a "calm-alert" state of maximized function.
Every single one of my students could benefit from using sensory products.
It is important for my students to have sensory experiences to aid in fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social skills and creativity. Having sensory materials will help my students to learn using all of their senses and most importantly, learn hands-on and through experience.
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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. MacIntosh and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
