My students need motor support to engage and focus in both large and small group activities. The HowdaHug chair and Hokki Stool provide the support they need to learn.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Research shows us that movement is vital for a child's focus, engagement and learning. My students struggle to focus when they are not moving. I personally purchased one HowdaHug chair and saw the difference it made immediately. I want to expand that benefit to more children in the class.
My learners are eager and energetic special education students in an inclusion classroom.
They learn best when they are moving, especially in large and small group instruction. I have seen the impact these kinds of movement supports have had on children both in my class and in other schools I have observed. I would like to expand how many of these movement supports I can offer to my students. Our school is 100% free lunch so at both the school and district level there are not financial supports available to purchase these kinds of materials. Unlike in many other schools, there are not many other resources, like PTO/PTA that can provide for these types of needs either. Our students often have many obstacles to overcome but these kinds of materials can help address some of those needs in a way that will benefit the children long term.
My Project
These materials will be used during small and large group when the children are working on the floor or at tables. The HowdaHug chairs will primarily be used in large group while the children are sitting on the floor in circle. The chair allows the wiggly child to gently rock while providing them the feeling of a little "hug". This allows them to focus on the teacher instead of spending their mental energy trying to sit still. They will be used every day, multiple times a day. The Hokki stools will be used in a very similar way for similar reasons, except they will primarily be used while the students are working at the table. Like the HowdaHug chair, they will provide the student with a little bit of movement, which will allow the child to focus on their task. Like the HowdaHug chair, the Hokki stools will be used every day, multiple times a day.
It will increase the engagement and focus of my most wiggly students.
This increase in focus will not only dramatically increase their learning but will also increase the learning of the other students who are often distracted by their wiggly peers. It will also dramatically decrease the times the teacher has to address off task behavior which will increase the fluidity of the lesson and increase learning as well.
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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. Warner and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.