Past projects 2
Calming Tools
Funded Mar 20, 2024Today's teens are exhibiting many signs of stress and anxiety. Any tools we can get to help them focus on something to relieve some of those feelings are a great gift! Through the items we received from our project, several students have been sparked to research different methods to reduce anxiety.
When students come to my office, they often like to have items in their hands to occupy them, while talking about the daily stress and anxiety they are experiencing. Not having to make that eye contact while we talk, helps them stay calm and less intimidated. In our project, we received three items that sit on my desk constantly. The puzzle cube has been actually very fun because some students are not able to make it work, so others have stepped in to show them how it works! The sand art frame is a popular handheld item to distract from eye contact, and it seems to really soothe the students. The calming suggestion ball has been a really cool tool to spark some additional research because it came with a booklet explaining each calming technique, and there are some the students have never tried or heard of. I have gotten feedback from several students that they have tried those techniques outside of school. The last item is our programable Mini Sphero. When we get that little guy out, nobody in the room is focused on stress anymore! They are really trying to master it! We really appreciate all of these tools to help make everyone's day a bit brighter!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
Regroup - Recharge!
Funded Apr 29, 2022We began our 2022-23 school year with our new calming room ready to go! The students have had the opportunity to tour the space, and they are making reservations to use the room! It has been a wonderful space to meet with kids that are struggling with mental health issues during the school day! The teachers are even using the space to recharge their own mental health when needed! I really like that it isn't seen as a spot for kids that struggle with mental health, but it is for anyone that just needs a spot to gain clarity! The space is so calming and packed full of peaceful things to sooth anyone's thought processes! I feel that allowing all students to use the room, as a retreat or in crisis that our students will see that mental health is important for everyone and not something that just a few have to maintain. Looking forward to seeing how the students benefit from your donations this year and many years to come! Your kindness has helped our entire school building of 275 kids!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin