No Couch potatoes In This Classroom!

A big problem in any classroom is a lack of mobility. Constricting kids' movements only aggravates them making it harder for them to learn. Their bodies suffer. A sitting kid is also often bored. Also fluids tend to pool if the body doesn't move. This is a huge health issue! We should always move at least every hour but ideally every 22 minutes. Not moving encourages humans of any age to dissociate and drift off. This is especially true of kids.

In the classroom we were about to redesign the desks/chairs were very old and rigid (i.e. not kid friendly). And since chairs didn't necessarily match desks in this underfunded school, some kids can't even get their legs under them!

So next on our list were new tables and chairs, aspirational purchases given the lack of funding.

There were 2 schools in this building. And all the teachers in both schools are coming by to see what we're doing. Smiles, amazed looks and light bulbs going off like crazy! Our message to them, 'We're hoping our transformation of this classroom is highly contagious. We're hoping to see other classrooms transform and, as a result, in the next year or 2 you see a huge difference in students and teachers here as a result.'

In their spare time, we asked our 9 year old volunteers to collaborate on the redesign of the cafeteria and the school playground too. We're hoping the school will consider some of their good ideas (OK, not the bouncy house, but their other improvements).

9 year old Daisy redesigned the school cafeteria.