Having a Ball While Learning!

Back in February, I embarked on my first Donor's Choose project! I had thought for some time as to what I needed in my classroom that I would not be able to access myself.  This year's class was very, VERY, energetic and so I decided to put my year's worth of research into action.  I decided that I wanted to ask for ball chairs to replace the regular chairs in my classroom.  Think I'm crazy yet?...A lot of people did!  I had read research articles, blogs from other teachers, and watched videos of the ball chairs in action before making my decision to give it a try!  I am always looking for new and innovative ideas for my classroom, and this is something I truly felt passionate about!  It only took ONE week, 17 wonderful donors, and the support of my husband, parents, and family to reach $938!  My students and I were completely ecstatic!

I started out the ball chairs in my room with only a handful of students.  I gave it to the students that I thought would benefit most from the new chairs.  We established "Rules for Safe Sitting" and did a lot of modeling before the small group was able to use them.  Within the first few days, I saw HUGE improvements in their stamina to sit, or how I like to call it, they had "less ants in their pants!"  After the ball chairs were given to the rest of the class (with the help of a wonderful student that helped blow them up with the pump) the real observations began!

When you are trying to balance, both sides of your brain need to work together to allow you to balance.  When both sides are working together, it causes you to focus more!  Some of the improvements I saw were posture (which produced neater handwriting), stamina for reading, writing, and learning, less getting up out of their seats, and an increase in focus!  All of the students absolutely LOVED the ball chairs and were sad to hear that they were not going to have them in 3rd grade (I am the only whole-class in my district with ball chairs).

The students knew that if they were not sitting appropriately, that they were given a warning, and then after, they were given a regular "boring" chair for the rest of the day.  I did have the occasional fall off, but it happened with regular chairs too.  Some students would bounce to high, but then were given a motion to slow it down.  Most students adhered to the rules and everything worked out great!  I cannot wait to use them in September!!! Thank you Donor's Choose, my family, and anonymous donors that helped make my dream become a reality!  You are all a part of a game changing process in Room 202!

If anyone has any questions about the ball chairs, please feel free to ask!! =)