The purpose of this grant is to help meet the sensory needs of my kindergarten students.
Making a Difference Request for $475.00 Funding
- Flexible learning for Kindergarten
- Nicole Sorensen Kindergarten Teacher at Linden Elementary
Purpose of the grant and how it will enhance the FPS educational program.
The purpose of this grant is to help meet the sensory needs of my kindergarten students. I am requesting 6 wobble chairs for my wiggly kindergarteners because research has shown that “Increased physical activity during the school day can help children’s attention, classroom behavior, and achievement test scores.” – Darell Hammond
I have 19 very active five and six year old kindergarteners. They would love to have alternative seating options to help captivate their minds. As a kindergarten teacher, I don’t sit at my desk all day. Why should I expect the same of these young children? My students truly enjoy the times I allow them to choose alternative seating during Daily 5 and Guided Math.
The goal of this project is to meet the sensory needs of the children in my classroom. These chairs are meant to let children work off energy while still attending to a lesson. The addition of wobble chairs to our classroom will allow the students who need some extra movement to utilize this tool and still participate in all classroom activities with little distraction. It will give those wigglers a chance to move, and not deter from the lesson that is essential to their learning. Having 6 stools instead of a classroom set will allow students to practice patience and taking turns, which is essential in kindergarten and a life-long skill.
Kindergarten has become a lot more rigorous in recent years. Our classroom needs funding to implement an exciting transformation from traditional classrooms into flexible learning spaces, allowing for the students to move, wiggle, and learn simultaneously! As a Kindergarten teacher, I believe that learning occurs when students are at their happiest. That is why I try to create an environment in my classrooms that allows my students to learn through many hands-on activities, investigation and discovery, and plenty of movement. Wobble chairs will allow students to channel their extra energy into sitting, allowing their mind to be free to work harder at learning. It will allow those students who are distracted and moving to be able to focus, giving them the opportunity to work hard to learn important skills.
My students are a diverse group of students who come from many different walks of life. Some came to kindergarten not knowing how to write their name or any letters and some came already reading. My students from poverty are academically challenged and need as much extra support as possible to make significant gains. I plan to use the wobble chairs in my classroom for the life of the chair. I’m excited to see the gains my students make and for my students who need constant redirects, I’m excited to see them thrive in an environment that is conducive to their learning.