I will try to give you a brief rundown of a beginning setup for a movement lab, keeping in mind that it is always evolving and growing as the year goes on.
The first step and arguably the most important is identifying the students that could most benefit from using the lab throughout the day. With the high number of students at our school we cannot use the lab as an option for full classes so we pull small groups throughout the day. (Some schools have added a movement lab sort of like a connect class and have students go one to two times a week with their whole class). Our first year implementing this program we started the year with only 3rd and 4th grade students as our targets. We worked with the EC Department, our Counselors, and the grade level teachers in identifying those students who could benefit and then set up a schedule where those students would get pulled everyday for 15 minutes. At our school we did not hire a position to run this lab we used one of our TA allotments and she works hand in hand with me to run everything. She would pull the small groups and go into the classrooms in her free time doing brain energizers I provided her. Eventually by the middle of the year we were pulling small groups from kindergarten as well.
Now in our second year running the program we pull from all grade levels and have a full all day schedule using the lab.
As for setup, we have 9 stations and try to give the students 1.5 to 2 minutes at each station when they come in the lab.
The first step and arguably the most important is identifying the students that could most benefit from using the lab throughout the day. With the high number of students at our school we cannot use the lab as an option for full classes so we pull small groups throughout the day. (Some schools have added a movement lab sort of like a connect class and have students go one to two times a week with their whole class). Our first year implementing this program we started the year with only 3rd and 4th grade students as our targets. We worked with the EC Department, our Counselors, and the grade level teachers in identifying those students who could benefit and then set up a schedule where those students would get pulled everyday for 15 minutes. At our school we did not hire a position to run this lab we used one of our TA allotments and she works hand in hand with me to run everything. She would pull the small groups and go into the classrooms in her free time doing brain energizers I provided her. Eventually by the middle of the year we were pulling small groups from kindergarten as well.
Now in our second year running the program we pull from all grade levels and have a full all day schedule using the lab.
As for setup, we have 9 stations and try to give the students 1.5 to 2 minutes at each station when they come in the lab.
STATION BREAKDOWN
1.) Vestibular Stations – The best way to describe the vestibular system for sensory purposes, is to imagine an old playground. Remember the rocking horses that would bounce uncontrollably back and forth? Or the carousel that you and your friends would spin it as fast as you can until you get dizzy? The vestibular system is part of our sensory processing development that gives our bodies that dizzy feeling and helps us process what was going on and get our body back to equilibrium.
Signs of Students Who Could Benefit:
2.) Fine Motor Skill Stations - Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of the body that enable such functions as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing
Signs of Students Who Could Benefit
3.) Proprioceptive - Proprioception informs us of our body position in space. The receptors for this system are found in our muscles and joints and they send information to our brain about where our body is and how much force we are using.
Signs Student May Need if:
4.) Tactile - The brain learns to accept and process tactile input.in a certain sequence... When you hear the word tactile, think touch and texture.
Signs Student May Need if:
5.) Balance
6.) Handwriting
7.) Locomotor - Locomotor skills enable children to move through different environments, moving their body from one place to another. The key locomotor skills are walking, running, jumping, hopping, crawling, marching, climbing, galloping, sliding, leaping, hopping, and skipping.
Signs of Students Who Could Benefit:
- Difficulty sitting still (very wiggly)
- Poor handwriting
- Poor core strength (w-sitting, hard-time sitting with good posture)
- Poor balance
- Poor motor planning (figuring out how to move the body in a new way like riding a bike for the first time)
- Difficulty problem solving
- Clumsiness
2.) Fine Motor Skill Stations - Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of the body that enable such functions as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing
Signs of Students Who Could Benefit
- Trouble holding a pencil correctly.
- Trouble using scissors.
- Trouble tying shoes, fastening buttons, using a zipper etc.
- Issues coloring
3.) Proprioceptive - Proprioception informs us of our body position in space. The receptors for this system are found in our muscles and joints and they send information to our brain about where our body is and how much force we are using.
Signs Student May Need if:
- Rocking, spinning, twirling, or frequent head tilting
- Frequent crashing, bumping, climbing, falling, or jumping
- Frequent kicking while sitting or stomping feet while walking
- Enjoys deep pressure or being "squished"; Prefers tight clothing
- Uses too much force when writing or coloring
- Plays too rough with other children
- Misjudges the amount of force required to pick up objects
4.) Tactile - The brain learns to accept and process tactile input.in a certain sequence... When you hear the word tactile, think touch and texture.
Signs Student May Need if:
- Students who fidget with items at their desk a lot.
- Students who will for no reason lash out and pinch someone.
- Students who fidget with zippers, Velcro, etc. and lose focus.
5.) Balance
6.) Handwriting
7.) Locomotor - Locomotor skills enable children to move through different environments, moving their body from one place to another. The key locomotor skills are walking, running, jumping, hopping, crawling, marching, climbing, galloping, sliding, leaping, hopping, and skipping.
