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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781957984469 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Future Horizons, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2008 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 71 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
| Age Range: | 5 - 9 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Hi! I’m Arnie. I didn’t use to like school very much.
But now I do, and I want to tell you why.
School used to be hard. Really hard!
That was before I learned about my School Tools.
I’m a lot like my friends. I like to play video games and draw pictures.
I especially like to draw dinosaurs.
At school my favorite class is gym. I’m a pretty good basketball player.
I just lost my fourth tooth; most of my friends have only lost two or three.
I’m different from a lot of my friends in another way, too.
I’m a MOVER. My motor runs a little higher than most other kids.
That means it’s harder for me to sit still and pay attention.
Some kids can sit on their pockets on their carpet spot, listen to
Mrs. Reinke give directions for our writing assignment, and then go back
to their desks and finish their work without ANY reminders.
Not me! I can’t sit in one place for very long. My body needs to move.
My hands need to be busy. I have a hard time listening only to my
teacher. I used to find things on the floor or on the
wall to touch and play with. Sometimes I would play
with my shoelaces or touch other kids. My teacher
used to say, “Arnie! Keep your hands to yourself,
please.” “Arnie! Sit still.” Or “Arnie!
Pay attention.”
I wanted to listen to my teachers, but it’s hard to listen to their
directions when all I can hear is Mr. Brown’s class playing “Buzz” next door.
Just like a construction worker needs tools to build a house, I need tools
to get my work done. I don’t need hammers or circular saws, or those
kinds of tools. I need “Tools for Learning.”
When it’s hard for me to sit still in my desk, sometimes I use a special
cushion in my seat that lets me move around a little. Sometimes I sit on
a big ball instead of a chair. Once in a while I stand to do my work.
My teachers say that’s okay.
During listening times, I hold a
“fidget.” At first, my friends thought
it was a toy, but now they know it’s a
tool to help me focus. It’s a hand tool.
I also have tools that I use with my mouth. I have a special piece of
plastic on my pencil that I chew on. Sometimes I use crunchy or chewy
food to help me concentrate.
I have a heavy blanket I use on my lap sometimes.
Or I wear a heavy vest. It feels a little like I’m getting a hug, and it
helps me relax so I can do my work better.
When I’m listening to Mr. Brown’s class next door instead of focusing
on my writing journal in the morning, I can wear headphones or earplugs.
That helps me tune out the sounds around me that distract me
from doing my work.
When I really need to move, like during a long calendar time, Mrs. Reinke
might ask me to run an errand for her to the office or another teacher’s
room. I also help her pass out supplies and papers.
Sometimes my teacher has the whole class get up
and do exercises or stretches to music.
Certain times at school are extra hard for me. For example, I always
bring a fidget to assemblies because it is difficult for me to sit on the
gym floor for a long time.
Recess is easy! I love to run and jump and climb and swing. But coming
back inside is not always so easy.
That’s when I have what we call my “job time.” Mr. Dave is our
custodian, and I am his special helper. Sometimes I help him sweep
the cafeteria floor. I also push a heavy cart to deliver boxes of mail to
teachers. Then when I go back to my class, my motor isn’t running too
high any more, and I am ready to
concentrate and do my work.
I work very hard at school to keep my body as calm as I can so I feel
better and learn better. When I get home, my mom lets me play before I
sit down to do my homework.
I have my very own homework desk in our office at home. It is a quiet
place, so I don’t need earplugs. I sit on a ball chair when I work, and I
take a short break every 10 minutes.
While I’m working, I eat food to
help me concentrate, like chewy
dried fruit or crunchy pretzels.
I drink water from my water
bottle with a straw.
Sometimes I jump on our mini-trampoline, and at other times I jump and
crash into our couch pillows.
All these things help calm
my body and my mind
so I can get my
My teachers help me figure out what tools work the best for me,
and I’m always learning about new tools. My teachers talk to
my mom and dad about things we can try at home, too.
Sometimes I try tools that don’t work well for me. When that happens,
we just cross them off my list and try something else.
Yesterday I learned that I can kick a stretchy band tied to the legs of my
chair when my legs feel like moving but my brain wants me to sit down
and finish my “M Is for Monkey” art project.
It might always be harder for me to do things that I need to sit down and
concentrate on, but my School Tools are helping me.
My mom says that when I grow up I probably won’t be an accountant
like my dad, because he has to sit at a desk most of the day.
Instead, maybe I’ll be an archeologist and discover the bones of a
dinosaur no one knew about. I already know a lot about dinosaurs!