Five to ten minutes of hand/eye coordination exercises a day can Focus attention, improve learning, relieve anxiety and reduce stress.

Moderation state
funded
Grant Applicant
Michele Forsberg
Grant Co-applicants
Shauna Althof
Mike Pyle
School Site
Truckee Elementary
Grant Category
Physical Education
Grant Date
2018-04-30T12:00:00
Description

A safe and engaging "mind break" experience for students. Currently, third through fifth-grade students are 1:1with technology. The simple, yet very effective, games we are suggesting have been proven to stimulate a different part of the brain. They are a "reboot" to the brain.  We also believe it will be imperative to find a way to ensure our students feel safe and engaged during the 2-3 year period of construction. (Students will be in an extremely tight space!) The suggested items will be best used by ALL 3-5th-grade students (approximately 10-12 classes). The idea is to rotate the items/games for a 1-2-week period per class after Shauna and Mike have had an opportunity to introduce and teach the activity during PE rotations.

Benefits of Program

·      Simple hand/eye coordination exercises are proven to improve cognition and recall (Healthy Brain, Happy Life). Repeated activity heightens a person’s ability to strategize. Preparation for continued movement lights up the hippocampus which improves memory.

 

·      Moving eyes up/down or side-to-side in a rapid motion makes stressful or worrisome thoughts and memories fade by soothing the emotion-processing areas of the brain (Biopsychosocial Medicine).

 

·      Benefits of this form of exercise can not only provide brain growth but body comfort as well. In comparison to the body dynamics of a student sitting at a desk hunched over a computer, worksheet, or even reading, the proposed relief of the attached exercises will improve both posture as well as oxygenation to the brain. Other benefits include, but are not limited to, the following:

Success of Program

o   Stress relief ~ physical activity, brain stimulation, visual stimulation, the joy of success at learning something new…(not academic)

o   Focus Retention ~ Mind/Body connection at being completely engaged and focused at the moment

o   Coordination Boosting ~ Improvement of gross and fine motor skills

o   Improved Learning ~ problem-solving skills, reconnection to a sense of self, executive function improvement, ability to ignore distractions, multitask, and hold and manipulate information in the mind

o   Active meditation ~ being focused in the moment and aware of your surroundings creates a “relaxation response” which creates a shrinkage of the part of the amygdala, a deep-brain structure strongly implicated in processing stress, fear, and anxiety.

Implementation

As stated above, the items will serve as a rotation of games to be used both individually as well as cooperatively during academic breaks and P.E. 

Can you share this grant with your grade level or subject team?

As mentioned above, the items will be shared amongst 3rd-5th-grade classes. This includes 11-12 classes which equate to approximately 275-300 students.

Sustainability
Some of the items will wear out with time. Some of the items might require replacement parts. We tried to account for this in the grant and have decided to purchase one of each item to ensure its sustainability before we purchase a classroom set.
Amount Funded
$2200.00
Individual Budget Items(s)
$3790 - Please see uploaded excel file
Budget Notes

Item DesriptionItem

Number                                                                            QuantityUnit         $$              Ext. $$ 

Juggling Scarves1206258                                                    7 packs           $16.39       $114.73                           Step 1 to Juggling

Schlling Classic Juggling Balls                                             30 sets              $8.49        $254.70                         Step 2 to Juggling

Amersumer Toss and Catch Balls & Paddles                    10 packs               8.99          $89.90                       Cooperative Play

Classics Jacks                                                                     15 sets              $9.99          $149.85                     Cooperative Play

Takraw Ball Hacky Sacks51233                                          10                     $30.99         $309.90                     Step 1 to Hacky Sack 

Hacky Sacks                                                                        5 packs             $12.99          $227.79                    Step 2 to Hacky Sack

Cup Ball20020088                                                               5 packs             $17.99          $89.95                      Step 1 to Catch Ball

Toysmith Wooden Catch Ball                                               30                     $5.11            $153.30                     Step 2 to Catch Ball

Jazzminton Paddle Ball Game                                             15                    $16.99             $254.85                   Cooperative Play

Fun Air Scoop Ball1270402                                                  3 packs             $50.99           $152.97                    Cooperative Play

Swing-N-Hop1088786                                                         5 packs               $20.39           $101.95 

Kites                                                                                      30                     $10.00            $300.00 

Reflex Boxing Ball on String with Headband                        30                     $19.99            $599.70 

Fill n Drill Tennis Trainer                                                       15                     $19.99            $299.85 

Replacement Ball / String Set                                               30                      $3.99            $119.70                    Replacement Parts

Tennis Racquets                                                                   15                      $12.97          $194.55                     For Fill & Drill Tennis

Soccer on a String                                                                15                       $24.99          $374.85 

      

TOTAL Grant $$$:   $3,788.54 

Shipping
$250.00
Taxes
$303.00
Other funding sources

We did not discuss this grant with site/district since the items listed are specific to some, but not all, grade levels. Shauna, Mike, and I are willing to research items specific to kinder-2nd but would request additional funds be added. We are working towards a positive emotional and mental break for our students and realize that students in the upper grades have a less imaginative play. We are trying to keep the older students engaged in an activity that will help them through a possibly rough time in the next few years. 

File Uploads
Pricing for PE Supplies.xlsx (10.08 KB)
Notes

Shauna, Mike, and I have research several links to the many options we have chosen. We looked for quality, durability, cost/sustainability ratio, and student engagement for each item. Although our spreadsheet represents a specific item, as stated, we will order one of each item and "put it through the test!"